Just a Bite June 2nd, 2009

Quote to ponder under the apple tree

I know but one freedom, and that is the freedom of the mind.
~ Antoine de Saint Exupery (born June 29, 1900)

Resources to bite into

1. Reintroduce yourself to children’s literature *
The current issue of Brain Aerobics Weekly provides brief bios of four famous children’s authors with June birthdays, and encourages adults to reread for themselves as well as for their children or grandchildren what once inspired them. Antoine de Saint Exupery’s most famous work, The Little Prince, which has been described as “a children’s fable for adults” is especially appropriate. One of the most popular books of all time since its 1943 publication, the author did not know its success. A lifelong pilot, he died while flying over the Mediter-ranean on a World War II mission for the French military. Look him up and read more!

2. Mondegreens

As also noted in the current issue of Brain Aerobics Weekly, mondegreens are (often comically) misunderstood lines of poetry and song. For example:
· “Jose, can you see?” is “O, Say can you see?” in “The Star Spangled Banner”
· “The ants are my friends, they're blowing in the wind” is “The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind” by Bob Dylan
· “Got a lot of lucky peanuts” is “Got a lot of love between us” by Frankie Vallee and the Four Seasons
Find more at http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/wrlyric.html

3. Six word novels and autobiographies *

Another feature in the current issue of Brain Aerobics Weekly is the book Not Quite What I Was Planning, Revised and Expanded Deluxe Edition: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser. Could you sum up your life in six words? Here are samples:
70 years, few tears, hairy ears.
Lost five pounds: the wrong five.
Outcast. Picked last. Surprised them all.
To order the book, click here.

* These items are easily adapted when working with people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Tips/ideas/insights to savor

I have frequently used the word puzzle at left which translates as “Do not underestimate me,” as a reminder to elder care staff to recognize that although the people they care for may have dementia or physical frailties, what remains is still substantial and needs to be honored. It is a message that bears periodic repeating. However, last week I had an experience that gives the graphic new meaning.

In the months ahead, I may have an opportunity to create an online learning program for the Green House Project, one amazing element in Bill Thomas’s vision for transforming nursing home care. As a precursor, I spent last week observing staff training for a nursing home in rural Arkansas that is moving from a highly traditional model to the Green House Model, which will be a series of five lovely group homes of 12 residents each. The training was capably led by two longtime friends and colleagues of mine, Bill Keane and Anna Ortigara, and my new CNA friend/inspiration Emma Williams. Their passion, enthusiasm and joy was wonderful to watch, but even more thrilling was the staff transformation they engendered, particularly in the CNAs.

CNAs are seldom accorded the respect they deserve, but this group was especially easy to discount. They were not well educated, and they had a narrow world view – most of them had little experience beyond the small rural Arkansas towns they had grown up in. Add to that the fact that many of us on the east and west coasts of the U.S. could easily be convinced they were rubes and country bumpkins of limited potential. Indeed, throughout their lives little has been expected of them.

Then along came a businessman who thought local elders deserved better care and that the nursing home’s current employees could meet that challenge. Bill and Anna arrived for the first six days of training to introduce the coming changes. Suddenly, CNAs who had never even attended a care planning meeting for a resident proved they could lead the meeting. A little light began to shine in the first few days, but by the sixth day they were on fire with the possibilities within themselves. I have long known not to underestimate elders, but now I will also never again underestimate what ANY well-trained, empowered and motivated staff can achieve.

Let the ever-ripening Wiser Now website become the apple of your eye.
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