Category Archives: The Family Caregiver

Vitality, Joy and Celebrating the Excitement of Living

Screen Shot 2017-03-14 at 10.42.29 AMHow do you create a senior care community that truly enhances the lives of their residents?  By doing the right things for the right reasons.  Vitality, joy and celebrating the excitement of living was exactly what I felt from the time I entered the doors of Cherrywood Village Retirement Community in Portland, OR last week.

Never underestimate the value of a first impression.  As I drove up to the Village Center, around the 18 hole putting green and the  beautifully landscaped walking paths, I was looking forward with anticipation to what was inside.

A Village Center it was… with happy people visiting in the village cafe, some just wrapping up their daily work-out in the fitness center,  visiting and (I’m guessing) planning the rest of their day.  Would it be a trip to the in house movie theater, soda shop, art studio, enjoying some quiet time in the library or getting ready for the Irish dancers who would be performing that evening?

Vitality = Happy People

My first impression was that this was a happy place filled with happy people.  Residents mingled with staff as if they were family.   The Village Center was vibrant, inviting and a definitely a place that celebrated the excitement of living.

Vitality didn’t stop at the Village Center.  Their Parkview Memory Care is transformational.   The well designed “village concept” integrated a Snoezelen room, chapel, movie theater, always-open diner, and the absolutely awesome real 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook for residents to actually sit in and take care of in Wally’s Garage.    Imagine their residents actually getting to ride in this lovingly restored auto?  Residents were taking care of life like babies, fully engaging with attentive staff.  I can only imagine how overjoyed their families are to have their loved ones in such a vibrant community where, despite living with dementia, their mom, dad or spouse are still living a life of joy and purpose. That’s vitality!

While I was there, I learned more about the nationally recognized Generations community founded by Wendell White.  Mr. White grew up caring for the elderly, so his passion and vision for creating a place for seniors to live fully was learned at an early age. Now the White children are leading the organization in carrying out the vision their father has established.

Generations has an envious high employee longevity.  Their relationship-based management practices speaks volumes of their respect and investment in each and every employee, whom after talking with them, say “this is an incredible place to work.. they really value us.”

Here are Generations’ core values:

  • world class excellence for the residents and employees they serve
  • create environments that enhance lives
  • celebrate the excitement of living
  • excellence in the stewardship of our communities
  • honore the goals and missions of our campus partners

This company lives their values.  They do the right things for the right reasons for their residents, employees, and the communities  they serve.

Is it a winning model?  You bet it is!

 

www.generationsllcwww.snoezelen.info

 

 

Comparing Apples and Oranges… A Personal Perspective

apples and orangesComparing apples to oranges is a phrase to describe something which is both the same and different simultaneously depending on your point of view. When someone says “you’re comparing apples to oranges” they’re really saying “Why are you trying to compare those things? You can’t compare apples to oranges, they’re just not the same thing.”

Let’s relate this analogy to  senior care  – with  another story that  hits close to home. Last August, my 91 year-old mother-in-law suffered a massive stroke. Initially, there was little hope of survival let alone any quality of life, as the stroke left her paralyzed on one side, speech was significantly altered and cognitive abilities impaired.  For months her quality of life looked bleak.

The first skilled nursing facility to which she was admitted was lovely with all the latest interior design features, a valet to greet us at the front door. Had I not been far too familiar with what to look for in “quality care”, it would impress anyone.

Unfortunately my first indication that the culture was less than adequate was when my husband and I signed in. We asked politely if we needed a badge and was told by the receptionist that she couldn’t find where they were and “I don’t really care if you have a badge.”

Halls were devoid of any activity (though they were “lovely”), staff was hard to find and I noticed most people lying in bed with TVs blaring. When we entered my mother-in-law’s room she was alone and slumped over in her wheelchair, facing a wall with her food tray nearby. Her “meal” was cold soup and grilled cheese. At the time it was delivered, I’m sure it was warm. Everything was exactly where it was when it was delivered. Why? Because the person who delivered her food did not stay to help her get utensils out of the plastic bag (really?), put sugar in her ice tea, or take the lids off her food. She had a stroke with only one side of her body able to move (and it was not her dominant side). SHE NEEDED HELP! I’m pretty sure this is in the “Caregiving 101” manual of any facility, but now I’m wondering?!?

