Neighborhood Model Paper

PROPOSAL: NEIGHBORHOOD MODEL

The heart of culture change is in the relationships between the residents and the CNAs who care for them (Jones, 2011). The neighborhood model is effective and would require few environmental changes with minimal expense while facilitating relationships. The current facility would be broken up into smaller units or neighborhoods of 8 – 21 residents. Staff would be permanently assigned to a specific neighborhood with the goal of giving the residents and their families the opportunity to develop relationships with their caregivers while living in a more home-like environment. This is not a branded model and so there would be no fees or other associated expenses (Cheek, Nolan, & Larsen-Orta, 2008). According to Jones

This team would learn how to achieve person-centered care together and work to educate others in the facility. It is important for administration and management to be directly involved in implementing the change so they can have a better understanding of direct-care and so be equipped to assist supervisors with the transition. Including all levels of stakeholders on this team allows the facility to shift away from a top-down model to a more flattened model while turning the focus to the residents (Bowers et al., n.d.). Included in the duties would be to rewrite the mission statement, organizational chart, job descriptions, and procedures to reflect the culture change and prevent reverting back to traditional methods (Robinson and Rosher, 2006). This team would act as a steering committee for culture change.

Care Team: A team should be assembled of workers and supervisors at all levels of the facility. This team should also include residents and family members to ensure the team is person-focused rather than staff-focused. These individuals would be a part of the collaborative decision-making process for the neighborhoods. Doing so would engage and empower front-line workers and should reduce staff-turnover. This collaborative

This would be a wonderful opportunity for residents to connect with family and other children within the community.
• Outcomes o Residents, Family: Personal meaning; Increased engagement; Improved quality of life. o Organization: Positive Image; Higher profile in the community.
• Cost: Minimal. Possible partnering with the school to apply for grant money to cover the cost of transportation and other expenses associated with the program.

Short-Term (6 – 12 month)

Begin implementation of the initial changes throughout the rest of the facility after review and approval by the administrator and board of the initial changes. At this time, the mission statement, job descriptions, and procedures should be rewritten by the leadership team while soliciting input from all stakeholders to reflect the changes, preserve the vision, and prevent relapsing the older methods of operation.

Neighborhoods and Staff

• Begin the process of dividing the other wings into neighborhoods.
• Form neighborhood committees.
• Offer cross-training staff in the established neighborhood to increase the scope of duties.
• Begin training staff in the new neighborhoods.

Personal