The sunbeam," the right to home, has eluded the frail elders of this country for too long. It is time for a change. In Pursuit of the Sunbeam is a guide for individuals and organizations looking to embrace the true home of the resident-directed Household Model. Based on James O. Prochaska's stages of change, the Norton and Shields Change Matrix plots the transformational journey from beginning awareness of the need for change on a personal level through physical and organizational reconstruction into households licensed as skilled nursing facilities.The authors share their experiences with nursing home transformation in the form of organizational strategies, change theory, practical development practices, leadership behaviors and inspirational storytelling. This book is the quintessential "How-To" of the Household Model - the future of long-term care.

"In Old Age in a New Age, journalist Beth Baker takes readers on a journey into some of the best places in America for elders to live. In these remarkable nursing homes, residents have a say in their everyday lives, enjoy an environment that looks and feels like an ordinary home, live with dignity and purpose, and find comfort in close relationships with caregivers." "Baker's visits to more than two dozen facilities include those associated with the Eden Alternative, Green House, Kendal, and the Pioneer Network - where she made some surprising discoveries."--BOOK JACKET.

With their glorious colors, glittering iridescence, astonishing powers of flight, and many characteristics unique in the world of birds, hummingbirds are extraordinary--true jewels of nature. This beautiful book is a celebration of all aspects of hummingbirds and their world. It features hundreds of the most spectacular photographs of hummingbirds ever taken, exquisite illustrations, and a lively, readable text that presents the latest scientific information and includes up-to-date details about every species.

This globally focused resource integrates sound research evidence, real-life case scenarios, and effective, practical strategies to address a key health care initiative of the 21st century--optimal quality of life for older adults. Distinguished by its broad and global outlook, the book includes contributions from an international cadre of widely published scholars and is designed for easy integration into traditional nursing education curricula. The book explores the experiences of older adults at home, and in acute and primary care, assisted living, nursing home and hospice environments and examines their needs for dealing with multiple, differentiated health, spiritual, and emotional considerations.

This book explores key factors long-term care recipients have identified as impacting their quality of life and offers programmatic and policy recommendations to enhance well-being within long-term care communities. Leadership and staff who work in nursing homes and other residential care communities serve as gatekeepers to resident well-being, often without recognizing how residents’ quality of life is impacted by their decision-making. This book takes a life domain approach to build on research-based studies that document key drivers of care recipients’ quality of life, including relationships, autonomy and respect, activities and meals, environment, and care. Using a framework that enhances understanding of resident quality of life, it outlines practical, programmatic, and policy suggestions for long-term care stakeholders, such as administrators, managers, front-line staff, family members, and policy-makers, whose directives and actions impact the lived experience of long-term care residents. As such, this book serves as a roadmap for leaders and managers of long-term care communities, along with policymakers who regulate health and human services, to best structure care environments to maximize quality of life and well-being for long-term care recipients.