COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Rhode Island Generations
Hamilton House is a member of RI Generations, whose mission statement is to:
"promote a person-centered care environment, rather than an institutionalized model of care for elders and the chronically ill residing in Rhode Island Nursing homes."
We have held public forums in the past focused on Nursing Home Reform. For more information on events hosted by Hamilton House on this issue, please contact the House.
'Knitting' the community closer.
Hamilton House members also participate in knitting head warmers for newborn babies at the Women and Infants Hospital. In addition to carefully crafted miniature hats, they also knit blankets for children at the Hasbro Children's Hospital.
Out of the quilting group comes "Linus Quilts" for children removed from their homes due to domestic violence.
Fostering community outreach opportunities
Hamilton House plays an active role in organizing community outreach activities. Some of these have included hosting students from area schools for events like Spring Cleaning. Traditionally, the House hosts 2 students from the Gordon School for the month of April. The community service provides the students with an intergenerational learning experience. Johnson & Wales students are also hosted by Hamilton House as part of service learning. Students are given opportunities such as teaching computer classes, putting the newsletter into the community, and assisting with administrative duties.
Volunteers in Providence Schools - Thursday, March 13th at 1:00 pm
Members willing to tutor students in kindergarten through 12th grade for reading, math or science for one hour per week can learn more about this program on Tuesday, March 13th at 1pm. Providence School representatives will be at Hamilton House to explain this opportunity in helping children and young adults.
PIECES by Imogene Higbie on Nursing Home Reform
These are articles on nursing home reform written monthly by Imogene Higbie. If you would like more information you can contact Imy at imogenehigbie@msn.com or call her at 401-351-5155. Click on the links below in the menu to jump to the article.
First Principle of Indidualized Care (Culture Change)
Second Principle of Individualized Care (Culture Change)
FIRST PRINCIPLE OF INDVIDUALIZED CARE (Culture Change) in RI Nursing Homes—A Concrete Example
The first principle of Culture Change applied to long term care facilities for elderly reads as follows: “Older Americans are citizens first and secondarily elders with certain frailties who have the right to life, liberty and happiness”. One right is to choose one’s own physician (should she or he agree) when one is a resident (patient) in a nuring home. This and many other rights are mandated by federal and state laws. Traditional long term care facilities and nusing homes in the United States are based on a quasi-medical model where the direct care is given by registered/practical nurses and certified nursing assistants as well as personal care assistants who are workers in food service, offices and housekeeping.
The medical directors are involved largely as part-time supervisors/consultants and rarely give direct care. Often the elder and family are not informed by staff of the patient’s civil right to choose their own doctor because the staff may view this exercise of indivdual liberty as disruptive of their system of care.
There ar emany other personal liberties which vanish when a person becomes a “patient” and loses control of her/his own personal environment. This is not only immoral but wrong under our laws. The reform movement toward indvidualized care (Culture Change) is striving to live up to the intent of our legal and moral standards.
SECOND PRINCIPLE OF INDIVIVUALIZED CARE EXPLAINED
The second principle of individualized care (Culture Change) in Long Term Care reads,”Caretakers also have the same civil rights and also an adequate income, chances for advancing job status, and a stimulating workplace”. The caretakers(care givers) to whom I will refer in these paragraphs are the certified nursing and personal care assistants who work in Rhode Island’s nursing homes and home care agencies. The convener of the first organizing meeting of the Pioneer Network, Carter C.Williams, describes CNA’s as having the primary relationship with the elders. And Carter assigned those relationships as “the heart of long term care”.
Certified Nursing and Personal Care Assistants are not servants acting upon the orders of an employer. They are trained paraprofessionals who help frail elders with the most personal tasks of daily living such as personal hygiene, toileting, dressing, getting out of bed to walk, and sometimes eating. In other words the CNA’s enable the elders to LIVE. Because the elder has these needs the CNA has an income producing job and both caregiver and recipient are together in the same space which is workplace for one and home for the other.
CNA AND ELDER are assigned consistently to each other in Individualized Care facilities so, over time they have the opportunity to become friends and develop true relationships which result in excellent care for the elder and a relaxed and pleasant work experience for the paraprofessional caretaker. And the elder can become the booster for work status advancement and higher income for the CNA. Space limitations prevent me from a more detailed statement but contact me for more information.