On Monday of this week, we started something completely new. We’ve been planning for weeks and months–years, really. Two smaller neighbourhoods joined and the new neighbourhood of Cedarvale Park was born.
It’s happening in stages. On Monday, the new staffing model began. By next Monday, we should have a laundry room, and the following Monday our new kitchen will be ready. Hopefully the shower room will follow closely behind. Stage two is a lovely lounge area, which will be done in February.
But culture change isn’t dining rooms and lounges. Culture change is people. “The Eden Alternative firmly believes that culture change unfolds one relationship at a time…”1
Simply put, culture change is putting people before rules or institutions. It’s working together, and being willing to say, “That didn’t work, what else will we try?” It’s giving staff a voice and listening to their thoughts.
Culture change is hard. As my fellow advocate says, it’s not all butterflies and rainbows. It’s messy. It can be painful. I have been stretched beyond anything I can imagine this week, and it’s only Wednesday. I’ve wondered “can I do this?” several times a day. I’ve been frustrated and overwhelmed.
And there are moments that it’s beautiful. I am growing. We are growing. The elders benefit from each small triumph.
One staff member who, because of the shift she’s worked, hasn’t had the same opportunities to be touched by the changes we’ve talked about over the last four years. It’s delightful to see her discover that she doesn’t need to (and shouldn’t) wake sleeping people in the night to change them. She can let them sleep. If she doesn’t get a shower done one day, it’s fine to do it the next, and if someone who is due a shower is sleeping, she can let them sleep. I told her today that no one was going to say she wasn’t doing her job if someone slept in.
Staff from two shifts huddled together today to work out a few problems in the dining room. The common theme was “we’re all learning.” Ideas and suggestions bounced around the room, and in no time, we had a plan.
There is conflict. There are problems and issues we haven’t solved, and many more to come. We’ll talk and listen and have the difficult conversations to make it work. It’s about improving life for our elders, but this comes as we grow together.
Yesterday, I was just about done in, and I had a few more hours to go. I came out of my supervisor’s office and ran into a special resident. She has a most incredible smile, although her conversation is limited. I told her it had been a hard day and I needed a hug. She said, “Ohhhhhhh,” and in the most motherly way possible, she hugged me and rubbed my back from her wheelchair. It meant everything to me. Because…”care is not a one-way street, but rather a collaborative partnership. All caregivers and care receivers are described as ‘care partners,’ each an active participant in the balance of giving and receiving. Together, care partner teams strive to enhance well-being by eliminating the three plagues of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom.”1
Culture change is hard and messy and painful.
But a hug makes it all worthwhile.
1. http://www.edenalt.org/about-the-eden-alternative/