Kansas State University Center on Aging March 2006 PEAK Project Newsletter Nursing Homes Residents Help Teens The students who come to The Cedars of Charlottesville in Virginia appear to be doing the residents a favor, helping them tell their life stories and creating a document of memories. But the assistant headmaster at the Miller school knows that his students are getting as much as they are giving to the project which is a part of their community service requirements. The students participating this year are not the first from the school to visit the facility. In past years the nursing home was used to provide students with a look at the aging process. This year, the program is part of a project called Embracing Elderhood with a curriculum designed by the Eden Alternative and funding provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through a grant to the Jefferson Area Board for Aging. About 20 people of all ages have been paired with someone at the home. The focus is on storytelling, but the goal is to help people see what is missing in the current model of long-term care. Boys are the majority of this years' participants and they seem to be more passionate about the project than the girls. According to Headmaster Patrick France " . . .The girls just accept it as a natural thing, it's what we do . . . but the boys will come back and say . . ' I just don't understand why other people don't see how great these people are. I just love seeing this lady every week.' " In the end that is the kind of reaction they are looking for not just a culture change within nursing homes, but a raised awareness within the larger society about nursing homes, hopefully long before people have to think about living in one. Older Americans Report, October 14, 2005, pg. 323. MOVIE REVIEW Flying in the face of this culture's extreme ageism, STILL DOING IT explores the lives of older women. Partnered, single, straight, gay, black and white; nine extraordinary women, age 67-87, express with startling honesty and humor how they feel about themselves, sex, and love in later life and the poignant realities of aging. Women over 65 are the fastest-growing segment of the population. STILL DOING IT looks at this society's complex relationship to women and aging with surprising results. Food for Thought Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone. -Jim Fiebig The Journey Toward Culture Change Continues In our continuing effort to capture the essence of the PEAK winners' success in pursuing "nontraditional" models of care with progressive environments, we are featuring a few more homes that are leaders in this field. Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor It is our pleasure to introduce another PEAK award winner whose motto "The Way You Want to Live" is the basis of their recent success as a PEAK award winner in 2005. Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor has a beautiful patio/court area with tables shaded by umbrellas and chairs available to residents, their family members, and staff. This area is frequently used for social visits, parties, birthdays, or just relaxing to the sights and sounds of nature. The home has adopted the Eden Model and residents have many opportunities to interact with children and pets. The administration schedules regular visits with children from a nearby school who are eager participants in exercise, craft, and holiday programs with elders. Residents can also interact daily with the cat in residence. Staff are encouraged to bring their pets to work with them to provide residents with more opportunities for animal interaction. "The Way You Want to Live" means that the Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor empowers its residents and staff and creates an environment which enhances residents' choices about their care and strives to be home and not an institution. Community involvement is a permanent feature of residents' lives. In addition to the children's visits, residents have many opportunities to interact with adults from the community. Adult volunteers participate in musical activities, book clubs and board games with the residents. Other ways to interact with community members include shopping trips, museums, movie, and participation in the town's special events. The administration is very creative in trying to build a strong and permanent bond between the home and the community. It opens its door for community clubs and organizations and encourages residents and their families to hold their meetings on the premises. The residents enjoy buffet style dinning for all meals. This style encourages social interaction as residents decide who they are going to eat a meal with. Each meal is offered over a two hour period and offers two choices. Residents are encouraged to share their favorite recipes, so they can be added to the facility's menu. Snacks, pop, desserts, and sandwiches are available twenty four hours a day. In addition, staff members accommodate residents' special wishes by getting meals from local restaurants. Popular fast food meals are brought to residents on a regular basis as well. Presbyterian Manor is also very proud of its newest addition: a full-service kitchenette for use by the residents. Residents can prepare their own meals or snacks for special events or just because they feel like cooking. The Manor's motto is reflected in how staff works with residents. They are consistently assigned to the same residents to provide continuity of care and develop positive social relationships. This consistency also means that family members know their loved one's primary caregivers and are usually the first source of information about the resident. Front line staff participate in the care-plan meetings and are encouraged to voice their opinion to enhance residents' quality of life. Presbyterian Manor recognizes the impact empowering staff has on offering quality care. It offers a scholarship program and financial assistance for staff educational advancement. Cross-training is encouraged and offering continuing education credits throughout the year is