“Culture Change” - A Revolutionary Evolution in Nursing Home Care

Across the country, there is a “revolt” occurring in a growing number of Nursing Homes.  This revolution is a collaborative effort between nursing home residents, staff, and administration, and is being fought against the antiquated notion of how nursing homes should be operated. For far too long, Nursing Home’s have focused soley on medical issues, and completely forgot about the “Home.”  What Culture Change is designed to do is to create “home” for each individual resident, not an institution where personal choice is a thing of the past. Nursing Homes have always been viewed as desolate places where our elders are housed until they eventually pass away.  In a culture changed home, our elders take control over their own lives, and work in collaboration with staff to determine the events of the day.  No longer are our elders rousted out of bed at 5:30 a.m. and herded into a dining room to wait for breakfast to begin at 8:00.   Our elders wake when they choose, and eat what and where they choose.  Just like home.  But that’s just the beginning. A facility with a changed culture is all about creating home.  At the heart of that creation is the relationship between our elders and our staff.  Staff are assigned to care for the same group of elders every day that they work.  This creates a level of trust that can’t be equaled in other settings where staff are rotated.That trust leads to a deeper understanding of who our elders truly are—an active, viable part of our society, and not merely a list of diagnoses to be cared for.  Clinically sound nursing care   is supported, and even enhanced in a setting where elders are encouraged to live their lives to the fullest.  A healthy spirit is a key component to a healthy body.Our elders have been “institutionalized” for far too long.  Their lives do not end because of an address change.  St. Camillus Health Center has been on the front lines of this revolution for over two years, and is recognized nationally as a leader in expanding this movement. Please call us for more information, or stop in and see for yourself how St. Camillus has changed it’s Culture to one where all elders are valued for who they are.