Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Wednesday, March 05, 2003 Page: 7A
Born in Wilkes Barre, she was the wife of the late Warren C. Blakeslee,
formerly of Mountaintop, and the daughter of the late Ralph and Violet
Tamblyn, formerly of Wilkes Barre.
A registered nurse and graduate of Wilkes-Barre General Hospital School of
Nursing, Jill spent the greater part of her career in long-term care nursing.
From 1973 she served as Director of Nursing for Kendal at Longwood,
implementing a no-restraint policy at Kendal-Crosslands communities in Kennett
Square, Pa., and later as the founding Director of what has become Untie the
Elderly, an ongoing national program that educates nursing homes to operate
restraint-free. She was the driving force behind a December 1989 Capitol Hill
symposium on restraint-free long-term care, cosponsored by the U.S. Senate
Special Committee on Aging and The Kendal Corporation.
A member of PANPHA and AAHA, in 1990 she was a recipient of the
Distinguished Service Award from both the Pennsylvania Association of
Non-profit Homes for the Aging and the American Association of Homes for the
Aging; awards that honor individuals or groups that have performed
extraordinary service to the aging. She was profiled in the June 1998
Contemporary Long Term Care journal as one of “20 Who Made a Difference” in
the world of long term care. Since her retirement from The Kendal Corporation
in 1991, Jill’s vision for eliminating the use of restraints in nursing homes
continues through Kendal’s “Untie the Elderly” program. A passionate speaker,
thoughtful author, and sensitive counselor to her peers, she was a leader in
supporting dignity, autonomy, and quality of life for aging persons.
Mrs. Blakeslee is survived by two sons, Scott A. and Todd W. Blakeslee; two
daughters, Margie Blakeslee Greene and Terry A. Haig; six grandchildren, four
great-grandchildren; and her sister, Linda Tamblyn Loth.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, at Graham
McCune Funeral Home, 80 S. Mountain Blvd., Mountaintop.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Untie the Elderly, The Kendal
Corporation, P.O. Box 100, Kennett Square, Pa., 19348.