Dove Healthcare

09/30/2025

We are proud to announce that Dove Healthcare – Bloomer, Rice Lake, Dove Healthcare - South Eau Claire, and Dove Healthcare - West Eau Claire have been recognized among America's Best Nursing Homes 2026 by Newsweek and global data intelligence firm Statista.

According to Newsweek, this year's list recognizes the top 1,200 out of 14,752 nursing homes analyzed in the United States. 15 nursing homes in Wisconsin were selected. The homes were evaluated on the “four key pillars of performance data, peer recommendations, accreditations, and resident satisfaction, with performance data carrying an increased weight in 2026 to reflect the growing emphasis on clinical quality metrics. The result is a state-by-state list of nursing homes that stood out for their commitment to safety, quality of care and resident well-being.”

Dove Healthcare VP of Operations Jen Burklund commented, “I am so grateful for every employee and their dedication to providing our residents with quality, compassionate care. Recognitions like this reinforce our commitment to excellence and high standards. Congratulations to our four skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers in Bloomer, Eau Claire, and Rice Lake.”

Please join us in thanking and congratulating our team!

Learn more: https://rankings.newsweek.com/americas-best-nursing-homes-2026

09/28/2025

Life Enrichment team members from several of our Dove Healthcare locations participated in the 47th annual WRAP (Wisconsin Representatives of Activity Professionals) Conference in Marshfield earlier this month! This year's conference provided 15 hours of continuing education on a variety of topics relevant to activity professionals, including dementia care, creating engagement opportunities, department management best practices, calendar planning, and time management. The conference also provided attendees with an opportunity to network with other activity professionals and exchange ideas and information when sessions weren't taking place. We all came away from the conference energized and ready to implement some new ideas with our residents!

Pictured left to right: Mandy (Dove Healthcare - South Eau Claire), Nadine (Dove Healthcare, Rice Lake), Kym (Dove Healthcare - St. Croix Falls), Laura (Dove Healthcare - Bloomer), Maggie (Dove Healthcare - Superior), Michelle (Dove Healthcare - St. Croix Falls), and Melissa (Dove Healthcare - West Eau Claire).

09/25/2025

We look forward to taking part in this important educational event! See you there!

Family caregivers—this event is for you!

Stop by our open house-style Caregiver Event to explore local resources, connect with experts, and gain practical tools to support your caregiving journey.

Enjoy mini educational sessions on key topics:
Advanced Directives and CPR Decisions
Chair Yoga
Common Scams & Frauds
Falls Prevention
Planning Pitfalls
The Power of Protein for Caregivers: Fueling Your Role

Plus, take advantage of onsite services including wellness, memory and hearing screenings, durable medical equipment checks and tech assistance for caregivers! Come and go as you please, gather helpful info, and leave feeling supported and empowered.

Cost: $20.29, $5 (62+)

To register, visit https://www.northwoodtech.edu/continuing-education-and-training/conferences-and-events/regional-caregiver-conference-oct-2025
....or call 715.788.7133 for information.

Pre-registration strongly encouraged but not required

09/24/2025

“We were very pleased with the efficiency and proficiency of the staff. Overall, they were very pleasant and demonstrated thorough knowledge of their profession. The therapists are very efficient and also have a great sense of humor. They presented step-by-step solutions to Mary Lou’s challenges and showed concern for achieving good results. After working on multiple stair sizes and the parallel bars, she graduated from being non-mobile to a wheelchair, and then walking independently with her walker. I would absolutely recommend Dove Healthcare – Rice Lake. The building is beautiful, and the results speak for themselves.”

It was a great honor to care for Mary Lou, and we wish her all the best back at home!

09/22/2025

We held our annual Freedom Ride on September 11 as members of the Blue Hills Chapter of the Harley Owners Group were once again on hand to take us for a ride! We have been hosting these annual rides since 2017 (with a couple of years off between due to the pandemic), and every year they are a big hit! As you can see, good time was had by all attendees, whether watching or riding.

We are so thankful for our ongoing partnership with the Blue Hills HOG Chapter! We know these rides couldn't happen without them, and we sincerely thank this year's HOG members, Shannon, Foss, Rudy, and Randy for spending their morning with us.

09/17/2025

Last night's co****le tournament was so much fun! It was a beautiful night to toss some bags. Thanks so much to the Rice Lake Chamber of Commerce for bringing Business After Hours to our building!

