Resident-Centered Life

New residents and their families are welcomed* by team members/managers, introduced to the community, and educated about the community’s culture change philosophy of enhancing residents’ control over their lives, rights, amenities available, and choice of schedules.

The community offers styles of dining that provide for resident choice: Restaurant style where residents’ orders are taken; Buffet style where residents help themselves or tell team members what they want; Family style where food is served in bowls on dining tables where residents help themselves or receive assistance. Each meal is available for at least 2 hours, and residents can come and go when they choose.

Residents are supported to prepare and/or serve food per their preferences and abilities, e.g., in the dining room. Snacks/drinks are easily available for residents at all times without having to ask, i.e., in a stocked pantry, refrigerator or snack bar. In addition to snacks (described in #3), residents can order food from the kitchen 24 hours a day, and/or team members are empowered to provide food upon resident request.

The community considers the regular diet for every resident prior to considering restricted diets (diabetic, cardiac, pureed). And Residents are educated in making informed choices about their diet.

The community celebrates residents’ individual birthdays rather than, or in addition to, celebrating resident birthdays in a group each month. Each resident’s wishes for how to celebrate his/her birthday, on their birthday, are discovered and honored.

Each resident’s preferences for a good night’s sleep are known and provided such as preferred light level, pillows, blankets, and desired bed clothes. Each resident’s daily preferred bedtime (which may vary) is known and honored. Residents are awakened during the night only per their preference and individualized need (not according to a generic approach such as routine incontinence checks).

Medications are delivered according to each resident’s individual daily rhythms such as waking and dining (rather than assigned clock times). Individualized, non-pharmacological approaches* are incorporated into the service/care plan before psychoactive medications are prescribed. Residents who are already receiving psychoactive medications upon moving in are care planned for non-pharmacological approaches in order to decrease or eliminate these medications.

Resident preference for method of bathing is known and honored (bath, shower, bed bath). Individualized bathing/showering techniques are used such as Bathing Without a Battle* or similar techniques. Resident preferences for frequency of bathing/showering and time of day are known and honored.

Residents determine their own daily schedules and can make spontaneous requests and changes. Resident schedule preferences are integrated into team member schedules. Residents participate in the task force/committee/team making decisions about décor (living rooms, outdoor areas, bathing rooms, etc.) and purchasing (food and drink items, linens, furniture, etc.). Residents also participate in the task force/committee/team making decisions about hiring team members