Not knowing how the elder would react, I waited. A few days later, I walked into my office and found the returned book along with a hand written note that read, " Tim, Many thanks for sharing this wonderful book with me. I heartily agree with the concept and ideas about cultural change. I pray for the brave souls working to accomplish a better life for all people, old and young!"
Wow! What a response. She got it! She liked it! We were doing the right thing. The very person that might one day live in The Cottages and be cared for by a Shahbaz understood.
That day I had an answer to "What Are Old People For?"
Shah What? (part II)
I tried to quickly think on my feet so I would look knowledgeable and said, " A Shahbaz is a universal worker that will be all by themselves in the house and will do everything." Having built up a great deal of trust in me, she said "Oh," politely nodded and rolled on to her room. Then I started thinking. I could have done better than that. With that description, I may have scared her to death. So I dug out "What Are Old People For?" and re-read the section on the Shahbaz. It made a lot more sense this time. Boy, was I off base in my explanation.
Dr. Thomas chose this word, Shahbaz, because of a mythical story he was familiar with. In the story, a falcon befriends an old man and becomes his protector, sustainer and nurturer. That is cool but the story gets better. Not only did the falcon take care of the old man, but the falcon received new found strengths, powers, and capacities. You see, the marriage of the falcon and the elder was new and beautiful. At the end of the story, everybody won. Life was better for the old man and the falcon. But that is not where the story ends; that is where the story begins. From the pages of a make believe, mythic story, the first Shahbaz came to life in Tupelo, Mississippi. I now had a deeper understanding and respect of the Shahbaz.
So now, when asked, I have a very different answer. A Shahbaz is, first and foremost, a compassionate, giving, selfless person who cares for and advocates for the elders. They work in The Cottages to protect, sustain, and nurture the elders. They plan and prepare meals. They make an environment that is safe and enjoyable. They know, truly know, and love the elders. They learn their habits. They ask the elders what they want and include them in the decisions of the home. They become family. They serve as pastor. They connect. They listen and learn. They soak up wisdom. They open their hearts to the elder which is in direct contrast to what many of us in long term care have done in the past......I will post more about this one day. It's a BIG job, but more than that, it is a calling.
The next day, I went to see the elder that had asked me about the Shahbaz. Knowing that she was an avid reader, I simply handed her the book with the pages marked that told the story of the Shahbaz.....(to be continued.)
Dr. Thomas chose this word, Shahbaz, because of a mythical story he was familiar with. In the story, a falcon befriends an old man and becomes his protector, sustainer and nurturer. That is cool but the story gets better. Not only did the falcon take care of the old man, but the falcon received new found strengths, powers, and capacities. You see, the marriage of the falcon and the elder was new and beautiful. At the end of the story, everybody won. Life was better for the old man and the falcon. But that is not where the story ends; that is where the story begins. From the pages of a make believe, mythic story, the first Shahbaz came to life in Tupelo, Mississippi. I now had a deeper understanding and respect of the Shahbaz.
So now, when asked, I have a very different answer. A Shahbaz is, first and foremost, a compassionate, giving, selfless person who cares for and advocates for the elders. They work in The Cottages to protect, sustain, and nurture the elders. They plan and prepare meals. They make an environment that is safe and enjoyable. They know, truly know, and love the elders. They learn their habits. They ask the elders what they want and include them in the decisions of the home. They become family. They serve as pastor. They connect. They listen and learn. They soak up wisdom. They open their hearts to the elder which is in direct contrast to what many of us in long term care have done in the past......I will post more about this one day. It's a BIG job, but more than that, it is a calling.
The next day, I went to see the elder that had asked me about the Shahbaz. Knowing that she was an avid reader, I simply handed her the book with the pages marked that told the story of the Shahbaz.....(to be continued.)
Shah what? (part I)
Three or more years ago when Terry first introduced us to THE GREEN HOUSE® Model , the thing I noticed right away was that they used funny words. It was like a cult that had it's own language. Now, having worked in health care for 18 plus years, I know we have lots of funny words. But they can always be found in the dictionary.....some of these could not. There began my skepticism. I secretly thought yeah, we may adopt (there I go using one of their words-adopt) some of this stuff but I can't see us walking around in Birmingham, Alabama saying words like eldertopia, convivium or shahbaz (plural is Shahbazim, pronounced shah-bah-zeem). And on top of that, I thought, who would want to be one.
