Importance of Human Architecture

By on December 11, 2012

By Angie McAllister,  Director of Quality of Life and Culture Change for Signature Health Systems

Human Architecture? This is a term that Dr. Bill Thomas threw out at the crowd in Nashville last week during his talk. It seems that so many folks are searching as to where to start with their culture change journey. I think that most people truly want to do what’s good and right for our Elders but they just genuinely struggle with a place to begin. Many feel that their actual physical environments are too “old” or space is too “limited” to initiate real change and so they just back away from it. As human beings, it is natural to focus on where we can “see” the change the greatest around us.

I have thought for many years that our physical environments really have very little to do with beginning our culture change journey. I have seen so many beautiful homes with state of the art technology that still have a very cold institutional feel.

It’s really the relationships that matter. Not only the relationships but the steps we take to grow people serving around us. Human Architecture. Architects spend countless hours designing and methodically calculating designs to build and/or change our physical surroundings into something we percieve as better. Can we say we have invested this amount of time into designing “growth plans” for those who are on our teams? Do our blueprints for change include designing the human architecture around us? If so, then our plans would include continued growth through mistakes, focusing on strengths instead of weaknesses, opportunities for development as whole person.

How do we ensure that the Eden Alternative’s 7 Domains of Well Being are being met in each life? If Identity, Connectedness, Meaning, Security, Growth, Autonomy, and Joy are being focused on not only in our Elder’s lives but in the lives of our stakeholders, then we will be designing a perfect masterpiece.

The physical environment is only a very small part of culture change. Our focus should be on growing people so they can initiate the physical changes that need to be made. When we build strong, empowered teams of people in our homes, then we build a culture of “change”. When we invest our time wisely in mentoring others, they are then equipped to go out and be agents of change in the world around us. Human architecture is a term we must truly grasp as we continue to move forward and initiate change around us.

This post was originally published on the Quality of Life Blog for Signature Health System.

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Pinnacle Quality Insight Becomes Eden Alternative Value-Added Partner

By on December 11, 2012

This past month, The Eden Alternative added Pinnacle Quality Insight® to its growing list of value-added partners. Pinnacle offers customer satisfaction measurement to senior care providers. Their feedback process is based on the idea that healthcare should be evaluated just like it is administered – individually. This approach helps care providers understand the voice of their customer.

With this partnership, Eden Registry Members will have access to what Pinnacle has to offer at a discount rate.  This is another great example of how two organizations are working together to keep quality care affordable.

You can contact Rich Goaslind at Pinnacle directly by phone (801) 293-0700 or email, rich.goaslind@pinnacleqi.com. Check out their website at www.pinnacleqi.com.

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AARP Features Bill Thomas As Founder of The Eden Alternative

By on December 7, 2012

AARP Features Dr. Bill Thomas

Make sure you get a copy of the December issue of The Magazine from AARP to see Dr. Bill Thomas recognized as one of the most influential people in America over 50 who are “Changing Our Views on Aging”.

Congratulations Bill! We’re so happy you’re “old” enough to receive this distinguished recognition from AARP.

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Eden Alternative Delivers Major Dementia Training Initiative in Tennessee

By on December 4, 2012

A press release issued today by the Tennessee Department of Health states that the Office of Health Care Facilities has secured a CMP grant totaling more than $370,000 to provide training for 749 people including nursing home direct care staff members, state surveyors and managers, State Long-Term Care Ombudsmen and members of the Tennessee Advancing Excellence Coalition. This training will feature leading person-directed care advocates Dr. Bill Thomas, Dr. Al Power, and Dr. Kort Nygard. This is the biggest CMP grant made by CMS Region 4 this year.  This is also the biggest single training engagement in the history of The Eden Alternative.

“We are very excited to be working with the State of Tennessee to bring this training to the various stakeholders across the state. We have seen increasing interest in our dementia offerings due to the CMS and AHCA quality initiatives focused on reducing the use of psychotropic drugs. This is a chance to deliver this training on a very large scale to help the State of Tennessee to broadly address this challenging issue. We are hopeful that other states will follow Tennessee’s lead on this,” said Chris Perna, CEO of The Eden Alternative.

The first training is currently underway in Nashville. There will be additional trainings scheduled for Memphis and Knoxville for early 2013. More information can be found on the Eden Alternative website.

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The Gift of Giving in Action

By on November 29, 2012

Elim Rehab and Care Center’s Resident Christmas Bazaar
By Bob Lind

Many tables, covered with holiday treasures. Many Elim Home residents. And many smiles. That was the scene in Elim’s chapel the week before Thanksgiving.

It was Elim’s second annual Christmas Bazaar for its residents, who could pick out gifts to give to their families and friends. And the gifts were all free. All the items were donated by Friends of Elim and Elim’s staff: “Our wonderful staff,” that is, in the words of Judy Iverson. Judy, an activities partner at Elim, headed the project again this year. But then again, it was her idea, she launched the first one in 2011, and it was such a success that Elim did it again this year.

