IGNITE Leadership Academy Action Learning Project 2016-17 | Page 22

Sandy Nellis Gilbert
RN Case Manager
Lutheran (Hultquist Place)
Connecting Families
1
How would you describe your Action Learning Project and the difference you hope it will make to
advance your organization’s mission (or the field) and benefit the individuals you serve?
With my Action Learning Project, I am hoping to bring resident family members into our facility for some informational/educational
sessions regarding common conditions or disease processes that their loved ones may be experiencing. By providing this education, I hope
they would gain a better understanding of how they can help with their loved ones and/or give them some tips as to how to deal with
some behavioral aspects of the disease processes. I would also like to discuss hot topics regarding our assisted living program. I believe
this will give the families a better understanding of some of our tricky policies and regulations.
2
How have the relationships you’ve developed as part of your project (with mentors, partners,
stakeholders, etc.) influenced this direction and you as a leader?
The IGNITE program has offered me an avenue to network and share ideas with leaders from other organizations. When the idea came
up, I thought it could be beneficial in my organization as well. The administration staff at Hultquist Place has been receptive to the idea
and even offered some guidance for the timing and direction of the project. The relationships have influenced me as a leader by allowing
me to have the confidence to bring new ideas forward that may be beneficial to the organization.
3
What have been important turning points for you, in your own learning, as you’ve engaged with the
action learning process (you might consider a surprise, insight, setback, or challenge)?
As I have engaged in this learning process I have been able to reflect more on what I believe my purpose is within my facility and the
legacy I want to leave on this industry. As a nurse, I enjoy educating people, so I thought this type of project may be of interest to
families that really don’t know what is the best way to care for their loved ones or what they can do once their people are in a long term
care facility. A challenge when preparing this project was to determine how I am going to get the families engaged and willing to come to
such an education event. With some collaboration from my co-workers we were able to come up a plan to get the information regarding
the event out to the families and make it something they would be interested in attending.
4
How do you hope your project might unfold in the months and years ahead and what impact do you
hope it will have on the field at large?
As this project moves forward, I hope that the participation among family members grows so we have the majority of our residents being
represented. I would like to network within the community to bring in experts on topics, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, vision loss, cardiac
issues, etc. I believe this project will impact families of the long term care population by giving them the resources to better cope with and
manage the stress of being responsible for their aging loved ones.
5
How has the action learning process in the context of the Leadership Academy experience
contributed to your growth as a leader?
This action learning process has allowed me to grow as a leader by giving me a forum to discover what resonates with me in the long
term care industry. This project is something that I believe our resident’s families could benefit from, while filling my desire to be an
educator. Going through the Leadership Academy has allowed me to gain confidence in myself to present the idea to my administrator,
with reasoning as to why I feel it is a needed venture in our facility. This process has also showed me the importance of networking and
collaboration with others in order to provide the most useful information to our families in a fun way.
LeadingAge New York
22