3. Eden Alternative
Dr. Bill Thomas
Skilled Nursing Stigma
Patient Centered Care
Cross Training
Familial atmosphere
De-institutionalize
Eden Alternative
4. Vision
“To provide exceptional patient-centered care,
encompassing all aspects of an individual’s life,
with a focus on aiding in declining capacities,
which is a natural consequence of elder hood;
while encouraging new abilities and fostering
independence in a familial home-like
atmosphere.”
Eden Alternative
6. “Follow the Leader”
Employee mentoring opportunities
Career advancement coaching
Supervisor shadowing
Cross-training to build work place empathy
Tuition Reimbursement up to $5,000 a year
Eden Alternative
7. Conclusion
We all play a pivotal role in the success of
implementing and practicing the Eden
Alternative
We are all spokes on a wheel, feeling
pressure at different times in different
situations, but if we all work together we can
move smoothly into the future
Editor's Notes
This activity has a dual purpose, not only does it establish empathy for the plight of elders most of whom suffer from chronic ailments, but also is a team building exercise that exemplifies systems thinking, the basis of the Eden Alternative.
All of these symptoms are considered within normal aging parameters and circumstances of elder hood:
-gloves represent arthritis, tight joints, lower dexterity
-ear plugs represent hearing loss
-”goggles” represent macular degeneration, a chronic condition that is common in which the eye loses peripheral vision over time causing a decrease in vision & depth perception that leads to tunnel vision and eventual blindness
-clothes pin – a loose representation of atrial fibrillation (“a fib”), a chronic heart condition that causes shortness of breath which leads to light headedness due to lack of oxygen to the brain
-puzzle – represents a daily living activity that an elder would know HOW to do, but may have lost capacities that would lead to effective completion. The puzzle also represents all of you, the employees that work together toward a common goal, all parts must be present for success.
You will no longer need to go down four floors, through a maze of hallways, only to find the Social Worker absent from the office, nor will you need to place several calls to the floor’s TR specialist only to meet a voicemail and slow response, each neighborhood will hold an office where departments intertwine and work together and are consistent, getting to know the elders every day, establishing a baseline, and making care more patient centered and efficient.
These values not only apply to our elders but carry over to employee interaction, working as a cohesive team is vital to the values trickling down and being applied to our care of the elders.
In addition to upcoming improvements for the care of the elders, we offer a new exciting opportunity for those employees wishing to expand their knowledge and excel in their career. This does not just apply to entry level but can expand to managerial positions and beyond.
A large amount of resentment and workplace passive aggressiveness arises from different departments pointing fingers and shifting blame, if departments understood the roles and obstacles of their counterparts in other departments, empathy and respect can be established. A healthy way of resolving conflict by allowing departments to see from the others perspective.
Kumar exemplified that elders may know HOW to do a task, it may even cognitively be simple to them, but other factors may get in the way. Elders are adults, unlike children who must be taught HOW to put together a puzzle, this causes great frustration and discomfort, it is difficult to ask for help when they know the task is easy. It is up to us to work together much like the pieces of the puzzle to accomplish our ultimate goal. It is the responsibility of all of no matter our department or status to offer help, care, and compassion and help each other for the greater good of the organization.
