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192 In Pursuit of the Sunbeam: A Practical Guide to Transformation from Institution to Household
A facility was living the Household Model in their original building while new households were being built. Once the new facility was completed, a group of managers, trying to be helpful, went to the new facility to set up the households with supplies. Putting linens in closets, utensils and tools in kitchen cupboards, etc. For six months after moving day household staff was still struggling to find stuff. Moral of the story: those who thought they were helping out by setting everything up in advance realized that those who worked in the household really do need to be involved in every aspect of change and transformation.
As the design process evolves from schematics to construction documents, financing and construction will be prominent in your life until time to move is just around the corner. This period brings growing excitement, fear and anticipation. The moment everybody has been waiting for is almost here!
While the construction and insurance people won’t get too excited about it, residents and staff will be eager for a peek at the new place. A hardhat tour with small groups of residents and staff may be possible if you communicate with your insurer and take all necessary precautions to guarantee the site is safe and supervised by construction and operating personnel. A tour will raise the excitement level to new heights. People will finally see where they will live and work. The closer to moving day, the more excitement there is.
But there also can be fear if the transition is not well planned so people know their place in it all: Which house will I live in? Who will I live by? Who will work in my house? Which house will I work in? Who will I work with?
Letting these questions go unanswered for too long breeds fear. “Not knowing” is part of the change process, but as time draws near lingering uncertainty can be unhealthy. People need to know and help direct their circumstances.
Some Household Model organizations take this process very seriously and go to great lengths to ensure existing personal relationships determine where people live and work. There is really no other way truly consistent with the Household Model. After all, this is about creating home, and home is where we live with people we love.
We in long term care are so used to making decisions based on institutional criteria, it is counterintuitive for us to believe we can actually