"Do Not Let Residents Escape"

Recently I was speaking with a colleague who told me about  the sign she saw as she approached the front door of a nursing home.  It read:  "Do Not Let Residents Escape".

Does reading that 'sign' make you  gasp or recoil?  If so, it is because of the dichotomy between what that sign signifies and your mental concept of those persons living in that nursing home. The flip side of this is that when we use such words without thought or intentionality, they deepen our dehumanizing reflection of personhood. Along  with a dehumanizing reflection of aging --  ageism in action.

So -- as a reminder of my post on March 4th -- gather your team, your peers, your staff  next Friday and participate in the Action Pact-sponsored webinar.

See my March 4th post on instructions for registration.

If we change our words, we can  change the world!

Not My Usual Kind of Post

This post is different from any of my other entries. The information below is profoundly important to anyone in any type of relationship with elders who depend on supportive services -- care partner, staff leadership position, family member, Board member of a nursing home,  position  in elected leadership in a Religious Institute -- . Where those services occur may be at home, in a public assisted living community or nursing home, or in a convent non-licensed or licensed retirement setting.

In earlier  posts, I have repeated the statement that words shape our concepts while also reflecting our concepts.  That is very true, as is  the fact that if we change our language, we change the culture. Changing our words related to elders and elder services to reflect true and positive concepts erases ageism and institutionalism which is so common in even good, traditional nursing homes.

It is for these reasons that I post the announcement of a webinar later this month that is sponsored by Action Pact. In the interests of full disclosure, I have no fiscal or formal relationship with Action Pact. Publishing information about this webinar is motivated solely by my experience with the quality work that Action Pact and Carmen Bowman do, and the very valuable and essential information to be gained by exploring the topic of the words we use.

The one-time payment makes this webinar available for as many people as can fit around the computer, or can see it projected onto a larger screen. It is also available for viewing for thirty days after the actual presentation. I urge you to register for this event and to encourage all individuals engaged with elders in any official capacity to view it.

ACTION PACT

March 20, 2020

The Power of Language to Create Culture 

Presented this month by our hostess, Carmen Bowman

Unfortunately, the language of long-term care can be institutional. Even CMS notes this by encouraging the elimination of labels at Tag F550.

Are institutional words like these heard in your culture?
Facility,
beds,
frontline,
work the floor,
toileting,
non-compliant,
behaviors,
difficult,
activities,
dietary,
resident,
elope,
expire,
feeder

Consider a personal and community-wide commitment to use softer, more dignified language. The great news is that changing language costs no money yet does wonders to shift an institutional culture to a natural, normal, culture of home instead.

Join Hostess Carmen Bowman as she shares from the paper of the same title, which she co-authored.

Non-institutional language raises the bar: it drives practice, improves life satisfaction, and is required by CMS requirements.

Join us to talk about how we talk!

$99 per community
Register one person, view as a group (live and/or recorded show).
Fit your group around your computer monitor, or project it on the wall and fill a room.

Go to this website to register: 



Meet Carmen Bowman
Carmen owns Edu-Catering: Catering Education for Compliance and Culture Change turning her former role of regulator into educator. Carmen was a Colorado state surveyor for nine years, a policy analyst with CMS Central Office where she taught the national Basic Surveyor Course and was the first certified activity professional to be a surveyor.
Carmen co-developed the Artifacts of Culture Change measurement tool and is the author of several Action Pact workbooks.


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