Today, we went to a facility called New Hope of Indiana. It is a branch off of St. Vincent's Hospital, which focuses on a very person centered approach to its participants. As soon as we entered the facility, the hustle and bustle of the participants and staff was indicative of what a busy place it was. At first glance, the building did not come off as very large, and even one of the managers joking said it wasn't anything like the Taj Mahal. However, there was something special about New Hope. With its expansive hallways and artwork covering every blank wall space, it had the essence of an elementary school, except for adults.
After a quick tour of the facility, our team split up into two groups. One group went outside to the garden, and the other to the recreational therapist. Getting a chance to garden with the participants was an incredibly rewarding experience. They were very motivated and eager to put a plan to action. In the end, the worn out garden beds were transformed to beautiful raised flower gardens!
The other groups sat in on the two recreational therapists that work at New Hope. As someone that has never heard of this type of therapy, it was very interesting. The therapists aim to incorporate fun activities that engage that persons interests and senses. Their techniques were unique, as the therapist designed them specifically for that participant. It was refreshing to see the bond that had formed between the therapist and client, as they had been working together for some time. You could sense the impact the therapist was making on his/her motor skills, or whatever aspect they were working on.
Unlike our previous destinations, New Hope of Indiana had a set of core values which they actively strive to follow. For example, they specifically chose to call the individuals with disabilities "clients", "individuals", and "participants", which is quite different from the term "guests" we heard at Joy's House. Despite the high level of dependency the clients might have had on their caregivers, New Hope tried to give them as much freedom of choice as possible. Clients were able to choose what activity to do after lunch-- drawing, crafts, music, playing games on the iPad, or even simply wandering the facility. In fact, the staff had calculated that 12 laps around the building equaled a mile, so the clients could feel they accomplished something.
New Hope also had a completely different atmosphere than the nursing home we visited yesterday. At the nursing home, the staff were mainly their caregivers. Here, the staff not only cared for them but treated them as adults who could make their own decisions. Both at the nursing home and Joy's house, the activities were very structured and almost required. At New Hope, there was more free reign.
One interesting aspect was learning about the complicated relationship between facilities such as New Hope and Medicare/Medicaid. We never considered how vital yet frustrating the administrative side of running a facility could be. Funding and insurance coverage determined much of what they were able to accomplish. The man in charge of fixing assistive devices gave us an overview of the loopholes and regulations he dealt with. As a group, we got to look at forms that those who had disabled dependents needed to fill out. We simply got a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes work that goes behind New Hope, and those with disabilities in general.
All in all, it was a very inspiring day. New Hope had a novel and fun approach to the issue of mental and physical disabilities, one that every such center should implement too!
After a quick tour of the facility, our team split up into two groups. One group went outside to the garden, and the other to the recreational therapist. Getting a chance to garden with the participants was an incredibly rewarding experience. They were very motivated and eager to put a plan to action. In the end, the worn out garden beds were transformed to beautiful raised flower gardens!
The other groups sat in on the two recreational therapists that work at New Hope. As someone that has never heard of this type of therapy, it was very interesting. The therapists aim to incorporate fun activities that engage that persons interests and senses. Their techniques were unique, as the therapist designed them specifically for that participant. It was refreshing to see the bond that had formed between the therapist and client, as they had been working together for some time. You could sense the impact the therapist was making on his/her motor skills, or whatever aspect they were working on.
Unlike our previous destinations, New Hope of Indiana had a set of core values which they actively strive to follow. For example, they specifically chose to call the individuals with disabilities "clients", "individuals", and "participants", which is quite different from the term "guests" we heard at Joy's House. Despite the high level of dependency the clients might have had on their caregivers, New Hope tried to give them as much freedom of choice as possible. Clients were able to choose what activity to do after lunch-- drawing, crafts, music, playing games on the iPad, or even simply wandering the facility. In fact, the staff had calculated that 12 laps around the building equaled a mile, so the clients could feel they accomplished something.
New Hope also had a completely different atmosphere than the nursing home we visited yesterday. At the nursing home, the staff were mainly their caregivers. Here, the staff not only cared for them but treated them as adults who could make their own decisions. Both at the nursing home and Joy's house, the activities were very structured and almost required. At New Hope, there was more free reign.
One interesting aspect was learning about the complicated relationship between facilities such as New Hope and Medicare/Medicaid. We never considered how vital yet frustrating the administrative side of running a facility could be. Funding and insurance coverage determined much of what they were able to accomplish. The man in charge of fixing assistive devices gave us an overview of the loopholes and regulations he dealt with. As a group, we got to look at forms that those who had disabled dependents needed to fill out. We simply got a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes work that goes behind New Hope, and those with disabilities in general.
All in all, it was a very inspiring day. New Hope had a novel and fun approach to the issue of mental and physical disabilities, one that every such center should implement too!
Did they say if Obamacare/PPACA helped or hurt the program? It sounds like the staff were using person-first language (maybe?)? And do you think they extra freedom gave the participants/clients/customers more dignity or did the residents at the other places have just as much dignity?
ReplyDeleteA nursing home that feels like grade school? How invigorating! It is very nice for New Hope to have that. Nursing homes should be living, breathing spaces that won't make people feel as if they are reaching the end of the line, so much as a new phase in their lives.
ReplyDeletePaul Fiscus @ Maplewood of Sauk Prairie