has thirty-six years of service in the business office at the Elks National Home, will cash Nellie’s checks for her when Nellie retires to the Home. Cashing checks is one of Deanna’s most visible duties. “We’re like a mini- bank here,” she explains. “The residents have their own banks, but we offer check cashing as a courtesy. I also help residents with their insur- ance needs and any billing questions they have. I know everyone by name and can usually guess what they need before they approach the window.”
Quality Care According to Dr. Plamondon, two
highly important features that a retirement home should provide are a safe environment and good medical services. As a licensed chiropractor and the former director of member services at the American Chiropractic Association in Arlington, Virginia, Dr. Plamondon understands mobility issues and pain. In recent years, he received approval from the Grand Lodge Board of Grand Trustees to install two elevators at the Home, which now make all the residents’ rooms accessible by elevator. Each residential building also is accessible by enclosed, heated, and air condi- tioned porches and walkways. In the course of his duties, Dr. Plamondon walks several miles every week within the Home’s 225,000 square feet of space, and he encourages the residents to be physically active, too. When new residents are admitted to the Elks National Home they must be physically and mentally able to care for themselves without assistance or supervision. If they later need assisted living care, however, it is available for a monthly service fee. The Elks National Home is a licensed assisted living facility, and to comply with state regulations, the Home’s medical staff annually conducts a health examination on every resident. “We’re here to help our residents age in place,” says registered nurse and Director of Nursing Pamala Mutter, who is also a member of the Bedford, Virginia, Lodge. “We want them to do as much as possible by themselves.” Mutter has been on the staff of the Elks National Home for fifteen years and previously worked in the Coronary–Intensive Care Unit at
T H E E L K S M A G A Z I N E
Activities at the Elks National Home W
HETHER residents of the Elks National Home choose room- based residential or apartment accommodations, all residents have full access to the Home’s recreational areas and the many enjoyable activities that are planned and coordinated by the Home’s full- time activities director. The Elks National Home’s library offers residents all the quiet pleasures of reading, while the exercise room, the seven-hole golf course, the billiards room, and the fishing pond offer more active pursuits. For those who like to get out and about, there are shopping trips and other day trips available, and on Game Day, one of the most popular activities, those with a competitive spirit can enjoy the fun of casino-style games like blackjack and roulette or can participate in games like pool, darts, and bowling. From golf to Game Day, there is something for everyone at the Elks National Home. —JS
Bedford Memorial Hospital. At the Home, she supervises a staff of nineteen people that includes licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, phlebotomists, and others. If a resident needs to see a physi- cian or other medical specialist, that can sometimes be taken care of at the Home as well. Two general practitio- ners, one internist, one ophthalmolo- gist, one podiatrist, and one hearing specialist all have regularly scheduled hours, either weekly or monthly, at the Home’s on-site clinic, and to make things as simple as possible, residents can make appointments at the clinic. For those residents who take medica- tion, a local pharmacy delivers
prescriptions to the Home daily, and whenever residents need to see a dentist, transportation is available. Residents who are recuperating from surgery or who need special medical care may become patients in the Home’s Special Care Unit, which is located in one of the facility’s wings. Anywhere from fourteen to twenty- three beds in the Special Care Unit are filled on a daily basis. “When someone is admitted to an area hospital, I’m thinking of how we can get that person back home as soon as possible,” Mutter says. “Our residents have a good social network here.” Mutter acknowledges that she could earn more as an intensive care unit
u Director of Nursing Pamala Mutter, of the Bedford, Virginia, Lodge, listens to fellow lodge member and Elks National Home resident Harry Dunn during a consultation in an exam room in the Home’s infirmary.
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PHOTO: ANEETA BROWN
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