We are here to help you every step of the way.

Celebrating in Times of COVID

Ideas for making the Holidays Special

Community, Connection and Creativity

Partners joining together, sharing their creativity.

Enhancing the Dining Experience

Resources to support the dining experience during times of social distancing.

Food for the Soul

Messages to inspire and support caregivers.

Supporting Individuals Living with Dementia

Resources from experts to support the unique needs of those living with dementia.

A Cruel Irony: Ageism and Ableism in Senior Living Environments

Society is full of ageist and ableist messaging. Jill Vitale Aussem explores some of the most common examples of ageism and ableism in community living settings and provides tools to begin to build a culture of inclusivity.
SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING
Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

Commitment to Challenge Ageism

A pledge to learn about and change beliefs, language and practice related to ageism and ageist attitudes.

Dress Like a 100-year old Day Call to Action

Give this call to action letter to educators and other community members as a way to help educate children about aging in a positive and respectful manner.

Framing Strategies to Advance Aging and Address Ageism on Policy Issues

This brief lays out an approach to changing public thinking about aging in America. The goal of the strategy summarized in the document is to increase public support for policies and practices that can be advanced to support a robust, healthy, age-integrated society.

How Do We Make Sense of the Images We See of Aging and Our Everyday Experiences?

An Introduction to Person-Centered Living and Ageism
SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING
Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

It’s Happening: How Anti-Ageism Activists are Changing the Culture of Aging

An interactive discussion with nationally known author and anti-ageism activist Ashton Applewhite about what’s happening in the movement to change the culture of aging.
SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING
Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

Old School: Anti-Ageism Clearinghouse

Includes free and carefully vetted resources to educate people about ageism and help dismantle it.

Reframing Aging Quick Start Guide

Framing is the process of making choices about what to emphasize and what to leave unsaid. This is a quick guide with words and cues to avoid and alternatives to use in order to reframe aging. For more resources from the Reframing Initiative, go to: https://www.geron.org/programs-services/reframing-aging-initiative

Honoring Preferences When the Choice Involves Risk

Honoring Preferences When the Choice Involves Risk is a tool to support long term care communities in honoring residents’ choices that influence quality of care and quality of life, while mitigating potential risks associated with those choices.

Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory

The Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory (PELI) is a scientifically validated tool to assess individual preferences for social contact, personal development, leisure activities, living environment, and daily routine. The questionnaire is designed to spark conversations about individual preferences, lay the foundation for building trusting relationships, and promote care plans and service delivery that honor client preferences. For nursing homes, 16 of the PELI items are consistent with the MDS 3.0 Section F. Preferences for Customary Routine and Activities.

Commitment to Person-Centered Language

Pledge to use to language that is dedicated to creating a culture of Aging that is Life-Affirming, Satisfying, Humane and Meaningful.

Commitment to Person-Centered Language Training

Training ideas and resources to begin the discussion on person-centered language.

Continuum of a Person-Directed Culture

Illustrates the differences between staff directed and person-directed culture. Examples show how the continuum applies to specific practices

Foundational Organizational Practices

Part of Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

National Culture Change Related Organizations

A list and information about national organizations that can help your organization with its culture change journey.

Nurse Competencies

Ten competencies deemed most relevant and critical for nurses to be successful in creating and sustaining person-directed care, useful in identifying specific skills needed by nurses working in culture change settings

The Language of Culture Change

Words matter and these papers address the importance of language in creating a culture of aging that is life affirming, humane and meaningful

The Learning Circle Rules: Action Pact

The Learning Circle is built upon the idea that everyone sitting around the circle has something to contribute and something to learn.

The Learning Circle: Why Use it?

The Learning Circle is built upon the idea that everyone sitting around the circle has something to contribute and something to learn.

The Power of Language to Create Culture

Words matter and these papers address the importance of language in creating a culture of aging that is life affirming, humane and meaningful

The Yellow Book: Meeting of Pioneers in Nursing Home Culture Change

Report from March 1997, the first gathering of what we call the Founding Pioneers, in Rochester, New York, which we refer to as The Yellow Book.

