At FOX, we believe people are strong—all people. And that successful optimal aging should be business as usual with older adults. Many practitioners today, even those presumably trained in the care of older adults, still don’t fully understand the evidence or what is normal to expect of an older adult.
Our mission at FOX is to rehabilitate lives by believing in the strength of people—empowering our people to facilitate and provide clinically excellent care to our patients, allowing them to achieve what they once thought impossible: optimal function to live their lives. This mission is important because it talks about the clinician / patient relationship. It speaks to the fact that it is the clinician’s duty to educate his or her patient on their true abilities, and the things they can achieve that they once thought impossible.
As all of our patients are chronic and have multiple chronic conditions and medical complexities, it’s vital to determine the patient’s “pre-episodic” level of function. Because that is what becomes our target. Where we strive to get back to.
We look back 12 months or even more. That said, we can’t expect the functional conditions we treat to instantly snap back in eight weeks. 20 miles into the woods, 20 miles out. We link arms with our patients and begin our journey to what life was like before the dysfunction and disability caused by the chronic condition. We do it with passion, confidence, and a complete faith in the strength of this person.
FOX believes the essence of ageism is when practitioners don’t really understand this looking-back, and as a result, don’t set appropriate goals. In order for ageism to be completely removed, we must set the right goals with lots of different variables and data points (functional outcome measured results, age-based normative values, clinical examination, and patient desires). It is only the practitioner truly trained in geriatrics who understands how to combine these variables to achieve functional wellness for our patients. It is how we do what is right for the patient, and how we take a stand against ageism. All day. Every day.
The Exchange of Abundance
Giving more than what is expected.
Life is a series of exchanges between people. Each day we exchange something, whether it’s communication, goods, resources, money, etc. Those exchanges can be categorized into three buckets:
- Criminal Exchange—You get less than what you expected. (poor / no service)
- Fair Exchange—You get exactly what you expected. (adequate service)
- Exchange of Abundance—You get more that what you expected. (an exceptional interaction)
Have you ever been utterly wowed by an interaction? This exchange, where you get more than you expect, is an Exchange of Abundance. You leave such an exchange feeling energized, happy, and well.
The truth is, you don’t see too many of those in healthcare today. At FOX, it’s different. We work to make every interaction—both internal and external—an Exchange of Abundance. The kind where the recipient walks away feeling happy and well. We consider it a part of our work, part of our job descriptions.
The result is both amazing and powerful.
A Culture of Respect
The FOX culture is all about people. Our clinicians. Our patients. Our support staff. Our partners. The cornerstone of our practice is working together to reinvigorate and restore these lives. Our immersion in advocacy, professional advancement, and education sets the stage for autonomous success. We have discovered time and again, if you give people the respect and tools they need to succeed, they will never cease to amaze you.
