If the Army has a General of Quality of Life what about LTC?

Don’t you think if the army has that, long-term care should have that too? First of all, I’m glad and grateful to God the army does. If you serve or have served our country, I thank you and you indeed should have the best quality of life ever. Many veterans live in our nursing homes too.

Who should be the LTC quality of life general?

Should there be one at DHHS – the Department of Health and Human Services? Maybe. Why not? Perhaps yes. Okay, yes.

Should there be one at CMS – the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services? Maybe. Why not? Perhaps yes. Okay, yes.

Should there be one in each state survey agency. Maybe. Why not? Perhaps yes. Okay, yes.

Should there be one in each nursing home and assisted living? Maybe. Why not? Perhaps yes. Okay, yes.

And guess who it could be? Yep. You. However, should it only be you?

What if it was each of you? Each of us. Each person who works there? Wow, now we’re talking.

I do know of a company that simply switched the name of activity director to quality of life director. That is one thing, but we can’t let it be in name only.

And what about the social worker? So, then I think, maybe the social services team?

Side note: If you ‘re into replacing outdated institutional language like me, there is one to use, team instead of department.

Then I think, what about the social services team and the activities/rec/engagement/community life team? What about them/us together?

Could social services and activities make the greatest quality of life team ever? I do believe so. They could. What if we worked closer together?

That is one thing looking back I would have done differently, and you could be the one to do it now. Reach out and propose becoming the quality of team. See what happens.

And then you could also approach your entire leadership team with the same question really. What if we all were the quality of life team? Wow, what would happen? I’m searching for quality of life minded nurses especially … good quality of life leads to good health.

So there you go. Have any of you done any of this? What difference does it make? And what do you think? Please email me with stories or ideas.

What if there was a regulation that required a quality of life lead?

Or quality of life team?

Or quality of life coordination? What if we ensured a place on each person’s care plan for quality of life and asked and ascertained for them what quality of life means to them and sought to provide it?

What if each person working in LTC homes was expected and taught to be a quality of life coordinator?

How would quality of life look for the precious people living in our country’s LTC homes?

Carmen Bowman, MHS, Regulator turned Educator of Edu-Catering: Catering Education for Compliance and Culture Change is an activities/engagement, regulatory compliance and culture change consultant.  She offers new or not-yet-qualified activity director consultation and personalized continuing education for professionals/teams/associations. Also, a new eResource GUARDIANS OF NORMAL LIFE: How Activity/Recreation/Engagement/Community Life Professionals can Save the World of LTC at  www.edu-catering.com. See lots of normal life and its positive outcomes the Edu-Catering YouTube Channel and share them widely please.