How we're different

Colorado State Veterans Home at Fitzsimons

Here are a few of the things that set us apart from other nursing homes:
 

Veteran camaraderie and respect

The Colorado State Veterans Home at Fitzsimons serves only veterans, veterans’ spouses and Gold-Star Parents, creating a unique atmosphere among long-term care facilities. Residents enjoy camaraderie with other veterans and respect from staff and volunteers, who value the contributions these service men, women and their families have made to our country.

Comprehensive daily rate

We offer one comprehensive daily rate, with no extra charges for:

• Medications
• Primary care physician services
• Oxygen
• Wheelchairs
• Other medical supplies
• Physical, speech and occupational therapy
• Transportation to medical appointments; and more!

Modern building with convenient amenities

Completed in 2002, our building offers a state-of-the-art design, with spa-like bathing areas and large, semi-private rooms graced with individual windows, temperature controls, large bathrooms, wide doorways and shadowboxes decorated to reflect residents’ lives. Homey common areas lead to secured, landscaped outdoor spaces with flower and vegetable gardens, raised planter boxes and occasional sightings of deer, fox and raccoon. Our in-house pharmacy manages residents’ medication needs in an effort to provide the best possible outcomes.

Meaningful activities and resident involvement (“culture change”)

The Colorado State Veterans Home at Fitzsimons has embraced the long-term care “culture change” movement. Caregivers, other staff, residents and family members can receive training designed by culture change pioneer The Eden Alternative. Based on this training, the staff strives to make our community more like home and to reduce or eliminate residents’ feelings of helplessness, loneliness and boredom.

Some of the culture change approaches used at our Home include:

• Variety of meal choices and snacks
• Meals served in dining rooms on each floor offer homemade soup and a choice of entrees. Additional short-order options are available for breakfast and lunch in the Blue Plate Diner and dining rooms. Our popular Snack Shack serves ice cream every afternoon as well as milkshakes, malts and fresh baked goods.
• Pets for companionship, entertainment
• By popular demand, two of our neighborhoods have now adopted “resident” pets. Also, family members are encouraged to bring residents’ pets for visits.
• Meaningful activities
• Opportunities for meaningful activities and continued learning are important parts of Fitzsimons’ care. Residents can take classes in Spanish, photography, cooking and other subjects; use adaptive computers to access the Internet, e-mail, word-processing software and computer games; join other residents with similar interests in books, gardening and cooking; and attend seminars on world events. Residents also interact with children from a local daycare center and enjoy poker games, theme parties, dinners with veterans’ organizations and trips to go shopping, fishing or watch a Broncos’ or Rockies’ game!

For information on upcoming Culture Change classes, please call 720-857-6544 or e-mail vanessa.carlson@state.co.us.
 

For a list of The Eden Alternative’s 10 principles, please click here .

Customer satisfaction

In surveys conducted over the past five years, family members of residents in the Colorado State Veterans Home at Fitzsimons have reported a high degree of satisfaction levels with the care their loved ones are receiving. For example, among more than 5,000 participating nursing homes from across the country, Fitzsimons’ family members consistently have rated their “Overall Satisfaction” at levels that exceed state and national averages. In addition, for the past three years, Fitzsimons residents have reported “Overall Satisfaction” levels that matched or exceeded national averages compared to other nursing home residents who completed the survey.

These surveys were conducted by My InnerView, a national long-term care evaluation firm with the largest set of senior care satisfaction data in the nation.

Nursing attention

Colorado’s State Veterans Nursing Homes strive to ensure that nursing staff coverage meets the needs of our residents. According to data reported by Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare Web site, Colorado’s State Veterans Homes consistently have exceeded national averages for the number of registered nurse (RN) staff hours per resident per day.

Staff longevity

Among the thousands of nursing homes that report their quality-of-care care data to the long-term care evaluation firm “My InnerView,” year after year Colorado’s State Veterans Homes have scored well above average on stability of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants. Caregiver stability, defined as being on the job for one year or more, can help residents bond with caregivers and contributes to a home-like environment.
 

To see a video about the State Veterans Home at Fitzsimons, click here: http://www.fitzveterans.com/