This Place is for the Birds!

I thought I would dedicate this Blog posting to shining the spotlight on our unique Assisted Living cottage and Adult Day program at Valley Manor.

I call them unique because they represent a relatively new trend and focus in the delivery of support services to seniors. With more and more interest and demand by consumers for support service alternatives other than nursing home care, assisted living and community-based services are gaining in popularity and attention.

Here on the campus of Valley Manor, located in the lovely East Avenue neighborhood, sits the cottage that houses our 8 apartment assisted living residence and our distinct adult day program community.

I stopped by recently to visit with the residents and clients to see what was new and exciting in their world, and wow, there is a lot going on! Let me share just a sample of what they shared with me and what I saw.

As I arrived at the cottage, I was greeted by a resident and staff having a quiet conversation in the foyer as they basked in the sunlight and warmth from the windows looking out on the neighborhood. They welcomed me in and graciously allowed me to take pictures and explore their cozy home.

I then met resident Beverly Fink sitting outside her dining room working diligently on a jigsaw puzzle. I wasn't much help to her with her puzzle but we did enjoy a nice conversation. Beverly lived in an apartment at Valley Manor for years before deciding to move into the assisted living apartments where she would have access to more aide support. She still has dinner at Valley Manor every Wednesday evening to stay in contact with her "woman's support group" that was an important part of her past routine. She has also rediscovered her love for playing piano and often plays during tea times and sing-alongs with her new friends at the cottage.

Ms. Fink insisted that I check out the gardens off the back patio so I then made my way outside. The residents had been busy in the weeks prior starting up their vegetable and flower gardens in the backyard and participating in the "Sage Project" (I'll blog on that project in the near future).

Other projects that the residents have been enjoying include creating centerpieces for their dining room tables, wreathes for each individual apartment door, baking for each others' birthdays and embarking on their daily exercise and wellness program.

But the newest and biggest news of the week was the addition of Pete and Kiwi to the cottage. Pete and Kiwi are parakeets that the residents have named and adopted as their new cottage pets. In addition to their beautiful colors and singing voices, the parrots provide a sense of companionship, responsibility and enjoyment.

I then wandered next door to to visit with the clients of the adult day program. Here I was greeted by a group of seniors seated in the bright, roomy dining room enjoying an afternoon snack and finishing up a card game. I asked who was wining all the money, but they just laughed and said "not them".

Outside in the courtyard I saw a large congregation of folks enjoying the warmth and sunshine (that does bless Rochester from time to time). I walked out to see what was going on and was immediately introduced to Tiddly and Wink, two other parakeets that the adult day program clients have named and adopted as their pets. The birds are awesome and will even sit on your finger, head or wherever and provide hours of enjoyment.

By the time I left the cottage, it was clear to me that this place is very special. The "smallness" of the community fosters a unique family atmosphere that is so much like home and nothing like an "institutional setting". Relationships, friendships, activities and person-centered support are obvious key components to the joy and laughter that was so evident to me in just my short, one hour visit.

As I left and walked out to my car, I thought to myself what a wonderful place to live or come to. This place may be for the birds, but it is also a delightful place for our elders.

Some Things Improve With Age!

Kirkhaven held a "Celebration of our Elders" event this past week in recognition of National Nursing Home Week. I was asked to give a special honorary toast to kick-off our resident celebration.

In planning for my toast and words to our elders, it occurred to me that aging in general seems to get a bad rap. You know what I mean. The car we bought 10 years ago doesn't run as well as it once did and what is that strange rattling noise coming from under the hood. Those fresh plump grapes I just bought last week now are turning brown and soft. And oh yeah, don't get me started about my lower back and knee joints.

So what exactly was I going to say to these elders that would be appropriate for a celebration rather than a precursor to a doctor visit? Then I got an idea! There must be some things that improve with age. So I did some on-line research and it turns out this aging thing ain't all bad.

Under the category of Food & Drink I submit the following:

• Wine & Cheese- sure we all knew that


• Eggs- turns out the older eggs are the better eggs


• Beef- remember to cure and age your beef for the best taste


• Casseroles- I love lasagna, but it always tastes better later reheated


• Cookbooks- the best are always your grandmother's old recipes

Under the category of Nature:

• Fruit Trees- my dad would know that the more mature trees bear the best fruit
• Soil- it takes years to "warm your soil"
• Shade Trees- that century old elm is the most majestic of them all
• Compost- isn't worth a dime without mother-nature and time
• Bird's Song- didn't know this but the older birds have a sweeter, stronger tweet

Under the category of Tangible Items:

• Antiques- well of course these become more valuable over time


• Real-Estate- don't you wish you bought that piece of property 20 years ago
  
• Leather- it only gets better with age


• Classic Cars- what we wouldn't give to own our father's first automobile now


• Photo Albums- the older the picture the better the memory

Under the category of Relationships:

• Friends- the best friend is usually an old friend


• Grandchildren- if I knew grandchildren would be such fun I wouldn't have had kids
  
• Traditions- the older the tradition, the more meaningful


• Memories- they grow fonder over time
  
• Family- we grow closer and more appreciative as we grow older

Which brings me back to my "Celebration of Elders" toast. After sharing these tid-bits that improve with age, I raised my glass, as the elders and others in the room did the same, and saluted the top 10 benefits of aging under the category of Elders:

1. Vocabulary- we learn more words and how best to use them as we age
2. Common Sense- it doesn't come naturally, we learn it over time
3. Humor- it becomes more acute and important as we age
4. Emotional Stability- it takes time, but eventually we discover who we are
5. Perspective- the longer we live, the broader our outlook on life becomes
6. Resilience- we learn to handle whatever life gives us as time moves on
7. Acceptance- we don't sweat the little things and tolerate diversity as we age
8. Wisdom- the older we get the wiser we get
9. Faith- thank God our faith grows stronger as our years and fears grow longer
10. Soul- while our body might desert us, our soul remains with us forever

So here's to our Elders, may they age well and gracefully. SALUTE!

