Traditional nursing homes all too often create a lifeless environment, are short-staffed, and have an institutional feel to them. But, a new movement called “culture change” has been pushing through the industry. This movement is more than changing a building, more that happy talk, more than cosmetic; rather, it’s a leadership philosophy change that can affect every part of a nursing facility. At its heart is a very simple principle: people need to be treated as human beings rather than as patients, cases or numbers. It’s important to think in terms of what you would want as far as nursing home care goes for your parent(s), spouse, or even for yourself.

There are three key principle guiding “culture change” nursing facilities. The first is that the elders should have a voice in what goes on in their life. Second, how management treats its staff is how the staff will treat the residents. The third principle is to make nursing homes less institutional and more homelike. These principles lead to a very different way of life from the regimen of the traditional nursing homes in which there was a fixed time to wake up, a time to go to bed, a time to eat, a time to shower and so on. Does anyone really want to live their life that way?

In “culture change” nursing facilities residents can order from menus, have pets, and make as many decisions for themselves as possible. Many of these facilities include everything from game rooms to bistros, to libraries, and even gift shops. This “culture change” is changing the quality of life for nursing home residents and their families.

Hitz Home is a member of the Pioneer Coalition that is helping to spread “culture change” throughout the industry. At Hitz Home, we understand that the quality of life is experienced through the true understanding of the residents’ wishes. The understanding and communication between care givers and residents at Hitz Home has brought about a significant change in the quality of life experienced by our residents. We truly believe that it is important for each resident to live the remainder of his/her life to the fullest extent possible.

Some culture change efforts at Hitz Home include ability of residents to sleep in, availability of food 24/7, menus to order food from, and extended mealtimes. Residents can enjoy a computer with an internet connection and games in the library if they choose to do so. Currently we have fish, dogs, birds, and a cat that reside at our home. Spontaneous activities are always occurring.

Residents have the ability to serve on committees in conjunction with staff members in order to voice their needs, wants, and desires and ensure that their voice is heard. Our resident/staff committees currently include the food committee, welcoming committee, death and dying committee, and the marketing committee. We invite you to come and check out what we have to offer.