Creating our own future

As the first wave of Baby Boomers turns 68, the times, they are a’ changin’. These days, Maw-maw, Paw-paw, Mimi and Pops are more likely to rock out on their iPods than on the front porch of an “old folks’ home.”

The generation who demanded civil rights, equal rights and the demise of the draft is poised to redefine life after Medicare eligibility.

Already, KaraLe Causey says, the demographic is forcing a cultural change in nursing homes that has the potential to improve the lives of residents, empower families and provide comfort to caregivers.

“One out of three people would rather die than move into a nursing home,” says the administrator/CFO of the Haven Nursing Center in Monroe. “However, those who are in nursing homes don’t feel that way. It is a perception that haunts nursing homes. We want people to know we are a choice, not a last resort.”

As president of LEADER (Louisiana Enhancing Aging with Dignity through Empowerment and Respect), Causey heads a consortium that advocates an innovative approach to care that makes life more satisfying and meaningful for elderly Louisianans.

After liberating their staffs and residents from the constraints of the 1970s-style, institutional, hospital-based archetype, LEADER administrators report significant improvement in their residents’ quality of life and the family caregiver’s conscience.

Causey maintains a resident’s move into a nursing home or assisted living should be simply a change of address, where individuals can maintain their own schedules, diets and daily routines.

“If you find a home where Mom and Dad are taken care of in a life-affirming way, where there are baskets of toys for grandchildren and a kitchen where everybody can gather (for) coffee and homemade cake, you can walk away feeling like everyone is doing well,” Causey says. “Then, having a viable alternative (to a family member providing in-home care) would help.”

For example, rather than building one huge institution, a Tupelo, Miss., model centers around a campus of 12-person homes with living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms adorned with the residents’ own furniture. House staff is cross-trained in tasks from cooking to clothing assistance.

“It’s a response to the innate desire of people to have a worthwhile life no matter where they’re living,” she says. “As part of an aging population, we’re creating our (own) future.”