Sowing the Seeds...

Recently we had a Regional Ombudsman come speak to our class about her role in Long Term Care (LTC) Facilities in our area. She described how the position came to be and what her responsibilities are as a resident advocate. Here are just a few of the duties of an Ombudsman…

• · Serve as advocates for residents when they are not receiving proper care or their rights have been violated.
• · Investigate concerns
• · Act as mediators when necessary
• · Educate about rules, rights and regulations of LTC facilities
• · Promote community involvement
• · Assist families and individuals with helping find a long term care residence.
• · Work to promote awareness about elder abuse

And by listening to her speak…I KNOW she does much more! I was so inspired about what she had to say and the changes she has and will be making in LTC facilities. The theme of her department (Triangle J Area Agency on Aging) is “Sowing the Seeds of Cultural Change”. Their mission is to serve as a catalyst for implementation of person-centered principles and practices in the long term care continuum. Now that is a BIG job! I’ve had a few experiences shadowing and working in the LTC setting. I have run into some questionable practice and some wonderful care giving as well. I won’t jump on the negative LTC bandwagon, but I will say that I know as OTAS we can be a part sowing the seeds of positive change. She talked about a study conducted by Judith Carboni in 1987 in which LTC residents were interviewed with the question of “What is home to you?” She then asked homeless individuals on the street of Boston the same question. The most common answers are as follows…

Home = Identity, Connectedness, Lived Space, Privacy, Power, Autonomy, Safety, Predictability, Journeying

Homelessness = Non-Personhood, Disconnectedness, Meaningless Space, Without Boundaries, Powerless, Dependence, Insecurity, Uncertainty, Placelessness

She went on to describe that a lot of the residents in LTC facilities have these “homeless” feelings. They feel like the space isn’t theirs, they feel dependent, uncertain and powerless. She went to describe some thought provoking analogies. She gave the scenario of just getting home from the long day, very tired and just lay down on the couch …someone knocks at the door. More than likely we won’t answer it or we have the choice to not answer the door. In a facility, if someone knocks at the door (you might be lucky to get a knock) they are more than likely going to come in the room even if the resident doesn’t want them to. I am guilty of knocking on the door as I walk in the room and not waiting for a response as well! But you better believe I will be more respectful of this in the future! She gave another scenario of an 84 year old woman who for the past 20 years woke up at 9:30am and had a cup of coffee and an English muffin for breakfast in her bathrobe. She is now in a facility where she is woken up at 6am, dressed and ready for eggs and bacon breakfast in the dining hall at 7:45am. What a change that must be! I would HATE to be forced to get clothes on and eat a big breakfast that early in the morning. Her messages really hit home to me…and those were only a few. I can only hope that these seeds can continue to be planted in the LTC facilities and maybe by the time I am practicing as an OTA I can water them and they will produce wonderful crops. (I know I’m so cheesy)

Here is a powerful quote from Carboni's article, "The elderly individual wandering the streets is easily identified as homeless, yet there is an entire population of elders who suffer silently, enduring the painful state of homelessness within the confines of the total institution of the nursing home.”

I've included a link in the title to blurb about Judith Carboni's research...