The Cedars Learning Center will address the national shortage of skilled senior care providers.

TODAY OUR NATION faces a steep rise in its senior population and a critical shortfall of skilled caregivers. As the second-oldest state in the nation, Maine will feel this shortage more than most. We can’t wait for others to build tomorrow’s workforce. We must do it ourselves—beginning now.

“Over the next two years, in conjunction with industry thought leaders, The Cedars will be committing its resources to the development of a Learning Community™ —an in-house teaching and learning resource with which to train its workforce of the future,” explains Bill Foster, former Dean of the Muskie School of Public Service and former Chief of Staff and Deputy Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Labor. “It will serve as a unique model of open source teaching and learning for all of us.”

Over the years, The Cedars has developed strong partnerships and collaborations with public universities and community colleges, private colleges, high schools, insurance companies, state legislative and regulatory officials, and workforce development organizations. Within the Learning Community™ we can share best practices, discuss topics of common interest, and promote a sense of community to enhance teaching and learning within the field of gerontology. Collaborating with a broad array of partners, this community of learning and practice will enhance the quality and effectiveness of our workforce and offer the same to others in the field.

The Cedars Learning Community™ will:

• Address the challenges of a rapidly aging population and a declining workforce in Maine by creating a better-trained, more stable pool of caregivers skilled in best practices for person-centered senior care Make Maine a center of learning and knowledge-building that others will want to visit and emulate
• Attract additional support and funding, and become a driver of economic development in the growing healthcare sector
• Build a stronger sense of engagement among the many stakeholders invested in quality care for seniors.

Our Learning Community™ will benefit not only The Cedars and its residents, but other providers, educational institutions, and the people of Maine.

What is Culture Change?

• A PersonFirst approach to care
• It requires knowledge of our residents’ preferences and life stories
• It needs facility systems that support our staff in providing care on our residents’ own schedule and preferences
• It requires empowerment of our staff in self-directed teams so that they can make decisions in the moment, for our residents

The Cedars has been on the Culture Change journey for a while. And now we have a company called Action Pact to help us. They are experts on Culture Change and provide trainings for staff in all departments, volunteers, family and residents.

The PersonFirst Approach

In order to make home, we must start by knowing and honoring an individual’s life, stories and desires. To create a meaningful life, we all have five human needs that must be filled:

• Inclusion: we all need to be part of a larger group, to be included in life around us.
• Comfort: provide warmth, strength, a feeling of security to help us hold it together when we are in fear of falling apart.
• Identity: to know who we are and where we came from.
• Occupation: to be involved in the process of daily life, drawing on our abilities and powers. It’s the opposite of boredom.
• Attachment: to bond with another human being helps us feel safe.

What Makes Your Home a ‘Home”?

Clinical studies have shown that nursing home residents have the same environmental stressors as homeless individuals. Traditional nursing homes lack private spaces, and have many noises and routines that don’t fit what we do in our own homes.

One goal of the Household Model is to create a place that looks and feels like home—so that it can become our residents’ home—a sanctuary and a space where visitors want to stay and visit, and experience the comforts of their loved ones at home.

The Steering Team

This is a group of 15 staff from all departments and volunteers that meet weekly to make immediate changes that will further the adoption of person-centered care and prepare us for the move into our new Households.

Our Mission: To create a home that empowers seniors and staff by facilitating an open and inclusive community that honors all individuals and their life’s journey.
To find out more, visit actionpact.com/resources

Grow bold with us.