Eden Alternative
Mission: To improve the well-being of Elders and their care partners by transforming the communities in which they live and work.

The Vine 

-an online newsletter for Eden Registry Members

January 2015  

Dr. Bill Thomas book jacket photo

 A Conversation with Dr. Bill Thomas

   

Eden Registry Members are invited to join a conversation with Dr. Bill Thomas on Monday, February 9, 2015 at 4:30pm ET. The topic will be directed toward the Elders you serve. This is a chance for them to hear from the founder about what The Eden Alternative and Principles mean to their lives. Please gather a group of Elder and employee care partners to participate in the conversation. You can even turn on your webcams so people can see each other! The Elders will be invited to ask Dr. Thomas any questions they have. For employee care partners, including leaders, this is a chance for you to learn more about how to educate and engage Elders in the journey. Mark your calendars and join us on February 9th!  

 
A Small Donation Made a Big Difference

WE DID IT! The fundraising efforts for St. Antonine's Old Age Home in KwaZulu Nata, South Africa was successful and they will now be able to wash their laundry with their new washing machines, dryer and laundry supplies. We want to thank all the Eden Registry Members who went above and beyond, raising awareness and funds, to help this home create a life worth living for the Elders. You should all be very proud of what you have accomplished!
 

Nurture Self-Directed Work Teams in 2015
 
The hierarchical organizational model prevents employees from raising the art of care partnering to its highest level. Time and again, organizations have demonstrated that by adopting a new eldercare model based on empowered neighborhood teams, performance can be optimized to address everyday challenges, such as cuts in reimbursement, increased pressure from regulatory agencies, and increased competition for competent and experienced employees. Empowered teams also drive ongoing quality improvement. Through a proven 30-module team development curriculum, Eden Alternative Neighborhood Guide Training, created, tested, and licensed by Vivage Quality Health Partners, provides tools and resources to create this deep organizational transformation. This 5-day learning experience transforms managers into Neighborhood Guides, who serve as relationship builders, facilitators, coaches, trainers, and Elder advocates. Your next chance to attend this five-day Neighborhood Guide will be March 9-13, 2015 at Kirkhaven in Rochester, NY. You can click here to register your care partners to attend this important educational event.

clasped-hands-sky.jpg Registry Networking Calls 

The 2015 Registry networking calls have been scheduled for the year and the topics are looking good. If you need another copy of the year's schedule, click here. Here is what coming up:

 

Talk to you soon!

Worth Celebrating!

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Grancare Nursing Center in Green Bay, WI celebrated 15 years on the Eden Registry. The event was a huge success. The Eden committee, that meets monthly, talked about how to celebrate and made sure to involve the neighbors and families. There was bowling with the neighbors and their care partners paired up together. Everyone liked so much that it now happens monthly. A Recreational Renegade's husband made a Plinko board. Care partners were able to win a prize by answering questions related to the Eden Alternative. All week long the Eden Name Game was played. All the neighbors chose Eden names. Stickers were added  to the employee name tags along with the Eden names. The Elders posted their Eden names on their doors. Employee care partners had to go around with a neighbor and ask questions to become more well-known to others. The team that asked the most questions and got the most responses got a prize.There was an ice cream social for the neighbors and employee care partners. With a lot of new employee care partners on the teams, it was a reminder that people can sit and visit with the neighbors and enjoy themselves while they are here. All in all, they had a great week, worthy of celebration!

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For the second year in a row, Piner's Nursing and Guest Homes has been recognized in Napa, CA by being voted the "Best Nursing Home" in their community. They will receive the official honor on January 30th followed by a celebration with the larger Piner family. Congratulations to everyone at Piner's Nursing and Guest Homes!

Inspiring Stories to Light Your Path   

 

Uplands Village in Pleasant Hill, TN spend an evening in Africa without leaving their town! Peace Corps volunteers, professors, engineers, doctors, nurses, United Church of Christ and Methodist missionaries ... a surprising number of Uplands residents devoted much of their professional lives to working in Africa. Whether it was in Ghana, Angola, Togo, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zaire, Mozambique, Zambia or South Africa, they learned first-hand what the phrase 'it takes a village' really means. And because they still hold a special place in their hearts for the people there, they wanted to share "An Evening in Africa" with their 'new village' - their friends and neighbors at Uplands Village. Read more ... 

 

 

 

Imagine that an Elder is at the end-of-life and surrounding her bedside are 4-6 people tenderly singing songs that are meaningful to her. Their voices are creating an environment that is providing peace and tranquility for her and the care partners who are with her at that time. They are honoring this Elder who stands at the threshold of her next life passage. They are a part of Grace Notes Singers in Rhode Island and their mission is to "use their voices to create a peaceful environment while holding those present with love and support." This describes a scene that happens at Elmhurst Extended Care, Providence, RI as they continue to honor the end-of-life passage for each Elder. Read more about the story.  

