Luana Video Premiere Event

Ruth Shimada

Ali Helm

On Friday, March 25th, Hale Makua Kahului held a red carpet premiere event showing of our Luana video. Hale Makua residents, Adult Day Health clients, family members, volunteers, and staff who starred in the video were presented with miniature Oscar-like awards and made their way down the red carpet. In addition to the actors and actresses, family members were invited to this exclusive showing of the Luana video. Shannon Loo and Koa Simarago donated their time and talents to transform the Aloha Cafe into a red carpet affair, and freshly popped popcorn and sparkling apple cider added to the festivities. 

The Rawson Ohana

In 2010, Hale Makua Health Services was selected as one of four recipients of the Bank of Hawaii Mike Lyons Maui Community Award, which was used to produce an educational video about Luana, an initiative which strives to move away from the traditional, medical model of care, to a resident-directed model of care where residents make choices about their daily activities themselves, and the environment that they live in is more like their own home. The video was produced by Jon Duarte Design Group, and is now available for viewing at www.halemakua.org.

Charlene & Lynn with their mom, Michiko

Herman Kukahiko

This ten minute educational video showcases the culture change taking place at Hale Makua’s Long Term Care communities in Kahului and Wailuku on the island of Maui. The goal of the video is to educate staff, residents, families and the public about how Hale Makua is combating the “plagues” of loneliness, helplessness and boredom, which account for the bulk of suffering that nursing home residents’ face.

The birthday girl, Betsy Ouchi, with her family

According to the Pioneer Network, a national center for stakeholders in the field of aging and long term care whose focus is on providing home and community for elders, "culture change" is the common name given to the national movement for the transformation of older adult services, based on person-directed values and practices where the voices of elders and those working with them are considered and respected. Core person-directed values are choice, dignity, respect, self-determination and purposeful living. Culture change transformation supports the creation of both long and short-term living environments as well as community-based settings where both older adults and their caregivers are able to express choice and practice self-determination in meaningful ways at every level of daily life.

Fumi Nishijo

Violet Decoite

Barbara Silva

BJ and his daughter Linnea

Gloria Destefano & her daughter

Emma Lee with her daughter Stephanie

Viewing the video

Staff at Hale Makua in Kahului thanked

I had to send a big thank-you to the staff at Hale Makua Kahului for all their hard work and dedication. Each and every one, custodial staff, all the certified nursing assistant, business and administrative staff, food preparation and dining room workers, nurses and doctors, drivers, yard and maintenance helpers, and anyone I may have overlooked, deserve a huge word of thanks and recognition.

Of late, Denise Thayer and her staff deserve kudos for all their hard work on the "Luana" project video. The video describes with accuracy just what Hale Makua is about. Also thanks to Teresa Lopes and the girls in the activity room for the way they presented it to those who took part in the video itself -- like a Hollywood gala, with red carpet, Oscars awarded, and photos in front of a star-studded tinsel backdrop to boot. You made all the residents and families of residents feel very special when really, it's all of you who are the special ones.

Thank you all!

Ron Rawson

Kula

From The Maui News, April 5, 2011

Our Newest Compassionate Caring Grads

Congratulations to the graduates of the Compassionate Caring & Continuous Improvement classes held on March 30 and 31, 2011: Avelina Hermano, Benita Eusebio, Brenda Kay Henry, Jaimie Kaneshiro, Janet Agamata, Joelita Ucol, Joynabelle Baldonado, Marilyn Hong, Roberto Caliboso, Serlin Sorim, Ursula Espeleta, and Zaira Katsuda.

Wailuku Gardening Club

Henry Kaina working alongside the students

This afternoon students from the Achievement Academy worked with the residents in the Hale Makua Wailuku Garden Club to repaint planters and plant new plants. The Garden Club was developed and is managed by residents. The group meets every Wednesday at 1:30pm.

Meeting with the Achievement Academy students and residents

Students get working on the planters

Residents Take Aim at Dunking Staff

This afternoon staff and residents had the opportunity to dunk Hale Makua Health Services staff and managers at team Pono Star's fundraiser for the Visitor Industry Charity Walk. Above resident Harold Rawson tries his hand at dunking our CEO Tony Krieg. Below resident Herman Kukahiko sends Activities Director Teresa Lopes for a double dunkin'!

Adult Day Health Quilters

Pictured from left: Jean Kaner, Ruth Fukamoto, Marion Watanabe, Masuyo Doi, Sue Dengler (volunteer), Lorraine Nishijo

The ladies of Adult Day Health pose with their masterpiece - a beautiful, handmade quilted wall hanging. They've been working on this project for the past two years and will be entering it into the Maui County Fair Homemakers Exhibit this Fall.

Visiting Alii Kula Lavender Farm

The ladies of Hale Makua Kahului enjoy the view while eating bentos from Puakalani Superette

 

Resident Frank Daeder checks out the view with Nursing Supervisor Nida Smith

Understanding Care Partnership

When we begin to focus on Elders as people who continue to "grow and become," we open to what they have to offer us.  Seeing Elders as mentors with something to give helps us make the leap from caregiving... to care partnering. When those usually described as care receivers learn they have something to give - and there is always some way that they can, no matter how subtle -and those usually described as care givers deeply acknowledge the ways that they receive from care receivers, some amazing shifts occur in the care dynamic. They become Care Partners."

Instead of seeing the needs of 'caregivers' as separate from the needs of 'care receivers,' we need to focus on the well-being of the whole care partnership.  At the Eden Alternative, we firmly believe that words make worlds.  Like the term 'Elder,' the phrase 'Care Partner' is an excellent example of the transformative power of choosing our language carefully.  As a concept, care partnership evens the playing field, as it is often easy to get trapped in a one-dimensional experience of care.  With this in mind, teams must fully appreciate what it means to be a care partner team.  The term "care partner" should never be used simply as a politically-correct replacement for the words "staff" or "aide" or "caregiver/care receiver." Care partnership encompasses so much more, both in nursing homes and out in the larger community.

By our definition, a care partner team is composed of the following care partners:  the Elder herself; those care partners who work with her, whether they work in a nursing home or through home health support; her family members, friends, volunteers, and any other health professionals that collaborate with her.  Care partnering implies a balance of care, that opportunities to give as well as receive are abundant and experienced by everyone involved in the care relationship in every moment.  To deepen the experience of care partnership, consider holding Learning Circles on the subject that bring Elders and all of their care partners together.

Source: Eden Alternative News & Updates

A Trip to the Aquarium

Nonna Yalon and Nonna Nicolas pose in front of the Maui Ocean Center

Yesterday, Hale Makua Wailuku residents spent the afternoon at the Maui Ocean Center. They enjoyed all the wonderful sites, weather, and the great company!

Activities Assistant Delva with Nonna Nicolas and Nonna Yalon meeting some fish friends

Nonna Yalon inside the aquarium admiring the fishes

 

Residents' Gardening Club Gets Going in Wailuku

At a recent resident council our elders decided that they wanted to plant a new garden at our Wailuku home.  Elders, volunteers, families/friends, and staff have been meeting weekly as the “Garden Club” to discuss the plan of action.  Recent topics included, a unanimous decision, on relocating the garden to the area adjacent to the sidewalk, where the red gingers are now. It was also agreed that an elevated garden would better address the issue of accessibility! Using existing planter boxes and requesting funds from the Office of Development and private donations were some of the good suggestions made!

Many mahalos to Kel Sato for his help with the Garden Club at Wailuku!