Non‑Discrimination Policy
2010 Seedling Award Nomination
Posted July 09, 2010
The below application was submitted by Denise Hyde, Eden Alternative Community Builder.
Hale Makua Health Services joined the Eden Registry in August 2009. This home is being nominated because they took some very thoughtful first steps to get themselves on the Eden Alternative journey. They learned quite a bit about the Philosophy and Principles before they jumped in with both feet and held a large Eden Associate training for formal leaders and care partners from both of their homes on Maui. They have named their Eden journey, Luana which means “to live in comfort and ease”. They consistently blend the diverse cultures represented by the Kupuna living in their home. Kupuna in the Hawaiian culture means teacher. They have developed a great mission statement: “Those who live, work and visit Hale Makua share the spirit of Aloha and ‘Ohana in a community of compassionate caring that is inviting, intergenerational, educational and a valued part of the journey of life.” ‘Ohana means family.
The homes have subdivided into neighborhoods with consistency in care partners assignments. They are working on more open dining and room service options. They developed a two-day compassionate care workshop which is about taking care of self and the Kupuna, using empathy and compassion. It is provided to all employees regardless if they are involved in direct resident care to set the tone for the type of care environment they are nurturing.
On their Luana journey they have taken great strides in letting residents decide what and when they want to eat. Their continental breakfast program enables residents to make their own breakfast selections from an assortment of breakfast foods, and allows them to eat at whatever time they choose in the morning. While continental breakfast originally got its start at Hale Makua Wailuku, it is now available in all of the neighborhoods. In addition to continental breakfast, their short stay rehab residents have a room service amenity where call the kitchen anytime and order off a special room service menu. Lastly in the food service area, both locations have started monthly resident food committees to review potential new menu items, share food likes and dislikes, and give feedback on the existing menu items.
They have developed a blog site where regular updates about their Eden Alternative journey are posted along with pictures and stories. The idea to start a blog came about at in September 2009 at a Luana Core Team meeting as a way to keep other people informed about Hale Makua Health Services Luana’ journey, our challenges and goals as a Core Team, sharing of neighborhood best practices, a forum to share thoughts and ideas, etc. They thought that this would be a great way to keep track of their journey, replacing the scrapbook that they kept leading up to becoming an Eden registered home. With this blog they have the ability to share with care partners, Kupuna, their families, other organizations, and the public what they are doing on the Luana Journey, something we could never do with just one scrapbook. Having a blog also allows them to give more real time updates to readers, and is much more environmentally friendly.
Most recently Hale Makua Health Services has taking on the daunting task of training all 512 employees on the Luana journey and the Eden Alternative principles. They prepared an Introduction to Luana PowerPoint presentation for staff and the Core Team, plus additional staff members, all took turns training the various groups of staff, from nurses and housekeepers, to the business office, maintenance and purchasing staff. The presentation can also be viewed online at: http://www.slideshare.net/denisethayer/introduction-to-luana. They have been working on something to symbolize and remind everyone about the journey they are on. Through much discussion, they decided on a message on a t-shirt with the antidotes to the three plagues: companionship, giving & receiving care, and variety & spontaneity. The shirts will be given to each Kupuna, employee, volunteer, and family member that completes the introductory Luana education. If you want to see what the tee shirt design looks like, you’ll have to take the class!
In developing a simple tee shirt design they selected the below logo as a symbol of Luana. The vibrant blue and green colors were selected to reflect the vitality and life that resides within the Hale Makua communities, as well as the lush green courtyards and beautiful blue skies that are seen almost daily on Maui. The flower mark has a feeling of motion moving from the center outward, representing the continuous change and growth of Luana within the communities. The flower shape pays tribute to the Eden Alternative concept of growing a garden.
