A Celebration of Aloha

Residents enjoyed song and dance during Hale Makua Kahului's Aloha Week program.

Reaffirming Our Commitment to Quality of Care and Life

We have recently renewed our membership on The Eden Alternative^® Registry, reaffirming our commitment to improving the quality of care and quality of life for the people who live and work here. Our 50 Certified Eden Associates continue to educate those connected with their home about person-directed care, based on the Ten Principles of The Eden Alternative. As we deepen our understanding of these concepts, the residents and those closest to them are being honored, respected and are growing as individuals, thus transforming how care is provided for the over 300 people who live at Hale Makua.

As a member of the Registry, we joinThe Eden Alternative as a leader in the “culture change” movement in long-term care. "Culture change" is the common name for a global initiative focused on transforming care, as we know it, for residents and individuals living with disabilities. It advocates for a shift from institutional models of care to person-directed values and practices that put the person first. Weconsistently demonstrates the core person-directed values of choice, dignity, respect, self-determination and purposeful living.

"Here at Hale Makua Health Services, we have reaffirmed our status as an Eden Registered Home, and our team remains committed to creating a warm, loving home using the principles and practices of The Eden Alternative," said Connie Miller, Hale Makua Wailuku Administrator. Since becoming an Eden Registered Home in 2009, Hale Makua Health Services has made many changes to create a life worth living for our residents free from the three plagues of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom. “We are all benefitting from our partnership with The Eden Alternative as we transform Hale Makua Health Services into a resident-centered community, where the residents and the staff, who work with them as care partners, grow and thrive together. The well-being of the residents and their care partners continues to improve, as we move forward and put the Eden Philosophy to work."

Research shows that improving working conditions and the quality of work-life in long-term care environments is vital. When direct care providers are nurtured, cared for, and respected, they provide better quality of care for residents. Improving the way we, as a society, provide long-term care will have a significant impact on many millions of Americans as the population ages and begins to rely more on the support of others to meet basic daily needs.

Pumpkin Preparations

Residents create festive Halloween pumpkins to decorate our community.

Creating a Warm, Unique Living Environment

We were thrilled that Mrs. Tanaka’s family joined in on the fun of making her room unique to her by decorating her window with a tree that represents her at the center of the team, and flowers all around with the names of the staff who care for her. 

New Dining Practice Standards Finalized

10/18/2011 Provider Magazine

 Patrick Connole

Page Content

The Pioneer Network has finalized new Dining Practice Standards, agreed to by 12 national clinical standard-setting organizations, for supporting individualized care and self-directed living versus traditional diagnosis-focused treatment for people living in nursing facilities, the group said on Monday.

The document includes the following new standards: Individualized Nutrition Approaches/Diet Liberalization; Individualized Diabetic/Calorie Controlled Diet; Individualized Low Sodium Diet; Individualized Cardiac Diet; Individualized Altered Consistency Diet; Individualized Tube Feeding; Individualized Real Food First; Individualized Honoring Choices; Shifting Traditional Professional Control to Individualized Support of Self Directed Living; and New Negative Outcome.

“The importance of these new agreed-upon clinical standards cannot be overstated as food and dining are an integral part of individualized care and self-directed living for people living in nursing homes,” the Pioneer Network said.

The organization will submit the new standards to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the long term care community at large.

It is anticipated that CMS will refer to the new standards of practice within long term care interpretive guidance where they fit as the agency usually refers to the current standards of practice set by the clinicians who work within the long term care field. 

According to the Pioneer Network, food and dining are an integral part of individualized care and self-directed living for several reasons, including the complexity of food and dining requirements when advancing models of culture change, the importance of food and dining as a significant element of daily living, and because the most frequent questions and concerns CMS receives from regulators and providers consistently focus on dining and food policies in nursing homes.

“Therefore, we believe this area is one most in need of national dialogue if we are to improve quality of life for persons living in nursing homes while maintaining safety and quality of care,” the group said.

The recommendations were acted on in conjunction with funding from the Rothschild Foundation to the Pioneer Network in 2011, which allowed formation of the organization’s Food and Dining Clinical Standards Task Force. The task force is comprised of symposium experts, representatives from CMS’ Division of Nursing Homes, FDA, and CDC as well as national standard setting groups.
Download the new standards HERE.