A" Beer" Story

Happy Mother's Day to all my Blog readers who are mothers.

Here in Rochester, we use this special day when we honor our mothers, to also remember and support our most senior and often frail mothers and grand-mothers who reside in senior care homes. Mother's Day is designated "Homes Offering Day", where our local Presbyterian church congregations take up a special offering to help support Kirkhaven's mission.

You know, whenever I tell people what I do for a living, I often still get the response, "Jim,I'm sure you run a nice facility, but if I ever get to the point where I need a nursing home, just shoot me!"

Yes, it is pretty obvious that despite our best intentions to provide quality care for seniors, something is still wrong. As I have Blogged about before, with its typical hospital furniture, sterile rooms and endless routines day after day, there is nothing even remotely like home about the traditional nursing home.

But thankfully, things have begun to change and Kirkhaven is leading the way here in Rochester. As I have shared with you before, the keystone of this culture change is person-centered care, where seniors are empowered to direct the decisions that affect their daily life.

By providing them with the opportunities to live their lives in a similar manner to how they always did, pursuing the same type of activities, routines and rhythms of daily life, that is what culture change is all about.

On Mother's Day, I spoke at my own church, Summerville Presbyterian, and shared this true story which I think helps define culture change to a tee.

This past Friday, I volunteered as a celebrity bartender at Kirkhaven's weekly Friday afternoon resident Happy Hour. We were about 15 minutes into the Happy Hour and I had set everyone up with their first round of drinks and bar snacks, when a young man, probably around 35-40 years old, walked into the lounge wearing jeans, a Buffalo Bills jacket and a ball cap. He looked around the room for his mother and then saw her sitting at a table with some friends, a beer and a bag of chips in front of her. He strolled on over to her and pulled up a chair as the waitress came over and asked him if he would like a drink. He looked around with this look on his face that said, "Where am I? Am I in the right place?", and then gladly ordered up a beer. I popped a top and poured him a tall , cold beer and set it down next to him. "What's the matter buddy," I said to him. "Aren't you used to coming in to the nursing home for a frosty beer and some fun." He just looked at me and said, "I love this place! I'm just going to sit here, relax and share a beer and some conversation with my mom."

Now that's the response I'm looking for!

It's not just about Friday afternoon Happy Hours, but it's about nursing homes looking and feeling like home, where residents can pursue their life-long interests and routines. It' s about person-centered care.

Kirkhaven is on the Pathway to this remarkable evolution and you can help. The Mother's Day Homes Offering is an opportunity for anyone to make a donation towards supporting this journey. I invite my Blog readers to click on the Kirkhaven website link to the right of my Blog and then click on the Seniorsfirst Foundation button at the top of the web page. You can make an on-line donation (or mail in a donation) to the Directors' Discretionary Fund in honor or in memory of your own mother to help make a difference in the lives of our seniors.

On behalf of the current and future residents of Kirkhaven, I thank you for your support!

Evaluating Your Supervisor

Most organizations conduct an annual routine whereby supervisors conduct a performance evaluation of each of their staff, but only a few have the courtesy and courage, like Seniorsfirst, to give staff an opportunity to evaluate their supervisor.

I have always been a big supporter of this program and lead the way by encouraging my own direct report staff to participate and provide confidential feedback on my leadership and supervision performance. I use the feedback to monitor my strengths and potential for improvement. I always report back to them the collective results and any action plans I develop to follow-up on their feedback.

Seniorsfirst has been conducting this program for years, but not without some controversy. Some managers argue that at times you have to be stern disciplinarians or conduct employee counselings that obviously leave their staff resentful or angry. "How can I do my job as a supervisor and still expect my staff to like me?" they might ask.

I'm a stern believer that in most cases you can and that is what all great leaders should strive for.

We use the results from our "Evaluate your Supervisor" program to identify both individual and organizational leadership training and support needs. Our objective is to help ensure the proper development of our leadership so that our staff feel properly supported.

I am delighted with the collective results and scores of our leadership team. At Kirkhaven the average leadership performance rating, based on 10 specific leadership skill questions and a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being highest), was 4.1 and at Valley Manor was 4.4.

These scores represent a slight increase in our previously consistent and high supervision and leadership skills. Supporting our staff and ensuring their satisfaction leads to a direct correlation of their quality service and resident/client satisfaction.

Here are some photos of a recent resident art show at Kirkhaven:

Here is a nice photo of our honorary nurses at a recent Nurses Recognition Luncheon:

Here are some fun photos of my grandson Logan playing basketball with our dog Jessi:

Thanks for visiting my Blog. See you next week.