Groups Work to Change Culture of Nursing Homes
This article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette details efforts by groups around the country to change the culture of nursing homes. The culture change movement focuses on increasing choice and independence for the elderly and moving away from the traditional institutional nursing home model.
The Post-Gazette profiles Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, one of the leaders of the culture change movement. Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute recently received a $500,000 grant from the state of Pennsylvania for a pilot program aimed at changing the way nursing home employees are trained. PHI trains nursing home employees to be more empathetic and understanding of their patients and to encourage patients to be as independent as possible.
In addition to employee training, the other major staple of the culture change movement is a change in the way nursing home patients are housed. Culture change advocates want to move away from the institutional, hospital-like model of current nursing homes. This includes increasing in-home care and building new facilities that foster more independence. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has donated $13 million toward building "Green House" enclaves in which people who choose to live together can live independently but have communal spaces and support staff on site.
The culture change movement is evidence that many in the nursing home and elder care community realize that the traditional institutional model is not the most effective way to deliver care. Undertrained staff and outdated facilities create situations that are rife for abuse and neglect.
For more information on nursing homes and nursing home abuse, visit the Solomon & Relihan Nursing Home Advocates page.
