By Allison Lantieri
Regional Director of Education & Change Management
Institute for Caregiver Education
Stop in for a tour at Grandma�s House in Orlando,
Florida, and you will witness what pioneers in the long term care industry
have been championing since the beginning�building community, knowing each
person, individualizing care and celebrating life.
Located inside Westminster Care of Orlando, Grandma�s
House is a revolutionary model of living that integrates elders needing long
term care and children with rehabilitative and chronic needs. This special
community has 24 adult beds and 36 pediatric beds located in the same
neighborhood. To visitors walking through the community, the benefits of
integrating the young and old are obvious.
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The elders form special bonds with the
children, reading to them, feeding them, teaching them to draw and
helping them with their schooling. One particular relationship, between
Annie Parris, �Grannie Annie� 70, and Kevin Behr, 16, stands out. Kevin,
born with angelman�s syndrome, needs assistance with meals. His mother
used to come in at meal time to feed him, but when Annie started to do
it, Kevin�s mom changed her schedule to come in before or after the
meals. ��I don�t want to take that away from her,� she says. �He really
loves her. He�s completely nonverbal, but those two have completely
connected.� Annie says, �The kids make you feel younger,� and the kids
�give you a reason to get up out of bed in the morning.�
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| We know that
giving elders an opportunity to nurture and build relationship is vital
to keeping them from becoming depressed. Here, an elder at Grandma's
House spends time holding and caring for one of the Grandma's House
children. |
The need to continue nurturing is well-documented in
the long term care industry. Intergenerational programming, designed to
attempt to meet that need, is not uncommon. However, Grandma�s House has
taken the once-a-month visits from area schoolchildren to a completely
different level. The community refers to that opportunity to nurture in
their mission statement, �We offer our residents a neighborhood where they
can live together experiencing the healing powers of hope and love.�
"We offer our
residents a neighborhood where they can
live together experiencing the healing powers of hope and love."
The reaction to the Grandma�s House model of care has
been extraordinary. The Behr family, of their son Kevin�s experience says,
�Kevin seems very happy with his surroundings at Grandma�s House. We believe
the home-like atmosphere, the interaction with older adults and the staff�s
nurturing disposition have made Kevin�s recovery (from hip surgery) the best
that it could possibly be. We have been pleased that Grandma�s House
encourages visitation from family and friends, creating a hospitable
environment for the parents and a greater comfort level for the child.�
Zander Colson�s mother Jennifer says, �Before placing
Zander at Grandma�s House I toured two other pediatric facilities. The other
facilities did not remotely possess the love and family environment which
Grandma�s House has. Our entire family is blessed that there is a facility
like Grandma�s House, and that their staff is so loving and caring. They
truly are committed to bringing a better life to all of the special
children.�
Remarkably, despite the chronic nature of some of the
individuals living in Grandma�s House, the environment is far from medical.
Hallways are lined with shadow boxes, rooms are personalized with family
photos, quilts and house plants, pets roam the hallways, the living room is
filled with toys, and an outdoor sensory garden and playground delight the
senses. The home follows the Eden philosophy of creating an environment
filled with plants, animals and children to combat loneliness and isolation
in long term care.
| In addition to providing health care services for the
children, Westminster Care of Orlando also hosts Westminster Academy
School, a charter day school program dedicated to schooling day students
with particular needs including cancer, cerebral palsy, MS, and other
illnesses. The plus side for parents is that with Westminster Academy�s
proximity to the care center, the children can receive immediate medical
attention should the need arise. The Academy also ensures an additional
flow of children through Grandma�s House.
One of the many wonderful results of the Grandma's House
initiative is that homework helpers are always available! |
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The success of Grandma�s House is unquestionable. The
residents of the community, though not truly related, are more of a family
than their own loved ones can sometimes be. By virtue of living together in
such close proximity, the elders and the children have developed deep and
lasting relationships. The children have built-in grandmas and grandpas
willing at any moment to read a bedtime story and tuck their �grandchildren�
in at night. What is the essence of this cutting-edge community? Love, love,
love.
Grandma�s House and Westminster Care of Orlando are
a part of the Senior Health Properties Florida, LLC family of homes. For
more information on Grandma�s House, please call 407-843-3230, or visit
www.grandmasgang.org. |
