One Vision Project Awards First Round of Prizes for Person-Centered Care

The One Vision: Moving Forward project has given Spotlight awards to two residents’ councils in Michigan nursing homes for their work removing barriers to person-centered supports and services.

The residents of Upjohn Community Care Center in Kalamazoo were recognized for their innovative use of a year-round “holiday tree” celebrating each holiday — all while using products and practices that reduce the risk of fire and other hazards.

Meanwhile, the residents of Pinecrest Medical Care Facility in Powers were honored for their community garden, which provides gardening and vegetables for the residents to enjoy.

Both councils received $100 Spotlight prizes for their efforts to actualize person-centered care.

Actualizing Person-Centered Services

One Vision is a multi-stakeholder group that works to sensibly overcome the obstacles to person-centered care and/or culture change in Michigan’s nursing homes.

Using money collected from civil monetary penalties, the Michigan Department of Community Health awarded funding to PHI to convene a consensus table for nursing home stakeholders under the One Vision banner to remove barriers to person-centered services.

These barriers were identified through focus groups with residents, nursing home staff, surveyors, ombudsmen, culture change champions, and others.

Through a consensus process, One Vision stakeholders — resident advocates, provider organizations, culture change champions, worker organizations, and the state Medicaid, survey, aging, and fire marshal agencies — have developed numerous “clarifications” of ways to overcome specific barriers to person-centeredness.

Topics include residents’ preferences regarding medication schedules, mattress-pad usage, and furniture placement.

The group is also working on guidance for a person-centered admissions experience, accessing personal grooming items, enjoyment of hobbies and crafts, and other topics identified through the focus groups.

According to the One Vision project, its “ultimate goal…is to make it possible for all Michigan’s nursing home residents to experience more person-centered caregiving practices and for homes to improve the quality of care, exceeding the already high regulatory standards established by the State of Michigan.”

A Holiday Tree and a Community Garden

At Upjohn Community Care Center, residents decided to convert the well-loved Christmas tree into a year round “holiday tree” centerpiece for parties and events.

With staff support — and the guideance provided by One Vision’s clarification on holiday decorating (pdf) — the residents created and enjoyed a Valentine’s Day tree, and, later, a St. Patrick’s Day tree for parties and community gatherings.

The residents’ celebrations invoked the traditions, sounds, and smells of the holidays while using safer products such as flameless candles and other resources and ideas outlined in the clarification.

Meanwhile, Pinecrest residents — with community and staff support — created, maintained, harvested, and cooked food from a community garden.

The garden also became a social place to work and visit for residents, their families, and guests.

The efforts were guided by the One Vision clarification on garden-raised foods, potlucks, and homemade foods (pdf) that spoke to food safety issues and the joys of growing and preparing your own food.

Future Spotlight Awards

One Vision will select 10 more Spotlight award winners in the coming months. All winning resident councils will be awarded $100.

All Michigan residents’ councils are encouraged to apply for the Spotlight award (pdf).

The next due date for an application is February 15, 2014.