The Pioneer Network has finalized new Dining Practice Standards, agreed to by 12 national clinical standard-setting organizations, for supporting individualized care and self-directed living versus traditional diagnosis-focused treatment for people living in nursing facilities, the group said on Monday.

The document includes the following new standards: Individualized Nutrition Approaches/Diet Liberalization; Individualized Diabetic/Calorie Controlled Diet; Individualized Low Sodium Diet; Individualized Cardiac Diet; Individualized Altered Consistency Diet; Individualized Tube Feeding; Individualized Real Food First; Individualized Honoring Choices; Shifting Traditional Professional Control to Individualized Support of Self Directed Living; and New Negative Outcome.

“The importance of these new agreed-upon clinical standards cannot be overstated as food and dining are an integral part of individualized care and self-directed living for people living in nursing homes,” the Pioneer Network said.

The organization will submit the new standards to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the long term care community at large.

It is anticipated that CMS will refer to the new standards of practice within long term care interpretive guidance where they fit as the agency usually refers to the current standards of practice set by the clinicians who work within the long term care field. 

According to the Pioneer Network, food and dining are an integral part of individualized care and self-directed living for several reasons, including the complexity of food and dining requirements when advancing models of culture change, the importance of food and dining as a significant element of daily living, and because the most frequent questions and concerns CMS receives from regulators and providers consistently focus on dining and food policies in nursing homes.

“Therefore, we believe this area is one most in need of national dialogue if we are to improve quality of life for persons living in nursing homes while maintaining safety and quality of care,” the group said.

The recommendations were acted on in conjunction with funding from the Rothschild Foundation to the Pioneer Network in 2011, which allowed formation of the organization’s Food and Dining Clinical Standards Task Force. The task force is comprised of symposium experts, representatives from CMS’ Division of Nursing Homes, FDA, and CDC as well as national standard setting groups.

Download the new standards HERE.

Recreating a Simple Pleasure

The Nursing Office decided to recreate a simple pleasure for Marieta Yalon, who lives in the Lanai Neighborhood. She identified one of her pleasures in life to be making a favorite Filipino dessert called Tambo Tambo.  In this picture, Nana Yalon teaches Mona Ordono, UR Assistant, and Chris Casio, Nursing Supervisor, how to make the dessert. 

Unique Reisdent Room Sparks Conversation

Annie Quitan used to love to travel, so the Lanai Day Shift team decorated her window to reflect that.  Now others see the pictures and stop to ask her about her travels.  Annie and her son, Vic say they are really happy with the display. 

Hale Makua Wailuku Starts New Luana Project

At Hale Makua Wailuku, teams selected one of three Luana projects to implement. The projects are based on Eden principles and philosophies, and come from the Seed Packets book. 

• One option was to create a spontaneous moment in the life of a resident, because boredom occurs when our lives lack variety and spontaneity.  
• A second choice was to make a change in the resident’s room to make it unique to him or her, because humans weren’t meant to live in a cold, sterile environment.  
• The third project was to recreate a simple pleasure from the resident’s life before Hale Makua, because the opportunity to do things we find meaningful is essential to human health.  

The next series of posts will feature care partners implementing these Luana projects.

George Rides in Style to the Maui Fair

One of our dedicated volunteers, Ron Rawson, approached Activities Director Teresa Lopes after he found out that resident George Ishii would be his partner at the fair. He said he would love to drive George to the fair in his sports car with the roof down. Teresa knew that George would get a kick out of that. The only glitch was that Ron could not fit Georges wheel chair into his car. Maintenance & Engineering Director Mark Souza graciously said he would follow Ron and George to the Fair with the wheelchair in a Hale Makua truck. George had a blast with the wind blowing through his hair!

Barbara Visits Her Home Garden

Above are pictures of Barbara Silva in her yard in Makawao. Barbara came to Hale Makua in November 2010, one day she was telling our Activities Director Teresa Lopes about the day she fell in her living room at home and was taken to MMMC and then to Hale Makua. She shared that since that day she has never gone home and more then anything she would love to just go to Makawao and be able to see her home. Well her wish came true Activities Assistant Jade and Teresa escorted her to her home. That day Barbara brought back four rose plants to put in the Pikake neighborhood garden that she tends to.