In 2009 the focus of Nursing Home Week is on “nurturing,” with the theme of Nurturing a Love that Lasts. Nurturing, or being nurtured, is an essence of life not often thought about in the context of a nursing home, yet the ability to nurture and sustain relationships is critical to everyone’s mental and physical well-being. People crave nurturing yet it is often elusive.
As nursing homes embrace culture change and the concept of resident-centered care, the environment becomes more conducive to nurturing and sustaining relationships. That’s because it is clearer to see residents as parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, mentors, heroes and, in general, people who have nurtured – and often continue to nurture -- a family member, relative, friend or other significant person. The elderly or disabled person in this scenario needs nurturing too!
In parallel with resident-centeredness, the nursing home staff is more sensitive to nurturing the spirit, as well as caring for the physical needs, of residents. This greater sense of holistic care can boost a resident’s desire and capacity to interact meaningfully with others.
Persons with chronic conditions or disabilities are often long-term nursing home residents; the nursing home becomes a close knit social and medical community. The facility may truly become “home” and the staff may actually become an alternate “family.” The need to nurture the individual and sustain relationships, including spiritual relationships, is great and can have a profound impact on residents and staff alike.
Increasingly today for many people living in a nursing home is a short-term experience to heal, mend and rehabilitate in order to return to their own home and social circle. For them, a nurturing spirit and nurturing environment promotes the recovery and rehabilitation process and brings “going home day” ever closer.
Having the spirit and a willingness to nurture is a key part of creating a quality environment and having residents and families satisfied with the nursing home and life in general. This is mostly understood by people who have experienced a nursing home from the inside – such as families, friends, visitors, spiritual advisors, volunteers and staff. So it is incumbent on nursing homes to expand the “circle of friends” and continuously encourage visitation and interaction by families, adults, children, volunteers, students, other individuals and community groups.
The fact that nurturing need not be about complex interactions was beautifully explained by noted author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia this way: “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
Nurturing a Love that Lasts is always a possibility -- everywhere. Do your part to make meaningful interactions happen during Nursing Home Week and all year through.
This planning guide and product guide is filled with suggestions and ideas to help you plan events and projects to kick off nurturing events that symbolize the need for “connectedness” by every human being.