Culture change in care homes: development and facilitation

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Care homes face challenges in adapting to evolving quality improvement standards.
• A need exists for structured programs to foster a culture of continuous learning and quality enhancement in aged care.
• This study follows a previous article on culture change initiatives in care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To independently develop and facilitate a flexible learning program for care homes.
• To support a care home company's quality improvement request by enhancing care culture.
• To establish a foundation for care homes to become Remedial Enterprise Active Learning (REAL) environments.

Main Methods:

• Independent development and facilitation of a flexible learning program.
• Care home staff conducted a review of their existing care culture.
• Development of a new care philosophy based on the culture review.

Main Results:

• The learning program was not fully completed due to unforeseen circumstances.
• Staff experiences provided insights into the practical challenges of implementing culture change.
• Identified successes in initiating a review of care culture and developing a new philosophy.

Conclusions:

• Implementing culture change in care homes involves significant challenges and potential successes.
• The process highlighted the importance of staff engagement in reviewing and redefining care philosophies.
• Experiences offer valuable lessons for future initiatives aimed at improving learning cultures in care homes.