Luana in Action

I think that it's such a great way to start off the New Year when I come to work in the morning and a co-worker shares not one, but two great examples of Luana in action. Hale Makua Kahului's Restorative Nursing team consisteing of Carolyn Corpuz, Beth Poe, Imelda Casabay, Cecilia Albano, and Adel Della with the help of Mar Sol and Erllie Cabacungan threw two different parties over the last month at the request of residents who frequent the Restorative Care gym. The first party was held in honor of December birthday boys Joseph Thomas and Bruno Wong.The Restorative Nursing team along with Erllie prepared a home cooked meal for Joe, Bruno and some of their friends who also reside at Hale Makua.

As 2009 came to a close, several residents began talking about the foods that they'd love to eat for a New Year's celebration. Overhearing their conversation the Restorative Nursing team took it upon themselves to throw a dozen residents who frequent the Restorative Nursing gym a New Year's Day party with a feast of pancit, chicken papaya, stew, shrimp cocktail, garlic shrimp, lumpia Shanghai, and banana lumpia. The celebration was completed with beverages for a toast to bring in the New Year.

These events addressed several Eden Alternative Principles including:

• Principle 3: Loving companionship is the antidote to loneliness. Residents deserve easy access to human and animal companionship.
• Principle 5: A resident-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.
• Principle 8: A resident-centered community honors its residents by de-emphasizing top-down bureaucratic authority, seeking instead to place the maximum possible decision-making authority into the hands of residents or those closest to them.