Dining Memory and Food for Thought

Ideas from neuroscience, psychology and literature that can be used as tools to help build alternate approaches to choice and dining in nursing homes

Dining Practice Standards

Nationally agreed upon food and dining standards of practice support individualized care and self-directed living versus traditional diagnosis-focused treatment for people living in nursing homes

Dining Practice Standards Toolkit

Medical evidence from recent research studies has demonstrated that restrictive diets for older individuals in long term care are of little benefit, and in fact can be detrimental. These diets often cause residents to reject their meals, leading to weight loss. Restricting sugar, salt, or fat make little difference in blood sugar, blood pressure, or cholesterol in the older person. Research evidence shows that a liberalized, regular diet for most residents can enhance quality of life as well as contribute to maintenance of health.

Enhancing the Quality of Nursing Home Dining Assistance

Findings of the Agency for Health Research and Quality study of Paid Feeding Assistant programs

Flexible Dining Starter Exercise

This is part of Step Three of the Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

Flexible Dining Tipsheet

Part of Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

Food, Pharmacy and Culture Change: A Recipe for Success

The role of the consultant pharmacist in concert with the interdisciplinary team in identifying drug-food interactions, determining what education to provide the elder

Home Style Dining Interventions in Nursing Homes: Implications for Practice

An overview of meal service in nursing homes, reasons for implementing home style dining, outcomes of home style dining intervention, and implementation challenges and recommendations

Just in Time Toolkit – Dining

These toolkits highlight helpful implementation resources, identify relevant regulations and point providers to results to help them find just the right path for their organization in each of three areas, environment change, dining transformations and staffing transformations

Pathway to Transforming Dining

Promising practices to de-institutionalize the dining experience

Promising Practices in Dining

Innovative examples of how providers are changing their dining practices so that it is a more dignified, pleasurable experience

Survey Interpretation of Regulations

Potential regulatory and survey issues related to food and dining innovations

The Deep Seated Issue of Choice

Addresses the issue of resident self-determination through a focus on the dining experience

The Food and Dining Side of the Culture Change Movement: Dining Symposium Background Paper

Provides the history of the culture change movement as it pertains to the physical environment, a summary of current research into building design issues and innovations, and a review of relevant federal long term care and Life Safety Code regulations for nursing homes

A Free Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

How to information on implementing four foundational practices for individualizing care, including consistent assignment, huddles, involving CNAs in care planning and QI closest to the resident.

A Good Welcome Starter Exercise

This is part of Step Two of the Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

A Good Welcome Tip Sheet

This is part of the Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

A Good Welcome Tipsheet

This is part of Step Two of the Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

Breaking through Dementia: Validation

Validation is a method of communication that helps improve the connection between caregivers and older adults experiencing dementia.

SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING

Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

Communication Infrastructure Survey and the Antipsychotic Program Baseline Data Collection Form

Frequent, timely communication and problem-solving with staff closest to the residents is essential to find out what residents need and support staff to provide it. These self-assessments evaluate your nursing home’s systems for communication and collaborative problem-solving to individualize care and improve quality. Discuss these questions with staff closest to the residents, and the rest of your care team. Identify areas for improvement. Use the resources at www.BandFConsultingInc.com to support your improvement efforts.

Consistent Assignment Starter Exercise

This is part of Step One of the Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

Consistent Assignment Tipsheet

This is part of Step One of the Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care Communication Map

Pioneer Network is pleased to share this Communication Map for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care. It illustrates how communication infrastructure is essential for effective care delivery to ensure positive resident and staff experiences.

Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care: An Implementation Handbook

This Handbook provides how-to information for implementing four foundational organizational practices for individualizing care, preventing avoidable declines and maximizing good outcomes: consistent assignment, shift huddles, QI closest to the residents and involving consistently assigned CNAs in care plan meetings.

Flexible Dining Starter Exercise

This is part of Step Three of the Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

Flexible Dining Tip Sheet

This is part of Step Three of the Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

Give the Gift that Keeps Giving

A conversation with Brian LeBlanc about how to make the holidays the best they can be not only for persons living with dementia, but for their Care Partners and for each of us.

SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING

Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

Huddles Starter Exercise

This is part of Step One of the Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

Huddles Tipsheet

This is part of Step One of the Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

Staff Retention

The Tools and Resources to Achieve Staff Stability from Health Professions Press.

A Free Starter Toolkit for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

How to information on implementing four foundational practices for individualizing care, including consistent assignment, huddles, involving CNAs in care planning and QI closest to the resident.

