A Time for Change

Close your eyes and imagine you are walking into an unknown building. As you stroll up a well-kept walkway, you notice several elderly women, one of whom is in a wheelchair, planting flowers. Two younger women assist as the older ones determine how best to showcase the colorful blooms. You open the front door. A friendly golden retriever wags you a “hello” then trots off to nap at the feet of a favorite friend. Entering the building, you notice a small group of men and women gathered amidst cozy chairs and sofas discussing a novel. Nearby, an elderly gentleman and two school children huddle over a third-grade math book.

A little further down the hall, you encounter a group of five people. You see two men, both with walkers behind their chairs. Beside them sit a middle-aged man dressed in a white laboratory coat, a young woman in a suit, and an elderly woman jotting notes on a pad of paper. You notice they are reviewing a document entitled, “Policies and Procedures for Staff/Resident Community Groups.”

Now you are in what appears to be the center of the building. There is a small fountain with blooming plants surrounded by several corridors. Above the corridors are placards with names such as Renaissance Reunion and Silvertopia.

You select the one named Golden Hills and walk down a brightly lit hallway. You pass a well-equipped kitchen, an inviting dining room and several comfortable bedrooms. Peeking into one of the bedrooms, you see a hospital bed and handicapped accessible shower. You also notice cheerful curtains, pictures, and a lovely bedside lamp. Finally you reach a small area with a desk, computer, phone, and what appear to be medical files and a medicine cabinet. A woman in a nurse’s uniform greets you warmly and then continues speaking with an elderly woman about her options for physical therapy. Now you understand—this building is a residence for elderly citizens.

Although the above scenario sounds improbable, it is exactly the vision for community-centered care that numerous nursing homes and retirement centers are striving to create. In fact, many such facilities already exist. Across the country, enlightened nursing home directors have begun to realize that the old, medical approach to caring for the elderly is ineffective. They understand that community-focused, person-centered care promotes not only greater satisfaction among residents and staff, but also a better bottom line.

The new care model reflects the need for elders to feel connected to the people and places around them. Thus, there is a strong emphasis on building a sense of community. Moreover, this formula respects the elderly as adults, capable of making, or at the very least being consulted about, decisions regarding medical care, dietary needs and recreational preferences. Facilities embracing this approach strive to provide residents with the simple, daily pleasures that make life meaningful, such as petting a dog or sharing coffee with a neighbor. Finally, the new model underscores the central importance of creating environments where staff feel respected and valued for their contributions and where they develop strong personal connections with the people they serve.

Of course, transitioning from a traditional system of care is not easy. It requires perseverance, openness to change and a cooperative spirit on the part of both residents and staff. Fortunately, several organizations, including Culture Change Now, offer on-site consultants, workshops and other resources to help facilitate the process. Many of these organizations base their work on the ten principles outlined in the Eden Alternative™. Developed in 1991 by Dr. William H. Thomas, the Eden Alternative asserts that we must overhaul the way we think about nursing homes. “The core concept of the Eden Alternative™ is strikingly simple. We must teach ourselves to see the environments as habitats for human beings rather than facilities for the frail and elderly.”¹

But while improving care is critical, advocates for the frail and elderly have a much broader objective—changing the perception of aging in the United States. In July 2003, the American Society on Aging (ASA) sponsored a workshop entitled, Building the New Culture of Elderhood in America: Challenges and Champions. During this workshop, speaker William L. Keane, Director of Dementia Services at the Mather Institute on Aging in Evanston, Illinois, discussed the culture of declinism that is so pervasive in this country. From greeting cards to television commercials, nearly everything about aging focuses on loss and diminishment. Mr. Keane indicated that instead we must celebrate the positive aspects of aging, such as wisdom and emotional maturity. He felt that there should come a point in life where it is okay, even desirable, to abandon the need to “do” and instead just “be.” By changing societal perceptions and expectations, elderhood can become a period of life that is anticipated rather than dreaded.

In Ecclesiates 3:1, we are reminded that, “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.” Growing old is part of God’s time. Instead of trying to minimize or erase the effects of aging, we must learn to embrace them. In so doing, we will finally be able to offer our elders the respect, dignity, care and happiness they so richly deserve.

To learn more about the culture change movement and to read inspiring success stories, visit:

• www.edenalt.com
  
• www.pioneernetwork.net
  
• www.culturechangenow.com

• Coming of Age by Simone de Beauvoir
  
• From Age-Ing to Sage-Ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing by Zalman Shalomi-Schachter
  
• The Force of Character: And the Lasting Life by James Hillman
  
• Where River Turns to Sky by Gregg Kleiner

Director’s Message

A couple of weeks ago, I was flying back to the Baltimore-Washington International Airport seated next to a young GI. He had just received a two-week furlough at home after being deployed with a combat unit in Iraq for nine months. Returning to duty this time, he knew what he was getting into and that he had at least another seven months to be there. During his first months overseas, his girlfriend had found another, and his parents had moved. In a sense, he was going back to Iraq more homesick than before he left.

I've reflected on my time with that young soldier a lot and on his obvious sense of pride and honor in serving his country. Although he was no longer engaged in the combat for which he trained, he was pleased to be learning many new skills as part of the rebuilding process. He even remarked, "The woman who gets me will really be happy I've learned how to do all these handy man things."

My time with this soldier makes me think of our senior religious and how they have spent their lives being sent from one mission to another—wherever they were called. Often, they were not prepared for what they found. Yet they were dedicated and creative in meeting new needs, just as religious have always been and remain today. As a result, they built the best schools and the best health care system in the world. With our world’s ever-changing needs, religious are still in the forefront, now, for example, helping immigrants and all others falling through the safety net.

The 16th annual collection for retired religious is December 13th and 14th in most dioceses. Please remember the generosity and faithfulness of the religious on whose shoulders we stand today. And please don't forget our troops around the world.

My very best wishes for a joyous Christmas.

Sister Andrée Fries, CPPS
Executive Director

NRRO Staff
3211 Fourth Street NE
Washington, DC 20017-1194
(202) 541-3215, www.usccb.org/nrro

Executive Director

Email us at nrro@usccb.org
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