the norm. "Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts." -Arnold Bennett Lakewood Rehabilitation Center (formerly Friendship Manor Rehabilitation Center) in Haviland The success of Lakewood Rehabilitation Center is reflected in resident and staff control, community involvement, and a home environment for its residents. Lakewood Rehabilitation is a nursing home for people with a mental illness. Residents are encouraged to be as independent as possible. They participate in their care plan meetings, give input for their treatment program, and express wishes regarding their room and daily schedules. The clients decided what furniture to buy for the newly remodeled living room. The home has a vocational program and offers clients jobs that they can do in short periods of time, thus encouraging more independence. Severalclients work on their GED and 11 are learning computer skills. Some clients work as volunteers in the community and are paid by the center. The Second Wind program helps clients identify their wishes. Staff work very hard to fulfill these personal and unique wishes. In order for staff to get to know clients better, they spend one-on-one time with each other. This contact enhances clients' social skills and creates a close relationship between staff and clients. Due to cross training, staff are very versatile in their knowledge and skills and can respond to clients' different needs without delegating to a co-worker. Management encourages all staff to participate in clients' treatment plans meetings. Staff members were involved in the decision making process about repairing and remodeling Lakewood Rehabilitation Center. Due to their input and assistance with some tasks, the cost was substantially lower than anticipated. Volunteers play an important role in clients' lives. Some offer church activities and bible studies. Others are involved in directing a consumer-run organization for clients. Community members and staff are asked to bring their pets for clients to interact with. Residents are encouraged to participate in various community activities; they go to local school sporting events, the library, and enjoy visits to the town coffee shops. You can see clients in 4-H Fairs, Relay for Life, After-Prom, and city clean up. For their continuous efforts in improving client and staff quality of life and the many successes they have accomplished in the model of care, Lakewood Rehabilitation Center joined the list of the 2005 PEAK winners. "I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better." -G. C. Lichtenberg GOLDEN HEIGHTS LIVING CENTER IN GARNETT, KANSAS Daily living at Golden Heights Living Center is influenced by the principle that the care of each resident is provided with dignity. The home developed six vision statements that support their mission: Quality of Life-the assurance of a living environment radiating love, spiritual contentment, dignity, safety, and independence; Quality of Care-encouragement for residents "to seek the protective environment they need"; Quality of Personnel-staff selection based on their skills and compassion to work with elders; Quality of Reputation-promotion of professional management standards that enhance staff training and community involvement; Quality of Facility-focus on the attractiveness of and the solid maintenance of the nursing home; Stewardship-responsibility for their resources and the long-term financial stability of the home to ensure continuity of high quality care to the residents. The Golden Height's staff strives to provide the highest possible quality of life to residents. "Resident-centered" care promotes the value of choice and enables residents to continue their life long habits. Residents decide when to get up and when to go to bed. They can always count on a continental breakfast no matter what time they want to start their day. Each meal is served buffet-style. Residents' food preferences are always considered by dietary staff. In addition to these choices, a soft-ice cream machine is always available on the site. Meals are served in a cozy dining room where indirect lighting is dimmed to create a warm atmosphere. Residents may also eat outdoors on a covered patio area, weather permitting. Residents have the opportunity to receive a relaxing whirlpool bath at any time they choose. Golden Heights residents are encouraged to identify their interests and hobbies for input in developing the activities plan. By far, the most enjoyable activity is bingo. Intergenerational activities are also part of elders' free time. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their pets to the home. Residents have two vans that transport them to community and regional museums, on shopping sprees, to the Russell Stover outlet store, orchards, restaurants, and other destinations. Annual satisfaction surveys are conducted with residents and their families. They serve as a tool to evaluate residents' needs and wants and determine goals and objectives. Each resident is encouraged to participate in the development of his/her plan to make sure that their quality of life is as high as possible. Golden Heights Living Center was built in the late 1950's, but was closed in 1984 due to financial pressures. The current company purchased the facility and renovated the existing building in 1986. Gradually a new dining room, kitchen and laundry were added. The main goal of the administration is to create a home environment. Public areas, hallways, the dining room, and many resident rooms are carpeted. The facility is very proud of its innovative landscaping, courtyards, fountains, and two covered patios. A large rose garden provides an opportunity for walks, and one of the two courtyards is a home for turtles that residents enjoy feeding. The facility has also a cat, a large aquarium, and aviary for residents' enjoyment. All these innovations increased the quality of life of Golden Heights residents. The facility was recognized with the PEAK award for its continuous efforts in this area in 2005. "I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all." -Leo Rosten