Communication Infrastructure Survey and the Antipsychotic Program Baseline Data Collection Form

Frequent, timely communication and problem-solving with staff closest to the residents is essential to find out what residents need and support staff to provide it. These self-assessments evaluate your nursing home’s systems for communication and collaborative problem-solving to individualize care and improve quality. Discuss these questions with staff closest to the residents, and the rest of your care team. Identify areas for improvement. Use the resources at www.BandFConsultingInc.com to support your improvement efforts.

Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care Communication Map

Pioneer Network is pleased to share this Communication Map for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care. It illustrates how communication infrastructure is essential for effective care delivery to ensure positive resident and staff experiences.

Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care: An Implementation Handbook

This Handbook provides how-to information for implementing four foundational organizational practices for individualizing care, preventing avoidable declines and maximizing good outcomes: consistent assignment, shift huddles, QI closest to the residents and involving consistently assigned CNAs in care plan meetings.

Getting Started: A Pioneering Approach to Culture Change in Long-term Care Organizations

Pioneer Network partnered with PHI to produce this powerful tool for organizations that are beginning the process of de-institutionalizing services and individualizing care. It is a resource filled with training modules, exercises and tools for individuals at all levels of an organization.

Getting Started: Selecting and Prioritizing Changes

Adds tools to the original Getting Started toolkit for selecting and prioritizing changes in practices related to the living, working, and caregiving environment

Just in Time Toolkit – Dining

These toolkits highlight helpful implementation resources, identify relevant regulations and point providers to results to help them find just the right path for their organization in each of three areas, environment change, dining transformations and staffing transformations

Just in Time Toolkit – Environment

These toolkits highlight helpful implementation resources, identify relevant regulations and point providers to results to help them find just the right path for their organization in each of three areas, environment change, dining transformations and staffing transformations

Just in Time Toolkit – Staffing

These toolkits highlight helpful implementation resources, identify relevant regulations and point providers to results to help them find just the right path for their organization in each of three areas, environment change, dining transformations and staffing transformations

McNally Cards

The Mr. McNally Cards and accompanying group exercise instructions, developed by B&F Consulting, is an excellent teaching tool for providing staff an understanding of why a resident has declined and identify what to do about it; the importance of knowing the resident’s psychosocial history and customary routines; and the importance of determining the true cause of the problems so staff can use specific interventions that address the actual underlying issues.

More than Meds Toolkit

This toolkit provide resources, tools and lessons learned from the “More than Meds” project to help nursing homes become better places to live and work.

Side-by-Side Communication Map for Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care

A companion to the Engaging Staff in Individualizing Care Starter Toolkit

Staff Stability Toolkit

This toolkit draws from experiences and lessons learned in over 400 nursing homes over a three-year period. It is designed to serve as a resource for homes just getting started with efforts to reverse turnover, as well as employers who have already started to address recruitment and retention and need further assistance in a specific area. It will provide you with the information to achieve sustained stability, help you identify the root causes of your instability and give you proven strategies you can put into action.

Culture Change Case Studies

Each case study highlights culture change from pre-transformation to implementation while focusing on the resulting impact and returns for residents, staff and organizations

Development of Artifacts of Culture Change

A report on the development of the Artifacts of Culture Change tool

Positive Outcomes of Culture Change

Describes the positive outcomes of culture change adoption

Creating Home in a Nursing Home: Fantasy or Reality

Explores ways nursing homes can be designed to reflect house and operated to reflect home

Creating Home in a Nursing Home: Fantasy or Reality (Power Point)

Illustrates ways nursing homes can be designed to reflect house and operated to reflect home

Creating Home in the Nursing Home Environment

Explores ways in which nursing homes can be designed to reflect house and operated to reflect a home

Design on a Dollar

The Design on a Dollar journey provides easy “how-to” instructions and tips to make environmental changes cost-effective while involving your whole community

Designing Gardens to Attract Activity

This white paper written by Maggie Calkins with financial support from WhisperGLIDE, focuses on the importance of outdoor spaces and explores how to design areas where people want to spend time. Resources for getting started are also included.

