Why did these residents at The Patriot receive diplomas?

A group of residents at The Patriot in Somerset were recognized Tuesday for their commitment to making their senior community better.

Somerset County Ombudsman Brenda Nicholas presented a diploma, a starfish pin, a door sign and other gifts to Carey Brant, Shirley Dwire, Sandra Hagy, Sue Kotok, Kristina Moore, Carol Pletcher, Dora Tipton and Bob Zolla as graduates of the Pennsylvania Empowered Expert Residents program.

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PEER is a state program that trains resident volunteers in nursing, personal care and assisted living facilities to serve as advocates for their fellow residents. At The Patriot, the PEER group will work with Nicholas, other residents, administrators and staff to find opportunities that improve the quality of life for all residents. PEERs also help advise new residents as they adjust to their surroundings.

The PEER program is sponsored by the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman and the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.

'They're very eager'

During the graduation ceremony, Nicholas told the group the starfish is the symbol of the PEER program because it represents the idea that one person can make a difference in another person’s life.

The graduates were then treated to a catered luncheon in their honor.

The PEER group at The Patriot started training in January and completed five sessions of two hours each to earn their diplomas.

“It’s a large group but they’re very eager,” Nicholas said. “They’ve got some projects already lined up, so we will meet in March and then we’ll go ahead and get started on their projects.

“Their (individual) backgrounds are amazing, and when we have class they all want to participate. At the end of almost every class, they say, ‘Wow, we learned a lot today.’ That’s what the purpose of this is, teaching them there is support.”

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The PEER graduates gave similar reasons for joining the program. Zolla said he joined because “we want to improve conditions.”

Brant said he also wanted to make a difference in his community.

“I love the people here, and I want to help out as much as I can,” he said. “Solving problems will make things better for everybody.”

Sandra Hagy said she wanted “to speak for the ones who can’t speak for themselves. There are always things that can be improved.”

Sue Kotok added: “Sometimes we don’t know the right way to make change. I’m thankful there is going to be other people here to support me and help make changes.”

PEER program expanding locally

The PEER program is active in eight of Somerset County’s nursing homes, Nicholas said, and the ninth group is expected to complete their training in late March. Nicholas then plans to expand the PEER training to residents of local personal care homes.

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“It’s needed,” she said about the PEER program. “It gives them (residents) a voice, keeps them involved. It collaborates them (residents, staff and administration) to work together. This is their home, so no one knows their needs better than them.”

Barb Smith, interim administrator at The Patriot, said she’s seen the success of the PEER program elsewhere and is hoping for similar results at The Patriot.

“This is now their home, and they should have some input. … We try to respect their wishes on day-to-day things, but hopefully this will expand on that, because they have had an impact. Dietary has listened very carefully about what they would like on their menus and (dietary staff) are in the process of doing that. So that’s a big step.

“We have a very clear open-door policy, and if we’re not able to fix whatever (residents) feel is a problem, we’ll at least work on mediating, coming to the middle on things, and being very honest about that. We’re very open about what’s realistic sometimes and what we’re working towards.”

Smith added that Joel Airesman, the director of nursing, will soon succeed her as administrator at The Patriot and she has every confidence the staff and the PEERs will work well together.

“There’s a good team in place. Joel will be moving into this spot and we have a director of nursing to replace him and the team that’s in place is going to be very good here. They are young and full of great ideas. I look for nothing but ongoing success here at The Patriot.”

For information about the PEER program in Somerset County, contact Nicholas at 814-483-6068 or scombudsman@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Residents from the Patriot join the Pennsylvania Empowered Expert Residents program