“Dream – nothing! We should act right now because
responsibility for our future lies on our own shoulders.” – Dalai Lama
GEORGIA
Advancing Excellence in
Nursing Homes Campaign Begins to Get Word Out to Consumers: Georgia
(Source:
WABE)
The "Advancing Excellence in
America Georgia Georgia
Linda Kluge, Director, QIO/Georgia Honored
Congratulations and
KUDOS to Linda Kluge, Director, QIO/Georgia, gmcf for
being honored with the Distinguished Service Award at the Aging Services of
Georgia Conference. Linda is a
tremendous supporter and advocate of Culture Change.
Public
Policy Update: General Assembly Struggles with Budget
Last month it was reported that Aging Services of Georgia has supported an effort to appropriate “civil monetary penalty” (CMP) funds to programs supporting Culture Change. These CMP dollars, which are collected as fines on nursing homes, according to federal law must be spent to benefit residents of nursing homes.
There are only a few days left in the 2010 legislative session, so it is still unclear how this will turn out. The Culture Change Network of Georgia hopes for an opportunity to help develop a plan for these funds which will benefit the quality of life of the elders in our state. Stay tuned…
Wesley Woods
Newnan-Peachtree City
(Source: The Times-Herald)
The staff at Wesley
Woods recently took part in an “exciting” training session with Alice Truluck,
a national “Culture Change” educator and mentor. Truluck conducted two day-long sessions on
March 17 and 18 for employees on the values and principles of culture change for
health care. In addition to the entire
staff of Wesley Woods of Newnan, many employees from sister retirement
communities in
CULTURE CHANGE
EVENTS
Conversations with Carmen
Dr. Matthew Wayne: Personalizing
Diets and Med Pass
Friday, April 16, 2010
Conversations with Carmen is a monthly web talk show
produced by Action Pact hosted by me. In one jam-packed hour your team
will hear from an expert in the culture change movement on a timely subject, be
exposed to some up-to-date "Culture Change in the News," and a
closing feature called "Words to Consider" - taking a look at
undignified language and dignified replacements to consider. To sign up
go to www.culturechangenow.com.
Enabling Technology: An Open House
Tuesday,
April 27, 2010 at Georgia Tech
Please
join us for our open house event
featuring interdisciplinary and collaborative research on design and technology
to promote the health, active lifestyles, and societal participation of people of
all ages and abilities.
Richard Taylor, PhD
to Speak at Assisted Living Symposium
Assisted Living: HOTEL or HOME?
Humanizing Care and Creating HOME in YOUR Organization
Thursday, April
29, 2010 in Atlanta
"Thinking Outside the Box" Conference
on Policy, Service, & Research for Older Georgians in the New Decade
Monday, May 3, 2010 in
We
invite you to join us for a conference on "Thinking Outside
the Box: Policy, Service, and Research for Older Georgians in the New
Decade." The conference will take place on May3, 2010 in
Creating Home in the Nursing Home II: A National
Online Symposium on Culture Change and the Food and Dining Requirements is NOW
AVAILABLE!
Pioneer Network and
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are collaborating to
offer this special online symposium to focus specifically on culture change and
dining. (This is the Symposium that was snowed out earlier this year...) More
5th International Eden
The Art of Creating a Caring Community...Meeting the Challenges
June 13 - June 15, 2010
www.edenalt.org/5th-eden-alternative-international-conference
Pioneer
Network’s 10th National Conference
NEW! Pioneer Network is pleased to announce
the confirmation of Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as one of the plenary speakers. Kathy Greenlee was appointed by
President Barack Obama as the fourth Assistant Secretary for Aging at the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services and confirmed by the Senate in June
2009. Ms. Greenlee brings over 10 years of experience advancing the health and
independence of older persons and their families, and Pioneer Network is
pleased to be able to have her speak to our conference attendees.
NEW! We know change is hard work and it
takes a team approach to make it happen. So, we are introducing our Culture
Change Team Special which includes both the full conference and a full day
intensive. You and your organization qualify if there will be four or more
registrants from the same address. Give your interdisciplinary teams an
opportunity to experience the engagement and excitement that our conferences
are known to provide!
