North Tonawanda’s DeGraff Memorial Hospital has learned a thing or two from the city’s thousands of elderly residents over the years — that is, how best to care for them.

And the wisdom of the ages has begun paying dividends in a recent national ranking of the hospital’s long-term care facility in the skilled nursing wing, now counted among just 173 similar centers dubbed the nation’s best.

DeGraff’s 80-bed extended care and nursing home facility attached to the hospital was awarded all five stars by the federal Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services office, for three of four quarters in 2009.

Out of a total of 15,500 others competing in the rankings, DeGraff is among the top 10 best for extended-care in the state of New York and is one of two in Western New York to be recognized as such.

U.S. News and World Report published the survey results last month. The results are based on health inspections conducted by the state at random, nurse staffing and quality of care.

“To be ranked in the top 173 of 15,500 skilled nursing programs in the nation is a remarkable accomplishment,” Administrator Christina Khushalani said.

The hospital’s Director of Marketing and Kaleida Heath’s Senior Marketing Associate Phyllis Gentner said the number of older people in the area is definitely a big reason for getting the formula right.

“We’re very proud that we’ve been able to provide the quality of residential care at DeGraff for people who have grown up in this community.”

She noted there aren’t many similar centers in the area to serve an aged population.

Only Canterbury Woods in Williamsville earned a similar ranking in this part of the state.

At DeGraff, Gentner said the center originated about 38 years ago as an extended care wing, providing additional services to patients who had undergone treatment in the hospital. Then the skilled nursing facility was built, in some ways as a reaction to better serving the area’s older residents.

“Because there were some who never could go home,” she said. “So slowly those beds turned over a little bit and there was a greater need (by) patients to become residents ... then there was long-term care. Demographics are key to the services we provide here at DeGraff. We’re probably one of the most aged communities in Western New York.”

The center’s Director of Social Work Lisa Colosimo confirmed her phone has been ringing off the hook following the release of the rankings.

“This is the first time we’ve been picked up nationally — we’ve always had very good surveys,” Gentner said. “It’s important to know that we’re doing everything right and we’re meeting expectations.”

She and the skilled nursing center’s Director of Nursing Kathleen Murphy agreed doing so begins with efficiency of management, especially in light of the national economy and state Gov. David Paterson’s proposed budget, which includes $1.9 billion in cuts to hospitals and nursing homes.

“Staffing is key (to efficiency),” Murphy said. “Is this the right process and is the right person doing it ... it’s everything. We look at all our processes to see if there’s a way to improve them without compromising quality care.”

There is a significant waiting list before any new residents can be admitted. Also, she said most insurance plans do not cover long-term care. Though some plans may offer relief.

For those like resident Mary Sansone, whose mother Dorothy suffered a stroke three and a half years ago, the proximity of the hospital to the North Tonawanda community she knows and also the immediate availability of emergency hospital equipment and personnel is a game-changing difference.

Moving her here from Millard Fillmore-Gates was a no-brainer when the opportunity presented itself.

“All her friends and family live in this area, not in Buffalo. So it was extremely important for our family to have her here,” she said.

And Sansone also explained another dimension to DeGraff’s long-term care appeal. She is a member of the family council, a group of relatives of residents who plan and coordinate events and activities adding a personal element to residents’ care.

A family picnic complete with a dunk tank held for the second year in a row last summer is a good example of the kind of fundraising that is also a win-win for residents’ quality of life.

“The family members can come with their kids and make a day of it,” she said, also mentioning the group will be hosting a fish fry regularly depending on its popularity in the coming weeks.

Contact reporter Neale Gulley at 693-1000, ext. 114.