Nursing Home Culture Change: Working with State Regulators (Pioneer Network Video 2:36 mins.)

Many people don’t plan to live their last days in nursing homes. However, with over 37 million Americans over the age of 65, a large segment of them will live and die in nursing homes. Culture change, which focuses on living life with dignity, can include the following:

1) Flexible Schedules

Everybody doesn’t have to eat, sleep, and bathe at the same times.

2) Intergenerational Activities

Relationships between children and the elderly are encouraged. The unique, beneficial exchanges that take place in this context are lacking too often in today’s society.

3) Interactions with Animals

Appropriate animals provide companionship and improved health.

4) Independent and Social Activities

Nursing home residents feel respected when their input is welcome regarding activities they can do independently. They also appreciate social activities that keep them connected with others.

There are several models of culture change for nursing homes. They all respect and incorporate input from residents and staff members in such areas as decision-making and scheduling. The Household Model is a product of the Pioneer Movement. Small groups of residents form households resembling "homes" where they have opportunities to develop quality relationships in a calm environment.

In this Pioneer Network video, Steve Shields describes how his organization approached working with state regulators to remodel an existing nursing home into the Household Model.

Frances Shani Parker, Author
"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog