Aftermath of Storm Flossie

Story and photo by Teresa Lopes.

This morning when I got to work I could hear the swishing of a palm tree against the concrete while walking from the Weinberg parking lot to the building entrance. I looked up ahead of me and saw John Kaauwai with a huge palm frond in his hands sweeping the entrance way. He was as busy as can be, and on a mission to clean up all the leaves and flowers that Tropical Depression Flossie left at the entrance. 

John said he was feeling real good this morning and he picked up the palm and swept the whole entrance way. He told me to find the housekeeper who normally sweeps outside and let her know he did it for her. Tori had come to work at 5:30am and saw all the leaves and flowers that she had to swept up after she finished cleaning the activity center. She was surprised when she went out a little after 7:00am and saw that the area was cleaned! When she saw the pictures that I took, her mystery was solved. Tori was so happy and appreciative of John's help. She said she was going to find John to thank him personally. Mahalo John!

This story illustrates several Eden Alternative Principles:

• Principle 4: An Elder-centered community creates opportunities to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness. - John not only provided care for Toni by helping to cleanup after the storm so that she didn't need to, but also for other staff, residents and visitors who use the walkway.
• 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. - John just happened to see the palm frond and thought it would be good to use to sweep aside debris from the storm.
• Principle 6: Meaningless activity corrodes the human spirit. The opportunity to do things that we find meaningful is essential to human health. - John was feeling good this morning and wanted to help out by sweeping the building entrance.
• 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. - John chose to sweep aside the leaves and flowers himself without having to ask anyone if it was alright.

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.