The Activity Therapy and Wellness Department is a dynamic group of individuals that enables residents with physical, cognitive, emotional and/or social limitations to maximize their quality of life and reach optimal health through meaningful participation in recreation and leisure. 

Activity Therapists play a vital role in the daily lives of residents through engaging them in activities, including arts and crafts, aquatics, general exercise, games and animal-assisted therapies. The Activity Therapists also support residents with outings, such as to museums, parks, or other favorite San Francisco sites. 

The Activity Therapists develop a monthly calendar of programming that is available to residents. Events are designated as either Hospital Wide services or Neighborhood services. 

Laguna Honda’s mission is to provide culturally competent healthcare to the diverse communities of San Francisco. 

Laguna Honda residents whose sole language is Spanish or Chinese receive care in their native tongue.  Our Chinese and Spanish focus units not only help to eliminate barriers to proper care, they also provide a welcoming environment for residents from Chinese and Latino cultures.  

The language focus units are places where residents who are accustomed to the food, holidays, manners, and other cultural sensibilities of Spanish- and Chinese-speaking communities can feel comfortable and at home. 

We strive to create a therapeutic environment where healthcare includes relationship-building as well as the interventions of skilled clinicians. 

Residents on the language focus units receive the same interdisciplinary care provided throughout the hospital.  Doctors, nurses, social workers, and therapeutic professionals participate as a team along with residents and their families to ensure the best possible individualized care. 

Learn more about our Chinese Language Program Click here 

General Skilled Nursing Care Service is commonly associated with Laguna Honda with good reason. Our around the clock services, offer residents the opportunity to restore their health and/or maintain maximal levels of function. This level of care is provided by a combination of licensed professionals under the supervision of a board eligible medical physician. 

Part of what makes Laguna Honda’s skilled nursing services unique is that care is provided to all adult San Franciscans. Our services are predominantly used by older age groups and/or those with impaired physical and cognitive disabilities. In order to care for these communities, Laguna Honda has completed necessary requirements for Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders Certification (NICHE). 

This is a premier distinction reserved for facilities committed to providing evidence-based quality care for adults. Program implementation includes a variety of geriatric best practices, including prevention and management of pressure ulcers, adverse medication events, delirium (acute confusion), depression, urinary incontinence, and falls while simultaneously promoting the resident and family experience through resident-centered care. 

Hospital Wide services cover activities related to wellness, art studio, the Virginia Leishman Farm (the farm) and gardens, as well as other special occasions. 

We value opportunities for residents to explore Laguna Honda’s wonderful campus and engage their surroundings. We believe by creating these opportunities, residents will be able to experience normalcy, improve physical function, and feel connected to the greater community. 

Every month there are events to celebrate diversity and the culturally rich San Francisco community. Most of the events are located in the recently renovated and historic Gerald Simon Theater. At least once a month on Saturdays, we feature monthly live performances. 

The Virginia Leishman Farm at Laguna Honda is open daily and features friendly animals such as bunnies, goats, pigs and many others. Residents are always welcome to visit during operating hours. During the week, animals are brought to residents on the neighborhoods. In collaboration with the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), we offer dog visits for residents on Wednesdays. 

Gardens are an important aspect to Laguna Honda. There are nearly a dozen gardens on campus with the main garden located next to the farm. Gardens feature beautiful flowers along with vegetables and fruit trees that have been carefully selected for the Laguna Honda micro-climate.  

Laguna Honda has a Wellness Center, which features a rehabilitation gym and two therapy pools. The Center is staffed with supportive individuals who are ready to inspire healthy living and support residents in restoring their health and physical functions following disabling injuries. Residents come to the Wellness Center as part of their care plan. The Wellness Center also offers programs that encourage residents to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Activities include, but are not limited to the following classes: Self-Defense, Tai Chi, Chair Pilates and Yoga, Stretching and Strengthening, and Qi Gong for Relaxation and Balance. 

The Wellness Center and Activity Therapy Service offers an outing program that provides comprehensive off-campus, community-oriented activities for clinically diverse residents through contributions made by Friends of Laguna Honda and other community partners. Outings enhance the quality of life of the residents, reduce boredom and isolation resulting from longer term hospitalization, and reintegrate residents back into the community. Outings may include local baseball games, movie viewings, and popular stage shows. The program collaborates with Laguna Honda’s Nursing Services to ensure that the community outings are safe for each participating resident. 

The Memory Care and Dementia Program provides services for residents living with moderate to severe cognitive impairment. The program promote resident choice, includes structured activities, and maximizes resident abilities in the most independent setting available to fit their needs. These include social environments such as the Virginia Leishman Farm and the aquatics pools used for therapy or relaxation, as well as classes hosted by Art with Elders and performances during special hospital-wide events. 

Neighborhood services are specific to each of the 13 neighborhoods in North and South Residences. 

