Ozark Health Nursing Center among participants in ‘culture change’ program

CLINTON — Ozark Health Nursing Center in Clinton is involved in a statewide program to build on current efforts to make “person-centered care” a reality in Arkansas’ nursing homes. The concept is simple but challenging: Give residents more of a voice in daily decision-making, and strengthen relationships to make life in the home more like life outside one.

For several years, long-term care has seen a transformation, what the long-term care community calls “culture change.” The goal is to increase residents’ involvement in decisions about their care, daily schedules and lifestyles to be more similar to their life before the nursing home. Using culture-change concepts, such as the Eden Alternative, the Greenhouse Model and the Pioneer Network, the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care’s Arkansas Innovative Performance Program will work alongside a selected group of homes to assist with the application of these concepts.

AIPP, in partnership with the state’s Office of Long Term Care and the Arkansas Health Care Association, is working with 10 nursing homes, including Ozark Health Nursing Center, and one assisted-living facility across the state for the third year of this intensive culture-change program. The program focuses on more than just physical building changes. One of the concepts of culture change is consistently assigning staff members to care for the same group of residents so they can strengthen relationships and immediately recognize changes in residents’ health or behavior.

“We want to allow residents to make more choices about their daily lives, creating a home-like environment,” said Betty Bennett, AIPP’s program director. “The nursing-home industry and the nation realize that the current model must adapt to meet the expectations of our residents and their families. We have to meet both the physical needs and the emotional needs of our residents.”

AIPP has been charged with leading this culture-change program. Twenty-nine mentor facilities from the previous years that have already implemented culture change concepts will assist. The group was selected based on current understanding of culture change, location and demographics, and readiness to apply these concepts within all levels of staff.

In addition to providing the entire state with regional training featuring nationally recognized speakers, AIPP staff will provide coaching, on-site consultation and conference calls to the culture change group of homes. The nursing homes will be encouraged to share success stories and lessons learned, and to become mentors in the culture change process.

“From our culture change homes, our goal is to develop training and resources that can be used by other nursing homes throughout the state to make culture change widespread,” said Carol Shockley, director of the Office of Long Term Care.