b'ASK THE EXPERTget done that day, an interruption in their busy schedule.Q.Innovation is a popular term these days, I knew the sector and I understood where they wereand is applied to a wide range of programs, coming from. I knew the barrage of questions they wereproducts, and technologies. When Im talking asking was part of the process, and the questions wereto my team, how do I explain what it means to required by the Ministry. But that day I was an exhaustedbe innovative in long-term care? and grieving wife with a lot of mixed feelings and desperate for someone to just see us. What do we really mean when we say were committed to innovation? Innovation is not just a buzzword; its Long-term care is an exceptionally busy environment. Youan important organizational value that can play into our are faced with competing priorities and you consistentlyeveryday professional lives. At its core, innovation is the scramble to stay one step ahead of a potential mess. Toowillingness to try something new. many tasks, not enough time. But the people coming intoIn a long-term care setting, a great way to build a culture your long-term care home are unaware of the kind of dayof innovation is to encourage your team members to voice you or the other team members are having. They are quitetheir ideas and insightsand to make sure their thoughts likely hoping for some reassurance that theyve made theare taken seriously. Sometimes the best ideas come from right decision for their loved one by coming to your home.non-traditional places. Assume that the family youre meeting will remember theFrontline care workers have an especially deep feelings of this day forever, based on the experience youunderstanding of the needs of people living increate for them. There is more power than you may realizelong-term care. Though they may not fit the mold ofin your presence. Help families to feel heard and seen, andthe traditional innovator, in a supportive environmentthat theyve made the right choice. Your team will reap the suggestions of motivated frontline care staff can the benefits. positively impact residents, families, staff, and sometimes the entire organization. - Deborah Bakti provides seniors care consulting and training through her company THINK Breakthrough Inc.At the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), and is the author of Recipe for Empathy: Six Strategies towe recognize that frontline care workers may not have Transform Your Families into Fans in Seniors Care. the tools on hand to develop their early-stage idea into Learn more at deborahbakti.com. practical reality. Through our Spark program, CABHI Carefoam has been helping sta solveLong Term Care seating challenges forover 14 years.Our chairs safely seat non-ambulatory residents that require accommodation for positioning, and to reduce injury from uncontrolled movements or dementia related agitation.Check the chairs out at www.carefoam.comContact us for more information or to arrangefor a demonstration and evaluation. canadasales@carefoam.com 866 332 3356www.oltca.com LONG TERM CARE TODAY 41'