Person-Centered Approach

Kumeu Village Aged Care together with The Ladybug have been Registered Eden Alternative homes for nine years and while we are no longer registered directly with the Eden Alternative, we feel we can be more specific to address the needs of our residents in what is proving to be more of predominately dementia and hospital levels of care, we have many employees qualified in the Eden Philosophy and we remain very much dedicated to providing our residents with the best ‘Person Centered Care’. That means the way we treat residents is like we would a friend or beloved family member. Our Person Centered Care is an approach to care that recognises the importance of treating a person’s heart as well as heart condition. While we do our best to heal bodies, we must feed spirits.

We encourage new ideas, spontaneous acts of kindness, thoughtfulness and consideration throughout our resident’s home.

Person Centered Care is not so much a destination, but a journey. We travel life together, making it more worthwhile for our residents, and the staff providing the care. Person Centered Care focuses first on the residents, their wants, needs and wishes. Treatment is provided through this care process.

Person Centered Principles

By combating loneliness, helplessness and boredom we reduce most of the suffering experienced by our elders or residents in Aged Care, through Person Centered Care.

There is one problem statement – which is all about the three plagues of loneliness, helplessness and boredom. The other identify the challenges and the solutions to providing a person centred care environment for all residents.

Fundamental Principles for Person-Centered Care:

The three plagues of loneliness, helplessness and boredom account for the bulk of suffering among our Elders.
An person-centered community commits to creating a Human Habitat where life revolves around close and continuing contact with plants, animals and children. It is these relationships that provide the young and old alike with a pathway to a life worth living.
Loving companionship is the antidote to loneliness. Elders deserve easy access to human and animal companionship.
A person-centered community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness.
A person-centered community values daily life with variety and spontaneity by creating an environment in which unexpected and unpredictable interactions and happenings can take place. This is the antidote to boredom.
Meaningless activity corrodes the human spirit. The opportunity to do things that we find meaningful is essential to human health.
Medical treatment should be an alternative of genuine human caring, never its main focus.
A person-centered community honors its Elders by de-emphasizing top down bureaucratic authority, seeking instead to place the maximum possible decision-making authority into the hands of the Elders or into the hands of those closest to them.
Creating an person-centered community is a never-ending process. Human growth must never be separated from human life.