There's No Subsititute for Wise Leadership

During the last week of November, 13 care partners including Olive Bautista, Chris Casio, Jennifer Gardanier, Saundra Gaskey, Janinne Grimes, Tony Krieg, Medardo Lagat, Connie Miller, Gail Raikes, Joyce Tamori, Denise Thayer, Laurie Tomas, and Ted Tucker participated in an intensive five day Eden Alternative training to become Neighborhood Guides. The goal of the training was to equip these care partners with the tools to guide and empower smaller staff teams to become self-directed work teams that change the culture in our homes. These teams will strive to improve the well-being of Elders through compassionate personalized care.

Having these smaller staff teams will make it easier for care partners and Elders to become more well known to each other; to focus more individually on each Elder; to move decision making to the Elders and those closest to them; to create a more home-like environments; and for everyone in the organization to interact meaningfully with Elders.

This is an example of Eden Alternative Principle 10: Wise leadership is the lifeblood of any struggle against the three plagues (of loneliness, helplessness and boredom). For it, there can be no substitute.

Medical Treatment is the Servant of Genuine Human Caring

Mr. Shoichi Nakamoto joined the Hale Makua Wailuku Ohana in February of 2012, and currently resides on the Lanai Neighborhood.  Mr. Nakamoto recently began expressing to his care partners that he was tired of eating his pureed diet, and really wished he could eat saimin again. 

Mr. Nakamoto’s diet orders prescribed by his physician did not allow for saimin. Holly Alling, Speech Language Pathologist with SunDance Rehabilitation (pictured here with Mr. Nakamoto), heard his request and decided to take action. She has been working on safe swallowing techniques with Mr. Nakamoto to try to help him once again enjoy a bowl of saimin, even though Mr. Nakamoto’s medical history conflicts with a diet upgrade.

This picture shows the first day that Mr. Nakamoto was able to enjoy a bowl of saimin here at Hale Makua under close supervision from Holly. Not only did he have a huge smile, but he requested chopsticks and was instantly able to use them with ease!

This is an example of the Eden Principle Seven: Medical treatment should be the servant of genuine human caring, never its master.

A Meaningful Birthday Celebration

Resident Bud Uyenoyama recently celebrated his 97^th birthday. Knowing that Uncle Bud enjoys playing cards, care partner CNAs Dee and Faina set up a table and started a card game. They taught Uncle Bud how to play a game called Monkey Monkey. Soon care partner Jay came by to join in the fun. Then Uncle Bud’s roommate joined in the fun and was teaching the care partners how to play poker, which is Uncle Bud’s favorite card game. 

This is a great example of several Eden Alternative Principles:

• Principle 4: "An Elder-centered community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness. - Uncle Bud's roommate taught Dee, Faina and Jay how to play poker. 
• Principle 5: "An Elder-centered community imbues daily life with variety and spontaneity by creating an environment in which unexpected and unpredictable interactions and happenings can take place. This is the antidote to boredom." - Uncle Bud's roommate and care partner Jay unexpectedly joined in the card game.
• Principle 6: "Meaningless activity corrodes the human spirit. The opportunity to do things that we find meaningful is essential to human health." - Uncle Bud had the opportunity to do something that was meaningful. 
• Principle 8: "An Elder-centered community honors its Elders by de-emphasizing top-down bureaucratic authority, seeking instead to place the maximum possible decision-making authority into the hands of Elders or into the hands of those closest to them." - Dee and Faina knew that Uncle Bud enjoyed playing cards, and decided to celebrate his birthday by playing cards. A manager or supervisor didn't ask them to do it.