Thanks for creating this blog. I thought it was a very interesting read. It is so interesting reading other peoples personal take on a subject….

Love is the greatest experience for most people who work in older adult services. Love is required to do the job right. This may be true of many professions, but it is most certainly true in this one.

Love is patient. Our customers are referred to as “residents” or “patients.” Patient is derived from the Latin word patiens, the present participle of the deponent verb pati, meaning “one who endures” or “one who suffers”. Patience is the adjective form of patient.

Staff remain calm and even during often trying circumstances. This is requirement of the profession, our specialty. Working with older adults is a wonderful opportunity to learn from the most experienced masters society has to offer! People who have seen good times and bad. Sickness and health. Enjoyed the best economic times and weathered recession. Folks who can really say “been there, done that.” In my career I have seen many young people mature rapidly from exposure to the wisdom of the aged.

Love is kind. Effective care giving requires a desire to alleviate suffering for another person. Caring and compassionate are given attributes of persons called into the profession of nursing and other allied professions.

Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Love will place the needs of others in place of self. Paradoxically, these traits must be learned quickly if they are not already disciplines in the life of a new care provider! If one does not quickly learn to work well with others, integrate into an interdisciplinary team, and utilize the synergy of others, problems will arise. Stated yet another way, there is no “I” in team!

Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. When we think of compassionate love, we think of this type of person. Love takes practice like any discipline. If you want to be good at a sport, or playing a musical instrument, you must practice, practice, practice! By no means should love be downgraded to a mere exercise. Though similarly it requires input, but you will get out of it exponentially what you contribute!

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Protecting people is so much a part of the fabric of aging services that it is almost taken for granted. Every day we protect the spiritual, physical, and mental well being of those in our trust. And of course trust is a two-way street we can never take for granted. Sometimes caring is just sticking to it, persistence. With therapy this is often the case. Simple actions can be so repetitive and routine. But measured over time results are phenomenal! The ultimate goal of love in action in aging services is to set people free.

The generations alive today have seen more change than any other in recorded history. Moreover, all indications are that the intensity and variability of change will only increase.

But love never fails. It is a constant you can count on like gravity. Not unlike the laws of physics, consistent application will produce consistent results.

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During a recent stay in a motel, I decided to make the 4 cups of pre-packaged coffee in a filter that was provided in my room. At the top of the coffee package was the message, “Open for a Better Day”. The message struck me as a nice way for the motel to make me feel better about staying at their motel. I wondered how we might use the phrase at the entrance to a skilled nursing facility. Could it be a sign at the entrance door? Or could it be on the cover of a brochure about a nursing home?

But then, when I went to tear open the package, it didn’t really tear. I had to cut it with a scissors. And frankly, the coffee wasn’t that great. My moment of “Better Day” was short lived. I wondered how much effort we put into slogans, posters, and good intentions that don’t necessarily give us the results we want – the “It” factor. My coffee almost had “It”, but then quickly slipped away.

It would be great if we could provide a welcoming package that was easy to open, had easy instructions, smelled good, tasted good, and left our residents feeling like they truly had a “Better Day” for being part of our community. Maybe that’s “It”!