Weeks went by with my amazing sister-in-law by her side constantly to monitor each and every detail. And at each every turn there were challenges. Weight loss, swelling, bed sores, an apparent lack of trained staff at every juncture. It was clear that this community had problems, the core being there was no culture of care. Nothing was getting better, so things HAD to change.

Being a veteran, she was able to get into the Tennessee State Veterans Home  skilled nursing facility. She was greeted with a warm welcome by a team of healthcare professionals ready to get her better – physically, emotionally and spiritually. Today, she is thriving. She has caregivers that truly care for  her, activities that engage her mind and body, and an atmosphere of teamwork among staff. She is taken to community events, shopping, and other recreational activities. She has engaged with staff and residents and knows practically everyone by name. It is truly a culture that exhibits person-centered values above all else. It would probably not win an award for interior design, but in fact has won awards for the level of care and commitment they have for their residents.

As with so many things in life – It’s not in the packaging.. it’s what’s inside. Comparing apples and oranges when it comes to senior care. You have to look beyond the packaging.

The AGE-u-cated® Care Team, Family Member and Organization

No misspelling here.   Who needs  AGE-u-cation?  Our care teams, family members, elder care providers, hospitals,  business community, churches, non-profits need to be MUCH better AGE-u-cated®!

It’s no secret that the world’s elderly population is soaring, with the number of people aged 65 and over expected to more than double by 2050.
The global population is aging at an unprecedented rate with 8.5 per cent of people worldwide – or more than 600 million – now aged 65 and over,  a report from the US Census Bureau showed.
If the trend continues, then nearly 17 per cent of the global population – 1.6 billion people – will be in the 65-and-over age bracket by 2050.
Many experts agree that we are facing a public health crisis, and we’re just starting the steep climb in numbers.  Frightening?  You bet!  Are we moving fast enough?  Not even near…

I was inspired by our group of new Master Trainers last week who are passionate about training and education for those caring for this vulnerable population.  Bringing new, innovative tools to the hands of direct care staff who are in desperate need, we are aiming to do our part in creating change in attitudes, actions and thinking for a world who needs to better communicate and care for our elderly population.

We applaud those on our team deeply committed to advocacy at the state and national levels,  fighting for pay and benefit increases for those we are entrusting to care for our loved ones, patients and resident; for helping to change policies for the betterment of a healthcare system that is inefficient and wrought with inefficiencies.

AGE-u-cation?  Each and every one of us needs it.  We must train up our young people to understand that caring for elders will and should be a part of their life;  that careers in this field are desperately needed and highly rewarding.

I’ve quoted the wise words of Nelson Mandela before – “It always seems impossible until IT’S DONE”.

We on the AGE-u-cate Tea, want to be a part of GETTING IT DONE!
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3513167/Global-elderly-population-exploding-US-report.html#ixzz4ZEPcuuVs

You Know What They Say About the Weather…Wait Five Minutes

Dramatic Image of Scruffy Man Freezing in Cold Weather

At least that’s what they say here in Texas, when it’s 80 degrees one day, and hitting the freezing mark the same night.  We’ve barely had a winter to speak of this year, so my recent trip to experience the Boston blizzard was an adventure and a treat.  So what does the weather have to do with aging and dementia you ask?

Yikes –  I think it’s a great analogy!  Have you walked the floors of a Memory Care Community lately?  The sun is shining and people are happy.  But wait 5 minutes… maybe 5 seconds… and the weather  can all change.  The blizzard can move in quickly and chaos panic and disorder can soon be the order of the day.   Time for deep breathing and some quick meditation.    Person centered care… what’s that?!

I love the term  PERSON-CENTERED THINKING. That takes person-centered care to a whole new level.  To me, person-centered thinking implies that our first response, our actions, our thought process is focused on another’s well being.  When we have tools in our belt that allow us to respond to behavioral expression that look like rain, snow, blizzard or tornado – we’re ready.

Are we equipping our care partners in senior care with the right tools to weather the storms?  

I’m going to venture to guess that most of “us”, because we’re all in this together, could do a better job.  After all, there is always room to grow, right?  Innovation, creativity and the will to want to be better at what we do is a part of life.  We all want to be better equipped to weather the storms.

That blizzard that hit Boston a week ago was followed by a bright beautiful sunny day.  Everyone got back to work and life.   I was able to do what I had travelled there to do (training), flew home the next day….

…and the storm hit again!

For information on the University of Minnesota’s Person-Centered Thinking program:

http://rtc3.umn.edu/pctp/training/intro.asp