What would you say if someone was able to provide you with a tool that could bring purpose to your resident’s lives and job satisfaction to your caregivers? This tool would be practically free of cost, easy to assemble, and occurs naturally in the environment. There is such a tool: activity programming. Effective programming is the key to any successful long-term care program and to improving quality indicators in a drastic manner.
One of the biggest challenges facing long-term care centers is the “behaviors” challenge. It is often those “behaviors” which begin prior to placement in our nursing homes that cause loved ones to admit family members. Behaviors have a major impact on the quality indicators generated with each MDS.
One example is a gentleman we met who continually hit staff members and scared other residents in the Alzheimer’s center where he was residing. Caregivers felt they could resolve the behavior by providing him with a structured routine, meeting unmet needs, and encouraging him to participate in activities throughout the day. What the staff didn’t understand, however, was that these particular activities were not part of his normal life prior to nursing home placement. Also, unbeknownst to the staff, the gentleman had been through a traumatic event in his twenties and the darkness of his room caused him to become frightened each afternoon as the sun set. The nursing staff, feeling they had no choice, requested anti-anxiety medication, an anti-psychotic and an anti-depressant. The resident soon became very unsteady, slept many hours throughout the day, lost his appetite and began losing weight. One set of problems was traded for another. ADL care actually became more difficult.
After thoroughly interviewing the family, it was discovered that the gentleman had been severely beaten by a group of men in a dark alley after work one evening. Better lightening was placed in his room so the dark shadows no longer existed. The interview also uncovered that he previously had been involved in maintenance at his church. The maintenance director at the nursing facility was asked to create small opportunities for the gentleman to “do rounds” each day. His life now had some purpose! Based upon interests in his earlier life, realistic activity kits such as a fishing kit, a tool kit, and a photography kit were developed. He was occupied with personally meaningful activities daily and eventually all of his psyche meds were eliminated.
For more information call 317-218-5111 or www.alzcaregroup.com
