A former administrator of a facility for the physically impaired has spoken about the life-changing experiences it provided for her.

Ianthia Simmons Wade, who now is Vice President of Operations for Kurron Bermuda, served as administrator for 22 years at Summerhaven before she was dismissed by the facility's board two years ago.

Her comments come on the heels of Government's announcement that recommendations for upgrades at the facility have been met. except for CPR and first-aid training which will take place next month.

Yesterday Mrs. Simmons Wade, a mother of three, said she cannot comment on how the facility was run now, but said: "I have spent all of my professional life at Summerhaven. It was certainly a totally life-changing experience for me.

"The residents became my family. I learnt a lot and made a major contribution to what it was up until I left. When I came it had been open for two years.

"Twenty-two years there, basically I made it the way it was. It was probably one of the best experiences I had."

Mrs. Simmons Wade was dismissed from her position in May 2008 after the Board suspected she had committed financial mismanagement and suspended her.

However, an internal audit by the Ministry of Culture and Social Rehabilitation exonerated Mrs. Simmons Wade and suggested a number of upgrades for the facility.

Last year Summerhaven underwent an independent review by long-term care expert Glenn Wachter due to clients' concerns. He listed a number of ideas to improve life at the facility.

In February, and after a petition was signed by staff and clients calling for Board Chairman John Powell's recommendation, Government sent a list of improvement recommendations to Summerhaven.

The recommendations, which were submitted in February to be completed no later than March 15 2010 included:

l Registration as a Residential Care Facility, which was done on March 10.

l Development of a fire safety and evacuation plan approved by the Bermuda Fire Service.

l CPR and First Aid training for all staff and management.

l Discontinuation of allowing staff to sleep on the night shift.

lDevelopment of a "face sheet" that summarises medication taken, basic diagnosis, resuscitation status, physician name/number, family name/number for each resident for use by service coordinators, paramedics and hospital staff.

l Recruit a nurse consultant for the purposes of evaluating the health care and service needs of each resident on an ongoing basis, and providing training to caregiving staff.

l Purchase of basic health care diagnostic equipment, including a scale, a thermometer, a blood pressure cuff and a blood glucose monitor.

Now there always two caregivers on duty, staff are no longer allowed to sleep on the night shift and the charts of all residents have been reviewed and found to be comprehensive.

A part-time recruitment nurse has also been hired until a permanent replacement can be found and new equipment including scales, blood pressure readers, a defibrillator and pagers for staff have either been implemented or ordered.

CPR and first-aid training will take place at Summerhaven starting April 17 and 18.

Last week a representative from the National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged visited Summerhaven to evaluate the progress and Government said the recommendations have been implemented.

Acting Minister of Health David Burch said: "I am pleased to see that the Summerhaven Board is taking the necessary steps to implement the recommendations in the best interests of their staff and clients.

"This bodes well for the future and I anticipate that by April 15, when they must show progress against the remaining recommendations, that we will be able to conclude this difficult but necessary process."

Board Chairman Mr. Powell added: "We are very happy that we are working well with Government and we look forward to the future."