Links
Organizations & Initiatives
Action Pact, Inc. Action Pact, Inc. is a company of trainers, consultants and educators who assist nursing homes and other elder care organizations in becoming resident-directed. They work with clients to redesign the way the organization itself functions, moving from traditional top-down management towards a collaborative effort of self-governing teams.
Almost Home: Changing Aging in America A groundbreaking film that takes you inside the revolutionary transformation of a nursing home. The companion web site pulls back to give you the bigger picture.
Alzheimer's Association Learning Institute The Alzheimer's Association Learning Institute offers a series of core courses on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The courses, designed for healthcare professionals, offer the most updated and research validated information about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care.
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) A membership organization serving two million people every day through mission-driven, not-for-profit organizations dedicated to providing the services people need, when they need them, in the place they call home.
American Health Care Association (AHCA) A federation of affiliated state health organizations, together representing more than 10,000 non-profit and for-profit assisted living, nursing facility, developmentally-disabled, and subacute care providers that care for more than 1.5 million elderly and disabled individuals nationally.
American Health Quality Association (AHQA) Represents Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) and professionals working to improve the quality of health care in communities across America. QIOs share information about best practices with physicians, hospitals, and nursing homes.
And Thou Shalt Honor Much more than a television series, it is a call to action for the millions of men and women who are, or soon will be, caregiveres. Through an extensive outreach program and grassroots action guide, ATSH is building community coalitions to raise awareness of the issues surrounding caregiving.
Better Jobs Better Care (BJBC) A 4-year research and demonstration program in long-term care policy and practice that seeks to reduce high vacancy and turnover rates among direct care staff across the spectrum of long-term care settings and contribute to improved workforce quality.
Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL) Fosters access to high quality assisted living by creating resources and acting as an objective resource center to facilitate quality improvement in assisted living, increasing the availability of research on quality in assisted living, and providing a national clearinghouse for information on assisted living.
Direct Care Alliance (DCA) Founded in November 1998, the DCA's mission is to improve the quality of care for consumers through the creation of higher quality jobs and working conditions for direct-care paraprofessional workers. The DCA promotes recognition that direct-care paraprofessionals are the foundation of good care, particularly for long-term care clients.
The Eden Alternative Creates coalitions of people and organizations that are committed to creating better social and physical environments for people. The Eden Alternative is dedicated to helping others create enlivening environments and the elimination of the plagues of Loneliness, Helplessness, and Boredom.
Elder Cohousing Network Cohousing is about the pioneering elders recreating a new version of the "old-fashioned neighborhood” - a community where neighbors know one another and help take care of each other. The Elder Cohousing Network provides a full range of services to help elder cohousing groups get started.
The Green House Project The Green House is a small intentional community for a group of elders and staff, it is intended to be a vessel for the enactment of the most positive elderhood possible. A radical departure from traditional skilled nursing homes and assisted living facilities, Green House alters facility size, interior design, staffing patterns, and methods of delivering skilled professional services.
IAPS-EDRA Environment & Gerontology Network The environment and gerontology network is concerned with issues related to the diverse effects of physical environments on older individuals. Participants interests are professional, theoretical, research related and design-practice work.
IDEAS Institute A premier resource of information and environment-behavioral research centered on improving care and quality of life for people with chronic forms of physical and cognitive decline, including, but not limited to, Alzheimer’s disease.
Institute for Caregiver Education (IfCE) A not-for-profit organization that provides continuing education and professional development opportunities for healthcare professionals, including a variety of literacy, language, and life skills training for entry level staff across all disciplines.
Insitute for the Future of Aging Services (IFAS) A policy research institute within AAHSA designed to be a bridge between the practice, policy and research communities and to advance the development of high-quality health, housing and supportive services for America’s aging population.
International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) Founded in the belief that unifying the efforts of the organizations focused on older adults benefits both the people they reach and the organizations themselves. Today, the vision is shared by over 5,000 organizations connected to the ICAA network.
Mather Lifeways A unique not-for-profit organization based in Evanston, Illinois, just north of Chicago. We're dedicated to identifying, implementing, and sharing the best practices for wellness, workforce issues, memory care programs, and caregiver empowerment. It's home to the LEAP program -- a comprehensive workforce development program that empowers staff, increases retention, and promotes staff-resident relationships through a model of person-centered care.
National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) An organization of consumers and advocates who define and achieve quality for people with long term needs. Provides information and leadership on federal and state regulatory and legislative policy development, and helps develop models and strategies to improve care and life for residents of nursing homes and other long term care facilities.
