In the June Newsletter I mentioned that Inglewood was going to implement the Eden Alternative; this month I’d like to provide you with some more information about the Eden Alternative.

The Eden Alternative was developed by Dr. William Thomas, a Harvard graduate who, in 1991, became Medical Director of an 80-bed care facility in New Berlin, New York. He found that care facilities utilizing a “medical” model, resulted in residents being more afflicted by loneliness, helplessness and boredom. He developed the Eden Alternative to provide the Elders (residents) with more control over their lives in the facility and to provide close and continued contact with plants, animals and children.

The Eden Alternative is not merely a program but a philosophy built around ten principles:

1. The three plagues of loneliness, helplessness and boredom account for the bulk of suffering among our Elders.
2. An Elder-centered community commits to creating a Human Habitat where life revolves around close and continuing contact with plants, animals and children. It is these relationships that provide the young and old alike with a pathway to a life worth living.
3. Loving companionship is the antidote to loneliness. Elders deserve easy access to human and animal companionship.
4. An Elder-centered community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness.
5. An Elder-centered community imbues daily life with variety and spontaneity by creating an environment in which unexpected and unpredictable interactions and happenings can take place. This is the antidote to boredom.
6. Meaningless activity corrodes the human spirit. The opportunity to do things that we find meaningful is essential to human health.
7. Medical treatment should be the servant of genuine human caring, never its master.
8. An Elder-centered community honours its Elders by de-emphasizing top-down bureaucratic authority, seeking instead to place the maximum possible decision-making authority into the hands of the Elders or into the hands of those closest to them.
9. Creating an Elder-centered community is a never-ending process. Human growth must never be separated from human life.
10. Wise leadership is the lifeblood of any struggle against the three plagues. For it, there can be no substitute.

Although the principles of Eden are the same at all Eden facilities, the implementation will be different at each as the Elders and staff decide how it is implemented. Each resident’s involvement with Eden will also vary depending on his or her ability or desire to participate.

Three members of the Inglewood Management Team have completed the Eden training (Wilma Atchison, Ildiko Dudas and Nick Whittle). Education will continue over the coming months with full implementation taking place over several years. Eden is a process…
Additional information is available at the website: www.edenalt.com

 

…..Share the Garden
	We need your help. Not only are you welcome to walk amongst and enjoy the garden but please feel free to help out by doing the odd job that needs doing; e.g. pulling weeks or deadheading spent flowers. There are tools, gardening gloves, etc. in our new garden shed for everyone to use.

On the morning of August 6th the first rotation of new care aides will be taking over from the present staff. Since we don’t know as yet how many or the original staff will be returning –we need family embers to help make this transition as stress-free as possible for our families.

You can help by joining our family support team who will (in pairs) take 1-2 hour visits at each shift change (3 in all). “Simply be there” -to help if needed –to support if needed –to welcome new faces .

We would like to do this for at least the first week on new staff arrival : August 6-13th –in each area of the facility –Lodge, Manor and Terraces….just to get the new staff off on the right foot and to introduce yourselves to the newest members of the Inglewood Family.

If you have loved ones in any of these locations, PLEASE CALL ME—and let us get together to make this major change over a good one!

For more information, call Alice Hutchison Cell # 604.306.7230 or at home at 604.926.3671

I thank you in advance for all those residents that have no one to speak on their behalf.

 

Community Updates
	Lodge Dining-room expansion— Is completed. Lodge entrance will be closed for about one month as we are renovation the Patio. Newsletter subscriptions– currently we have over 55 requests for our e-subscriptions for the newsletter. Feedback for this service has been overwhelmingly positive!  Subscribe  Now...it easy & convenient! Visit  wwww.inglewoodcarecentre.com