Every neighborhood focuses on creating mini communities by facilitating socials, community meetings, and special events to celebrate and mirror the richness and complexities of San Franciscans. To learn more about your neighborhood’s specific activities, contact you’re the Activity Therapist who works on your unit  

Laguna Honda’s outpatient clinics consist of 29 specialties that are offered regularly to residents. The most frequently used clinics include Dental, Podiatry and Ophthalmology services. Clinics are provided by physician consultants from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The convenience of our on-site outpatient clinic allows you to receive care without having to leave the campus. 

The Palliative Care Program on the South 3 neighborhood is based on the end of life care model, which has three primary goals: Clarify hopes, values and goals of care for residents. Provide comprehensive symptom management for physical and psychological symptoms and spiritual distress. 

Offer bereavement support to resident families after death. 

Palliative care is provided by an interdisciplinary Care Team and includes board certified palliative care professionals, a chaplain, and volunteers from Zen Caregiving Project. In addition to the specialty palliative care on South 3, primary or basic palliative care is provided in all Laguna Honda neighborhoods by their respective interdisciplinary Care Teams. 

Other Laguna Honda services that support palliative care include: No One Dies Alone Volunteer Program (NODA), Spiritual Care Services, Pain and Healing Clinic, Palliative Care Specialist consultation, and Bioethics consultation. 

The Laguna Honda end of life program is a community partnership with the Zen End of life Project of San Francisco. For more information about the Zen End of life Project, click here. 

The HIV/AIDS Unit was started over 26 years ago and has since transformed into a 60-bed neighborhood located on South 2. Now known as the Positive Care Program, it continues to provide innovative care for residents with HIV/AIDs requiring skilled nursing services. Other services available for residents in the Positive Care Program include the Hepatitis C clinic and support group, the integrated pain clinic, behavioral health services and Substance Treatment and Recovery Services (STARS). The goal of the Positive Care Program is to help residents achieve optimal health and functional capacity and prepare them for community discharge when possible. 

Physicians on the Positive Care Unit are all HIV specialists with many years of experience. Using a multidisciplinary team approach, we offer a broad spectrum of services to residents. This includes short term stays for purposes of physical rehabilitation, treatment and/or stabilization of acute medical problems, complex medication management, and longer term stays for residents with more debilitating medical issues or significant AIDS-related dementia. Additionally, the program offers respite stays for caregiver support and collaborates with the Palliative Care Program to enhance end of life care. 

Rehabilitative care is based on the functional potential and the personal goals for each resident. Goals often include maximizing the ability to perform self-care tasks of daily living (e.g. personal care, continence training), mobility (wheelchair use and/or ambulation), vocational rehabilitation, and other self-management tasks (medication management, wound care). Discharge planning and caregiver training begin very early to trouble shoot any physical barriers or gaps in care that might delay a timely return to home. 

Rehabilitation at Laguna Honda includes two comprehensive programs to help residents recover from life-changing illnesses or injuries. 

The Acute Rehabilitation Program consist of five beds and serves residents who demonstrate the ability to participate in an intensive therapy program (e.g. at least 3 hours of therapy daily) and the potential for rapid functional gains. 

The SNF Rehabilitation Program consists of forty-nine beds and serves residents who are unable to tolerate an intensive rehabilitation program or who require focused rehabilitation needs (e.g. predominantly physical therapy needs). 

The emotional and physical demands of caregiving can make it hard to be a caregiver 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Respite Care Services are available to families caring for seniors or adults with disabilities at home. 

Respite Care provides families with a temporary break from the responsibilities of caregiving, which can be a vital solution to ensure caregivers take care of themselves and continue providing the best possible care to their loved ones. It also allows caregivers to take vacations or time off to attend to their own health needs. Respite Care Services can be planned for up to one month stays and is covered by Medi-Cal as long as skilled level of care criteria are met.   

Laguna Honda makes every effort to ensure that all residents access our breadth of post-acute services. In order to maintain a balanced capacity level, we developed a Short Stay Program in January 2016 that supports residents requiring 100 days or less of skilled nursing services.   

The Admissions and Screening Committee reviews admission referrals and identifies residents who may qualify for the Short Stay Program. Once that determination is made, a set of discharge planning activities, including the discussion of discharge plan with the resident prior to the admission to Laguna Honda, is completed. This process allows Laguna Honda to closely track the progress of residents in their recovery according to their care plans and ensures safe discharges within the designated time period. 

The Vocational Rehabilitation Program prepares residents interested in contributing to Laguna Honda and the San Francisco community at large by building pre-vocational and work-readiness skills. Participants in the program have supported the General Store since its re-opening in June 2015 and the Gift Shop. For residents on track for discharge, the program offers support in completing the State Department of Rehabilitation application form. 

Vocational Rehabilitation works with other departments on Laguna Honda campus to place residents. For example, residents in the program have the opportunity to participate with Volunteer Services as guides and escorts to other neighborhood residents navigating the Laguna Honda campus.