The Partnering Together for Change (PTfC) team, comprised staff and family partners from Bloomington Cove Specialty Care in care and researchers from the Partnerships in Dementia Care (PiDC) Alliance met in late November.
PTfC is nearing the end of the 'Discovery' phase of the Culture Change Process. For the last several meetings, the team has been working collaboratively to analyse data related collected from key stakeholders at Bloomington Cove.
This month, PTfC focused on data collected from residents about their experiences at Bloomington Cove. PTfC and the whole PiDC Alliance is committed to ensuring that voices of residents are always heard throughout this culture change process. Group members spent the last month collecting narratives from residents at Bloomington Cove. They did this as they went about their days at Bloomington Cove, completing work, decorating for Christmas, attending to personal care. The group worked together to share these narratives and then analyze what we can learn about them in terms of what is happening when residents are happy at Bloomington Cove.
Researchers from the PiDC have also worked to make art based projects with residents from Bloomington Cove. Dr. Lisa Meschino talked with the group about the processes used to create art for residents with various levels of verbal acuity. The group then worked together to 'read' what makes people happy at Bloomington Cove based on representations in art.
From the narratives and data from these art based focus groups, the team worked to contribute to the growing list of analyses. All of these will be important as the group enters the next stage of the process, the 'Dream' phase, in which the team will wrok together to imagine what might be at Bloomington Cove.
Before parting, the PTfC reflected on the data and collaborated to produce five 'takeaways' ideas that became apparent throughout the meeting. The group reaffirmed that music and companionship are very important to Bloomington Cove residents, that residents feel a clear sense of 'home' at Bloomington Cove and that even casual visitors remark on the welcoming nature of the space. Finally, the group agreed that the art based images that were produced at past art based focus groups were a powerful and evocative tool for gathering resident experiences.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012