About the Book
"The sunbeam," the right to home, has eluded the frail elders of this country for too
long. It is time for a change. In Pursuit of the Sunbeam is a guide for
individuals and organizations looking to embrace the true home of the resident-directed
Household Model. Based on James O. Prochaska's stages of change, the Norton and Shields
Change Matrix plots the transformational journey from beginning awareness of the
need for change on a personal level through physical and organizational reconstruction
into households licensed as skilled nursing facilities.
The authors share their experiences with nursing home transformation in the form of
organizational strategies, change theory, practical development practices, leadership
behaviors and inspirational storytelling. This book is the quintessential "How-To" of the
Household Model - the future of long-term care.
Steve Shields is CEO of Meadowlark Hills in Manhattan, Kansas, an organization
that transformed from an institution for the elderly to the Household Model in 2000.
Meadowlark is an international model of transformation and leadership. Shields is a
faculty member of Kansas State University where he teaches Leadership in Long Term Care.
He is a sought-after national keynote speaker, executive coach and organizational
transformation consultant.
LaVrene Norton is Executive Leader and Principal of Action Pact, specializing in
the Household Model. She is recognized as the nation's foremost organizational change
facilitator in long-term care. Norton pioneered the Household Model and has guided
hundreds of organizations through deep change in the US, Canada and Australia. She is
editor and publisher of Culture Change Now, a magazine dedicated to promoting change
strategies in elder services.