CULTURE CHANGE
THROUGHOUT THE CONTINUUM OF LIFE-LONG LIVING & LONG-TERM CARE
New Nursing Home Philosophy Relieves Guilt for
Children of Aging Parents.
(Source: DesMoinesRegister.com)
Candy
Danielson of
(Source: Caregiving at the Crossroads)
Have you ever heard of the Pioneer Network? It’s a website and
a movement devoted to changing the culture in nursing homes today. I’d heard
about this movement, and certainly heard the words “culture change” associated
with nursing homes for the past two decades. I thought that real culture change
was happening everywhere, in every nursing home in the
And then I was faced with a personal crisis. My mother needed nursing home care
following a severe car accident. Three years later, my mother-in-law needed
nursing home care following surgery for an intestinal blockage. Both
experiences left me convinced that even though
Next Generation of Nursing Homes
The Greenhouse Project Is a Different Kind of Facility for the Elderly -- The Kind of Place One Could Call a Home
(Source: www.cbs6albany.com)
THE GREEN
HOUSE® Project Here is the segment that
was broadcast in Albany, NY on CBS6.
Next Generation of Nursing Homes
Choosing a Nursing Home Can Be Harder In Some
States than Others
(Source: Carol Bradley Bursack)
Few
people say, during their middle years, that they hope to take their last breath
in a nursing home. However, the reality is that many of us have, and many
more of us will. I know. Juggling the care of five elders at one time, plus two
children and other demands on my time, made a nursing home for a few of my
elders a necessary choice…
As
with so many issues, awareness is half the battle. During the last century,
nursing homes, while still having distinct personalities, still leaned toward
the staff efficiency, military model. This was not beloved by the public, but
accepted because, well, that was the way nursing homes were.
However,
Baby Boomers have become more aware of nursing home culture as their parents
hit the age where such care is needed. And Boomers haven't been, in
general, pleased with the average facility.
Activists
to the core, this generation has been pushing for change and they are getting
results. Change is slow, and much depends on state regulations and
expectations. But progress is being made. In another decade, through hard work
and awareness, most nursing homes should reflect the new attitude of
person-centered care that is the goal of culture change ... More
How To Start A Movement
(Source: www.ted.com Kudos to RoseMarie Fagan)
TED Talks With help
from some surprising footage, Derek
Sivers explains how movements really get started.
(Hint: it takes two.)
The Culture
Change Way
(Source: Direct Care Alliance
NCCNHR,
the Pioneer Network,
ombudsmen programs, citizen advocacy groups, and others around the country are
working to spread culture change principles and practices in our nation’s
nursing homes. These principles are aimed at improving quality of life and care
for residents by making nursing homes into true homes, not the medical-model institutions
they too often are, with inflexible management hierarchies that put residents
on the bottom of the pyramid.
To
accomplish that goal, we must create a new role for direct care workers,
valuing their work and relationships with residents and giving them more
autonomy and decision-making power so they can deliver the individualized,
“person-centered” care residents want and need. The traditional task-focused,
almost assembly-line role assigned to nursing assistants in nursing homes
actually gets in the way of delivering good care, forcing workers to do things
like wake people up way to early to prepare them for meals or bathe them when
they don’t want to be bathed... More
Four Absolute Principles To
Organizational Change
(Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com)
There are certain things readers need to keep
in mind when you read articles like this. This is to make sure you understand
the first step needed to make sense of this.
Courage! Courage, is defined as "the quality of mind or spirit that
enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear;
bravery."
There are at least 4 bedrock principles for the courageous who want to change their culture... More
Seniority Spirit: A New Hospitality Program
Focuses On Radical Culture Change In Long-Term Care
Communities
(Source: Advance for Long-term Care Management)
Two
years ago, Sloan Bentley, CEO of Seniority Inc.,
So
Bentley decided to learn from a company known to provide consistently
exceptional hospitality: the Ritz-Carlton.
"The Ritz-Carlton has a very defined
training and culture that is reinforced on a daily basis," Bentley says.