Household Models for Nursing Home Environments

Provides information about the household model vs. the traditional institutional nursing home

Household Models for Nursing Home Environments (Power Point)

Illustrates the household model vs. the traditional institutional nursing home

Just in Time Toolkit – Environment

These toolkits highlight helpful implementation resources, identify relevant regulations and point providers to results to help them find just the right path for their organization in each of three areas, environment change, dining transformations and staffing transformations

Lighting: Partner in Quality Care Environments

Describes the importance of adequate lighting in senior living environments

Lighting: Partner in Quality Care Environments (Power Point)

Demonstrates the importance of adequate lighting in senior living environments

Low Cost Strategies to Transform Nursing Home Environments: Towards Better Quality of Life

Describes low cost ways that a nursing home’s physical environment can be transformed to create home for the people that live there

Nursing Homes as Places to Live Now and in the Future

Discusses the physical environment of the traditional institutional nursing home and makes recommendations for change

Nursing Homes as Places to Live Now and in the Future (Power Point)

Illustrates the physical environment of the traditional institutional nursing home and makes recommendation for change

Private vs Shared Bedrooms

Illustrates the case for private vs. shared bedrooms

CMS Guidance for Laws and Regulations for Nursing Home

Resources from CMS to teach yourself and your staff the latest information to help you meet the CMS Conditions of Participation.

CMS Survey and Certification Letter 2016

The Department of Health and Human Services along with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published a Reform of Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities on October 4, 2016.

CMS Survey and Certification Notice 2017

Revision to State Operations Manual (SOM) Appendix PP for Phase 2, F-Tag Revisions, and Related Issues

CMS Website Information Related to the New Survey Process 2017

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Reform of Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities

Federal Register Containing the CMS Final Rules

Federal Register Containing the 2016 CMS Final Rules for long term care

Final Rule to Reform Requirements for Long Term Care (Slides)

2016 Final Rule to Reform Requirements for Long Term Care Presentation (Slides)

Life Safety Code 2012

Four new culture change proposals accepted into the 2012 edition of the Life Safety code.

LTC FTags Phase 2 Crosswalk 2017

Surveyor Guidance for phase II of the revised conditions of participation that goes into effect in fall 2017. Cross walk between the old F Tags and the new.

Notes from CMS Final Rule 2016

Notes from CMS Final Rule Document Pertinent to Culture Change and Person-directed Care

A Cruel Irony: Ageism and Ableism in Senior Living Environments

Society is full of ageist and ableist messaging. Jill Vitale Aussem explores some of the most common examples of ageism and ableism in community living settings and provides tools to begin to build a culture of inclusivity.
SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING
Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

Breaking through Dementia: Validation

Validation is a method of communication that helps improve the connection between caregivers and older adults experiencing dementia.

SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING

Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

Give the Gift that Keeps Giving

A conversation with Brian LeBlanc about how to make the holidays the best they can be not only for persons living with dementia, but for their Care Partners and for each of us.

SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING

Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

How Do We Make Sense of the Images We See of Aging and Our Everyday Experiences?

An Introduction to Person-Centered Living and Ageism
SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING
Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

Improve Your Dementia Support: You Can Start Tomorrow

Park Springs and Shenandoah Valley Westminster Canterbury have come together to share top-drawer ideas and some things to consider that any community, regardless of resources, can do tomorrow to build their dementia support capacity. Their top ten list includes things you can implement quickly that will have a big impact on your residents, their families, and your employees.

Free resources to help educate and inspire.
SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING
Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

It’s Happening: How Anti-Ageism Activists are Changing the Culture of Aging

An interactive discussion with nationally known author and anti-ageism activist Ashton Applewhite about what’s happening in the movement to change the culture of aging.
SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING
Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

Long-Term Care Equality Index (LEI): Introducing Best Practices that Strengthen LGBTQ Inclusive Communities

Guides Sherrill Wayland and Dan Stewart from the LEI Leadership Team and Advisory Council describe the need for LGBTQ inclusivity, success stories for adopting LGBTQ inclusive policies and practices and the steps you can take today to join the LEI program.

Free resources to help educate and inspire.
SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING
Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

Resources You Can Use to Educate, Advocate, Warm the Soil, Advance Person-Centered Care and Accelerate Culture Change

Free resources to help educate and inspire.
SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING
Handouts

Click “Read More” to view the video.

The Double Whammy of Ageism and Ableism

A Discussion of the Intersection of Ageism and Ableism
SHARING THE VISION WEBINAR RECORDING

Click “Read More” to view the video.