Susan Misiorski, PHI Director of Organizational Culture Change Initiatives

The New Hampshire Quality of Life Council held its 3rd Annual Quality of Life Awards Ceremony on September 29 to celebrate the transformation of nursing homes into “vibrant centers of life” and to recognize homes in the Granite State that have successfully implemented quality-of-life practices.

Susan Misiorski, PHI Director of Organizational Culture Change Initiatives and a national leader in the culture change movement, delivered the keynote presentation, entitled “Culture Change: The Resident’s Perspective,” to an audience of 300 nursing home owners, staff, and residents.

“‘Quality of life’ is a very subjective term,” said Misiorski. “To ensure that efforts to create culture change are actually meaningful, we’ve got to start with asking the residents what would matter most to them.”

Misiorski did just that. With a video camera in hand, she took to the road and interviewed residents of three nursing homes that are working to move from an institutional culture to a culture of home — where each person is able to direct their daily living experience. In the interviews, each person shared his or her own view on quality of life.

The overarching theme that the audience heard was that relationships mattered most — whether they are connections between residents, staff, families, specific departments, shifts, or the community at large.

Under the broad “umbrella of relationships,” residents emphasized the importance and rewards of:

• Reciprocity in relationships, where there is a give and take that develops into a bond between people;
• Meaningful activity, reaching out and getting involved as you would do in any community; and
• Involvement and choice, working in partnership with others to ensure control over the daily living experience.

Sue discussed the importance of a core set of communication skills to improve the quality of relationships in nursing homes. She explained that these skills are essential for reaching a “shared understanding” — regardless of the organizational structure. These skills, which PHI calls PHI Coaching Approach^SM, include:

• Listening;
• Managing reactions in difficult situations; and
• Giving feedback to each other in a supportive manner.

“Paying close attention to relationships, human connection, and the human spirit will yield far greater impact on quality of life than changes in the physical environment,” Misiorski concluded.

This year’s winners of the Quality of Life Awards were the Edgewood Centre; Glencliff Home for the Elderly; Hanover Hill Health Care Center; and Peabody Home.