Bloomington Cove's October Meeting--Partnering Together for Change!

Friday, October 26, 2012
by MAREP

At the October Meeting of the Bloomington Cove Culture Change Coalition (CCC) the team came together to vote on a new name.  Bloomington Cove CCC has been re-named "Partnering Together for Change".

Bloomington Cove is a Long Term Care (LTC) facility that is focussed on serving individuals living with dementia and related issues.  Partnering Together for Change is new name which reflects the excellent work done by all members of the team over the past two years. The team has worked to create a space in which team members are connected and committed to one another and in which diverse perspectives are valued.

To that end, at the October meeting, the team came together to analyze transcripts of focus group data that focused on the voices and perspectives of family partners in care.  Family members were asked to discuss their experiences and perspectives of their interaction with all aspects of Bloomington Cove. The team looked at this data and asked the following questions:

1) What does this information tell us about what an ideal care experience would like for staff, residents and family members?

2) What does this information tell us about what is working well? What do people feel most proud of?

3) What is going on when things are working well (how do people feel, what are they doing, how are they treated,etc)?

These questions lie at the heart of the Appreciative Inquiry process and are integral in the Discovery Phase of the culture change initiative, which aims to discover 'the best of what is' in a given organization.  With this analysis, the team at Bloomington Cove can form, in the next phases of the project, aspiration statements that build on these positive experiences and will lead to thoughtful, long-standing positive change.

By collecting data, narratives and experiences from family members, the Partnering Together for Change Team also reaffirms their commitment to Relationship-Centered Care. By ensuring that everyone involved in dementia (including  individuals living with dementia), have a chance to be heard and express their desires and experiences, there is greater opportunity to increase quality of care and quality of life for everyone involved in the Bloomington Cove experience. When family partners in care, staff, administration and people living with dementia all feel as though their needs and experiences are heard, quality of care will increase.

In the preliminary data analysis, the Partnering Together for Change Team reaffirmed that family partners in care at Bloomington Cove feel that their family members are being taken care of, and in particular, appreciate the humour and friendliness that staff employs in working with residents. By reviewing the transcripts, the team felt a renewed sense of appreciation for both front line staff members and family partners in care. Together, the team strategized about ways to increase the number of stories from individuals living with dementia, to ensure their voices are consistently heard throughout this process.

Upcoming meetings will see the Partnering Together for Change team continue data analysis and celebrate their progress with a holiday celebration in December.