Enhancing the Lives of Nursing Home Residents One Volunteer at a Time
A month has passed since a fire destroyed the nursing home where I volunteered for the past six years. It’s also the nursing home where I worked as an RN for over 20 years.
I’m happy to report that there are plans to rebuild the nursing home; however, this may take one to two years. In the meantime, I’m uncertain about the future of my blog. Most of the ideas for my articles came from my experiences at the nursing home, and I admit that I feel a bit lost now that it’s gone.
Let’s imagine one of your residents goes to the clinic to see a physician about a particular ailment. You expect she’ll return with an order for a medication change.
Instead, your resident receives a prescription that states, “Sit outside in the courtyard for 20 minutes a day at least five days per week”. What would you think about this order? What would your resident think?
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Over the past month, I’ve received several pamphlets in the mail from companies offering continuing education workshops. While many of the courses look impressive, it stunned me to see their prices.
Yes, a top-notch workshop can be worth every penny you pay. But, over the years, I’ve learned that a lot of hidden gems out there don’t cost a cent.
[Read more…] about Where To Find Free Continuing Education Credits
Since 1988, math enthusiasts have celebrated Pi Day on March 14. For those of you not familiar with Pi, it’s a mathematical symbol whose first three digits correspond with the numerical date of 3.14.
Okay, I’ll admit that math has never been one of my strong points. If you have any former math teachers among your residents, I’m sure they can do a much better job of explaining the significance of Pi. Or, you can find a good general description of Pi on this math site.
But, no matter how much we do or don’t understand the concept, Pi Day remains a fun day to celebrate in our senior living communities. Here’s how:
The other day, I stumbled upon an article about a fascinating model of nursing home care in Sweden. I had never heard of Tubbemodellen before, and I loved what I was reading.
Named for the Swedish village in which it originated, Tubbemodellen serves residents in several nursing homes in Sweden. In addition, the concept has now has expanded to Belgium.
Each Tubbemodellen nursing home possesses a unique personality. However, all share these similar core philosophies:
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