We invite you to add to the story, increasing the depth of possibilities we have yet to reach in honoring Elderhood and enriching our care partnerships.

Pinecrest Medical Care Facility in Powers, MI is a nice blend of a more traditional nur+sing home structure along with Green House homes called the Groves. One of the things they are most proud of right now is the Little Pines Child Care Center which has enriched the lives of the Elders and children. Children from the child care center are spending time with the Elders doing fun things like coloring Easter eggs and baking cookies. The Caring Partners Team recently held a Day in Paris event. They worked with the school and members of the larger community to make it happen.  The event included French cuisine, music, language, and history. They have had someone from the larger      community come in and do a presentation about adaptive hunting equipment.      One of the Elders went out with some volunteers to a local deer farm. The Elder was able to use his gun and actually shot a deer! It had been about 12 years since he had enjoyed that simple pleasure.

Learn more about Pinecrest Medical Care Facility here.

We invite you to add to the story, increasing the depth of possibilities we have yet to reach in honoring Elderhood and enriching our care partnerships.

Sanctuary at St. Paul’s in South Bend, IN is a large campus serving a variety of support needs for about 377 Elders. They are located on 35 acres filled with reflection gardens, trees, paths and benches so everyone can enjoy the out-of-doors.  They have a lot of wildlife around like deer, raccoons and ducks. They have several vegetable and herb gardens and raised flower beds that the Elders tend to. The kitchen uses the herbs in meals and for decorations. Within their campus, the Elders can do their grocery shopping, banking, visit the library, seamstress, podiatrist, audiologist, beauty shop, restaurant, Bistro, wellness center or simply spend time reflecting in one of their chapels. The Elders here have some unique interests like participating in their world-famous chorus or bell choir, writing haiku poetry, the prayer shawl ministry, art or volunteering on the campus or throughout the larger community. They have one hallway decorated with artwork done by the Elders and host an Elder art show every two years.

Learn more about Sanctuary at St. Paul’s here.

We invite you to add to the story, increasing the depth of possibilities we have yet to reach in honoring Elderhood and enriching our care partnerships.

Written by Jill Vitale-Aussem, Executive Director at Clermont Park

Driving to work this morning, I heard a story on NPR about a family, three generations of women, caught in a very difficult situation.  The grandmother has Alzheimer’s disease.  Her granddaughter, Yolanda, age 43, had quit her job as human resources professional to care for her full time at home.    After two years of caring for her grandmother, Yolanda has lost touch with friends and her own life and burned through all of her savings.  Understandably, Yolanda is growing gravely concerned about getting back into the workplace so she can rebuild her savings and her life.

The story was so touching and so sad.  Yolanda is literally destroying herself and her future to avoid having to “place” her grandmother in a nursing home or assisted living.  I can understand that.  I watch the news and read the paper and have worked in and visited nursing homes where people sit, slumped over, plagued by loneliness, helplessness, and boredom.  I, too, would sacrifice myself to avoid subjecting my mother to a life like this.

What we don’t hear very often is that there are communities and people out there who have realized it doesn’t have to be this way!   People who have opened their eyes, realized that it is completely and totally unacceptable to warehouse elders in an institution and have gone about the task of destroying the institutional model and mindset and creating a new environment that honors elders, returns to them their power, and supports not just the maintenance but the growth of the human spirit.  The Health Suites at Clermont Park started on this journey two years ago, and by opening hearts and minds through education from the Eden Alternative, has transformed itself.  And boy, it feels good.  It feels good to work here and to visit here and to live here.  Can you imagine such a thing?

I was recently talking with a woman who had been in our Health Suites (what is commonly known as a skilled nursing facility or nursing home) for a month of rehabilitation.  She was back visiting our community.  When I asked her what her experience was like, she said that her stay with us was the best month of her life.  Yes, you read that right.  The best month of her life.  Sure, she had to work hard in physical therapy but she was also spoiled by fantastic customer service, dined on wonderful meals, and experienced new things through our life enrichment programs.   Most importantly, however, she  developed deep, rich relationships with the other residents and the people working here.  After leaving, she so missed the people and life at the community that she and her husband have become volunteers.