09/17/2025

We're celebrating Environmental Services Week this week, September 14-20! We are so grateful for our environmental services team that cares for our residents and tenants in a variety of ways by keeping our buildings safe, clean, and orderly. Thank you for all you do!

Help us say thanks by tagging one of our environmental services teammates in the comments below and tell them how much they are appreciated!

09/15/2025

Sue, a Dove Healthcare and Little Red Barn Dog Rescue volunteer, stopped by recently for her monthly visit, bringing her own rescue dog, Hershey, along with a really cute terrier puppy from the Little Red Barn. Teddy was a little nervous at first, but quickly responded to the love and attention he received from everyone and seemed content to cuddle. Hershey, who has been a regular visitor with our residents, felt right at home and happily went from resident to resident sharing and receiving attention. As always, we thank Sue and our friends at the Little Red Barn for making it possible for us to enjoy these monthly puppy visits. It is so very much appreciated by everyone!

09/12/2025

Once again, Dove Healthcare - Rice Lake has formed a team to take part in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s this year! Join us on Saturday, Oct. 4 at UW-Eau Claire Barron County, starting at 8:30AM. So far, our team has raised just over $2500, and our goal is $3400! You can drop off your donation at Dove Healthcare – Rice Lake, or register and/or donate on our Walk page here: https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2025/WI-Wisconsin?team_id=970914&pg=team&fr_id=18988

Please join us in the fight to end this disease!

09/11/2025

Paul stopped in to bring us one of his hand painted pumpkins, with this year's creation, a beautiful monarch butterfly! Paul has been a friend of ours since 2016 when he came to us for rehabilitation, and he has gifted us with pumpkins every year since.

Thank you, Paul, for continuing to remember us in such a wonderful way. We enjoy your pumpkin art every fall!

09/10/2025

Ready to toss some bags? Get your team together and take part in a Co****le Tournament here at Dove Healthcare - Rice Lake as part of Rice Lake Chamber of Commerce's Business After Hours! $10 buy-in for your team of two, with the winning team receiving half of the proceeds and the remaining funds supporting the Dove Healthcare Community Foundation. We'll have an apple bar, too!

Registration is REQUIRED by September 12! Contact Lori at 715-418-2232 or lori.vaness@dovehealthcare.com to sign up. Game on!

09/07/2025

Celebrating all grandparents today!

09/04/2025

Our friends over at Dove Healthcare - Barron Assisted Living are excited to be sponsoring this upcoming event! We hope to see you there.

🎉 Less than 2 weeks to go! This event just keeps getting bigger and better every year—and we can’t wait to share it with you!

🍽️ Check out the comments for a full list of our amazing food and beverage exhibitors—some longtime favorites and exciting new additions you won’t want to miss!

🙌 Most importantly, a HUGE thank you to our incredible sponsors! This event wouldn’t be possible without their support. Take a moment to check out the poster and see the local businesses making this all happen.

🛍️ Remember to shop local and support the businesses that support our community. See you soon!

09/03/2025

Time for another Dose of Dove! Enjoy this collection of joy-filled days from the month of August.

09/01/2025

To our outstanding team in honor of Labor Day, we are so proud of and grateful for you!

08/28/2025

Congratulations to Ricky, our August 2025 Employee of the Month! "Ricky is a hard-working, experienced cook who comes to work every day with a positive attitude and a desire to provide our residents and employees with great tasting food that they will enjoy eating. He is very tuned in to resident food preferences and does his best to accommodate those preferences. He has been a great
addition to our team,” shared Nutritional Services Director Michele Kuffel.

Ricky responded, “My passion is making great tasting meals for our wonderful residents and being able to get to know them and hear their stories. We have a very good team here, everyone works well together and puts the needs of our residents first. I have been creating meals for 31 years, and Dove Healthcare - Rice Lake is my favorite place to work!”

Thank you, Ricky! We appreciate all you do to make sure our residents have tasty and nutritional meals, always served with a smile. It’s great to have you back on our team!

08/22/2025

Getting a good night's sleep is not a luxury - it's a necessity. Sleep plays a crucial role in physical healing, brain function, and emotional well-being. Yet, many adults, especially those over 65, struggle with sleep quality due to changes in sleep patterns, medications, or health conditions.