 

 

 

 

 

Grab a box of Kleenex before clicking on this link. Phillip, the Chaplain at Riverview Health Care Center in Prestonsburg, KY is role modeling what it means to create a caring community. Through relationships and self-determination, he is making a difference that is transforming the community in which he works. Watch the video, be inspired, and send your positive energy his way!  

Food For Thought
 
St. Luke's Home (SLH) in Tucson, AZ has formed a partnership with the University of Arizona Center on Aging and Health Sciences Center. This partnership began after the administrator sent Dr. Jane Mohler an email telling her SLH was beginning the Eden Alternative journey.  Dr. Mohler sent the information out to her colleagues. Two second year medical students responded and the Interprofessional Education and Practice Program began (IPEP). The Elders play a major part in determining how this partnership functions. Elder Council members meet with University faculty and students to share areas of interest to them. The January Elder Education speaker will talk about foot care. Outcomes of this relationship for the organization have included increased insight into Elder self-perception, medication reviews for those Elders participating in the IPEP clinic, Elder self-determination support, and local, state and national recognition. Benefits for the Elder care partners include education, focused listening, the opportunity to mentor students, socializing with young people, sharing their aging experiences, influencing Elder healthcare and receiving care rather than treatment. Check out this poster created to share their story with others. A group of students also worked on integrating birds into the environment. Check out the poster about the project and the outcomes. What an amazing relationship!

Isabela, an Elder at the Denali Center wrote an article in their recent newsletter that offers some food for thought for us all. Isabela says, "We cannot control people's thinking or habits or the way they do things, but I notice when people's jobs may take more from them than they can give. I notice staff who seem tired or rundown and I wonder if they give more of themselves and do not feed themselves or their souls. There are some jobs that are expansive and I may not fully understand how much a person has to do; but, I recently observed a leader who seems to be tired and worn down. I see dark circles under her eyes and I worry. I asked her if she does enough to refill herself, to balance what she gives and what she takes. Some people give more than they take and some people take more than they give. Sometimes the balance is off; but, if the balance is off for too long then that is not good. Ask yourself are you a taker or giver? Both are good if it is balanced. Take care of your heart and soul and if you are a taker more than a giver, find a way to give."
News and Updates

Regina Lutheran Home is Regina, SK has been in the news over the holidays. One of the stories is about how they are incorporating nurse practitioners into the lives of Elders. They are making a big difference! The other story is about the home itself and the flow of daily life. Sounds like life is really hopping in Regina!

Ketchikan Pioneer Home in Ketchikan, AK was recently contacted by someone named Danny Goldfield. He is a photographer who completed a project called NYchildren where he went to the different burrows in New York City and took pictures of boys and girls from all over the world. His new project is To Live 10,000 Years. He is seeking individuals over the age of 100 from every state, a man and a woman. He chose an Elder living at Ketchikan Pioneer Home as one of the Elders he would photograph. The team at Ketchikan wanted to alert other Eden Registry Members about the project in case you might want to make contact with Danny. Click here to visit his website.

Second Wind by Dr. Bill Thomas has been named one of 50 Best Spiritual Books for 2014! You can learn more about their review and the award by clicking here.

The Michigan NADONA/LTC organization in partnership with HCAM and MCAL is hosting an Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia Care Seminar: Preparation for Certified Dementia Practitioner Certification. The dates are Friday, February 20th at the Henry Center in East Lansing, MI or Thursday, August 13th at the Holiday Inn in Marquette, MI. Michigan long-term care organizations can also offer to host the training. If you are interested, click here to download the registration information.

~Gardening Tools for Registry Members~

 

Upcoming Registry joining calls:
  • The Bridge at Ridgely, Ridgley, TN on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 11am ET
  • Cottage Garden, a Family Care Home, Goshen, IN on Friday, January 23, 2015 at 12:30pm ET

Phone number: 860-970-03001-860-970-0300

Access Code: 331465 

~Events and Proddings~    
  • Eden Educators and Mentors: How are you cultivating the Eden Garden in your regions? 
  • Host an Eden Alternative education offering, contact  [email protected] 
  • Join the Social Advocate team for The Eden Alternative, contact [email protected] 
  • Visit the Eden Alternative page and group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theedenalternative 
  • Visit Dr. Thomas' blog at http://www.changingaging.org/
  • Join in the Eden Alternative blog.  
  • If you have an Eden epiphany to share with our Eden family, send it to [email protected] 
  • Please forward this newsletter to everyone you care for . . .
"The space of wondering, of wide curiosity, of not knowing, seems indeed to be the space in which wisdom can grow. Yet it demands a change in how we approach things, a change in practice. It requires that we loosen our grip on our certainties; that for a few minutes we give up our assumptions; that we develop, almost as second nature, the habit of wondering about all kinds of important (and seemingly unimportant) things; that we cultivate the practice of wondering about even the smallest and seemingly most inconsequential of things ..."

The Art and Spirit of Leadership, by Judy Brown