This is where the transformation comes in. Terry had us reading books like "What are Old People For? How Elders Will Save the World", by William H. Thomas, M.D. We had conversations with early adopters, participated in conferences in San Francisco and later in Orlando and even invited Dr. Thomas to come to Birmingham to share his enthusiasm for his vision of where elder care should be. The more we were exposed to this new model of care, the better it sounded. Folks started talking and planning and dreaming and .......let me get back to the word Shahbaz.
I had a very basic understanding of what was going on and where St. Martin's was headed. Things like who the architects were and who the contractors were going to be and how many buildings we wanted to build and how much money we needed to raise. I was prepared to answer all the questions that I knew would be coming my way from my residents (ok, I said residents and I wanted to use it one last time) after the announcement was made that we were building the first GREEN HOUSE® in Alabama..... So one morning as if on cue, an elder rolls up to me and asks "What is a Shahbaz?" That was not on my prepared list of answers......(to be continued)
This is where the transformation comes in. Terry had us reading books like "What are Old People For? How Elders Will Save the World", by William H. Thomas, M.D. We had conversations with early adopters, participated in conferences in San Francisco and later in Orlando and even invited Dr. Thomas to come to Birmingham to share his enthusiasm for his vision of where elder care should be. The more we were exposed to this new model of care, the better it sounded. Folks started talking and planning and dreaming and .......let me get back to the word Shahbaz.
I had a very basic understanding of what was going on and where St. Martin's was headed. Things like who the architects were and who the contractors were going to be and how many buildings we wanted to build and how much money we needed to raise. I was prepared to answer all the questions that I knew would be coming my way from my residents (ok, I said residents and I wanted to use it one last time) after the announcement was made that we were building the first GREEN HOUSE® in Alabama..... So one morning as if on cue, an elder rolls up to me and asks "What is a Shahbaz?" That was not on my prepared list of answers......(to be continued)
Construction Progress is Good
Droughts are bad for most things but for construction project progress, they aren't all bad. The Cottages construction began in August 2007 and I believe we can count on one hand the number of rainy days we've had since then (not good for our grass and shrubs and definetly not good for the Birmingham water supply). This dry weather has put us a couple weeks ahead of schedule. We anticipate moving-in sometime during August 2008. We'll take the great progress but at the same time we are praying for rain!
A New Day
“A year for the St. Martin’s history books” is how some describe 2007. The St. Martin’s Trustees set the course for a new day in eldercare with approval of “The Cottages at St. Martin’s” project. The capital campaign continued, financing for the first six Cottages was obtained and groundbreaking was held in August. A commitment to change eldercare led to St. Martin’s beginning over 50 years ago. Since then we have constantly sought new ways to improve care of elders and to maintain each individual’s dignity, comfort and safety.Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God.
Leviticus 19:32
The Cottages project is no different. The Cottages are new homes for elders eligible for nursing home care, based on the Green House model created by Dr. Bill Thomas, geriatrician and visionary for change in long-term care.
We’re not building a new institution which would simply be a new version of what we have today, we are fundamentally changing the way eldercare is provided. We’ve decided that just because someone is frail, he or she should not be limited in living options. Today, frail elders live in medical-model institutions. But through technology and new care models we can create environments that truly become home. Our plan is to create something that looks, smells, and feels like home—because it is!
Rather than using departmentalized staff, the Cottages will be staffed with a new position called a “Shahbaz”. The position of Shahbaz has been described as the midwife of elder hood. A Shahbaz will manage the household along with the elders living there. They will perform the duties of Certified Nursing Assistants in assisting with elders’ personal care; and through additional training and certification they will prepare and serve meals. The elders can help in any way they choose.
The Clinical Support Team, nurses, physicians, and therapists visit the home regularly to provide needed care. And using technology, immediate assistance can be summoned in case of emergency.
This model is simple. Today’s nursing homes developed over many years based on circumstances of the time. As new hospitals were built in the post-World War II era, the old hospitals were transformed into “homes for the aged” which eventually became nursing homes. This model to efficiently “house” frail elders was duplicated over and over throughout the years. Thoughtful and committed organizations, like St. Martin’s, are now working to create change.
My hope for long term care is that this new direction in eldercare takes hold. That more and more organizations adopt a small, home environment rather than the outdated institutional model. It’s past time we chart a future that is intentional toward real change.
It is a new day at St. Martin’s.
Fall 2007
Driving around the St. Martin’s campus today you’ll notice lots of activity. Construction for “The Cottages at St. Martin’s” is underway. Several months of site-work must be completed prior to building the Cottages. These are exciting times as St. Martin’s charts a new course in the care of elders in need of skilled nursing care.
