Recently endorsed in all 10 principles of the Eden Alternative, the first facilities in Australia to do so, DutchCare is showing what's possible when people are put first, CEO Petra Neeleman tells Darragh O Keeffe.
In any aged care facility, it is the staff working on the ground who know best the needs and wants of the residents in their care. By recognizing this knowledge, and empowering staff to act accordingly, the level of resident care improves.
It is this mantra that underpins much of the management philosophy at DutchCare, a Victorian organisation that was recently the first Australian residential provider to be accredited in the 10 Eden principles in each of its aged care facilities.
CEO Petra Neeleman says it is this empowerment of staff - and not the "plants, kids and animals" people generally associate with Eden - that has led to the culture change in the organisation.
"Staff have the best idea of what older people need, and so it's our job as managers to support them and give them the resources necessary. The staff is empowered to make life as good as it can be for residents, and make things happen. And they do," she says.
Neeleman says it's for this reason that she seeks out "unprofessional staff".
"The problem with 'professional' staff is that they tend to stand back; they don't get too close. I mean, we're dealing with people's lives here...in aged care all we have left are people's stories. When you get close to people you can care for them better.
"If it's someone you know and love you, go out of your way to care more for them. That's the approach we foster - it's more family orientated. If you know someone's story you can react much better."
Personal care workers (PCW) at DutchCare have often returned from external training sessions and commented that they had much broader and deeper knowledge than PCWs working in other organisations. This is a testament that the policy of empowering and supporting them was effective, she says.
As a general rule, Neeleman says, PCWs at DutchCare can volunteer to be up-skilled to perform any task that isn't prescribed as a nursing function - for example, taking blood pressure.
"The premise is that we're dealing with competent women - women are the bulk of the workforce. They bring up their families; we let them lose minding their babies, we expect them to do that job. And then, they walk into a facility and are treated like a nincompoop. Just because I have more training and skill than they do doesn't mean I can't pass it on," she says.
It's more than a decade since Neeleman, along with a handful of other prominent aged care leaders such as Glenn Bunney and June Heinrich, first heard Dr William Thomas speak about the Eden alternative at a conference in Hawaii.
Neeleman says part of the reason she related to William was that DutchCare was already doing many of the things he advocated.
"We had started turning morning tea into a social occasion; one where staff, residents and family could sit and talk. My training was as a youth leader and I had learned a lot of positive stuff about growing people. So when Bill talked about that I thought yes, I understand what he's saying," she says.
Neeleman says the Eden philosophy has given her and the organization the tools to develop and empower people. "The registered nurse, for example, is just part of the process now. They're not there telling people what to do; we're much more collaborative. And that feeds into our relationship with families. We tell them, we're not here to replace you. We're here to assist you."
Of course, in a highly regulated arena such as aged care, changing the mould can be challenging. Neeleman acknowledges there has been some negotiation with the relevant authorities.
"In one of our facilities we had removed the nurses stations. The nurses now sit at a desk in the lounge room, which has a computer, files and so on. The assessors weren't happy the files weren't locked away and thought it raised a privacy issue. I argued they had been put out of the way and there was nothing in the legislation about locking files. I explained we worked on trust, and we'd never had an issue with someone looking inappropriately through files. If family members want information, they know all they have to do is ask. They understood where we were coming from in the end," she says.
Neeleman says the underlying philosophy of empowerment isn't limited to how management views staff. Residents, too, are central, she says.
"When we talk with elders, it's a discussion around the dining table. It's just like how you'd talk to your family. If there's an issue, say with the food for example, we sit down and discuss it. Everyone has the right to speak, although we all wait our turn. But it's the idea it's a quality circle and everyone is equal. We respect what we each have to say," she says.
Objects from the past help reminiscence
Following a long shipping journey and a delay at customs, a twenty-foot container of pre-World War II items of Dutch culture and history arrived destined for DutchCare facilities in Victoria.
Inside sat Dutch music records unheard for decades, school items from a childhood long past and the cultural artifacts of a life left behind during the migration to Australia.
The historical items were donated to DutchCare residents from the reminiscence museums of the Humanitas Foundation in the Netherlands and represent the largest collection of cultural objects ever donated to the organisation.
Petra Neeleman, CEO of DutchCare, says that while traditional items of Dutch culture and heritage have been available through Victoria's Dutch Heritage Centre, the sheer range of items is unprecedented.
Residents have spent the best part of a week unpacking the shipment, which include items as diverse as pot-belly stoves, old fireplaces, enamel cooking pots, tin cans with authentic Dutch branding, prams, traditional radios, sewing machines and early-made fridges.
The objects provide an important reminder of what life was like in the Netherlands and encourage residents to swap and compare the stories of their generation.
Neeleman and her staff plan to set up rotating displays in corners and passageways throughout their facilities to exhibit the items for residents, staff and visitors. Members of the Dutch community will also be invited to view the exhibitions.
"It will give the elders opportunities to share stories with their grandchildren and their great grandchildren and even the children of staff," she says.
The sensory quality of the reminiscing experience - to be able to smell and touch the objects - triggers a powerful historical memory, she says.
It also gives the staff and the other family members an insight into the individual.
The items, which were originally donated to the Humanitas Foundation from the Dutch public, also include Dutch newspapers dating back to the Second World War. Neeleman says many residents in DutchCare facilities have limited English-reading skills or have reverted to back to speaking in their mother tongue.
After arriving at the shipping port in Victoria, the container was unloaded and the boxes delivered to the Carrum Downs facility.
A busload of residents from the nearby Kilsyth facility also made a visit to Carrum Downs to help unpack and be part of the excitement.
The partnership between Humanitas and DutchCare has developed over many years and is an important example how organisations serving CALD communities can tap into the resources of their home country.
Comment