When the Gregory Wing at St. Andrews Village received a five star rating from the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the St. Andrews Hospital Auxiliary celebrated by surprising the staff with balloons, a fruit tray and brownies.

"We are all very proud of the staff and volunteers of the Gregory Wing and we just wanted to show our appreciation.  This is a wonderful place," President of the Auxiliary Miriam Wade said.

The five star ranking means the Gregory Wing is in the top ten percent of all nursing homes in Maine, according to the CMS, which publishes the Nursing Home Compare website to help families choose between nursing homes.

For Auxiliary members like Wade and Ellen Memory, the five star rating is important because it is confirmation that people from the Boothbay community can get excellent care while staying close to home and to the people who mean so much to them.

The ranking is awarded on the basis of a three- to five-day on-site survey, staffing levels and quality of care as measured by a several indicators, including whether residents lose too much weight and how well pain is treated.

Michael Lee, Executive Director of St. Andrews Village, said the Gregory Wing’s last survey, completed last year, found no deficiencies. The Gregory Wing also received extra points for having a higher level of staffing than is required.

Lee said the Gregory Wing normally has at least one certified nursing assistant more than required at all times. While that is an extra expense, he said it also means the staff is able to spend more one-on-one time with residents.

Gregory Wing Director of Nursing Cathy Rayle, RN, said a higher staffing level helps improve the quality of care as well as residents’ quality of life.

“We have really been able to build our restorative program because of the staffing levels,” Rayle said.

The restorative program is designed to help residents regain the highest level of function possible through one-on-one sessions with staff and activities that promote physical and mental stimulation. 

Because activities are personalized to include things residents have always loved to do, whether that’s cooking or walking in the new garden that the Auxiliary gave the Gregory Wing, they also improve quality of life.

However, at the heart of what makes the Gregory Wing special, said Lee, is a staff made up largely of people from the Boothbay community. In many cases, staff members are caring for people they have known all their lives.

“They are community members taking care of community members,” he said.

The Auxiliary also does so much at St. Andrews Village and the Gregory Wing that he considers them an extension of paid staff.

Auxiliary members not only offer their time to help residents and staff, they recently gave the Gregory Wing money for a new garden where residents can sit outside on warm days. They provide scholarships to help staff grow professionally and give the staff at both St. Andrews Hospital and St. Andrews Village a Christmas Luncheon each year.

They serve as a bridge, keeping the connection between the Gregory Wing and the community it serves strong.

“The Auxiliary brings the outside in,” Lee said.