The families of residents of Hill View Retirement Community in Portsmouth have praised its services, giving it a high score on a statewide survey of retirement facilities.

This is the first year the Medicaid program and the state of Ohio's Department of Aging has sponsored the Family Satisfaction Survey, said Rita Prose, clinical social worker at Hill View.

“It's a way for the state to measure and monitor quality within nursing homes,” Prose said. “They evaluate us on a number of levels, and how we're performing. With the new state reps, it will be tied to reimbursement, as well.”

The survey was conducted by Scripps Geritology Center at Miami University between July and December 2006, she said, and was sent to families of individuals residing in Hill View's community.

“This is more of a guarantee that all nursing homes will do their best and will try very much to take good care of people, satisfy people, and meet everyone's needs,” Prose said.

Prose said more than 300 nursing centers and 23,000 people were surveyed. According to the Department of Aging, the overall statewide average was 86.6 percent, but Hill View scored higher, at 90.1 percent.

The biggest factors contributing to their high rating, Prose said, was the care and attention given to residents.

“I think, for one, it's the way families perceive us taking care of their loved ones, and that, I think, is the most important thing; That we are doing good nursing care, that we are taking care of them as far as hygiene, that we are feeding them very good food and making sure they get enough to eat and drink, that their beds are clean, that those kind of things are taken care of,” she said.

Prose said everyone's care plan is different, based on the individual needs and family requests, and nurses and staff of Hill View express a genuine concern and attention for those in their community.

“If you're going to be here, doing this job, you find things about the people that you take care of that you love about them. When they die, we grieve, and when they're sick, we worry,” she said.

It's that same commitment to their residents that Prose says has helped earn Hill View a higher-than-average satisfaction rating.

“One of the reasons we got the high score is because they sense there's a heart there. Not just an institution,” Prose said.

To review Hill View's survey, as well as the survey and results for other participating retirement communities, visit them online at www.ltcohio.org.

RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 235.