National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce A national on-line library for people in search of solutions to the direct-care staffing crisis in long-term care. A project of the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI), the Clearinghouse includes government and research reports, news, issue briefs, fact sheets, and other information on topics such as recruitment, career advancement supervision, workplace culture, and caregiving practices.
NHRegsPlus This searchable website serves as a one-stop location to examine and compare the content of state regulations related to nursing homes, the processes of regulation and exceptions to regulations within a state, recent state changes, innovative nursing-home designs and programs that were accomplished within existing regulations, and innovative state regulatory initiatives.
The Nursing Center: A New Look at the Old The Atlantic Philanthropies awarded two grants to increase the knowledge and skills of those providing care to older adults. Information about the care of those over 65, derived from cutting-edge research and best practices, is now available to nurses and other providers on this website in either print format or streaming video, at any time and at no cost. The American Journal of Nursing (AJN) partnered with the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) to develop this resource providing evidence-based information on the nursing care of older adults.
Palliative Care in Nursing Homes: Steps For Success Key elements of a quality palliative care program; literature review; barriers and ways to overcome them; recommendations for the future (opens as .pdf)
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI) A non-profit organization working to strengthen the direct-care workforce within our nation’s long-term care system through developing innovative approaches to recruitment, training, and supervision; client-centered caregiving practices; and effective public policy.
Posit Science Leveraging the collective knowledge of a large and growing global team of more than 40 leading university-based researchers, staff scientists and other specialists to collaborate on programs intended to raise the cognitive performance – and improve the lives – of everyday people.
Second Wind Dreams A national non-profit organization that fulfills the dreams of those living in eldercare communities, thereby enhancing their lives and changing the perception of aging.
Texas Long-Term Care Institute The mission of the Institute is "to improve the quality of life for Elders and their caregivers."
Untie the Elderly An initiative to provide conditions that will foster independence, health and security for older individuals.
Vital Aging Network Individuals in Minnesota who are sharing their strengths to promote and support the self-sufficiency, community participation, and quality of life of older adults.
Books
Glasser, R. & Brecher, J. We are the Roots. University of California Center for Cooperatives. 2002.
Thomas, W. What Are Old People For: How Elders Will Save the World. Acton: VanderWyk & Burnham. 2004.
Weiner, A. & Ronch, J. Culture Change in Long-Term Care. Binghamton: Hawthorn Press, Inc. 2003.
Workbooks
Lighting The Way: Building Coalitions for Culture Change by Action Pact
Videos
"A Way Back Home" by Action Pact
"The Longest Journey" by Action Pact
"Becoming Who They Were" by Action Pact
"Bathing Without a Battle" by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
"The Ten Principles of Eden" by Action Pact
"First Eden Conference" by Action Pact
"Almost Home: Changing Aging in America" by 371 Productions
Newsletters
Culture Change Now Magazine
The Green House Project E-Report Newsletter
Trade Journal Articles
Calkins, Margaret "Designing bathing rooms that comfort" Nursing Homes January 1, 2005
Calkins, Margaret "Lighting for older eyes" Nursing Homes November 1, 2003
Calkins, Margaret "The nursing home of the future: are you ready?" Nursing Homes June 1, 2002
Calkins, Margaret "Home-like: it's more than carpeting and chintz - creating more residential atmosphere in nursing homes" Nursing Homes July 1, 1995
Krasnausky "Being who we say we are. "Culture Change" helps two long-term care centers align practice with their sponsors' values." Health Programs. 2004
Lustbader, Wendy “Thoughts on the Meaning of Frailty.” Generations Winter 1999-2000, p. 21-24.
Misiorski, S. "Building a better life: Transforming institutional culture." Alzheimer's Care Quarterly. 2001
Misiorski, S. “Pioneering Culture Change: The Pioneer Network shares its approach to creating culture change in long-term care.” Nursing Home Magazine. 2004 Feb.
Misiorski, S. "Pioneering culture change" Nursing Home Magazine 2003
Pagan "Leap toward culture change." Contemporary Long Term Care 2002
Page "Keeping patients safe: Transforming the work environment of nurses." National Academy Press 2004
Rantz M. “Does Good Quality Care in Nursing Homes Cost More of Less Than Poor quality Care?” Nursing Outlook 2003 April.
Shaw J. “Breaking with tradition. Long-term care facilities have moved from sterile and foreboding to homes away from home.” Contemporary Longterm Care. 2003 Nov-Dec;26(11):28-32, 34, 36-9.
Sherman "Culture Change in Long-Term Care: Caring for Those Who Provide Care" Alzheimer's Association, MA Chapter Newsletter 2000
Wagner "New Strategies for enhancing employee growth." Provider: For Long-Term Care Professionals 2005
