Never
Underestimate The Power of What You Do
By
Laurie Kloepper, ADC and the staff at Dooley Center,
Atchison, KS
Imagine
a new elder admitted to your facility with a diagnosis
of terminal breast cancer. At present, she is able to
be out and about but as we all know this ability can
change at any moment. A week after her admission one
of her friends is talking about the elder's upcoming
birthday and how she had planned to take her out for
a Mexican dinner. The elder is no longer able to tolerate
the trip, as she has gradually gotten weaker since her
admission. You suggest that the friend pick up the meal
from the restaurant and they eat together in her room
- "mirroring" that they were dining out. The
friend is delighted. It just so happens that on the
day agreed upon for the luncheon that your elder has
a doctor's appointment outside the facility which gives
you time to decorate her room. The staff springs into
action - using a variety of resources to complete the
décor - family members of staff providing maraca's
and a poncho, a sombrero on loan from another nursing
facility, staff members running home to get margarita
glasses and non-alcoholic margarita mix, another staff
member heading to the liquor store for the real stuff,
a family member locating a table and chairs, and yet
another staff member finding Mexican music to play,
FIESTA balloons and a single serve birthday cake complete
with candle. The elder returns home only to find her
room festively decorated. She smiles and immediately
picks up one of the maracas and begins shaking it. Her
friends join her for the meal and drinks and it's obvious
she is enjoying herself. Other friends, hearing of the
"fiesta" stop by to see what all the excitement
was about. Needless to say, laughter is shared and priceless
memories are made. A few days later the elder calls
one of the staff members into her room to again say,
"Thank you." The staff member shares that
it was a joy to be part of such a fun celebration. With
tears in her eyes, the elder says, "No, I mean
THANK YOU! You see, I'm a twin and for 79 years I always
celebrated my birthday with my twin sister. This was
the first birthday party I ever had on my own."
The elder passed away less than six weeks later, but
not before hearts were touched forever. Never ever,
underestimate the power of what your facility can do
to change the lives of the elders you serve!
NN
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