It works this way: Friends and staff members donate items, some of which are family items, some bought, some home-made. For Judy, it was a bittersweet event, because some of the items she contributed had belonged to her mother, who died in January. Judy went over all the items and put a “price tag” on them in terms of tickets; one item was worth, say, five tickets, another 10 tickets, and so on. Then each resident coming to the event was given 40 tickets to “spend” on the items. But they were allowed to come back later and receive more tickets, if the supply of gift items held out.

And shop they did. With lots of gifts from which to choose: Christmas decorations, toys, items with Scripture written on them, jigsaw puzzles, cookbooks and other books, body lotion, slippers — something for everybody.

Ila Langerud, from Williston, N.D., and a resident of Elim since July, happily picked up one item and said she was going to find more. “But don’t write anything about what, because it’s all a surprise,” she said.

Outside the chapel, a group of members of Friends of Elim helped the residents wrap the gifts, using wrapping which also had been donated by staff and Friends of Elim members.

“We’ve been busy,” longtime Friends of Elim member Marge Johnson, Fargo, said. “We’ve had both men and women bringing their gifts here to wrap. They’re excited!”

Marge said some of the gifts were a challenge to wrap, such as a teapot, large Christmas ornaments and a big teddy bear. “We had to find boxes they’d fit in, but we found a way to wrap everything,” she said.

For Elim’s residents, the bazaar was a blessing. Naturally, residents want to give gifts to special people, but getting those gifts can be a challenge. For some, it’s difficult to get out to shop. For others, finances are an issue. For some, it is both. But now, thanks to Elim’s staff and the Friends of Elim, residents found gifts and had them wrapped, ready to give.

Well, with at least one exception. One woman picked up a candy dish, but didn’t want it wrapped because, she told Marge, “This is an early Christmas gift…for me!”

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Visit Nashville this December!

By on November 13, 2012

Set amid the gentle hills and farmlands of central Tennessee, sprawling Nashville attracts millions of visitors each year. The majority come to immerse themselves in music, whether at mainstream showcases like the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, or in the smaller clubs and honky-tonks found not only downtown but also in Nashville’s many neighborhoods.  For all its “Nash-Vegas” image, the city has maintained a strong reputation for learning.

If you visit Nashville during the week of December 3rd, you are in for a special treat.   An all star line up will take the stage for the first time, Bill Thomas MD, Al Power MD and Kort Nygard PhD.  The experts in culture change will lead a one day symposium, Unleash the Power of Person-Directed Care: Improve Compliance, Reduce Antipsychotics which will be followed by two unique training experiences, Dementia Beyond Drugs and GROWTH: Six Steps to Implementing Change.  Read more on Signature HeathCARE’s Blog.

There are many exciting events to “see” while you’re in Nashville, here are just a few!

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Eden Alternative Domains of Well-Being Featured at GSA Conference

By on November 12, 2012

The Eden Alternative will participate in a poster session featuring the development of the Well-Being Assessment Tools at the Gerontological Society of America’s 65th Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, CA. Frances Wilby, LCSW, PhD, a member of the team that validated the new Eden Alternative Well-Being Assessment Tools, will be presenting the poster on November 16, 2012.

The development of the Eden Alternative Well-Being Assessment Tools began with a meeting of culture change leaders who identified seven Domains of Well-Being: Identity, Growth, Autonomy, Security, Connectedness, Meaning and Joy. The assessment tools went through two rounds of validation and were officially released for use in 2012. Co-principle investigators for the second round of validation were Carol DuMond, RN, Ed.D, Sandy Ransom, RN, MSHP, and Frances Wilby, MSW, PhD.

Download a copy of the Domains of Well-Being white paper, Revolutionizing the Experience of Home by Bringing Well-Being to Life, from The Eden Alternative website. To learn more about how to apply the Domains of Well-Being, click here to download an archived webinar recording on the subject. If you are interested in learning more about the Assessment Tools, please contact the Community Builder for The Eden Alternative at registry@edenalt.org.

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On Gratitude and Giving Thanks: The Power of the Mitzvah

By on November 10, 2012

Recently, I returned home to find a bar of dark chocolate with a ribbon around it at my doorstep.  There was no card or acknowledgement – just a little bar of delight waiting there for me.  I waited a few days to see if someone was going to own up to leaving it there.  But no confession surfaced.  Each night for the rest of that week, I enjoyed a square or two of my mystery chocolate.  You see, I LOVE chocolate.  Someone who really knew me must have left this goody at my door. And I felt held in the knowledge that someone, whoever they were, really knew how to brighten my day.

In the Jewish tradition, this little act of generosity is called a mitzvah.  A mitzvah is a good deed done without expectation of return. These are deeds that are small, personal and, if you can arrange it, anonymous. They grow from relationships, which makes mitzvahs genuine and from the heart.  Mitzvahs can be spontaneous and fun, and they are a deeply powerful way to “warm the soil” in your organization.  Soil warming is a crucial first step in any kind of organization wanting to implement person-directed care. All you have to do is model the way and watch how quickly your team catches on.  As you grow a culture of generosity, watch it spill over into the relationships with the Elder care partners.

