Person centered care seems obvious, but it is not such an easy thing to implement.
I met Denise Scott in a very unique way. I was on the floor of the trade show at LeadingAge in Denver and felt someone slug me in the shoulder, not hard, but in that kind of friendly, “I haven’t seen you in a long time,” way. I was puzzled and she embarrassed to discover I was not who she thought I was. The next evening I was having dinner and discovered she was having dinner at the next table. A friendship was born.
D
enise is passionate about seniors and publishes a great blog. She is dedicated to helping senior living providers create better lives for their residents.
Tell me about Denise. Who are you? What do you do? What you are passionate about?
My passion is helping long-term care leaders step back from the day-to-day firefighting so they can focus on the big picture and help direct-care staff step forward and really engage in their work. That creates a more meaningful work environment, which leads to a more meaningful living environment.
I spent 14 years as an administrator and executive director, which enables me to understand the realities of operating a long-term care community. I know firsthand that preparing a team to embrace change isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. There will always be a new challenge to respond to. Rising acuity, ACOs, new regulations…instead of responding to each one separately, organizations need to establish a culture that truly embraces change.
I know you used to work as a skilled nursing administrator, but you don’t anymore. Why did you shift your role within the long-term care community?
I wanted to help organizations that were drawn to doing “their own thing,” not following a certain model of person-centered care. I know that following a certain model works well for some organizations, but for many it’s like wearing clothes from someone else’s closet…they don’t quite fit!
I’d been thinking about helping these places that wanted to be unique when a former client said, “I heard you were thinking about starting your own business. If you do, I’ll be your first customer!” It’s been full-speed ahead ever since.
I know you’re really passionate about person-centered care/culture change, so maybe we can start with the basics:
What is person-centered care?
I like the simple definition that Advancing Excellence uses: “Person-centered care promotes choice, purpose and meaning in daily life.”
Here’s the thing, though: It’s not just about residents; it’s about staff too. That’s why I like the Steve Moran version you shared with me at the Pioneer Network: “Person-centered care really is about staff-centered care.”
What is culture change?
Culture change is the movement away from being an institution. It is changing our thoughts, our words, our actions, and our environments to ones that support individuals.
Are they just different names for the same thing, or are they really different?
Many people use them interchangeably. I see culture change as a means towards reaching person-centered care, but honestly, I don’t really care what you call it…just do it!
Too many people say they are “doing” culture change. I often see mission statements on community walls that say something like, “Our mission is to enrich and improve our residents’ lives”…then staff tells you they’re dragging residents out of bed at 5 AM for breakfast. Something’s not adding up!
Again – don’t worry about what to call it. Just do it!
=============================================================
If you like this article (or even if you don’t) it would be a great honor to have you subscribe to our mailing list HERE.
Excellent article, Steve. The subject of person-centered care is often confused with “essence of each individual” that leads the planners and caregivers to provide “…choice, purpose and meaning in daily life.” That is why I am inventing THE tool that will draw the essence of each individual and allow providers, caregivers, planners to readily design their care and activity plans in a meaningful way. It is true what Denise Scott is saying but my question has always been, how do we do that effectively?
Knowing You At A Glance(TM) is my invention that will draw the “essence” of each individual. It is an App for computers and smart phones, including IPads. I want it to be portable and easy to use. We are still in the developing and testing stage. More research is needed but anyone can register to be sure to be notified as soon as it becomes available at http://KnowingYouAtAGlance.com
Make yourself a great day,
~ Ethelle
Dr. Ethelle Lord
Pioneer in Alzheimer’s Coaching
At our One On One and Gatesworth Communities, we are strong believers in Person Centered Care at our Independent, Assisted Living and Memory Care Communities. When illustrating the degree of flexibility needed from our management team and associates, we sometimes describe our approach as akin to a Chinese Restaurant that will make you a Pizza!
One On One has adapted, refined and written about using a parallel Prospect-Centered approach to senior housing sales. See NIC Senior Housing & Care Journal 2012 Article at http://www.nic.org/SeniorsHousingandCareJournal/2012/#!
In March we will be launching an innovative new CRM, which fully supports and encourages: getting to know as well as accessing and tracking “Readiness” of our senior housing Prospects. For more information, check out http://www.Sherpacrm.com.
Steve, I absolutely love this article and the one about person-centered care. I’m sending them to people I know who will (or should) appreciate them! Love your forum! Great information! Lorraine
Cure Vs. Care…Social Vs. Medical…hmm and until that glorious day arrives that care and cure are synonymous, let those of us caring for our elders’ with cognitive limitations/deficits concentrate and provide interventions shown to enhance the quality of life, quality of care, not only for the infirmed, yet also to those informal/formal caregivers who attempt to survive/coexist in the minute-to- minute process of disease and disorders.
Please visit http://www.musicandmemory.org , and while you’re waiting on the experimental/antidotal outcomes to be published, get moving and put this practice into action!
Peace-of-Mind
ElderEden
I first experienced Person-Centered Care in 1983. At the age of 91, my Grandpa Stan suffered a debilitating stroke and became a nursing home resident. The stroke left him confused, cranky, and often combative. I’m sad to say that the day he died, our sense of relief was greater than our sense of loss.
My parents, being solid Kansas farmers, managed all of the arrangements in a pragmatic and practical manner, and a few days after the funeral, the nursing home administrator called my mother. He said a couple of Grandpa’s shirts had been in the laundry when they packed up his things. He asked her to stop by and pick them up the next time she came to town.
When Mom stopped in, she expected to be handed a grocery bag. But when the administrator brought out grandpa’s shirts, they were starched, pressed, buttoned up, and hanging on hangars. She said, “I didn’t expect them to be ironed.”
The administrator nodded and said, “The lady who does the laundry ironed them out of respect for Stan.” That’s when my mother started to cry.
My grandfather had suffered so many blows to his dignity. Because of the stroke he couldn’t get into or out of bed on his own. He’d lost control his bladder and his bowels. He was dependent on other people for his most basic needs, and it was more than he could bear. To say that he sometimes displayed “Challenging Behaviors” would be a phenomenal understatement. He was not pleasant or cheerful, and he rarely did anything that would engender tender feelings in other people.
And yet, the woman who did the laundry respected him enough to iron his shirts.
Through that simple, gracious act she reminded all of us that he was still a human being. Even though the stroke and old age had wracked his body and destroyed much of the function of his brain, she treated him with dignity – even in death.
I have often wondered if she known him before the stroke, or even if he had ever said, “Good Morning” or “Thank you” to her? I’ll never know.
What I do know is she didn’t judge his value by his age, his physical condition, or even (thank goodness) by his behavior. Because none of those things would have tilted the like-ability scales in his favor. She ironed his shirts out of respect, and in so doing, she made all of us think of him a little differently. To me, that is the heart of person-centered care.