Visit our website to learn more about why sleep matters, and to find tips about improving it: https://www.dovehealthcare.com/blog.phtml/why_better_sleep_leads_to_better_health

08/21/2025

We are happy to introduce you to Dove Healthcare’s new Vice President of Operations, Jennifer Burklund!

A 2010 graduate of the health care administration program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Jennifer comes to us with over 15 years of long-term care experience. She has spent the majority of her career in Wisconsin nursing homes in a variety of roles; most recently, regional operations support.

Jennifer shared, “I am privileged to lead the team at Dove Healthcare. My priority is to ensure those we serve receive the highest standard of care, and our team feels valued, supported and is set up for success."

Jennifer grew up in New Auburn and lives in Bloomer with her daughter and son. She enjoys spending time with her family, staying active outdoors, travelling with her significant other, Matt, and relaxing on the lake.

Please join us in congratulating Jennifer and giving her a warm welcome to Dove Healthcare!

08/15/2025

It was a great honor to have four Dove Healthcare team members present at the annual Family Caregiver Skills Fair! Many thanks to Maddy (SLP), Lindsey (PTA), Courtney (OT), and Kris (admissions director / social services consultant) for sharing your knowledge and expertise to support family caregivers grow their confidence in caregiving and awareness of resources.

08/13/2025

Announcing Dove Healthcare's 2nd Quarter 2025 Employee Referral Winner...

Congratulations to Callie, a CNA at Dove Healthcare - Bloomer!

Callie took first place and earned a $300 VISA gift card and a 50% off Dove Healthcare apparel voucher! She referred Michelle and Karyn.

Taking 2nd place was Clay at Dove Healthcare - Rutledge Home and 3rd place was Taylor at Dove Healthcare – Bloomer.

We truly value ALL successful referrals and are so thankful for each new employee!

Dove Healthcare employees are rewarded for encouraging others to apply, with the ability to earn up to $700 with each new hire at any Dove Healthcare location.

The opportunities with Dove Healthcare are endless. Tell your friends to apply on dovehealthcare.com for a casual, part-time, or full-time position today!
https://www.dovehealthcare.com/work_for_us.phtml

08/01/2025

Here's a collection of joy-filled days in July for your monthly 'Dose of Dove!'

07/25/2025

Different types of wheelchairs offer a variety of options for not only how they look, but also how they feel, how they fit, how they respond, and what they can enable you to do. Choosing the correct wheelchair can mean the difference of maximizing your mobility and experiencing chronic discomfort or worse, adding additional medical problems.

Visit our website to read more about the benefits of a wheelchair, and how to determine the proper fit.
https://www.dovehealthcare.com/blog.phtml/how_to_determine_proper_wheelchair_fit

Contact us about our outpatient and inpatient therapy:
info@dovehealthcare.com
715-723-9348, ext 1250
https://www.dovehealthcare.com/rehabilitation.phtml

07/12/2025

We are excited to announce the HomeGROWN promotion of Emily Gudis to director of operations for Dove Healthcare’s six assisted living locations!

Emily is responsible for overall performance and operations, which includes supervising the assisted living directors and assisted living nurse consultants. Our assisted living locations will benefit greatly from an enhanced, collaborative focus on developing goals, implementing strategy, identifying efficiencies, and leveraging resources

Dove Healthcare has experienced great success over the years with our HomeGROWN approach: recognizing passion, dedication, and capabilities in team members and then supporting them with growth as opportunity arises.

Emily is the perfect fit for this new position having achieved multiple promotions since joining our team almost 10 years ago. She has advanced from resident assistant, lead resident assistant, assistant director, director, multi-location director, and administrator.

We are thankful for Emily’s amazing results with employee recruitment and retention, strong occupancy, positive survey performance, and overall operations. Her breadth of experience - combined with positivity, passion, and commitment - has prepared her for success as director of operations – assisted living.

Emily and her husband stay busy raising their two young children and tending to the needs of their growing hobby farm.

Please help us in congratulating Emily on this HomeGROWN promotion!

07/10/2025

A tracheostomy is a surgically created opening through the neck into the trachea to provide an airway and remove secretions from the lungs. Tracheostomies can be either temporary or permanent depending on the person's medical condition.

The introduction of a tracheostomy can be overwhelming. Visit our website to learn more about specialized tracheostomy care and its benefits: https://www.dovehealthcare.com/blog.phtml/intro_to_tracheostomies_101