Eden Alternative Tip of the Week

Remember how the People of Kallimos (In the Arms of Elders) were prone to break from their daily work for brief celebrations, songs, and dances? The People are hard workers and, like those who care for Elders in this world, they make their living by the sweat of their brows. Success with this Principle is tied to your ability to accomplish three things:

You must establish and nourish the formal leader's ability to model variety and spontaneity. This does not include the practice of dropping bad news and additional tasks in the daily lives of the care partners. It is about seeking out and developing methods of enriching the lives of Elders and care partners.

The ability of the care partners to weave variety and spontaneity into the lives of the Elders is dependent on the ability of formal leaders to role model this behavior.

The Elders' ability to bring variety and spontaneity into their own lives is dependent on the care partners ability to role model this behavior. Your ultimate success comes when Elders begin to find variety and spontaneity creeping back into their lives. Listen to them talk about their lives. How often do you hear, "The darndest thing happened the other day ..."

Like all the plagues, boredom kills. That is true for the formal leaders, care partners and Elders alike. As with other aspects of the Eden Alternative, the formal leaders needs to go first, but they cannot do it alone. Neither can those who have the word "activities" in their job description. Everyone needs to work together to find ways to weave variety and spontaneity into the fabric of life in the home. The kind of variety and spontaneity that fills up people's hearts and spirits. It will bring sparkle back into eyes that have long lost their luster.