Category: Elder Rights

How Senior Living Residents Took on a Thief…and Won

By Jill Vitale-Aussem, MMH, LNHA. Excerpted from Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: A Mindshift (© 2019 Health Professions Press, Inc.) Working in senior living, we focus much of our sales and marketing efforts on telling people what they will receive if they move to our community. Rarely do we ask the questions: What will the older adult bring to this community? How will they make it a better place? It’s an interesting paradox. Our communities are full of knowledgeable, experienced individuals. Many are looking for purpose, but too often we view them as passive recipients of services and…

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It’s Time We Start Talking About Ageism

In this excerpt from her new book, Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: A Mindshift, Jill Vitale-Aussem, President and CEO of The Eden Alternative, takes a serious and critical look at how we view aging. Society has condemned racism, sexism, classicism, and so on. It’s time we condemn ageism as well. We’re All Aging Right now, as you read this sentence, you’re aging. We all are—every minute of every day. In youth, the passing of a day, a month, or a year isn’t viewed as a negative because the passing of time means we’re growing up. And growing up…

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Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living

In this interview with President and CEO of The Eden Alternative, Jill Vitale-Aussem discusses senior living, hospitality, ageism, and shifting our perspectives. In your book, Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: A Mindshift, you discuss how the hospitality model in long-term care can actually be detrimental to residents, which many people don’t realize. Why is this? First, I need to explain that hospitality has a role to play in our field. We can learn a lot from hotels and resorts about welcoming guests and visitors. But…

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Developing LGBT-Friendly Communities

The losses associated with moving into a long-term care setting are compounded for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) population. Older LGBT persons have faced a lifetime of discrimination, many live alone without family support, and most have a distrust of the medical community. These individuals are fearful of the treatment that they may receive in an institutional environment. After struggling to come out and live openly, many LGBT people may choose to return to the closet to avoid discriminatory actions. These fears cannot be alleviated without developing specific policies and educating and training staff to address…

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The Differences Between Bullying and Challenging Behaviors in Long-Term Care

Older adults in long-term care Although many behaviors exhibited by older adults can be challenging, the situation in which behavior occurs and the type of behavior often determine whether it is actually bullying versus a challenging behavior whereby a resident is simply being rude or unpleasant. Key factors that define an incident as bullying include behaviors that: Are directed at a specific person or group of people Involve an imbalance of power or a desire to gain power Occur repeatedly in most cases As an example of a challenging behavior that does not meet the definition of bullying, consider and…

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Is It Bullying?

Download this handy infographic that compares and contrasts elder abuse, bullying, nonbullying behaviors, and challenging behaviors. Read the book! Bullying Among Older Adults How to Recognize and Address an Unseen Epidemic By Robin P. Bonifas, Ph.D., M.S.W. Copyright © 2016 by Health Professions Press, Inc. Equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to recognize, intervene, and prevent resident-to-resident bullying in elder care. Learn more…

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New Directions to Dining in Long-Term Care

In long-term care, institution-directed dining is the old route. Steer your community in a new direction with self-directed dining. This infographic gives you examples of how to pivot from the old dining route to the new one. Download Read the book! The Inside Scoop on Informed Choice A Step-by-Step Guide for Personalizing Diets in Long-Term Care By Diane Hall, NHA, RDLDN Copyright © 2018 by Balanced Senior Nutrition Support a person’s right to make personal food choices (while also meeting regulatory guidelines and reducing your liability) with this guide to creating person-centered meal plans in long-term…

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Bullying Among Older Adults: An Unseen Epidemic

Bullying among older adults in senior care settings is a serious issue that continues to grow. Little research has been done on the topic so far, but here’s what you need to know. Download this infographic Read the book! Bullying Among Older Adults How to Recognize and Address an Unseen Epidemic By Robin P. Bonifas, Ph.D., M.S.W. Copyright © 2016 by Health Professions Press, Inc. Equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to recognize, intervene, and prevent resident-to-resident bullying in elder care. Learn more…

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