As an Eden Educator, I often hear people brush off the mitzvah as a vital part of getting started on a culture change journey.  I hear things like, “Yeah, that sounds nice, but we want to jump into changing different parts of our operations right away.” Successful culture changers, however, know that this is putting the cart way before the horse.  Don’t forget the wisdom the garden teaches us… nothing grows well in cold soil.  Belittle the power of soil warming, and you risk derailing your organization’s transformation process from the start.

As Thanksgiving approaches and we’re inspired to reflect on all of the things we are grateful for, I challenge you to express your appreciation for the different members of your care partner team performing a mitzvah a week between now and the New Year.  Imagine how much fun it will be to really tune in to one person at a time, recalling – or even noticing for the first time – what brings them joy, no matter how small the experience may be.  Envision the pleasure you’ll receive watching them from afar, as they discover this little gift of appreciation, without any knowledge of where it came from!  Could anything be more fun?!  A mitzvah needn’t be elaborate; all it needs to be is thoughtful.

Consider creating a place in your organization where people can leave written appreciations for each other in little gift bags.  Find out what someone’s favorite treat or food is and surprise them with it.  Learn about the simple pleasures of the people you work with.  Find little ways to help honor those simple pleasures.  This is a great opportunity to celebrate everyone as individuals and bring to life what we teach.

We want to hear about how mitzvahs are shared in your organization.  What are your ideas or your successes?  In this season of sharing what nurtures and nourishes us, don’t forget to share what you’ve learned along the way.

 

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QAPI and The Eden Alternative®: What Are the Connections?

By on November 9, 2012

A recent article in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News entitled “Ready, Set: QAPI!” got me thinking about what long-term care communities are going to need to feel prepared to deal with upcoming regulations coming out of the new Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program.  I speak with different care organizations on a daily basis, and what I notice is a tendency to separate strategies for meeting regulatory expectations from resources already available to support person-directed care.  What’s wrong with this picture?  Organizations committed to culture change already have a powerful toolkit of options at hand for addressing quality improvement.

For example, the Eden Alternative Philosophy has much to offer organizations when it comes to meeting new QAPI requirements.  Many organizations miss the tools and resources we already offer to help blend their quality improvement efforts with their culture change journey.

The five elements of QAPI are:

  • Element 1: Design and Scope
  • Element 2: Governance and Leadership
  • Element 3: Feedback, Data Systems and Monitoring
  • Element 4: Performance Improvement Projects (PIPs)
  • Element 5: Systematic Analysis and Systemic Action

Here are just a few examples of Eden Alternative resources, using the Five Elements of QAPI as a frame of reference:

  • The GROWTH Model is a six-step process for thinking through change and quality improvement efforts. It frames a discussion that puts everyone on the same page, better prepared to resolve quality issues, push change forward, and hardwire it into place. (Element 1, Element 2, Element 3, Element 4, Element 5)
  • Divided into four Milestones, The Path to Mastery: The Art of Creating a Caring Community™ provides a roadmap for change through a series of outcomes. The Path to Mastery helps organizations dig deep into organizational systems, making quality improvement meaningful, impactful, and sustainable. (Element 1, Element 2, Element 3, Element 4)
  • Leadership Pathways to Culture Change is a training that provides ten pathways for growing skills and new thinking that prepare leaders to move change and quality improvement forward in a high-involvement environment. (Element 2)
  • Neighborhood Guide Training provides the tools and skills needed to grow empowered teams throughout the organization. A portion of the 30-module curriculum helps managers teach performance improvement skills to team members, so that they can be actively engaged in monitoring and improving their quality outcomes and contributing to the overall goals of the organization. (Element 1, Element 2, Element 3, Element 4, Element 5)
  • Eden Alternative Warmth Surveys provide feedback on the levels of trust, optimism, and generosity within those that work for, and are touched by, the organization. It provides data beyond satisfaction. With online Warmth Survey data entry, The Eden Alternative has the ability to provide benchmarking data for Eden Registry Members. (Element 3, Element 5)
  • Eden Alternative Well-Being Assessment Tools help determine the personal impact that change has on the seven Domains of Well-Being: Identity, Growth, Autonomy, Security, Connectedness, Meaning, and Joy. They can be used for assessing individual well-being, as well as that of teams or other groups within the organization. (Element 3)
  • Annual data submission for the Eden Registry enables organizations to track their progress on the culture change journey and get benchmarking results from their peers. When combined with the Milestones in the Path to Mastery, the data enables organizations to assess how well they are doing at mastering each outcome step based on how it is improving the organization’s well-being. (Element 3)

And lastly, in 2013, The Eden Alternative will release the next evolution of the newly-acquired Wellspring Program offerings.  This material will offer a person-directed perspective on how to improve clinical practices for nursing care partners.

How is your organization discussing preparation for QAPI regulations?  Let us know how you plan to apply the practices you currently have in place and/or are pursuing to meet these expectations.

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Helping your LTC community cope in the wake of Hurricane Sandy

By on November 9, 2012

I was struck by an article of the same title as this post by Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph. D. that appeared today in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living. As you read it you will note how her recommendations incorporate so many of the Eden Principles. We should all remember that even in the most difficult times, the Eden Principles offer us the strong foundation we can go back to for strength and perseverance.

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