After nearly a year of research and analysis, the Kendal-Crosslands Board decided that a major portion of these bequests should be used to address critical issues in nursing care. In January 2010 the Board agreed to establish a new program, the Kendal Center for Nursing Education and Leadership, to be funded by income from these bequests. The Kendal at Longwood and Crosslands communities have been known for the high quality health care provided to their residents as well as innovations in care for older people. In making the decision to establish the Kendal Center for Nursing Education and Leadership, the Board demonstrated Kendal-Crosslands’ on-going commitment to maintaining best practices in nursing care to foster quality of life for older people.

The Kendal Center for Nursing Education and Leadership will be a virtual center that is located organizationally at Kendal at Longwood, but has activities occurring in a variety of settings. The Center will focus on strengthening and expanding educational and leadership development opportunities for nursing staff at all levels in the Kendal-Crosslands communities, to support the development of nursing leaders in long term care. The Center will offer its programs to the broader nursing community as well, to advance the practice of gerontological nursing in the wider world and to promote the sharing of information about innovative nursing practices. The Center hopes to enhance the clinical knowledge and skills of all levels of nursing staff related to cognitive impairments and the older adult.

A number of programs to be offered through the Center are being considered. Among them are Certified Nursing Assistant training, programs offering Continuing Education Credits (CEU) for Registered Nurses, preparation courses for various nursing certifications, internships and scholarships, career counseling for nurses and others who may be interested in nursing, and outreach programs to high schools, colleges, and schools of nursing.

An important offering of the Kendal Center for Nursing Education and Leadership will be an annual education event in the name of the original donor, the Kathryn S. Binkley Barrow Memorial Symposium for Health Care Professionals. The first annual event, held on May 24, 2010, focused on the subject, “Care Practice and Innovations in Dementia and Parkinson’s Disease.” LEARN MORE about the first symposium “Care Practice and Innovations in Dementia and Parkinson’s Disease”.

For more information about the Kendal Center for Nursing Education and Leadership, or to make a donation, call Celia Agustin, Health Services Administrator, at 610-388-5517, or Rich Lysle, Executive Director, Kendal at Longwood, at 610-388-5512.