Norfolk, NE: Heritage of Bel-Air Energizes Team with BUDDIES FOREVER Skills
Heritage of Bel-Air hosted the monthly team in-service with an atmosphere of fun and team building. The leadership team engaged in singing Mission, Vision, Values and had the entire team join in for some fun musical reminders of the heart of Vetter Health Services.
The team was reminded of some important components of the Abuse and Neglect Standard; one of the Operating Standards from VHS that guides our excellent clinical care.
Cameo Rogers, Life Enrichment Coordinator and BUDDIES FOREVER Champion from Vetter Health Services engaged the team in a variety of hands-on practice exercises for a select group of BUDDIES FOREVER communication techniques. Team members got to experience what it is like for residents when they have team members standing up and over them with a tired or stressed expression, what it is like for residents to have team members approach from behind them, and how much different it is (in a good way) to have team members who get down at or below eye level, establish eye contact, and have a warm and sparkling facial expression as they offer a handshake and greeting.
Team members expressed that when the person approaching them got down, was respectful of personal space, extended for a handshake with a sparkling expression that they felt the person was kind, compassionate, and attentive to them. That is the message we strive to convey to our residents with dementia each day, both through our verbal, and non-verbal interactions.
The Heritage of Bel-Air team is excited to continue our BUDDIES FOREVER journey and we will continue to explore a variety of skills at our team meetings to keep the excitement and enthusiasm going.
Submitted By: Jarad Dahlkoetter, Public Relations Coordinator and Life Enrichment Coordinator, Heritage of Bel-Air, Norfolk, NE; and Cameo Roger Life Enrichment Coordinator, Vetter Health Services
