Proposal - Geron501.docx - 1 Culture Change A Shift to...

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Culture Change: A Shift to Person-Centered Care Wilson
Culture Change: A Shift to Person-Centered Care
Emma Wilson
Kansas State University

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Culture Change: A Shift to Person-Centered Care Wilson
What is person centered care?
Before deciding the best ways to implement cultural changes in long-term care facilities,
it is important to first have a good understanding of what person-centered care really is. Person-
centered care is defined by the way that people using health services are treated and when they
are considered to be equal partners in the planning and organizing of care, person-centered
care is considered to have been achieved (“Person-centered”). The world “equal” in the
sentence above in the key factor in implementing this type of care. Telling an individual the plan
for their care so they are informed, rather than forming the plan with their input and feelings
taken into consideration, does not fulfill the concept of person-centered care.
Implementation of person-centered care
I will now recommend four changes that can be made in order to implement person-
centered care. First, we must recognize that the resident’s points of view are very different than
the employees. As employees, it is easy to view this type of work similar to working in a hospital
environment. However, for most residents this is their home, not a temporary space they are
staying until their health is restored. Taking this into account, one way to create the sense of
home is to have employees dress in a business casual-like uniform rather than in scrubs. For me
personally, the first thing that comes to mind when I see scrubs is sickness, or a sterile, hospital
environment. If a new attire were implemented, it may help achieve the feeling of home rather
than an institution or hospital.
Second, the implementation of a more in-depth training system before a hands-on
patient care employee is hired may decrease the level of turnover an organization has. If the
training is time-consuming and clearly states the expectations/challenges of the job, this may

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Culture Change: A Shift to Person-Centered Care Wilson