Our mission is to promote and foster culture change to improve the quality of life for older Georgians and those closest to them in all settings where aging services are delivered. This includes nursing homes, assisted living, adult day, home health, hospice, HUD/affordable housing, and the DD community — in the place they call home.
The "culture change movement" consists of thousands of people working at every level of long-term care to replace the traditional approach to institutional aging in nursing homes with settings that are real homes. Culture change is the common name given to this national movement to transform older adult services, based on person-centered and person-directed values and practices, where the voices of elders and those working with them always come first. Person-centered values include choice, dignity, respect, self-determination and purposeful living.
Culture change puts the person before the task. We support the transformation of both long and short-term living environments, as well as community-based settings, where everyone in supported living and their caregivers are able to express choice and practice self-determination in meaningful ways. We share a vision, a desire and a willingness to work for long-term and eldercare where the aging person's choices and wishes come first, and where meaningful relationships with others create genuine interaction not often found in yesterday's institutions.
Because we wanted to see culture change reflected throughout the continuum of aging services, LeadingAge Georgia took the initiative to begin the Culture Change Network of Georgia (founded in 2008). Georgia was the 31st state to begin a statewide group to focus on culture change.
We are working to define culture change, increase awareness, educate share ideas and highlight programs and promising practices that can be replicated throughout the state. We advocate for creating the kind of care that all people want for their loved ones and themselves. As the clearinghouse of organizations and providers working on person-centered, long-term care in multiple care settings, we are working to build common knowledge, support, commitment and relationships among those represented, and coordinate with other existing groups that have similar goals and interests.
The Culture Change Network of Georgia is housed at the Georgia Institute on Aging, which is the education arm of LeadingAge Georgia. The Institute is providing the leadership role and in-kind support, staff time, newsletter and website production and "housing" the website, conference "production," financial support to our culture change coordinator, Kim McRae, and meeting space.
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