About Us

Beginning in March 2004, the statewide coalition has begun work utilizing five task teams for fully evolve the coalition. These task teams include:

Website and information development: This group will develop a website which contains a central place for all activities of the statewide and regional coalition, a list serve for questions and best practices, a speaker's bureau, success stories, FAQs, a calendar of educational offerings related to culture change, links to other national sites and other pertinent information.

Building Partnerships: This group will develop a list of "Partners on the Journey" which are individuals who have had success and experience in developing culture change in LTC facilities and/or building regional coalitions, support and encourage the development of "grassroots" regional coalitions and "partnership" recruitment.

Building Relationships: This group will target efforts toward educating, sharing and informing policy makers, surveyors, legislators and other key persons/entities on the benefits and evolution of culture change.

Public Relations: This group will handle all information releases and public awareness activities of the coalition. All other task teams will feed information to the PR team so that everything developed and released will have a consistent message and use of common, identified terms.

Some Thoughts from Culture Change Specialist Steve Sheilds

- There are no simple 10 steps to becoming a Pioneer Home.
- Think about is as HOME--not HOMELIKE . Steve states: "important things to create for our elders are the things that we take for granted."
- You have to have the trust that staff will do what they should.
- A lot of training of staff in various areas goes into becoming a Pioneer home.
- Know that the ball is going to drop and when it does use it as an opportunity to teach and learn.
- The Learning Circle is an important tool to use to talk within your building. Be sure to affirm that everyone is good.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Steve makes the comparison of our struggle to change our elder care system to Abe Lincoln's struggle to free the slaves. Not easy, nor popular, could have been only done on a small scale (ie, only on Sundays) BUT it was THE RIGHT thing to do. Our journey to change elder care is not easy and will not be completed overnight BUT we know in our hearts and our minds it is the "RIGHT" thing to do. This is part of our heritage here in the Land of Lincoln.

Some Thoughts From Steve Sheilds:

• We don't have a family council, we have families who counsel us.

• Sing the song of culture change until it is heard, listened to, and sung by all.

• Make sure to reinforce the good things, the positive.

• Staff education is ongoing and an important aspect of culture change.