The Arbor Company utilizes the GEMS™ technique to assess those living with dementia. Resident Care Director, Tenishia Colvin sits down with us to explain this unique program that allows individualized care, rather than grouping everyone together based on one common diagnosis.
Video Transcript
Chris
Well, hey, everybody. Welcome to Senior Living Live. So happy that you're with us today. My name is Chris, and I'm going to be hosting with you today. And I'm joined with Tenisha. How are you doing today, Tenisha?
Tenisha
I'm doing well.
Chris
Thank you so much for joining us. So Tenisha is the resident care director here at the beautiful lakeside at Amelia Island senior living community. This community's got independent living, assisted living, memory care, cottages, houses, all of the above. But Tenisha you focused mostly on assisted living and memory care. Right. Okay.
Tenisha
Yes. So the only role I play in other areas is when they are ready to transition into an assisted living or possibly a memory care environment, I go over and do an assessment that lets us know which environment would be safest for them.
Chris
Okay. So kind of see how, what that care program might look like for that resident. Okay, that makes sense. Well, tell me a little bit about yourself. How did you get into this role in nursing?
Tenisha
So I've been in nursing for over 20 years. I started out as a CNA and worked my way up to being a nurse and I've always worked in like a memory care setting. And I came across Teepa Snow’s gem levels and when I researched and looked into it, I wanted to be at a place that offered that program, and the Arbor Company came up. So when I started looking into the Arbor Company, they were it was a new building on Amelia Island. And it just so happens my sister lives in Jacksonville, so it kind of just fell together.
Chris
Everything kind of came together. Well, yeah. So the Teepa Snow, the gem program that we have is a method of kind of explaining the dementia process and the aging process to people, both to the families and the staff. So tell me a little bit about that program and what stood out for you.
Tenisha
So what stood out for me is that it's individualized for the resident, and it also helps the caregiver provide the care and meet the resident where they are instead of grouping a bunch of people together and treating them all the same. So with the gem levels, whatever gem level a person is presenting at the time, the caregiver is able to adjust themselves based on what the resident is presenting. So, for example, if a person is presenting as a ruby, then I know that if they are usually an emerald, I need to adjust to a ruby so that I can interact with them and have a good outcome with them.
Chris
Okay. And and I guess it's worth noting to the folks watching that the the gem levels, it sort of assigns these categories based on these precious gems. Yes. And it starts with sapphire.
Tenisha
As a sapphire. And a sapphire is kind of like you or me. We don't know if we're going to have dementia, but you have those moments those little spotty moments.
Chris
People might call them senior moments, right?
Tenisha
You're able to sequence yourself through trial and error to make a decision and have a good outcome. Whereas a person who is more progressed in the gem levels, maybe somebody who is an emerald, they're going to question everything who, what, where, when, why, Who's my doctor? Who told you that? How do you know my daughter? So things like that. And it is just a way for you to be able to adjust, even as a family member and as a way for us to explain dementia. And it doesn't come off like so clinical when we talk about the gem levels.
Chris
That's always struck me is that the the dementia process can be explained in some cases as very clinical, like you said, in the stage one, stage two, whatever, or sometimes people will try to compare it to children and like, you know, this is a toddler, this is an adolescent or whatever. But I think what we have to remember and what this program teaches us is that they’re still adults, right? And they have those experiences and we don't want to baby people.
Tenisha
Absolutely. Absolutely. It's just a way for us to meet them where they are and bring them to a comfortable place. So that's what I really love about the program, is that it is so individualized and it doesn't group a bunch of people together with one diagnosis.
Chris
Yeah, that's fantastic. So tell me a little bit else about your role here. What does a day look like for you at the Lakeside?
Tenisha
So I just oversee all things clinical. So from medication management to care plans and what tasks the staff need to complete in order to get the resident through their activities of daily living. So we participate in helping them get to and from meals, all engagement, getting them set up for their appointments, making sure they have transportation. So it's a lot I mean, it's the I mean, it's called the activities of daily living but that is that's life. I mean, that's really everything in someone's life.
Chris
So any what's the highlight of your day? Typically?
Tenisha
Probably the highlight of my day would be able when I'm able to actually sit down to have a conversation with one of the residents. Because I'm always moving around and running through the building. I'm always in meetings. So the moment when I'm able to actually interact with the residents, probably it's the highlight of my day.
Chris
Kind of keeps you going.
Tenisha
Yeah. So I try to pop into like a lunch or dinner so that I can have that personal time with the residents.
Chris
I would imagine that kind of helps to recharge you and remind you of why you do what you do.
Tenisha
Because if I'm having a hard day, a lot of times something they'll say, will like just change the day around. And it is, especially in memory care when I go there. So.
Chris
So if people watching, maybe they're considering coming to work in a senior living community, maybe they have a background in nursing, maybe they don't. What what advice would you give to someone?
Tenisha
Just it's not meant for everybody. But if you are a compassionate, caring person and you don't mind taking care of people that you don't even know, I think that's what would be my biggest advice. I think they would find happiness in caring for seniors because, I mean, I've been in it and it's all I know and I've never wanted to do anything else.
Chris
And it seems that there's growth opportunities. There’s ways that people can learn more.
Tenisha
And yeah, so a lot of our RAs we put them through trainings. We have something called Arbor Grows, it helps them grow into new positions so an RA can become a CNA. If someone wants to become a med tech they can. We have mentor programs. We have several staff members who are in school and we try to support them through school so that they can work while they go to school. But there's a lot of growth opportunity.
Chris
And I know we have a lot of resident care directors like yourself in the communities around Arbor who have started as a resident assistant and kind of moved into...
Tenisha
Started as a memory care director. And then I moved into the role of the RCD shortly after I joined the company.
Chris
It's that's that movement and growth. Is this always, you know, always something to look out.
Tenisha
Oh, yes.
Chris
Well, thank you so much for joining us today. It's always great to talk to you, Tenisha and to learn more about the gem levels and your role. And for those of you watching on the Internet, hopefully you're watching it at senior living live dot com, that is where plenty of stories like Tenisha’s and others are available. We try to answer all of your questions about senior living and to give you a little bit of a glimpse of what it's like so that you can hopefully hopefully make the best decision for you whether that's moving into a community or maybe coming to work at a senior living community like this one at the lakeside at Amelia Island. Until next time, we will see you at Senior Living Live. I'm Chris, and this is Tanisha. Have a great day.