"We thought it was a wonderful program, but we recognized that a program
for a hotel wouldn't be relevant to the retirement housing business." Unlike hotel guests, long-term care residents
live in the communities year round... More
Safe in Bed?
(Source: The New Old Age in The New York Times
by Paula Span)
Despite potential
hazards, bed rails are still used in many nursing homes and assisted living
facilities… Early on Christmas morning
in 2004, a staff member walked into Harry Griph Sr.’s
room at the New Perspective assisted living facility in
This was probably
not a shocking development in itself. Mr. Griph, who
was 75 and a retired phone company worker, was a hospice patient, given a
diagnosis geriatricians call failure to thrive, a
multifaceted decline that most commonly occurs toward the end of life. He had a
do-not-resuscitate order. But the way he
died was unexpected. “He was found with his neck entrapped between the mattress
or bed frame and the rail,” said Jeffrey Pitman, a lawyer in
Alarms Must Go
(Source: Power-Up Friday by Al Power)
Speaking at the Life
Services Network’s annual meeting in
The fun really
began when she applied the critical thinking concept to the use of alarms in
nursing homes. Bed and chair alarms have replaced restraints in the care of
people at risk for falls. But do they work? Using a critical thinking
discussion, punctuated by the testimonials of volunteers who wore “tab alarms”
for 15 minutes (setting them off with even slight shifts in position), Barbara basically showed the futility of this
approach. Alarms do not prevent falls… More
We Can Do It
(Source: Seth Godin’s blog)
Too
often, it seems, this attitude is missing from teams, organizations or the
community. It's missing because people are quick to opt out of the 'we' part.
"What do you mean, we?" they ask. It's so easy to not be part of we,
so easy to make it someone else's problem, so easy to not to take
responsibility as a member of whatever tribe you're part of.
Sometimes it's missing because people disagree about what 'it' is. If you don't know what you're after, it's unlikely you're going to find it…We can do it
10 Senior Housing Development Trends for the
Next 10 Years
(Source: Ecumen)
Senior
housing has changed dramatically and much more is ahead. Following are 10
senior housing development trends Ecumen sees
over the next decade:
National Demonstration Projects on
Culture Change and Use of Information Technology in Nursing Homes.
(Source: Joe Angelelli on Facebook)
PHI will be putting out something soon, but
Sec. 6114 in Title VI, Subtitle B (Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement)
says this: National demonstration
projects on culture change and use of information technology in nursing homes.
Requires the Secretary to conduct two facility-based demonstration projects
that would develop best practice ... The first would be designed to identify best practices in
facilities that are involved in the “culture change” movement, including the development
of resources where facilities may be able to access information in order to
implement culture change. The second demonstration would focus on development
of best practices in information technology that facilities are using to
improve resident care. More
Think Different
(Source: Bill Thomas in Changing
Aging)
This
is what happens when you begin a process with a truly open mind about what is
possible. Opening the mind is the hardest part. After that, everything just
gets easier. (Make sure you look at the
hands!) More
ATTITUDES ABOUT
AGING
You’ve Got Nothing to Fear from Dementia Sufferers
(Source: KENT
A
campaign challenging public perceptions of dementia has been launched after
figures revealed one in three people are uncomfortable around sufferers.
