I don’t always have the opportunity to stay at an assignment long enough to see the official results or impact of my presence. I usually get verbal affirmation for the positive impact, but since that is subjective I don’t place too much value in it. I prefer to have both subjective and objective data for a full analysis. Sometimes administrators or staff notify me after my departure (when the statistics come out) and let me know, but I usually don’t get the pleasure of celebrating with the staff. Well, today I got an objective confirmation during my assignment. The facility that I am at is now considered 4 stars overall with CMS! The star rating is something that medicare and medicaid place on facilities based on multiple criteria. It consists of several different markers. Some of them are easier to influence than others, but as a whole, it can be difficult to impact the overall rating without blood, sweat, and tears from everyone. The goal of course is to be 5 stars overall, but to be able to increase a facilities star rating can be challenging (especially during a short time span). I am SO proud to say that the staff here put on their gear and fought the good fight. They should be SO proud of their accomplishment as well.
My husband and Pearl came to visit us this past weekend. The picture above was taken about 3 seconds before Pearl went in for a swim. Wookie does not appreciate the water as much so he stood by and watched. Pearl always does her best to chase/force him in, but he has her figured out now. He stays far away from the water while she is swimming.
We had to say “goodbye” to our neighbors this morning (Boo). They are heading on to their next adventure. I will miss our conversations and Wookie will miss their little Aussie-Poo pup terribly. He will be looking for her when we get home from work today, and I suspect he will grieve her absence (broken-hearted).
I am now in my final week here. These are the hardest days of the assignment for several reasons. The dread of saying “goodbye” and the uncertainty of where I am going next plague me. I feel like I am carrying a weight that I can’t shrug off. But my hope also remains steadfast and I continue to remind myself that “all things work for good for those that love God” and I have faith that he has a plan (and it’s perfect).
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