Posted: Apr 14, 2010 4:43 PM
Updated: Apr 14, 2010 4:44 PM
Village Health Care is literally paving the way for a new standard of care in our state with a new model of care, known as the household model of care. During the past 15 months we have been very busy preparing for a complete organizational change that would allow us to operate in this new, more socially engaging environment. As with any deep organizational change, it takes a dedicated and strongly united team to accomplish such an endeavor. Our focus was always to create a more home-like environment for our residents and increase their quality of life, and at the same time improve their quality of care.
With much hard work, houses with beautiful living rooms and open kitchens materialized in front of our eyes. While these houses developed before our eyes, we were also busy redesigning our organization to incorporate the new household model of care, which is very different from the traditional nursing home model of care. Literally, every position at Village Health Care changed and we moved from a structure of departments to a household team dedicated to serving the resident and honoring their preferences. We learned to wear many different hats. This required a massive amount of training and team building. Every employee underwent an average of 88 hours of training that included culture change, person-centered/resident- directed care, leadership, team building, and cross training. With 126 employees this was no small task. It became common for residents to see a housekeeper or a Social Services Director in the household kitchen cooking eggs to order for breakfast.
More than all else, I am very happy to report that our residents have wholeheartedly embraced the change and excitedly watched the progress. Lives have changed. Residents who were reclusive are now socializing and coming to meals in the dining rooms. Spontaneous activities are a norm. Families are visiting more often and staying longer.
Throughout this transformation, we were always mindful that we still had to meet all the regulatory requirements. We are glad to report that our annual state survey ended last week on a positive note. It is our hope that the culture change movement continues to spread throughout the nursing home industry, changing the future of aging.