LUANA PROGRAM
Hale Makua Health Services has become the first organization in the State of Hawaii to join the Eden Registry. The significance of this designation reflects the organizations' commitment to improving the quality of life for residents and for recapturing a meaningful work life for their caregivers. As a member of the Eden Registry, Hale Makua Health Services is dedicated to creating communities which eliminate the plagues of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom. These are plagues of the human spirit, not the human body, but they can be just as debilitating and just as deadly as any disease of the body.
Hale Makua Health Services has spent several years working toward becoming an Eden registered organization, using the Eden Alternative Principles as the foundation of their Luana initiative. "Luana" in Hawaiian means to live in comfort and ease. Through the efforts of the Luana initiative Hale Makua Health Services has already begun the transformation of creating an environment that is more home-like and less institutional for residents and those who care for them.
Luana initiative projects have included the creation of vibrant courtyards for residents, visitors, and staff to enjoy; the elimination of visitor sign-in books and "visiting hours," so residents can receive visitors at anytime; the implementation of a continental breakfast so residents can choose when they want to eat breakfast and what they would like to eat; and with the assistance of the County of Maui, the renovation of a traditional nursing station to become primarily a full kitchen and living and dining area for residents, and secondarily a work space for nurses.
The Eden Alternative approach will assist Hale Makua Health Services' staff, residents, and resident families in further developing and creating ways to transform Hale Makua into true homes and communities. The philosophy teaches that decisions belong with residents, or as close to or them as possible. Hale Makua residents want, need, and deserve autonomy over their daily lives. The core concept of the Eden Alternative is that individuals must teach themselves to see places where residents live in an environment created for individuals rather than facilities for the frail and elderly.
The Eden Alternative shows us how companion animals, the opportunity to give meaningful care to other living things, and the variety and spontaneity that mark an enlivened community can succeed where pills and therapies fail. It also shows us how real leaders can create a warm culture that is characterized by optimism, trust, generosity and people working together to make a better world for our residents.
Founded in 1991, by Dr. William Thomas, a Harvard-educated physician and Board Certified Geriatrician, the Eden Alternative now claims over 10,000 Associates and 270 registered homes in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia. The staff and management of these homes continue to work towards meaningful cultural change through ongoing training and a continued dedication to making life better for those in their care. For information on the Eden Alternative™, please visit http://www.edenalt.org.
