After only four years of operation, The Timbers of Cass County is already receiving national recognition for the level of care for its 102 residents.

Earlier this week, the Dowagiac nursing home and rehabilitation center received its first Commitment to Quality Award from the American Heath Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living. The program honors nursing care facilities that have implemented projects with that demonstrably improved the quality of care for its occupants.

The Timbers received the award’s bronze level recognition, the first of three levels, for its yearlong efforts to prevent slipping accidents within its population, said Administrator Karen Schalte.

“We designed a program to cut down on the number of falls that our residents experience,” Schalte said. “People sometime lose their balance and fall during the course of regular activities. It’s a common concern within nursing homes.”

To combat this trend, the 187 staff members at the facility made some dramatic changes, including adding a nursery manager to their weekend schedule and increasing their attention of residents who were at greater risk of falling.

“Over the course of a year, we saw a marked reduction, from 19 percent to only 10 percent,” Schalte said.

The process of identifying the root causes of falling and designing interventions to manage them was quite arduous, as Schalte described it. Despite that, the staff were overjoyed when they heard that their yearlong work had paid off with the bronze award.

“We were elated,” Schalte said. “Not every facility earns this award. It’s awesome to be recognized by a national association within our industry.”

After receiving this award, the Timbers is eligible for the silver level award next year, which they intend to go for. For now, though, they concentrating improving their steadily declining fall rate while working to maintain their high occupancy rate.

“I think our quality distinction will support our already stellar reputation, and people will seek us out for our services,” Schalte said.