Idea Transcript
ELDER SUMMIT
A Co-Sponsored Community Conversation
By Barbara Aranda-Naranjo, Caroline Goulet, Sr. Teresa Stanley November, 2016
Background In February 2016, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, initiated a study of elder care with the assistance of the REALM consulting group. They developed a preferred future vision: “Empowered Communities with Elders Living a Full Life. Five working groups were established to explore the theme. One working group, Create a Movement, after much reading and study, came to the conclusion that involving elders themselves, having them speak from their own experience, would be invaluable. Thus, the idea of an Elder Summit was born. A grant proposal in support of the initiative was submitted to the San Antonio Area Foundation (SAAFDN) and was ultimately funded under one of their long-term strategic initiatives, Successfully Aging and Living in San Antonio (SALSA). An SAAFDN staff member and two SALSA consultants from Moriarty Consulting Group (MCG) joined the Sisters to form an Elder Summit Steering Committee. Staff members of San Antonio 2020 (SA2020) were hired to manage the logistics for the Summit. The initiative became a collaborative project of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the SAAF and SA2020, working together to identify, to better understand and to support the needs of elders of the community.
Process Selected for the Elder Summit The Elder Summit Steering Committee chose Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as the summit process. Unlike traditional approaches to problem-solving to introduce change, AI seeks purposeful change based on what currently is, with the potential of generating positive unforeseen outcomes. It focuses on what works well rather than what is wrong or broken. Focusing on problems to be solved most often emphasizes or amplifies the problems themselves, whereas AI explores infinite possibilities and seeks to capitalize on strengths in order to manage weakness and realize tangible outcomes. It uses story-telling and a series of statements that describe where one wants to be based on positive experiences of where one has been. Because the statements are grounded in real experience and history, people know how to repeat their successes. They have learned from the past and embrace new ideas that can move them, and the community, forward. 2
Facilitator Training Two faculty members from the University of the Incarnate Word, Caroline Goulet, PT, PhD, and Barbara Aranda-Naranjo, PhD, both trained in the AI process, were engaged to facilitate the Summit discussion. Thirty (30) table facilitators and thirty (30) table recorders volunteered for the event. The facilitators, individuals with facilitator skills and interested in aging issues, were recruited from the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) faculty, Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, directors of non-profit agencies and retired elders from the community. The recorders were recruited by the Ettling Leadership Center staff. Over 25 undergraduate freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors from business, psychology and nursing majors, as well as two professional students from nursing and pharmacy with an interest in elder care, volunteered for the event. All table facilitators participated in a 4-hour training session on the process of Appreciative Inquiry. Similarly, all table recorders were specifically trained for their role at the event.
The Summit: Registration and Participants The recruitment and registration of a diverse group of elders was undertaken by the staff of SA2020, who reached out to participants of Neighborhood Associations, the City/County Joint Commission on Elderly Affairs and the city-run Senior Centers. The emphasis was to have representation from a large selection of zip codes and sections of the city. One hundred and eighty (180) elders registered. . Attendees were diverse demographically and geographically, but did not fully replicate exactly the Bexar Co. elder population. Thus, participants provided a representative sample of their community as they shared their experiences and heard the voices of all present, On November 4, 2016, 116 elders from the greater San Antonio: 11% far Northside, far Northwest, 10% near Eastside, 32% near Northside, 25% near Westside, 5% Northeast, 5% Southwest and 1% Southeast, gathered at the Tripoint Center for Life in San Antonio to participate in a discussion about successfully aging
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and living in San Antonio. The elders ranged from 60 years of age to 80 plus with 25% of the participants being male and 75% female; 5% were Asian/Pacific Islanders, 5% Black or African-American, 45% Hispanic or Latino, 43% Non-Hispanic White and 1% other. The elders represented a broad range of professions from retired teachers, nurses, physicians, engineers, university professors, to homemakers, religious Sisters, bus drivers, mechanics, cooks, civil servants etc.
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On November 4, 2016, over one hundred older adults from the greater San Antonio area participated in a discussion about successfully aging and living in San Antonio. Each of the 20 tables included six older adults, one topic facilitator and one or two student recorders. Appreciative inquiry (AI) was used to facilitate the discussion, focusing on inspiring participants to focus on what it looks like to live life to the fullest in San Antonio and wouldn’t it be great if… was available to enable elders of San Antonio to participate to the fullest. The major themes captured at the event included the following. A detailed evaluation of the recorder notes is being finalized. 1. Relationships 4. Learning and education 2. Positivity/spirituality/religion 5. Family 3. Health/healthcare/access 6. Social activities Attendees were diverse demographically and geographically, although not an exact match with Bexar County’s older population.
