Frequently Asked Questions

Here, you can find answers to some commonly asked questions about ACR Homes.

1. How do I know ACR will provide the high quality services they promise?
2. How does ACR make sure the staff support their philosophy?
3. Can family members attend and observe staff training sessions? Monthly staff meetings?
4. How does ACR work to improve quality?
5. How does ACR maintain its houses and make repairs?
6. Has ACR ever been cited for violations?
7. Who can I talk to about their experiences with ACR?
8. What does the live-in staff do? What are the standards for this person, and what rules do they have to follow as a live-in?
9. How does ACR select staff?
10. How are staff trained?
11. Are there visiting hours?
12. Who do I go to with questions/concerns?

1. How do I know ACR will provide the high quality services they promise?
We have put a supervisory system in place to oversee and ensure that we are implementing the services we have promised on a consistent basis. Every employee at ACR is accountable to his/her supervisor to guarantee quality. Each person’s goals, whether “formal” or “informal” are checked by the house supervisor to verify completion. One staff is typically working with two clients on a shift, and that staff is responsible for goal completion and medication administration. Any failure to complete the necessary objectives and treatments is addressed and corrected promptly.

The House Supervisor is supervised by a Program Director. This person ensures quality and continuity across all his/her homes. They oversee the program and physical plant, and make changes as necessary. They are present for employee discipline issues, as well as ongoing training. All house supervisors call in on a monthly basis to the Executive Director to discuss both resident and staff issues.

The COO, Gene Leistico, supervises the Program Directors and holds scheduled and unscheduled training meetings for both house supervisors and Program Directors to ensure quality services. ACR is committed to quality, and we will not develop new homes beyond our capacity to maintain our high standard of care. The COO reports directly to the owner and Executive Director, Jim Nelson.

We value open communication, and will strive to meet the needs of each individual we support, and to listen to the input of parents/guardians. Family and case managers are welcome to drop in anytime their family member/client is home. Each ACR Home has a supervisor available whom team members can contact 24 hours a day; team members are also given the name and number of the person who oversees the house supervisor and should feel welcome to call that person as well. In addition, the owners of our company, Jim and Dorothy Nelson, give their phone numbers out to all family members and case managers. They demand quality services in each of their homes, and want to know about any concerns that may arise.

The quality of our services are also measured through a “Satisfaction Survey” which we send out to team members on an annual basis to solicit feedback on our services. These have been extremely valuable in helping us improve the quality of our care.

In addition to the above methods to measure services, we have internal auditors who do thorough, in-home audits of our documentation to ensure compliance with our license agreements.

2. How does ACR make sure the staff support their philosophy?
We have high expectations for the staff. Our direct care staff have a nine page job description to which we hold them accountable. Staff who do not carry out our philosophy are disciplined and/or terminated. Because of our high standards, we receive many favorable comments from the case managers, parents and guardians with whom we work. For example, a case manager from Dakota County stated that she likes to get her clients in ACR homes because our high quality care makes her job so much easier. Our detailed screening of applicants minimizes the risk of hiring staff who lack responsibility. We also do criminal background checks.

3. Can family members attend and observe staff training sessions? Monthly staff meetings?
All new family members to ACR are invited to attend our Policy and Core Values class. This is a mandatory class for all new staff, and long-term staff need to re-take the class every two years. Family members find it helpful to know how our staff are trained, and what we expect of them.

Because we typically discuss all clients at a monthly household staff meeting, family members are not asked to attend. We may however request that a family member attend a portion of a meeting if we need information for staff training purposes.

4. How does ACR work to improve quality?
As mentioned earlier, we do a “Satisfaction Survey” to ask the people we support and/or their guardians how we are doing, and have made many changes to our program based upon feedback we have received. We also implement lessons learned at one home across all of our homes. For example, an unsafe indoor fire sprinkler-head was discovered at one home, and we had all of our homes inspected.

5. How does ACR maintain its houses and make repairs?
ACR has our own Property Manager and maintenance crew. All of these individuals have been through ACR’s screening and training process, and act respectfully and pleasantly with the people we support. Any outside contractors would be supervised by ACR employees.

It is important to us that our homes look nice. The owners of our company, Jim and Dorothy Nelson, have said that they will not have any of the people we support living in a home that they would not live in themselves. When a house has maintenance or decorating requests that the supervisor of the home is unable to remedy, the requests are prioritized and dealt with as quickly as possible. Seeing a home is the best testimony to our commitment to maintaining our homes.

6. Has ACR ever been cited for violations?
Over the years there have been some minor violations. Some examples have been; the wording of the Program Abuse Prevention Plan; a bar of soap on a countertop that more than one resident may have accessed; or having an outdated county Service Plan. Any violation is corrected immediately, and procedures to avoid a repetition are implemented across the company.

7. Who can I talk to about their experiences with ACR?
We have a number of parents who are willing to talk with people who are interested in ACR Homes. You may also read quotes from many families on theArcLink.org website under ACR Homes. Call Deb Nygaard, Director of Program Development, at 651-484-5897, ext. 204 for a list of names and phone numbers.

8. What does the live-in staff do? What are the standards for this person, and what rules do they have to follow as a live-in?
Having LIVE-IN SUPERVISORY STAFF at each of our homes is an important component of ACR's philosophy. The individuals we support often develop their strongest bonds with these live-in supervisors. Our homes are all built with a separate living space (typically a walkout level basement area) for the live-in staff and his or her family (if any). This enables the live-in supervisor to oversee the household in a very effective way.

The live-in supervisor is responsible for making sure that all shifts are filled. ACR does not run our homes short staffed. If a shift is open, the supervisor may attempt to fill it with existing staff, or with ACR's own emergency floats (people we have screened and trained personally). If no one else is available, the supervisor will work the shift. This ensures that the people we support are not denied activities due to staffing problems. The supervisor is also responsible for making and taking people to doctor's appointments, keeping the house stocked with medical and household supplies (including groceries), employee discipline, and completing reports. They are also the primary contact for families and county representatives.

9. How does ACR select staff?
Although we utilize many avenues for recruiting, our best method is that of employee referral. We have bonus plans in place to encourage and reward referrals.

10. How are staff trained?
Once staff are hired, they complete a comprehensive training program that meets and exceeds all licensing requirements and provides extensive in-house training to ensure optimal care of the people we support.

11. Are there visiting hours?
Families and friends of the people we support are encouraged to visit whenever possible. We are also able to facilitate family gatherings by offering to transport our clients to their family and friends’ homes. It is not necessary to set up an appointment before visiting, but family members might want to give a call to make sure their loved one is home. We go out frequently!

12. Who do I go to with questions/concerns?
It is our goal as a company to be responsive to the needs and interests of the people we support as well as to their families and case managers. Families and case managers are always welcome to drop by our homes to visit whenever their loved ones/clients are home. We strive to be prompt and open to any suggestions, and we analyze any complaints to improve our system of care not just at that individual's home, but also across the board. Each ACR Home has a supervisor available whom team members can contact 24 hours a day; team members are also given the name and number of the person who oversees the house supervisor and should feel welcome to call that person as well. In addition, the owners of our company, Jim and Dorothy Nelson, give their phone numbers out to all family members and case managers. They demand quality services in each of their homes, and want to know about any concerns that may arise.