Etxean Ondo Residences - the Lamourous experience

The Etxean Ondo Project began at the Lamourous Gerontology Centre two years ago, when planning began for a Coexistence Unit to be set up on one of the centre's floors.

It was a project with a four-month forecast. Today, two years later, that unit is still running and has been joined by three more units, in this case psychogeriatric ones, so that 38 residents are currently participating in the project.

They have been a few months full of learning, difficulties and also a lot of satisfaction.

The transformation from a traditional care model to another focused on the preferences, possibilities and needs of the residents is a complicated process, which has only been possible thanks to the trust and effort of all the workers at the centre.

They are the ones who make it possible every day. We have all had to change our way of working and the appearance of the centre's rooms has also changed a lot, turning these spaces into small, warm, homely Living Units.

Working with objectives for each person, thinking in terms of daily life, making decisions together, assuming mistakes and sharing failures are some of the changes that have been brought about by the implementation of the person-centred care model being developed at Lamourous.

The results, good for everyone, were immediately apparent. More active residents, satisfied families and motivated workers with their new responsibilities were amazed at the effects this new form of care had on the residents' well-being: "they are better", "they are happier".

All this has encouraged us to continue growing, so that two entire floors of the centre now provide personalised attention and have become units where life goes on "as if it were family".

The time spent developing the project has also helped us to see that what was achieved in the initial months has to be taken care of and that work has to be done continuously to maintain it and to face the new challenges that arise: incorporation of new residents, changes in the care load, incorporation of new assistants...

Etxean Ondo is giving us the opportunity to attend to people who trust us as we have always wanted to do: in an individualised way, without pre-established rules and criteria, only with what they need for a life "at home".

Today at Lamourous we laugh, dance, sing, talk, eat, think, walk, sleep, learn, grow, cook, cry, care, pamper, be pampered, think, read, iron, go out, play, discuss, negotiate... WE LIVE.