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« Preventing the Epidemic of Falls | Main | Green Co-Housing »

January 28, 2008 |Permalink |Comments (3)

Role of the Next Generation of Culture Change Advocates

[Note from Dr. Bill] Best part of my new job as a university professor is, hands down, the students. Below is a guest post from one of UMBC's best and brightest grad students. I'd like to extend an open invitation to all UMBC students, faculty and staff interested in Changing Aging to join our conversation. Enjoy --

Hello All!!!

First and foremost, I would like to thank Dr. Thomas for letting me guest post today. I am honored to have the opportunity to make my first post on such an active and important blog.

While my blogging name is JazzRespect&Heart my real name is Patrick Doyle. I am a first year doctoral gerontology student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). My interests are in researching quality of care in long-term care and through this, furthering the progress we have already made in the culture change movement.

The goal of this post is to start an active dialogue on the future directions of the culture change movement and the role of beginning and aspiring gerontologists in this vision. So please don’t just read this post, take a second to comment with ideas and suggestions.

While the concept of culture change is relatively new, the history is rich. In the initial meetings discussing culture change, scholars in the field of gerontology gathered and shared revolutionary ideas about elder care. These ideas laid the foundation for a new and dignified elderhood. These scholars came away from the meetings determined to move from institutional care to a home-like care setting focused on the needs of the elder NOT the institution.

The pioneers of this movement were active advocates for change, which, I would argue has triggered a paradigm shift. This change in zeitgeist was difficult for many people used to the old system as it required a complete alteration in their weltanschauung (I figured I would add to the intrigue of the post by incorporating a few German philosophical terms). What sets new gerontologists apart is that for the most part, we were not taught that old method of care. Due to the efforts of innovators of culture change, the ideals now being taught closely align with the once revolutionary principles they advocated. From these teachings, students are molding their “world views” which leads to a greater adoption of the culture change philosophies.

I am not saying that all new gerontologists accept or are even aware of these concepts but that now more than ever there is a growing following in this movement. The bottom line is that in order to further culture change these students must become entrenched in the movement.

Here is the X factor:

As I see it, we have two generations in this movement – the innovators and the student supporters. For the culture change movement to maintain momentum in the upcoming years these students need to be dedicated, well-trained and knowledgeable in gerontology/culture change. They need to know what has been done, what has not; what works, what does not; what we have tried and where we are going….

Who can teach this better than the innovators themselves? I say no one. That is why I feel the most important thing for this movement is to form a close collaboration between the innovators and the students. Here is the million dollar question for everyone:

How do we accomplish this?

I have some thoughts but I want to hear yours!

(Commentary on specific roles of new gerontologists and the future of culture change would also be greatly appreciated!)

[Patrick can be reached at pdoyle1ATumbcDOTedu]

Comments ( 3)

Having just read a painful story in the Washington Post about elder abuse (A Hidden Crime), this is a most timely post, Patrick.

I have high hopes for young students like you, especially when you're studying with Bill Thomas.

Changing aging is an enormous undertaking in the U.S. that involves changing attitudes, prejudice, language, the entertainment media and just about every aspect of the culture that mostly wants old people to disappear from view. In an era when 40 is the new 60 and Botox is the treatment of choice for aging, getting attention for the real needs of elders (and don't forget the contributions they could make if we were not made invisible) is a tough task.

I could write volumes, but for now I would make just one suggestion: yes, work with the innovators, but please consult with and listen to elders themselves. Who knows better what they need.

It would be most interesting to hear more from you, Patrick. How did you choose gerontology? What innovations have most captured your imagination? How would you get more young people interested in gerontology and geriatrics? And so on...

Posted by Ronni Bennett
January 28, 2008 5:07 PM

Patrick--I think you've hit an interesting nail on the head: there is a new generation of students being nurtured by innovators, and in many situations, it is 'safe' for us to reject the status quo and springboard from an entirely new set of principles and expectations. There's another side of the coin (undoubtedly it's a multi-faceted one) that I think can present an even greater advantage, and that is the HUGE group of students (traditional and nontraditional) that aren't part of gerontology at all. These students are in Chemistry, Engineering, Social Work, English, Psychology, Education, on and on and on...and if you ask them to think about or define "long-term care" a majority is unlikely to think beyond the standard nursing home, but they do know that they don't like it. The advantage comes in when we realize that we have a largely-untapped army of smart, driven, and very talented allies to help move the culture of long-term care ahead; indeed, the challenge becomes doubled then to foster the next generation of gerontologists AND our allies.

The business world has so many cliche ways of describing situations, but one concept seems to persist: creating opportunity out of challenge. The challenge--lots of hard work to be done, resistance to change, and a general lack of education and awareness about the task at hand; the opportunity--strength in numbers, and a fresh resource of thinkers and do-ers waiting to find their passion.

Posted by Leanne Clark
January 29, 2008 8:37 AM

Thank you Ronnie and Leanne for your wonderful comments and suggestions!

First of all, thank you Ronnie for incorporating that Washington Post article in your response. In reading that article, my blood was boiling and I was reminded of exactly why I am in this field! I agree with you 100% that the task that lies ahead for all gerontologists is immense. As a result, making strides in the field will require a great deal of time and dedication from everyone involved. This may deter some people from joining in the effort and while this is unfortunate, I believe that it is the individuals with the heart, passion, and motivation to join us and persist through the inevitable tribulations that will continue to drive this movement.

Getting individuals to join the cause (even those that possess the passion needed) will take a great deal of effort from the advocates. Leanne made some great points on this topic in her comment to this post. I agree that we have a large pool of knowledgeable people in higher education that could potentially serve as allies in the culture change movement. Many of the students and professionals in these other fields will undoubtedly posses some degree of disgust for our current long-term care system. Even limited exposure to the current systems will elicit negative assessments from these individuals. As Leanne pointed out, we have to take advantage of these masses. To do this, we must channel their scholarly drive to include changing elder care within our society. This can be aided by individuals receiving advanced degrees in gerontology. Their interdisciplinary training will allow them to effectively communicate across disciplines and recruit the masses to this cause.

To swing back to a comment made by Ronnie…“Listen to the elders themselves”

Great point! This is the foundation of culture change. In the past, the voices of our elders have fallen on deaf ears. This is unacceptable and something that universally must change! Personally, I promise to never loss sight of the importance of listening to those we serve. I believe that anyone involved in this movement must hold this ideal close to their heart as nothing is more important than the needs of our elders.

In conclusion, I will briefly respond to Ronnie’s questions about myself please feel free to e-mail me with any other questions (pdoyle1@umbc.edu).

Choosing gerontology actually came pretty easily to me. When I was just nine years old my mother took me to volunteer at the nursing home where she worked. I feel in love with the people and never stopped going. Through the years that I spent in nursing homes, I have witnessed many terrible things. These experiences made the need for change very apparent. So when it came to applying to graduate programs, it was already clear that my passion was in changing the face of elder care. I felt that attaining a doctorate in gerontology would best prepare me for this mission. So now I am at UMBC working with some of the greatest minds in the field trying to learn everything I can to prepare for the future.

The innovations that have intrigued me most are those of Dr. Thomas. His revolutionary programs and their adoption rates are an inspiration to all. I can only hope to someday build on his efforts with ideas and innovations of my own.

~Patrick J. Doyle

Posted by JazzRespect&Heart [TypeKey Profile Page]
January 29, 2008 12:03 PM

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