Page 210 - In Pursuit of the Sunbeam.indd

environmental transformations are solidly integrated. This is what you have been working for. Together, strong and proud, you evict institutionalism from your home and lives.
One Household Model organization decided they really needed to mark the transition from old to new so they decided to have a bonfire with staff and residents. They burned a piece of the old nurses’ station, a bib, a restraint – anything they could find that represented “the old way.” Residents were encouraged to write down things they didn’t like about the old way-things-were-done and burn those papers too. With the bonfire they were about to cross over a line and begin anew the next day.
YOU ARE HOME
And so, here you are. Everyone can now enjoy the fruits of all your hard work: a sense of family, purpose and belonging is felt by all who live and work in the household. It’s extraordinary, isn’t it?
However, to sustain the good work you have done the organization must stay committed to the Essential Elements of the Household Model.
Begin With Ritual
We mark significant events in our lives – from birthdays, marriage, graduation and holidays to death – with rituals. Whether formal or not, each ritual is sacred in its own right.
Moving into a new home, and especially moving from a conventional nursing home into a Household Model, is a significant event. Some cultures have rituals to bless a new home or “warm” a house. The following is a house blessing conducted by Meadowlark Hills when opening of the houses occured. The blessing was followed by a housewarming with shared food, conversation, song and laughter. This particular house blessing ceremony is adapted with permission from Father Edward Hayes’ house blessing ritual in his prayer book, “Prayers for the Domestic Church.”
ENVIRONMENTAL
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