b'RESIDENT CARECulture changeMaking the shift to person-centred care:empowering staff to do whats bestT he path from an institutional model to resident- had regular interactions with residents within their centred care is rarely straightforward. Makingareas (such as care workers, kitchen staff, laundry staff, the shift takes education, self-reflection, and aetc.). Together, the participants defined what resident-commitment from all stakeholders to stay the course. centred care would look like from both resident and staff perspectives, discussed strategies to reach those ideal The team at Reveras Beacon Hill Lodge Long Term Carestates, gathered other feedback from staff, and began to Home is among those who are making the journey. And,equip everyone with tools and resources to embark on like many of those who made the transition before them,their transformation. their story reflects the challenges of uniting a diverse population of staff and residents towards a more agile andTo move to a person-centred paradigm, your team needs personalized resident care approach. to know what that model of care looks like and compare it to what the home is doing currently, says Braun. Once We started planting seeds for resident-centred care aseveryone knows what needs to be done, thats when you far back as 2014, but it wasnt until recently that Tara-Leeempower them to take those steps, begin breaking down Yakielashek and the team at Beacon Hill took it to a wholethose traditional department silos, and [become] part of new level, says Matthew Braun, Regional Manager ofthe change.Education & Resident Services for Revera. Certainly, says Yakielashek, these upfront conversations For Yakielashek and her colleagues, the first step towardswere fundamental to setting team goals and expectations. a culture change was mapping the way ahead. WeOur goal was to make these brainstorming sessions fun recognized from the start that we werent experts in thisand interactive, but at the same time thought-provoking field and that we needed to do our homework, recallsand safe. We wanted to be open about the realities of the Yakielashek. We also realized that we needed to getchanges required to make things better for the future and employees at all levels on board and working together toallow them to have open, honest conversations.make this work for our unique resident population andcare team. Empowering the teamResident-centred care pivots on employees ability One of the first steps was to hold numerous training(and willingness) to make decisions for their residents and awareness sessions with all team members whowithout fear of running afoul of their superiors. As such, 32 LONG TERM CARE TODAY Fall/Winter 2019'