The new NHS Living Well drive employs people with
dementia to educate the public with the message: “I have dementia – I also have
a life”. MORE
Survey Says People in Hong Kong Lack Knowledge About People With Dementia and Misunderstand Conditions And
Needs
(Source: www.news.gov.hk)
About
760 people were interviewed in the Department of Health and Chinese
Dementia Research Association's survey. More than half said they would
feel looked down upon if a family member had dementia. Nearly 40% thought demented patients should live in elderly
homes while some would avoid contact with such patients and thought an increase
of care services for them would be wasteful…
"Acceptance and
communication, helping patients to live with safety and dignity are all crucial
to enable their last journey in life to be fulfilling, with no regret to their
families." More
Dealing with Dementia
(Source:
Guardian.co.uk)
My father's early-onset
Alzheimer's has not stopped him enjoying life. The blight is more often others'
fear and ignorance… My parents' day-to-day experience of living with
dementia suggests we should think twice before judging behaviour
that seems odd or rude – tricky, perhaps, during a chance encounter. But a
survey commissioned by the government and the Alzheimer's
Society to support a public-awareness campaign launched this month reveals
a deeper level of discrimination against people with dementia. One
in three said they would find it difficult to spend much time with someone
affected by the condition, and more than half said they did not know enough to
help someone who has it. MORE…
Still smiling: a woman with
dementia and her carer from the Alzheimer's Society
Erasing the Stigma of Dementia
(Source: Carol
Bradley Bursack at ElderCarelink.com)
…Not
all dementia present the same symptoms, however many symptoms overlap and
people can have more than one type. A common thread, however, is that dementia
tends to carry the same stigma as any mental illness. Dementia: How
Times Have Changed - Or Not…
Decades back, if Grandpa was a little dotty in his thinking the family
was told he had senile dementia. It was just old age. The family often tried to
keep him at home as much as possible so that they needn't be embarrassed by his
behavior. This treatment wasn't much different than when they kept a mentally
disabled child locked in a room when company came. Disturbing as it is, this
treatment was often more from lack of education than lack of love.
Today,
when tell-all books, TV shows, and blogs are rampant, one would think that
dementia would hardly be something that would embarrass an elder's family and
friends. But I found out the hard way that the stigma of mental illness,
dementia included, hasn't gone away. MORE
THE ELDERS (THE
PEOPLE WITH & FOR WHOM WE’RE DOING THE DOING)
The Definition Of An
Elder
(Source: Joe
Angelelli on Facebook)
“A
beautiful clip of culture change pioneer Barry Barkan from 1983 -- laying it
all out back then with "a whole lotta joy!"
I love you Barry and Debbie!" Click
here.
The Elders Speak: Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter And Mary Robinson
(Source: The Huffington Post)
Desmond Tutu: We
are all connected. What unites us is our common humanity. I don't want to
oversimplify things - but the suffering of a mother who has lost her child is
not dependent on her nationality, ethnicity or religion. White, black, rich,
poor, Christian, Muslim or Jew - pain is pain - joy is joy. In
THE STAFF (THE
PEOPLE DOING THE DOING)
Pay at Assisted Living and Group Homes Reviewed
(Source: WTVA)
LIVING LIFE
& ACTIVITIES
Pets Add Joy to Lives of Elders
(Source: Carol Bradley Bursack)
Dear Carol: My grandmother should be in assisted living, but she won’t move because of her ancient cat. I know she loves the cat, and I think the cat is good for her. Are there places that take pets along with the elderly? – Ben
Dear Ben:
Numerous studies have shown that elders can benefit from having animals
around… Many nursing homes now have pets
as part of their environment. This approach is part of the culture change
movement to provide more resident-centered care. Cats, dogs, birds and fish add
to the homelike atmosphere of any kind of care center… More
Finding Activities for Parents With Memory Loss
(Source: New Old Age in The New York Times)
I’ve invited the clinical psychologist Cynthia Green,
an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical Center in
New York and the author of several books on memory (including “Through
the Seasons: An Activities Book for Memory Challenged Adults and Caregivers“),
to join the conversation today. I’ve been hearing laments about the
difficulties of visiting relatives with dementia; people yearn to make that
time together enjoyable and meaningful, but they can’t always figure out how to
connect. Dr. Green has some thoughtful suggestions. — Paula Span
When
someone we love receives a diagnosis of memory loss, we fall headfirst into the
(usually) unasked-for role of manager, overseeing both the major decisions —
whether a move is necessary, for example — as well as the minor, everyday ones.
Yet
once the dust has settled and we’ve established a routine, we face a different
problem. What can Mom or Dad do? How should they spend their time? Shouldn’t
they be doing something? Shouldn’t we be
doing something with them?
