Last week PHI reported on the publication of a practical guidebook from the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes campaign that helps nursing home staff to prepare, implement, and sustain culture change initiatives (see “Manual Offers Guidance for Culture Change in LTC,” April 30).
Now the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AASHA) has provided a similar resource for U.S. states, to help them “initiate or expand culture change efforts in nursing homes.”
The State Investment in Culture Change Toolkit (pdf) describes programs and activities drawn from case studies of seven different states — Georgia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, and Vermont — that have supported culture change activities. It was created by the Institute for the Future of Aging Services, AASHA’s research arm, and supported by The Commonwealth Fund.
The resources in the toolkit are organized into three sections:
- Workforce Improvement Initiatives
- Person-Centered Care Initiatives, and
- Continuous Quality Improvement Initiatives.
The toolkit also includes an appendix that looks at resources outside of the case study states, including the Pioneer Network and PHI’s National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce.
According to The Commonwealth Fund, the intended target audiences are long-term care organizations, consumer advocacy groups, and state officials and policymakers involved in reimbursing or regulating long-term care (see “Investing in Nursing Home Transformation: A Toolkit for States,” April 21).
“The goal,” says AASHA, “is to provide other states with this information, so they can learn from these experiences, and to create a network among state governments and other key organizations.”
