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live in by accomplishing grand things such as writing a book, going on a balloon ride, or sitting on the back of a Harley. But in this work we reaffirm the opportunity of every person to live life in a way that is meaningful and of their own choosing.
The stories abound in organizations that have re- structured into households and neighborhoods: resi- dents who cook for their families and housemates, take and teach classes, do interior design, communicate with family and friends on Facebook (even at age 101), resume playing musical instruments, garden, camp out, and share their wisdom with newly awakened and responsive staff. Consider Mr. Johnson, now living in deep dementia. He had made his living as a stand-up comedian, traveling over a seven-state region for 35 years. His family and household staff came together to think about how to create a purposeful climate for him. Family members gathered and wrote down all his old jokes and gave them to staff to memorize. After that, any staff member who found Mr. Johnson a little lost or unsure could recite a joke and stop right before the punchline. Like the faithful who never forget their prayers, Mr. Johnson would get a twinkle in his eye and deliver the punchline with perfect timing. In true affirmation of his personhood, his line was always met with genuine heartfelt laughter and delight.
CONCLUSION
Rethink, restructure, renew, relearn, redesign, reaffirm—these make up the molecular blueprint for achieving our vision, our destiny as caregivers. De- velop them, and we can change the culture of long- term care, but we must first be resolved in our purpose and deeply aware of the complexity of organizational culture. Our mutual understanding must circulate to every extremity and permeate every cell of our organi- zation until it is a part of our DNA and takes on a life of
its own. When that happens, the culture itself is deeply changed, and the vision will survive and flourish.
REFERENCES
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Palmieri, V.G. (2008). Resident-directed care from scratch: Action teams learn what elders really want. In L. Bump (Ed.), Nourish the body and soul: How to
make the kitchen the heart of the home (pp. 16–17).
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Senge, P.M., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R., Roth,
G., & Smith, B. (1999). The dance of change: The challenges of sustaining momentum in learning organi- zations. New York: Doubleday.
Shields, S. (2008). Integrated prefeasibility analysis: Pathway to your Household Model business case. Culture Change Now, Special Edition Households, pp. 2–5.
Shields, S., & Norton, L. (2006). In pursuit of the sunbeam: A practical guide to transformation from institution to household. Milwaukee, WI: Action Pact Press.\
BOOK CHAPTER REPRINT
CHAPTER 11
FUTURE PULL Understanding the Culture in Culture Change by LaVrene Norton
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