The most important people at the Big Sandy Nursing home are those that live there. I went to visit with them one afternoon after lunch. I found them all in their own rooms sitting comfortable in their easy chairs watching TV.

Muriel Silvan asked me to turn the TV down so she could visit and hear me better. She told me. "It's the best place for me to be. The reason I am here is because I can't see good enough to take my pills and I have trouble walking." She said she feels safe and knows she is well taken care of here. "They take care of me, doing the things for me that I can't do anymore." And she has lots of freedom. "I can come and go as I wish. They do have a van that can take me anywhere I want." Laughing she said, "Oh, my goodness, they are so good to me. All I have to do is ask them and they do it for me!"

Muriel mentioned, "There are six of us at the table. Friends I've known for a long time." She is still community minded. Muriel wrote for the Mountaineer an article on garden tips for 30 years. "We've planted seeds here the other day. Last spring, we planted flowers outside." She mentioned, "We want to do things for the community so we have a coffee group for the community to come." They have a large coffee group that meets twice a month on Fridays.

Shirley Pearson is now in a swing bed because she just returned from a hip operation. She rooms with "Franny" and is looking forward to being back into her room with her friend. "We've been friends for years and years. We were friends out on the farm." A friend stopped by while I was visiting with Shirley and she told me that Shirley always has a smile on her face. I told Shirley I had heard the same thing, that she just makes everyone happy.

Shirley is almost healthy enough to move, "I'm walking now." She hopes to get back into her shared room with Francis Ostrom. "We're such good friends. Friends are so important." Friends are important to everyone, but very important for those who depend on others for companionship.

Francis Ostrom was sitting resting in her room when I arrived. "I like it here." What is important is that she feels safe and always has friends to visit with. "I don't have any worries." Laughing out loud she said, "I didn't have to shovel snow this winter!" She feels the staff care about her making her life wonderful. "They bring me coffee in the morning," another big smile. "I miss having Shirley in my room. Friends are so important."

Social Security Act (SSA) was enacted in 1935. The Old Age Assistance Program made money available to help the poor senior citizen but the law didn't allow payments to any public institutions, which was the reason so many private nursing homes were started. In 1950 an amendment required direct payment to nursing homes. It also required states to license nursing homes. Medicare and Medicaid are passed as amendments to the SSA in 1965.

The Big Sandy Medical facility was built in 1965 as a nine-bed hospital. A physician clinic was attached in 1967. What is the most powerful truth about our community is we have always cared about each other. This was true then as the community members volunteered their time to build it and because material was donated as well, they were able to raise all the necessary funds to complete the project.

Nationally, there was a huge public concern over fraud and abuse in nursing home and in 1967 a law was passed creating nursing home administrators. In 1968 amendments were passed which withheld funds from nursing homes that did not meet a certain standard. This was the year that started comprehensive regulations that were designed to improve nursing home care.

From 1968 till 2000 there was continued amendments made all to continue to improve the care of individuals needing nursing home support.

mong the many things residents got to experience this past year was the Eclipse as they donned their safety glasses and experienced the event like so many others across the state and country.

In 1985 Big Sandy Hospital added a twenty-two-bed skilled nursing home to the original hospital and clinic. From that time till now many changes have been made to the law with numerous accountability requirements.

In 1999, the Supreme Court's promoted a broader coverage for people with disabilities, because of the American Disabilities Act's community integration ruling. From that day till now CMS is always finalizes new rules outlining the quality of care.

However even though there are many rules and laws that are in place, the quality of the facility in Big Sandy is determined by the residents themselves. They love it. Nothing but high praise!