One question I am asked quite often is, “Who will move into the Cottages?” Our plan is to generally invite elders having; a) lived on campus the longest, and b) residing in the nursing home at the time construction is finished; to tell us if they are interested in moving into the Cottages or not. We will continue inviting elders until we reach a total of sixty. We will be working through this process during the summer next year.
One question I am asked quite often is, “Who will move into the Cottages?” Our plan is to generally invite elders having; a) lived on campus the longest, and b) residing in the nursing home at the time construction is finished; to tell us if they are interested in moving into the Cottages or not. We will continue inviting elders until we reach a total of sixty. We will be working through this process during the summer next year.
What's HOME?
When you think of “home”, what does it smell like? Maybe dinner cooking on the stove, cookies in the oven, or perhaps fresh flowers in a vase on the mantel, or coffee brewing in the morning? What feels good about home? Could it be your cozy recliner in front of a TV or fireplace? Is it being surrounded by people who care about you? What does it sound like? Children playing...birds singing...dogs barking...neighbors lawnmowing...door bells sounding...wind chimes chiming?
Home is more than a place; it’s a state of being. Think of a time when you’ve rushed all day long to accomplish the tasks of the day, you fight traffic returning to your house, you park the car, gather in both hands the groceries from the trunk, you stumble through the door kicking it shut behind you, make it to the kitchen, set everything down on the counter and say “Ahhhhh”. It’s the “Ahhhhh” that defines home. A feeling of being where you are protected, where you can be yourself, where you have autonomy, control, and privacy. Home offers us more than physical space; it provides emotional, mental, and spiritual refuge.
We want to add the “Ahhhhh” of home to the care of elders who need skilled nursing. Though we use the term “Nursing Home” today, not many people living there would describe it as “home”. I am convinced good care can be given to residents in today’s nursing homes, but I am equally convinced that a higher quality of life can be achieved in a setting that is truly home to the elders living there. Smaller environments where elders maintain more privacy, control, autonomy and decision making.
Our effort to put the “Ahhhhh” into nursing home care is THE GREEN HOUSE® model of care, a 10-bedroom house for elders in need of skilled nursing. We are working now with regulatory officials to obtain the needed approvals to begin construction. Our Green House project is named “The Cottages at St. Martin’s” and will be built on undeveloped land on our current campus. The hope is to begin construction on our first houses for 60 elders as early as this summer. We could move-in by Summer 2008.
These are exciting times at St. Martin’s. The staff, board members, and residents are working hard to create better environments. The work is not easy but it is good; it’s our opportunity to contribute to make a difference in how we as a nation care for elders. We take that responsibility seriously. Someone once said, “If we are afraid to be different... how can we make a difference in the world? Good question!
Home is more than a place; it’s a state of being. Think of a time when you’ve rushed all day long to accomplish the tasks of the day, you fight traffic returning to your house, you park the car, gather in both hands the groceries from the trunk, you stumble through the door kicking it shut behind you, make it to the kitchen, set everything down on the counter and say “Ahhhhh”. It’s the “Ahhhhh” that defines home. A feeling of being where you are protected, where you can be yourself, where you have autonomy, control, and privacy. Home offers us more than physical space; it provides emotional, mental, and spiritual refuge.
We want to add the “Ahhhhh” of home to the care of elders who need skilled nursing. Though we use the term “Nursing Home” today, not many people living there would describe it as “home”. I am convinced good care can be given to residents in today’s nursing homes, but I am equally convinced that a higher quality of life can be achieved in a setting that is truly home to the elders living there. Smaller environments where elders maintain more privacy, control, autonomy and decision making.
Our effort to put the “Ahhhhh” into nursing home care is THE GREEN HOUSE® model of care, a 10-bedroom house for elders in need of skilled nursing. We are working now with regulatory officials to obtain the needed approvals to begin construction. Our Green House project is named “The Cottages at St. Martin’s” and will be built on undeveloped land on our current campus. The hope is to begin construction on our first houses for 60 elders as early as this summer. We could move-in by Summer 2008.
These are exciting times at St. Martin’s. The staff, board members, and residents are working hard to create better environments. The work is not easy but it is good; it’s our opportunity to contribute to make a difference in how we as a nation care for elders. We take that responsibility seriously. Someone once said, “If we are afraid to be different... how can we make a difference in the world? Good question!
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