Elders and the very young have long been allies. In fact, there is an old joke that goes, “Why do grandparent and grandkids get along so well? They share a common enemy.” Life in a modern, post industrial, economy frays these ancient bonds. Let’s look at a blogospheric exchange. At Pandagon blogger Amanda Marcotte writes…. […]
Fear of the Unknown
Simple things can work surprisingly well. Consider this insight from Atul Gawande for example… When there is no way of knowing exactly how long our skeins will run—and when we imagine ourselves to have much more time than we do—our every impulse is to fight, to die with chemo in our veins or a tube […]
Gone Missing
Americans often cite Japan as the country with the most respect for elders. In fact, there is considerable prestige given to older people in Japan and even a national holiday in their honor. There are also some embarrassing lapses which expose a gap between rhetoric and practice. The BBC reports… Tokyo’s reputed oldest woman has […]
“Baby, Just Can’t Steer”
Al Power checks in early with this gem… A decade past, Prince saw delirium as a positive force–falling in love. Soulja Boy took it a step farther: “That’s when I start to fall.” Now that’s a concept geriatricians can latch onto. The real dangers of geriatric delirium are spelled out in detail in this week’s […]
truly a beautiful thing
This blog gets some mighty powerful comments…. My 92-year-old mother with advanced dementia still lives at home and attends an Eden-accredited day centre. Six weeks ago I received a call from the acting manager to say they were finding my mother’s behaviour very challenging and wanted to bring in their ‘Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory’ team […]
Person-Centered Care— Every Time
Daniela Simmons, Founder and President of DANIEL DOMES offered this comment as a followup to her experience with the recent Eden Alternative International Conference. She also gives us a heads up on some of her latest plans. I wish her well. I have been an advocate of culture change, ethical and quality care and implementing […]
Ringing a Bell at Bellevue
This is bumped from the comments. Deborah Cooke is developing into a frequent and insightful commenter and I am always pleased when I see her name pop up on my screen. Here’s an experience I encountered today while walking home from work. I should have written down some names and reported these guys myself. They […]
Growth: Six Steps to Implementing Change
Here is something new from the Eden Alternative. Become the expert in your home for culture change; not just for yourself but for your team, your organization and the Elders you serve. Learn to overcome the challenges in the complex world of long-term care by creating an action plan specific to your home. It does […]