A
friend summed up this aspect of the caregiving dilemma to me and some friends
at a recent “girls’ night out,” where she bemoaned the dearth of activities her
mother could manage. “She used to love to read, but that’s out — she can’t stay
focused,” she explained. “And she really isn’t walking well enough to go out
without lots of help. So she just sits there doing nothing. It breaks my
heart." More
(Source: The Huffington Post)
I
didn't know much about Alzheimer's before watching "I Remember Better When
I Paint" and nor did I really care. I'm not a monster-- it's just that the
disease had never affected anyone I knew. This is not to say I was indifferent
to the suffering experienced by those with the disease, or the sacrifices made
by their caretakers. However, I had picked my battles with injustice and left
this fight for someone else to wage. And wage on they did. Berna
Huebner and Eric Ellena have crafted a poignant
documentary about hope in a world where hope is seldom found.
"I
Remember Better When I Paint" follows the progress of Alzheimer's patients
who are introduced to the creative arts. Once disconnected from the world,
these Alzheimer's sufferers are suddenly brought back-- be it by a discussion
of a Seurat painting or a debate over what color to apply for their Renoir
reproduction. One of my favorite parts of the film was when one elderly
gentleman was asked to draw
The Beat Goes On – Despite Alzheimer’s – for Retired Professor
(Source: Mercury News Services)
Elora kettle drummer still plays in three orchestras
As far as David Knight is
concerned, the beat goes on. The Elora musician is
living with Alzheimer’s disease but still plays the kettle drums in three
orchestras. “I’ve been playing music my
entire life,” says the 68-year-old retired professor, who taught at both
Former Elementary Art Teacher Now Works With Alzheimer's
Patients
(Source: The Star Press)
It
started with real paint brushes and make-believe paint, applied to the big-band
sounds of Tommy Dorsey. "This lady
loves to paint!" Laurie Lunsford had announced over the music, greeting
the advanced Alzheimer's patients as they were rolled or escorted into the
activity room at the Golden Livingcenter. Now with
dry brushes in hand, they stroked and dabbed on a print of a painting by
Michael Coleman called In the Adirondacks, practicing for the fun to
come…
Maxine
Seiwart paints during class at the Golden LearningCenter. More
DEMENTIA
Giving Researchers a Face for Alzheimer’s
(Source: The New York Times)
For
the first time, young Northwestern University
neuroscience researchers left their labs to meet victims of a recently
diagnosed disease that the scientists are struggling to understand… “This was the humanization of what can be a
very nonhumanized process, looking at patient and
disease rates,” Mr. Sebel said. “But I won’t forget
those faces. They are the faces of the disease.” MORE…
Homeward Bound: Having Alzheimer’s Does Not Mean You Are Less Than You Were
(Source: Alzheimer’s Reading Room)
When we work with
people who have Alzheimer’s we recognize that there may be confusion about time
and place, but the emotions, the feelings are real. Wanting to go home again,
to go back to a place in time when life was not so difficult is a perfectly
understandable human emotion. More.
Mealtime Tips for Dementia Caregivers: Easier
Mealtimes for Older People with Advanced Dementia
(Source: Suite101.com)
Dementia caregivers can improve their loved one's mealtime
experience by making it simpler, safer and more enjoyable, in turn preventing
malnutrition and weight loss.
Mealtimes
can be challenging when caring for someone with advanced dementia. Your loved one
may no longer recognize food or remember how to use knives and forks. They may
wander off the table when it's time to eat, and develop dangerous eating
behaviors, like putting too much food in the mouth; eating too fast; swallowing
without chewing; and attempting to eat non-edible items.
This
has two negative consequences: weight loss and dehydration, as a result of not
eating and drinking enough, and increased risk for life-threatening
complications, including pressure ulcers, infections and aspiration
pneumonia. Following are tips by
dementia care experts, to ensure older people with the disease receive all the
nutrients they need, within a safe and pleasant mealtime experience. MORE
TECHNOLOGY
New Technology ‘Unlocks’ Memories of People with
Dementia
(Source: 24dash.com)
The
Computer Interactive Reminiscence and Conversation Aid (CIRCA) system
People
with dementia can be helped to communicate more effectively by unlocking their
memories, thanks to innovative technology that has been designed by experts at
top British universities… “Effective
communication with their carers gives people with
dementia a way to positively express themselves and
improves their overall quality of life." More
World's First E-Diapers to Monitor Incontinence Among Aged
(Source: www.themoneytimes.com)
An
Australian company claims to have created electronic underpants that can send
text messages and pages if the wearer becomes incontinent. Simavita, the
company that owns the product, announced Friday the rollout of what it claims
is the world's first electronic underpants.
