The Local Care Director has the primary responsibility for identifying, implementing, and managing initiatives needed to optimize guest well being. The initiatives are of two distinct types: proactive and sustaining.
Proactive initiatives are those aimed at enhancing wellness and well being. They are proactive in that they focus on enhancing well being rather than on treating an existing pathology. They are based on the operating philosophy of seeking constant health improvement. This approach is quite different from that of simply treating pathologies. Identifying and implementing proactive initiatives should be one of the Local Care Director's most engaging and rewarding activities in that this involves creativity, curiosity, and imagination. An example of a proactive initiative comes from the care history of a 92 year-old American lady known as Dodie. Dodie's son and care givers made a special effort to incorporate several of Dodie's favorite pieces of furniture into her new surroundings. The result was radical. Within a few days, Dodie was spending hours working on projects at her desk rather than just watching TV or lying in bed.
Sustaining initiatives are those needed to ensure the continuation and success of interventions based on previous proactive initiatives or on earlier diagnosis of pathology. This entails managing the local care team to ensure proper continuation of existing procedures and protocols and interacting as needed with the primary care practitioner.
