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.

Resident Shares Her Crocheting Expertise

Hale Makua Wailuku Resident Marieta “Nana” Yalon learned to crochet at school in the Philippines at the age of 15, and has been crocheting ever since. At Hale Makua, she makes tote bags, hats, and lap blankets, which she sells at the monthly Country Store.

While sitting and crocheting one day, Nana realized she was being watched. Administrative Secretary and Care Partner Temmie Faudan was watching with interest as Nana Yalon created a hat out of colorful yarn.

“Come on, I’ll teach you” Nana remembers saying to Temmie. Several lessons later, Temmie is trying to meet Nana’s high standards for tight stitches. “She reviews my work and sometimes tears it out and makes me start over” laughs Temmie. 

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.

Residents Participate in Care Partner Training

Care partner Ruby Yadao met with the members of the Hale Makua Kahului Resident Council to ask them if there were things that could be taught or shared with new hires to improve the quality of care that is provided to them. The residents couldn’t think of any specific areas of improvement, but suggested having a resident participate in the training so that care partners would get some practice with an actual resident and the resident could provide feedback at the time of the training that may help further improve care. Resident Beverly Kamimoto pictured above volunteers for training on the lift with care partners Malia Spencer and Ryan Nasu.

This is an example of Eden Alternative Principle 4, which states that an Elder-centered community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness. By asking residents for their input, and Principle 8 that states 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