MORE
FROM, FOR &
ABOUT CAREGIVERS & CONSUMERS
We Don’t Like Nursing Homes
(Source: Alzheimer’s
Reading Room)
Several years ago, we became
default caregivers for our aging parents who were precipitously declining into
the gloomy inevitability of dementia, Alzheimer's and death. We were immediately underwater, trying to
cope with the minute-by-minute challenges we were facing. Because of this
life-changing experience, we decided to bring the best advice and counsel to
our fellow Boomers who are similarly encountering these demands… We don’t
like nursing homes. Never have. It’s not just because so many of them “chemically
restrain” their residents with horrific drugs. In many nursing homes, you will
see the residents, strapped into wheelchairs, clustered pathetically around a
big-screen TV set, helpless and unattended, drug-addled and apparently
comatose. What you’ve witnessed are the faces of atypical antipsychotic drugs.
The reason we don’t like nursing
homes is that we’re two of the millions of Boomers who want to “age in
place.” We’re like the seniors in a 2007
study, Aging in
Place in America, who,
when asked what they feared most, rated loss of independence (26 percent) and
moving out of their homes into a nursing home (13 percent), while the fear of
death was the greatest fear of only three percent. In response, to the
widespread animosity toward nursing homes and the dawning realization that a
humongous number of Baby Boomers are going to need help with their daily
activities, a variety of alternatives to nursing homes are springing to life.
These facilitates are designed to allow Boomers to “age in place.” Here is a
snapshot of several of them… MORE…
Guest Post by Richard Taylor - A Letter to the Alzheimer’s Association
(Source:
www.themythofalzheimers.com)
To
Robert Egge, Vice President of Public Policy and
Advocacy:
I
still believe you-all at the National Alzheimer’s Association need to be more
specific about the need, cost, quantity and percentage of research funds spent
on psychosocial research vs. bench research in your quest for the cure.
While this is of some benefit to the 16 million potential, soon to be real
people walking around with the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (and by the way
why don’t you include the other 10 millions folks who will be walking around
with other forms of dementia - all your press releases make it sound like you
are exclusively committed to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease)…
I
appreciate what you and your staff are doing in
AAHSA Consumer Research Digest, Presented by The
Cabinet on Future Needs of Consumers
Type “aging baby boomer” into any Internet
search engine and you’ll receive a list that contains thousands of studies,
reports and news items about the generation born between 1946 and 1964 – the
generation expected to begin entering retirement in record numbers in less than
five years. The quality and relevance of these resources will vary. Indeed, it
can be very challenging work to uncover the nuggets of truth that are hidden in
the sometimes overwhelming amount of available information. This Consumer
Research Digest attempts to do just that.
This collection of resources contains credible and informative research that
can shed light on the issues that older consumers will face in 2016 and beyond.
Those future consumers will differ in important ways from the consumers that we
now serve. In order to be ready to offer services that consumers will want to purchase,
providers must take time away from their day-to-day challenges, put their feet
up and imagine new ways of serving a new aging population.
The AAHSA Cabinet on Future Needs of Consumers hopes you will read our Consumer
Research Digest carefully; share it with your board members, staff,
residents, policy makers and community partners; and use it to guide your
efforts to plan high-quality services for future consumers. More
Researcher Creates Award-Winning Caregiver Site
(Source: Alzheimer’s Daily News)
(Source:
"Persons with dementia and their caregivers deserve better
lives and more help with the everyday challenges they face," said Rosemary
Bakker. "When I was a caregiver, I learned that people with Alzheimer's
experience the world differently than we do. Once you understand this, there is
a lot caregivers can do, especially to the home environment, to help the person
lead a safer, more functional and fulfilling life. And it makes caregiving less
difficult and more rewarding. But without guidance, it's easy to get
overwhelmed."
