Blossoms for the Brave

On Friday May 24, Hale Makua staff members and volunteers traveled with 13 Long Term Care residents to the State of Hawaii building in Wailuku. They attended an event called Blossoms for the Brave to honor veterans. Kaunoa Senior Center organized the community to make 2,500 lei the morning of the event. Our residents brought plumeria flowers from Hale Makua’s Kahului campus and hands willing to work to the event. Two days later on Memorial Day, the lei were placed at the Makawao Veterans’ Cemetery.

This trip to Blossoms for the Brave illustrates Eden Principles #4: “An Elder-centered community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness” and #6 “Meaningless activity corrodes the human spirit. The opportunity

New Clothes, New Ideas

Residents at Hale Makua Kahului had a problem. Many residents love to go shopping with the care partners to buy clothes and other items. Until recently, after each shopping trip, new clothes were passed from the Activities staff to Environmental Services, and then to the Neighborhood Clerk. Residents brought the issue to staff, letting them know that it was taking too long to get new clothes back.

Kahului Activities Director Teresa Lopes went to her staff with the resident’s suggestions and found a way to make the process easier for residents. The Activities staff quickly agreed to help.

Now, when residents return from a shopping trip, care partners label their clothes and add them to the resident’s inventory immediately. Then the residents can take their clothes with them. The same process works for clothes that residents buy at craft fairs and the  bingo store.

In the photos, resident James Miller gives his new shirt to Bety Idica and watches as she labels it. James was the first resident to have his items labeled by the Activities staff. Teresa Lopes says that “residents are happy and it’s working so beautifully.”

This story illustrates Eden 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 the Elders or into the hands of those closest to them.” When residents brought up a problem, staff did not reply that it was someone else’s job, they found a solution that simplified the existing process.

Everybody Pitches In

 

National Nursing Home Week gave Hale Makua a chance to show off their teamwork skills with this year’s theme: “Everybody Pitches In.” Staff, volunteers, and residents all work together at Hale Makua as care partners. In Kahului, they demonstrated team spirit by dressing up in different colors each day of the week and by participating in activities.

The Kahului Activities team organized a Sports Day where staff and residents teamed up to compete in stacking cups, twirling streamers, and tossing rings onto Coke bottles. In the photo above, Day Health client Charles Kaeha rips pages from a magazine while his team members cheer him on. In the photos below, resident and professional Japanese karaoke singer Mitsonubu Kawahara sings “Yama”, and resident Winona Nunes sings “Hawaii Aloha” along with staff. These moments illustrate Eden Principle #4: “An Elder-centered community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness.”

 

National Nursing Home Week is celebrated in the month of May, and recognizes residents in long term and post-acute care settings, the dedicated staff who care for them, and the value of care planning where everyone "pitches in" for optimal outcomes. The observance is an opportunity to involve families, community members, youth, and others in a community-wide show of support and respect for these individuals and the staff who provide care or support services. 

This year’s theme was “Team Care: Everyone Pitches In!” Today’s skilled nursing care facilities (a.k.a. “nursing homes) encourage resident and family involvement in designing a personalized, resident-centered care plan: a program of medical, therapy, nutrition and social activities. Participation in care is the best way to ensure residents and families are satisfied with the quality of care that they receive.

Singing Out Loud

Michie Shigetani is a resident at Hale Makua Wailuku and she’s quickly become popular due to  a special skill she has. Mrs. Shigetani is a trained opera singer. She loves to entertain and in the photo she is singing for other residents in an after dinner performance. Visitor Florence often drops by to accompany her on the piano.

Mrs. Shigetani’s singing illustrates Eden Principle #6: “Meaningless activity corrodes the human spirit. The opportunity to do things that we find meaningful is essential to human health.” Mrs. Shigetani and Florence find meaning in performing for others. 

Founder of Maui Mental Health Clebrates 94th Birthday

On March 2nd, Marcella Corell celebrated her 94th birthday and a big group of people came to Hale Makua to celebrate her amazing life. The party was attended by family, friends and mental health advocates from Maui Mental Health America of Hawaii.

In 1972, Marcella started the Maui branch of the Mental Health Association (now known as Maui Mental Health America of Hawaii). MHA works to “help to prevent mental illness, to promote mental health, to assist in improving care and treatment for persons suffering with emotional problems, as well as working to dispel the myths and stigma surrounding their diseases.”

Ms. Corell worked in the mental health field for over 40 years and was a constant advocate for the cause. Currently, she is a resident at Hale Makua Kahului’s North Neighborhood. In the photo, she is taking a piece of cake from her long time friend Mare Langlois. 