Source: Laura McKieran/CI:NOW
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The Community Discussion: Initiation and Sessions Sr. Teresa Stanley gave a brief background of the initiation of the Elders Summit. This was followed by two brief videos to stimulate participation and interaction by the participants. The day was divided in three (4) 45-minutes sessions. In Session I, participants were asked to share the best examples of an elder, themselves or someone they knew, who lived daily life to the fullest… and identify what contributed to living life to the fullest. For each story shared, participants were asked to write down three (3) things that allowed the elder in the story to live life to the fullest. Table recorders also took notes about each story. A process of small table conversation was used for the three (3) distinct sessions. Each of the 20 tables included six (6) elders, one (1) topic facilitator and one or two (1-2) student recorder. AI was used to facilitate the discussion, focusing on story-telling by the participants addressing the issues of: what it looks like to live life to the fullest in San Antonio and wouldn’t it be great if ( _____ ) was available in San Antonio to enable elders to participate fully. Table facilitators enabled meaningful discussion about what is required to live life to the fullest for an elder in San Antonio following the broad principles outlined in Appreciative Inquiry. More specifically, the facilitators were asked to emphasize the positive and bracket negativity and criticism “for the time being”. Participants were encouraged to speak only about WHAT WORKS, WHAT MIGHT WORK, WHAT IS GOOD, WHAT IS TRUE and VALUABLE and POSITIVE for the future. Table recorders were asked to listen for key words that are being shared and document what is being said on their computer. In session II, participants were asked to reflect on “The best of what could be…” and to share three (3) hopes or wishes they had to ensure successful living in San Antonio. “Wouldn’t it be great if…?” During Session III, main ideas/keywords that reflected the shared stories of the participants at each table were decided upon and prioritized in order of importance, thus indicating what they thought was needed or required for successful aging and living in San Antonio. Session IV provided participants with the opportunity to share hopes or wishes generated by their table discussion. A synopsis of the main themes generated by the participants in the first three sessions was then shared. Michelle Lugalia-Hollon, Director, SAAFDN Program Initiative, shared how the results of this Summit would complement the SAAFDN’s initiative Vision of SALSA. Sr. Teresa Stanley gave the concluding remarks and invited participants to evaluate the event by answering three questions using a Smiley Scale 1: happy face , 2: neutral face and 3: sad face
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Happy Face Evaluation Questions
Mean
1. This conversation lived up to my expectations. 1.15 2. I feel more connected to my community after this conversation. 1.18 3. I feel like I have a voice in the future of my community 1.21 Participant response rate was 95%, with 63% of responses with comments. Participants were overwhelmingly excited about the Elders Summit. A sample of comments included the following: • “I hope this summit will enlighten someone to organize more informational senior citizen activities and assistance” • “Absolutely fantastic!” • “Very informative and enjoyable” • ”This has given me a new purpose in my life” • “This event surpasses all my expectations” • “I liked the fact we were involved in the say of our future” • “Well organized and paced, very ‘alive’, was listened to” • “I loved all of this, I would participate in future events” • “Thanks to great facilitators” • “What are the follow-up actions we can take?”
Outcomes A qualitative approach was used to identify the major themes of the discussions. The primary analysis of Session I consisted in compiling the main ideas from each table and synthesizing the keywords from the participants’ notes into four (4) major themes: Social Support and Engagement, Health, Attitudes, and Access to Resources. A secondary analysis consisted in compiling and reviewing all of the recorders notes for trends, themes and patterns (keywords from the recorders’ notes). All keywords and themes were reviewed by selected facilitators for concurrence. The three major themes of the secondary analysis were Social Support and Engagement, Health, and Attitudes, supporting the themes of the primary analysis. Analysis of the Session II notes highlighted eight (8) hopes/dreams that also reflected two (2) of the major themes: Social Support and Engagement (caregivers for all elders, community centers, and education and learning), and Access to Resources (affordable housing, accessible healthcare, transportation, senior advocacy, and better communication). The major concerns and hopes for the elders in San Antonio are related to social activities which enable them to maintain their learning and self-worth, relationships with family and friends to decrease isolation and loneliness as they age, affordable housing, accessible healthcare, transportation, and communication. The elders provided innovative ways to overcome some of these concerns such as no real estate taxes for people over 65, a “silver line” bus transportation system to assist elders to get to medical 7
appointments, social activities to include mentoring students in schools and mobile health clinics for the elders etc. Overall the elders provided rich stories depicting what it means to age and live life to the fullest in San Antonio, and contributed positive ideas for improving the quality of aging for elders in San Antonio. In summary the majority of the elders were enthusiastic and appreciative for the opportunity to share their lived experience and voices their dreams and hopes. They felt heard. While the recorders took extensive notes on the participants’ stories and comments, participants were asked to share their own stories or that of someone they knew. A short excerpt sample follows: • “My father could not read or write…” • “I was raised without a mother…” • “I was born in Laredo with three (3) siblings…” • “My family left Mexico because of problems…” • “My parents worked hard, and were not well educated…” The best of what is • “Passion in what you do and believe in… allow your passion to thrive.” • “Doing for others more than what you do for yourself.” • “Faith and praying for others, being positive in everything.” • “Volunteering and keeping busy. Find what you like before you retire”. The best of what could be • “We need community gardens and access to healthy foods”. • “We need to promote gatherings and social contacts”. • “Wouldn’t it be great if we had a lifetime of health and exercise by the time we retire?” • “We need help to age in place, help with assisted living, like grocery shopping”. • “Age groups need a place to interact with each other”. • “We need interaction with young people”.
