“…the generations must find ways to share daily life. Elders need the stimulation of young people … elders need relationships with middle-agers, whose challenges are not so far removed from their own at that age. Children and young people need first hand contact with elders so that old age is not a strange, foreign country to them.”
“Staff admit they develop a tolerance for alarms sounding and tend to ignore them or not run so fast anymore,” the authors state. Personalized care often is sacrificed to overreliance on the devices, they add.
Through our PersonFirst® trainings, Action Pact has long promoted community circles as a tool for meaningful engagement with residents living with dementia. An open-ended question is posed to the group and each resident, sometimes with encouragement from staff, answers the question or comments on the topic. In this way, staff and residents get to know each other better and build community with the side benefit of gaining a better understanding about how best to serve the residents in their daily lives.
I travel for work, a lot, and so I am very familiar with the feeling of “coming home,” of looking forward to being with my family again and settling into the comfort and security my home offers. As part of Action Pact’s transformation work with clients, we explore the elements of home, one of which is “journeying.” Whether for an hour, a day or a few weeks, journeying includes the excitement of planning for the trip, the experience of being away from home and the inevitable return. I’ve been wondering if I, as a serial traveler, experience journeying the same way people living in nursing homes, assisted living and personal care do. Continue reading ““Coming Home” Is Made Possible In The Household Model”→
Why should the possibility of going on an adventure end when you move into a nursing home? One of the best ways to engage in life is by having new experiences, especially experiences that fly in the face of assumed personal limitations. With this in mind, five residents (two from the health center) and four staff from Hearthstone: A Ministry of WesleyLife in Pella, IA set off on a real vacation, prompting one resident to say, “Maybe it’s been too long since I’ve been out of town, or even my room.” Continue reading “Vacationing Residents Seek Adventure”→
A while back I was walking along, my mind ruminating on negative thoughts and worries. I found myself getting a little stressed out, tensing up and getting even more worried. And then, I suddenly felt better. A load had been lifted and perspective returned. The cause of this relief? My 6-year-old ran up to walk with me, reached up and held my hand (he was singing a little too as I recall). Poof – the negative thoughts went right out of my head. I relaxed and began enjoying the walk and the things around me. Something about that simple touch gave me just what I needed. I am very lucky in this way. I am a jungle gym, a preferred seat and a transportation device for my young son. Occasionally his older sister might throw a hug my way and his older brother might too, in the right setting. I have a loving wife and good friends that provide me with many opportunities to give and receive some form of touch or another.
Not everyone is this fortunate. Some shy away from touch and deprive themselves of the connection that I feel is as basic a human need as we have. Some, like far too many elders living in nursing homes, find themselves longing for positive human touch that comes too infrequently. This is especially true for the very frail, as many people fear causing pain by touching them, not knowing how the lack of touch hurts in a different way. It is sad to think about how many people are deprived of this basic human need when all the ingredients for meeting it are literally at our fingertips.
Photo by Samantha Whitefeather
But wait, you might say, some people have had horrible experiences in their lives with inappropriate and unwanted touch. Some simply avoid contact with others out of fear of rejection or other reasons. Are these folks best just left alone? In “The Importance of Touch” by Beverley Anne Star and Sara Joy David, Ph.D., there is some good info on how the benefits of positive touch can be relearned. The authors write, “All such touch must be exchanged in a manner that respects the boundaries of the persons receiving and giving the touch. In a touch-phobic society, where many individuals are unaccustomed to physical contact, it may take a while for touch to feel welcome and natural…… However, just as we can reclaim our taste buds – jaded by excess use of spices, sauces, and other stimulants – we can re-educate our nerve endings to enjoy gentle, appropriate touch.”
They make another point that is particularly applicable to those living in nursing homes with overhead paging, call lights and chair alarms: “The body registers noise pollution as assaultive. The automatic tightening of muscles to armor (protect) and defend themselves produces sensations that range from mild discomfort to extreme pain. Gentle, appropriate touch can help the body to relax without more intrusive intervention. Caring touch can restore equilibrium and balance.”
If we want people, especially those in nursing homes, to truly be well, we must work to meet the basic need for human touch. Here are some ways we can make it happen:
Dancing (Picture that dining aide who jumps out there with a resident when a good song comes on, holding hands while moving to the music.)
Holding hands to say the prayer before a meal
Massage sessions (Research this and use professional trained staff. Often our elders need light touch massage and not deep tissue massage.)
Hugs (One therapist cited in the article mentioned above suggests fitting in 12 hugs per day for everyone.)
Simple handshakes when greeting someone
A hand on the shoulder when talking
Sometimes I see alternatives to human touch being used – a dog or cat to pet, soft stuffed animals, etc. – but as the article states: “There is no substitute for the gentle, loving touch of someone who cares.”
What are your thoughts? What ideas do you have to make positive touch happen more? How do we assure the frailest among us are not deprived of touch?
Glenn Blacklock has a Master of Arts in Leisure Studies with emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation. As Administrator of Big Meadows Nursing Home he led the organization through their culture change journey. Glenn is the creator of the Action Pact workshop Unlock the Life Within and, in his current role with Action Pact, has guided nursing homes across the country through their transformation to households.
The residents had every resource – medications, supplies, aides, nurses, wheelchairs and walkers – available to them that they always have at The Jewish Home for the Elderly in Fairfield, CT, when they made the journey of a lifetime to the Jewish home: Jerusalem. Continue reading “Journey of a Lifetime”→
Neighbors blog - from Action Pact 