“We have a need and expect it to be fulfilled.”
(Source: http://bridgingheartandmarketing.com/blog/)
A fundamental
principle of capitalism says — “Find a need and fill it.” That’s the way entrepreneurs, product
creators, and corporations operate. But this implies a passive consumer who
waits for his/her need to be fulfilled… BUT
. . . what would happen if you, the customer/consumer, were to
become proactive — that is, what if you and those like you got together,
literally or energetically, and proactively demanded particular kinds of
products… MORE
(NOTE: Consumers are starting to demand
CULTURE CHANGE!)
Next Step in Care Guides Help Family Caregivers and Health Care
Providers Work Together To Make Transitions in Care Easier and Safer
(Source: Next Step In Care)
The United Hospital
Fund’s Next Step in Care guides (www.nextstepincare.org) are designed to help family caregivers and health care
providers work together to make transitions in patient care easier and safer.
Transitions occur when a patient moves from one care setting to another. To
make the best use of the guides, you first have to understand that you are in
fact a caregiver. MORE…
DESIGN &
ARCHITECTURE
(Source: TreeHugger)
As
the boomer generation hits retirement, where are they going to live? Many will
want to stay in their neighbourhoods, close to their
family. In an era where it is becoming impossible to get a mortgage, perhaps
they may even want to share their house with their kids. FabCab isn't just another pretty prefab, but part of a
plan to address this demographic certainty. The FabCab
creators are taking advantage of the changing zoning bylaws that allow Granny
Flats and accessory dwelling units. More
Design Project Aims to Improve Quality of Life
for Dementia Patients
(Source: Nursing Times)
Old engine parts and
other objects that remind people of their former working lives can help improve
the quality of life for dementia patients ... MORE…
DISABILITY
COMMUNITY
Working Together, Aging and Disability Groups
Can Be a Powerful Force
(Source: VAN e-Bulletin)
The forum and e-Bulletin for this month focus
on disability. I’ve long been interested in the connections between aging and
disability because I have studied and taught about aging and because I became
disabled in a car accident in early middle age. Traditionally few connections,
if any, have existed between younger adults who struggle with long-term
disabilities and older adults who become disabled in late life. Younger people
with disabilities haven’t wanted to identify with old people. Older adults
don’t want to be associated with disability, which, unfortunately, they seem to
link with getting ready to die. Interestingly, increasing numbers of persons
with early onset disabilities are now living long enough to qualify for aging
services. MORE…
NURSING HOMES
Changing the Culture of Nursing Homes: The Physician’s Role
(Source:
Archives of Internal Medicine)
Nationally, 1.5 MILLION PERSONS LIVE IN NURSING HOMES, many under conditions
that we would not want for ourselves or for those we love. William Thomas,MD (developer of the Eden Alternative),
articulated 3 common conditions that afflict nursing home residents: boredom,
loneliness, and helplessness.
Fortunately, there is a growing movement to change the culture
of nursing homes so that they are more resident centered. Changing the culture
of nursing homes requires a concerted effort to provide stimulating activities
and opportunities for spontaneity and meaningful social interactions for
residents, while facilitating their sense of worth by caring for pets, gardens,
and each other. Cultural change also involves creating a comfortable, homelike
setting that is more like a community than a hospital. This includes making the
nursing home less institutional and more homelike, with the addition of color,
natural light, plants, pets, and home furnishings.
However, the biggest change that is needed is to reengineer the
resident care planning process to be resident centered and resident directed,
which means that the wishes of residents, rather than the dictates of staff, determine
activities, choice of meals, and schedules. Nursing homes that have
accomplished cultural change report less staff absenteeism and lower staff
turnover, fewer resident behavioral problems, lower use of psychoactive
medications, decreased incidence of pressure ulcers and contractures, and fewer
complaints. Both resident and staff satisfaction are higher,
and family visitation increases.