In this fast-paced era in which we live, where everyone is rushing to get somewhere and spending most of their time with a smart phone in front of their face, texting because they are too busy to make a phone call, being part of a community… a real community where you come to know others and become well known yourself…fills a place in us that we don’t even know has been empty.

The best month of her life.  Spent in a nursing home.  Imagine that.

Learn more about Clermont Park here.

We invite you to add to the story, increasing the depth of possibilities we have yet to reach in honoring Elderhood and enriching our care partnerships.

Magnolia House, and the Terrace, in Natchez, MS provides assistance to 46 Elders living in two homes. Each home has its own unique personality. When you visit Magnolia House you will see the living room and den filled with knick-knacks and books donated by Elders who are or have lived in the home. It makes the surroundings very comfortable and personal. Meals in Magnolia House are served restaurant style and the Elders eat together like a family. Besides the usual menu choices, there are many additional items you can choose to eat that are always available, including breakfast items. When you get up in the morning breakfast is prepared for you. If you prefer coffee and the newspaper in your room, that is arranged too. The Elders enjoy their daily neighborhood meetings where they plan out their days. They plan their own events, fundraise for the community and take care of one another.

Learn more about The Terrace at Magnolia House here.

As many of us know, “culture change” is the common name for a global initiative focused on transforming care, as we know it, for Elders and individuals living with different abilities (physical, developmental, intellectual, and psychological).  It advocates for a shift from institutional models of care to person-directed values and practices that put the individual first.

The Eden Alternative began its journey focusing on transforming the culture of care in nursing homes and other institutional settings.  Since then, however, its impact has reached across the full continuum of care.  Person-directed care doesn’t stop inside the walls of the nursing home.  It reaches beyond those walls into the neighborhood streets and communities that make up our towns and cities.  It reaches into the faith-based communities, the senior centers, the adult day centers, the assisted living and independent living communities, small group homes for those living with special needs, the hospitals, and the home care networks that support the needs of the people who live in those towns and cities.

In each of these environments, care does not live in a vacuum.  The care experienced in the nursing home is connected to the care offered in the hospital or at home or in assisted living.  Each impacts and influences the other.  This is why culture change must reach across the entire continuum of care to be truly effective. We can’t push hard for change in nursing homes and simply ignore how the institutional model impacts care in someone’s home.  When the general public is educated about culture change and person-directed care, we raise the bar of expectation.  True mastery of culture change ideals involves an appreciation of the skills and perspectives that everyone in the community possesses to create a life worth living. Each and every one of us is part of the solution.

Conference sessions will reflect this full continuum perspective by filtering through several different tracks to respond to the interests of different stakeholders across various care settings.  By broadening the conversation about culture change, we begin to enrich networks of support and create a “multiplier effect” that hastens commitment to change.  This particular notion inspired The Eden Alternative to open the Eden Registry to include a much wider variety of care organizations.  By expanding the Registry, which highlights organizations stepping up to create a life worth living through person-directed care, we continue to confirm that, together, we are stronger.

See you at the conference!

We invite you to add to the story, increasing the depth of possibilities we have yet to reach in honoring Elderhood and enriching our care partnerships.

Mountain View Care Center in Scranton, PA is a lively and “noisy” home to 180 Elders (as they would tell you). Their vision is to “Create Paradise”. In many ways they have created a center for growth for all who pass through their doors whether they come for a short time or stay for a long time. They believe in helping everyone be their best and promoting advanced education is one of their approaches toward that goal. They really know how to engage their larger community in daily life. The Boy Scouts have helped clear some of the 92 acres of land and mark the variety of trees and shrubs. With the walking trails, fish ponds and fire pit, people love to spend time outside enjoying nature. They have also built raised garden beds where the Elders grow vegetables. They have a large pavilion on the property where they host live music and food events for the whole community.  Children from the local child care centers come in to spend time with the Elders.