By visiting Hale Makua, Ms. Corell’s family and friends helped create an Elder-centered community, illustrating Eden Principle #2 “An Elder-centered community commits to creating a human habitat where life revolves around close and continuing contact with plants, animals, and children. It is these relationships that  provide the young and old alike with a pathway to a life worth living.”

Residents Make Their Own Menu Choices

Resident Ron Irimata likes to eat and he knows exactly what foods he likes. Ron has an individualized menu, so every week he works with carepartner and Resident Relations Coordinator  Edna Hedani to plan his menu.

Edna assists Ron is recording his meal selections for the week. Ron likes designing his own menu because he can eat foods he enjoys and “you don’t have to just eat what they’re serving.” Edna adds that Nutrition Services likes helping residents with their menus because it cuts down on wasted food. Ron says that his favorite food at Hale Makua is “just about everything.”

This story illustrates Eden 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 the Elders or into the hands of those closest to them.”

Meaningful Opportunities Flower for Valentine's Day

When resident Thomas Hubble wanted to know when Valentine’s Day was, care partner Teresa Lopes knew he had a reason for asking. Mr. Hubble wanted to get a Valentine’s Day present for his wife Millie. He did not think it would be possible because he couldn’t go shopping before February 14th.

Activities staff decided to help Mr. Hubble create his own present. Care partner Jodi Horton gathered craft supplies and they created a beautiful bouquet of fabric flowers and ribbons. Mr. Hubble dictated a note to be written to his wife. The note was written on a heart and attached to the bouquet. It was meaningful for Mr. Hubble to create a present himself to give to his wife. The staff helped him find a solution that he could carry out using his own creativity. 

This story illustrates Eden Alternative Principle 4: An Elder-centered community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care, which is the antidote to helplessness, and Principle 6: Meaningless activity corrodes the human spirit. The opportunity to do things that we find meaningful is essential to human health.

Eden Tree Decorated in Honor of Milestone 1

When Hale Makua Kahului and Wailuku became Eden Registered Homes in 2009, each received an Eden Tree plaque. The Luana Sponsor Team was excited to receive the honor, and when we reached Eden Alternative Milestone 1 they decided to decorate the Eden Tree to make it unique for Hale Makua.

Residents and care partners closest to them were asked for ideas to decorate the tree. They decided to make small ceramic leaves to glue to the branches of the tree, and will select a flower to represent each of the 10 Eden Alternative Principles to surround the Tree. The photo above shows a resident painting ceramic leaves for the tree.

This is an example of Eden Principle 4: “An Elder-centered community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness.” and 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 the Elders or into the hands of those closest to them.”

The Beauty of Companionship

At Hale Makua Wailuku, everyone knows Mochi, the day-time dog. Mochi belongs to Wailuku Activities Director Thaedra Aiyana-Pascarella and comes with her to work. He visits with residents and provides cheerful companionship. Mochi may be a small dog, but she is a big presence at Hale Makua Wailuku, making friends wherever she goes.

In the photo above, a holiday performance on Christmas Eve was an opportunity for residents, community members, and animals to come together for a moment of friendship in the Hale Makua Wailuku dining room. Residents Dolly Villarimo, and Annie Quitan held hands while Mochi watched the entertainers closely.

Having Mochi at the Wailuku campus on a regular basis allows residents to form a relationship with her and feel that they have participation in his care. This connects residents to Mochi and to each other, and is an example of Eden Alternative Principle 3, which states “Loving companionship is the antidote to loneliness. Elders deserve easy access to human and animal companionship.”

Residents Select Coffee Blend

Did you know that residents are served the “Hale Makua” blend of Maui Oma coffee? Several years ago, the Nutrition Services team gathered residents together and asked them to participate in a “taste test” to select the coffee that they would like to be served everyday. A variety of samples were shared with the residents and the coffee that they selected was named the “Hale Makua Blend”.

Many Hale Makua residents still drink that coffee blend everyday at breakfast, lunch, or during the social hour in the Aloha Café. Maui Oma roasts 85 pounds of coffee for Hale Makua every week and they do it just a short distance away at their warehouse on Alamaha Street in Kahului.

This is an example of Eden Alternative 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.

Moving Decision-Making Closer to Elders

Hale Makua Wailuku resident William Shigetani’s daughter-in-law brought in bananas for Mr. Shigetani and staff. There were so many bananas care partner and Neighborhood Clerk Lily Vergara thought it would be nice to make something different with the bananas for Mr. Shigetani to try. At lunch time she fried and boiled the bananas and brought them to Mr. Shigetani. While he was skeptical at first, he tried the fried bananas and enjoyed them so much that he told Lily that he didn’t want to share them with the other residents.

This is an example of Eden Alternative 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 the Elders or those closest to them”.