Fall Winter 2017

The Oregon Caregiver Fall/Winter 2017 www.ohca.com 8 with include the State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in Oregon (SPADO), the Partnership to Improve Dementia Care, and the Purple Ribbon Commission. These collaborations include working within the health care community and working with the public. Executive Director Tracy Morgan said, “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the families, the volunteers, the partners.” Morgan said that what they learn from listening to families and the community helps shape their collaborations with statewide organizations. “We may not be the answer for everything, but we’re trying to connect people with resources. That’s why we work with and rely on partners,” she said. One example of how this type of collaboration can transpire happened earlier this year. “We heard from family caregivers that they didn’t have enough opportunities for respite. And this actually started a lot of the work that we did with AARP,” she said referring to the Oregon Caregiver Respite Work Group. The work group was convened by AARP Oregon last year to discuss the needs of family caregivers and to address how state agencies, private employers, and organizations across Oregon can help address these needs. "Another collaboration involves the Alzheimer’s Association’s Memories in the Making program, where staff at care communities are trained to facilitate a therapeutic art activity with their residents,” said Morgan. “We have provided this training to over 100 sites throughout Oregon. It’s a truly beautiful program that allows individuals with Alzheimer’s or dementia to come into a non-judgmental atmosphere and just enjoy themselves.” Collaboration can have international roots as well. CareOregon collaborated with the National Health Service of England in 2015 when they created their LiveWell quality improvement program. Since its inception in 2015, the program has grown from 10 long term care facilities collaborating with LiveWell to about 50 today. CareOregon’s Barbara Kohnen Adriance said the theory behind the program is that the happier the caregiver, the happier the resident. “The focus of the LiveWell method is on the caregivers— their environment, their teamwork, their communications, and their mastery of measurement and initiative taking,” she said. “The premise is that you get higher quality care and also lower costs when your team is working at their very best.” Kohnen FEATURE Adriance describes the ideal team as one that communicates well; knows what each other is doing; and has a great understanding of what needs to be done, the capabilities of the facility, and the needs of the residents. One of the focuses of the LiveWell program is leadership style, and collaboration and teamwork are key. “The type of leadership that is needed for the highest quality experience is » COLLABORATION DRIVES QUALITY, CONT. A STAFF MEMBER OF THE SPRINGS OF SHERWOOD BEGINS TO PREPARE FOR THE CAREOREGON LIVEWELL PROGRAM. “ALL OF US ARE VERY COMMITTED TO IMPROVING QUALITY CARE AND PATIENT SAFETY. WE’RE MORE WILLING TO ALIGN OUR EFFORTS AND WORK TOGETHER AND CHECK EGOS AND SELF-INTEREST AT THE DOOR.”