Recognizing these positive outcomes, resident-centered care is
strongly supported by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
the primary payor of nursing home services in the
Person-Centered Care: Dealing with Culture Clash
in Nursing Homes
(Source: Carol
Bradley Bursack in www.eldercarelink.com)
Today's
person-centered nursing homes are scrambling to please everyone. They are
installing Wii game systems which allow elders of
many ages to virtually bowl, when they wouldn't be strong enough to lift a real
bowling ball. They give the very old, the young old and even boomers a way to
connect on common ground.
These
homes may have to install two types of restaurants--one, an old style country
store with a common coffee pot and checkered table cloths and one with
computers and three types of java, but hey, if it works, why not?
People
treated as individuals are nearly always easier to care for. They also get
along better with their peers. So, even if Grandpa George scolds your dad about
leaving food on his plate, your dad may still be a happy camper, since he knows
he can soon escape and listen to Bob Dylan sing about rebellion. MORE…
ASSISTED LIVING
When Yes Really Means No: Assisted Living
(Source: www.ArticleAlley.com)
"I don't know what you are talking about," replied the Executive Director of a very posh Assisted Living Community I had just moved my clients into. I had just listed the problems I saw with the care my clients were getting. "We just had our town hall meeting and all the residents said everything was great." I am hearing this clueless response more and more as the number of Greatest Generation seniors continues to fill Assisted Living Communities. Everything is not great, but they will tell you it is, and this is why. MORE…
ADULT DAY
Institute on Aging Study:
Adult Day Health Care Improves Senior Participants’ Quality of Life
(Source: Earthtimes.org)
SAN FRANCISCO -
(Business Wire) A recent study by San Francisco’s Institute on Aging (IOA) documents that adult
day health programs play a vital role in helping senior participants maintain
their health and independence. Since the 1970s, adult day health care has been
promoted as an alternative to nursing home care for seniors with chronic
illness, disability, or dementia. There are currently 4,600 adult day health
centers operating in the
Adult Day Programs: A Reprieve for Families and
the Elderly
(Source: The New Old Age in The New York Times
by Paula Span)
The
other morning, I stopped by Senior Care, an adult day program near my home in
People
who might otherwise sit home alone with the remote, or who might move into a
facility because they can’t stay home alone, instead spend several days a week
being active, social, stimulated, well nourished and — at health-oriented adult
day programs like this one — monitored by nurses. At the end of the day,
though, the participants go home to familiar surroundings, and the centers
often provide the vans that take them there… More
Grants Available for Social-Model Day Programs
(Source: BrookdaleFoundation.org)
The Brookdale
Foundation will make grants for the development of new dementia-specific,
social model day programs. The 2010 request for proposals for starting social
model group respite and early memory loss programs for people with Alzheimer's
disease and their family caregivers is now available. Funds may be requested by
private non-profit 501(c)(3) or public agencies. More
END-OF-LIFE
& HOSPICE
The Secret of Caring: The Art of “Doing No Harm”
When Making Plans for End-of-Life Care
(Source: Dr.
Bill Thomas)
“How should we conceptualize an ideal
discussion about goals of care? ‘Goals
of care’ implies a purpose to care, beyond caring itself. In other words, what
interventions are we considering towards what end?
Translation:
What happens when we confuse the art of caring with the mundane details of
tasks and procedures? MORE…
EDUCATION
Elders in Community
(Source: Power-Up Friday by Al Power)
A collaboration between
David
Steitz, PhD, teaches an upper level psychology course
called “Issues in Aging”. On most campuses this would simply be a class of
young adults, taught by a middle-aged professor. But this course has added a
new dimension. The 22 undergraduate students hold their class at
VOLUNTEERING
Boomers Seeking Personalized Volunteering
(Source: US News
& World Report)
Surge
in self-directed volunteering reflects desire to use specific skills and meet
personal needs. If you have time and an
interest in volunteering, you literally can create your own program. Aided by
Internet sites that match needs and volunteers, along with other "do it
yourself" online tools, boomers are rewriting the book on how volunteering
works.
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