Conclusion Evaluation comments seemed to reflect that the hope of the planners that this Elder Summit would be a joyful learning experience, one of sharing and listening to the wisdom of our aging adults, was realized. The accumulated input will help concerned leaders to come to a greater understanding of the hopes and visions of this valued segment of the population. Through this collaborative event, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word continued their rich legacy of contributing to the San Antonio community by responding to needs and fulfilling a future Vision: “Empowered Communities with Elders Living a Full Life.” It is anticipated that the information shared by the elders at this summit will complement the San Antonio Areas Foundation’s long-term strategic initiative vision of SALSA, Successfully Aging and Living in San Antonio. A special thanks to the following members of the Elder Summit Steering Committee: Michelle Lugalia-Hollon, Co-Chair, Sister Teresa Stanley, Co-Chair, Sister Juanita Albracht, Dr. Barbara Aranda-Naranjo, Sister Jean Durel, Ariane Etemadi, Sr. Caroline Goulet, Andrea Guajardo, Sister Rose Ann McDonald, Dr. Laura McKieran, Jennifer Moriarty, and Sister Mary Teresa Phelan. Your tireless hours and support were greatly appreciated. 8
Major Themes
(# of occurrences)
Primary Analysis Keywords from participants’ notes
Family/Friends
Social Support and Engagement (39)
Relationships Socialization/Social Interactions Physical activities Activities/Social Diverse Environments/Travel Self-Development/ Growth Learning/Education
Religion/Faith Mental/Spiritual wellness Health (39)
Attitude (9)
Mental Health Health/Medical
Generosity Qualities/ Characteristics Virtues Attitude
Secondary Analysis
Keywords from recorders’ notes
Hopes and Dreams
1. Caregivers for all elders - Family or significant a. support the elder to remain in their other’s support own home - Maintained strong b. a call center to check on elders daily relationships with family c. decrease loneliness and open to new friends d. help with pets - Maintained positive social e. assistance with contacting or visiting relationships family out of town or the State - Staying Active - Took advantage of 2. Develop community centers instead opportunities such as of elder centers - Elders want to engage volunteering, learning new with other age groups and mix with the activities, exercising community at large and mentor - Stayed involved in younger generation and also learn from community activities the various generations and community - Volunteering and caring members for others - Sharing their talents with 3. Education and learning new skills others and activities such as ( art, spiritual, - Assisting others with music technology, dancing, book clubs, sharing their skills and free tickets for Seniors to plays, other learning new ones cultural events, “crisscross” generation - Being goal oriented opportunities to mingle with the young people, develop a grandma/grandpa program in public schools to have seniors work with students - Being proactive about one’s health - Self-aware about their own aging and wellness - Being health-oriented and diet conscious
- Positive - Spiritually orientated such as praying, helping others in community and at church - Had overcome personal hardships
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Major Themes
(# of occurrences)
Primary Analysis Keywords from participants’ notes
Support/Resources Access to meal Access to Resources (8)
Housing Transportation Technology
Secondary Analysis
Keywords from recorders’ notes
Hopes and Dreams
4. Affordable housing - Positive - Spiritually orientated such a. no real estate taxes for 65 and over b. solar panels as praying, helping others c. free handyman for home repairs in community and at d. free Wi-Fi church - Had overcome personal 5. Accessible health care hardships a. free medication b. free dentures c. mobile health clinics for the elderly d. decrease waiting time for elders 6. Transportation a. assistance in navigating bus routes b. affordable taxi rates for the elderly c. transportation to medical appointment and social activities 7. Identify a Senior Advocate to answer questions on the phone and assist Elder with any paperwork for example insurance for medical and housing issues 8. Communication a. develop a 311 elder call center b. develop a radio talk show that reads the newspaper to the elderly c. all Elders to be kept informed by a Senior newsletter d. have elder information on resources and new activitie distributed to the churches and Nursing homes/ independent living homes
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