Learn more about Mountain View Care Center here.

This week is a time to celebrate all those that are making a positive difference in the lives of thousands by combating loneliness, helplessness and boredom. What was once a “facility” is now a supportive and caring environment, providing enrichment for all care partners through continued growth, learning and teaching. The care partners are deepening relationships and sharing life stories, discovering simple pleasures and honoring each individual’s rhythm of daily life. Just the simple acts of going from one moment to the next throughout the day are filled with meaning when care partners have companionship, opportunities to give and receive care and enjoy the richness of variety and spontaneity.

We will be sharing stories to get the conversation started. We invite you to add to the story, increasing the depth of possibilities we have yet to reach in honoring Elderhood and enriching our care partnerships.

The 6th Eden Alternative International Conference is featuring the first-ever Research, Design, and Innovation Showcase on May 31 and June 1. The poster presentation style event will feature the physical transformation and research endeavors of individuals and organizations on the culture change journey.  Design posters will highlight budget-friendly, innovative physical environment changes that support person-directed practices.

With the focus on data-driven decision-making, Research posters will demonstrate the outcomes of implementing person-directed approaches in care environments.

Each poster will have a story to tell about how the care partner team was engaged in the design, the impact of the transformation on all care partners, the financial commitment involved, the process of conducting the research, and the type of research they chose to conduct.

Submissions are still being accepted for either the Design or Research posters.  If you are interested in participating, click here to learn how.

If you are attending the conference, make sure you stop by the Cascade Room at the Amway Grand Hotel on Thursday and Friday. Enjoy learning from these amazing individuals and organizations. By the way, if you not registered yet, it is not too late to attend the conference! View the conference brochure to learn about the other great speakers and fun evening events.

Artwork by auction participant Alice Bissell

“Alice was so honored to contribute to improving quality of care and quality of life for Elders everywhere,” says Place about Bissell’s impressions of the art auction. Bissell’s painting was one of over 25 pieces auctioned at the 2010 conference. Proceeds from the silent auction support further development of education focused on sharing the Eden Alternative Philosophy with the entire continuum of care.

“The Silent Auction of Elder Art is an opportunity to reflect on the power of legacy and the gifts that Elders have to offer us.  Art is also a powerful medium for self-expression, and it offers us a glimpse of who these Elders are, that perhaps they don’t often have the opportunity to share,“ says Eden Alternative CEO, Chris Perna.

If you or someone you know is still interested in contributing artwork to the Silent Auction, please contact:  Rebecca Barr, Silent Art Auction Chairperson, 231.258.3031 or rbarr1@mhc.net.  All submissions are tax deductible.

For additional information about the event, click here.

We believe this initiative has potential to make a strong impact because CMS designed it to enhance person-centered care for nursing home residents, particularly those living with dementia. The goal is to reduce the use of antipsychotic drugs in skilled nursing communities by 15 percent before the end of 2012. This measure mirrors a similar goal launched recently by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) as part of its Quality Initiative, which charges its members to safely reduce the off-label use of antipsychotics by 15 percent by the end of 2012.

This is a call to action and culture change adopters are leading the way. The Eden Alternative has responded by launching two new groundbreaking trainings to help reduce the off-label use of antipsychotic drugs: Reframing Dementia and Dementia Beyond Drugs. These education programs are designed to introduce providers to fundamental and advanced techniques in person-directed care that have been proven to reduce the off-label use of antipsychotic drugs. Reframing Dementia highlights building meaningful relationships with individuals who live with dementia, as an essential first step to care that puts the person first. Dementia Beyond Drugs takes the learning to the next level through application of advanced skills integral to Dr. Al Power’s “Experiential Model” as described in his award- winning book with the same title.

If you are interested in learning more about these trainings, please contact Meredith Burrus, Education Coordinator at The Eden Alternative. Her contact information is education@edenalt.org and (615) 785-1600.