Association Bi-Monthly Magazine

STAYING COMPETITIVE WITH EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS p.6

RECRUITMENT PRACTICES ACROSS INDUSTRIES p.32

SENIOR LIVING

THE WORKFORCE ISSUE Programs and Strategies to engage, recruit, and retain the senior living workforce.

MEMORY CARE NEEDS INNOVATION AND OUTREACH p.40

ISSUE 4 2017

YardiÂŽ Senior Living Suite

Power your business with one software solution that connects all facets of senior living, allowing managers to make fast decisions and staff to provide the highest quality care.

800.866.1144 Yardi.com/SeniorLiving

Energized for Tomorrow

A NOTE FROM ARGENTUM

PRESIDENT & CEO James Balda jbalda@argentum.org

Planning Today for the Workforce of Tomorrow 1.2 million—that’s a number familiar to senior living leaders.

It’s the number of additional employees the industry will need to attract by 2025, and it includes positions from nursing assistants to food service professionals to building maintenance workers. In order to compete with other industries for employees, those in senior living are tasked with positioning the industry as an attractive career path for future workers, as well as spreading the word that with senior living comes meaningful and rewarding work.

Paving a path for the future, Argentum and its workforce development committee continue to work with a pilot group to establish consistent industry metrics for employee turnover and retention. The hope is that a shared vocabulary and a uniform reporting system will help the industry track key trends and develop better workforce solutions to common challenges.

In this issue of Senior Living Executive, The Workforce Issue, we review employee engagement and retention programs across senior living that are helping the industry remain competitive. Whether it’s through financial rewards, company giveaways, family benefits, or top-notch training and development programs, senior living providers are committing a great deal of effort, money, and time to recognizing their employees. Overall, providers agree the investment is worth it—especially as the industry faces a future of hiring challenges due to the growing number of aging Americans.

This issue also highlights providers across the industry who’ve received recent recognition as top workplaces, most often from a regional or local newspaper, business journal, or by a firm who studies and reports on employee engagement. From providing supportive training tools for managers to recognizing compassionate employees at a black-tie event, these companies have implemented unique concepts or programs that employees appreciate.

We also take a look at best practices in front-line employee recruitment strategies from outside of the industry, including those from leading companies in food and beverage services, health care, hospitality, and customer service-oriented organizations. As many of those industries often vie for the same talent sought by senior living, it’s important to understand their approaches to attracting workers.

Finally, in “The Heart of Senior Living” spotlight, we remember Alzheimer’s advocate Trish Vradenburg and pay tribute to the contributions she, along with her husband, George, have made to the effort of supporting research funding and finding a cure for the disease through their organization, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.

– Jessica McKay Editor

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Maribeth Bersani mbersani@argentum.org CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Gina Mamone gmamone@argentum.org VP, PROGRAMMING & INNOVATION Nathan Nickens nnickens@argentum.org VP, MARKETING Jaclyn Vann jvann@argentum.org VP, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Brad Williams bwilliams@argentum.org VP, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS Paul Williams pwilliams@argentum.org DIRECTOR, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS Alexis de Armas adearmas@argentum.org PAC MANAGER Neil Cohen ncohen@argentum.org DIRECTOR, MEMBER SERVICES Kari Horesky khoresky@argentum.org OFFICE MANAGER/ EXEC. ASSISTANT Rosa Montgomery rmontgomery@argentum.org PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION MANAGER Robert Oliveri roliveri@argentum.org

PROGRAM COORDINATOR Kayla McAlindin kmcalindin@argentum.org STAFF ACCOUNTANT Olivia Wilson owilson@argentum.org

EDITORIAL EDITOR Jessica McKay jmckay@argentum.org SENIOR MANAGER, PROGRAMS AND RESEARCH Sharon Cohen scohen@argentum.org PUBLICATIONS MANAGER Vatrice Chestnut vchestnut@argentum.org ART DIRECTOR Rose Thai rthai@argentum.org

ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Scott Narug 312.673.5974 snarug@argentum.org SUBSCRIPTIONS 703.562.1179

Senior Living Executive, Volume 24, Number 3 (print ISSN 2161-6698, online ISSN 2161-671X) is published bimonthly

by Argentum, 1650 King Street, Suite 602, Alexandria, VA. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA and additional mailing offices. Argentum member companies receive subscriptions for staff as part of their membership. Free controlled subscriptions are also available to qualified individuals in the senior living business.

POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO Senior Living Executive, 1650 King Street, Suite 602, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 703.894.1805. Printed in USA. Copyright 2017. Prior to photocopying items for educational classroom, internal, or personal use, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Customer Service, 978.750.8400, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923 or check CCC Online at www.copyright.com. Senior Living Executive will not be responsible for the return of any unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

Copyright ©2017 Argentum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form—print, electronic, or otherwise—without written permission from Argentum.

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 3

More tours.

More leases.

More move-ins.

From the only people who understand the journey.

The fastest route to more move-ins is through the RealPage® Senior Living Contact Center. We’re no ordinary contact center. Our specialized team is always here, answering phone, email and chat inquiries from prospects and their families, 24/7. This professional team is carefully chosen for their high level of empathy and superior listening skills, guiding prospects through what is often an emotional life event and putting them at ease. By nurturing more qualified leads in this way, we can help maximize occupancy, mitigate risk and improve overall efficiency.

Take the first step. Find out about our complete Senior Living solution by visiting realpage.com/SLE or by calling 1-877-368-9735.

© 2017 RealPage, Inc. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

VOLUME 24, NUMBER 4

CONTENTS

32

BEST PRACTICES IN RECRUITING FRONTLINE STAFF ACROSS INDUSTRIES A compilation of best practices in front-line employee recruitment strategies from outside of the senior living industry.

40

INNOVATION PLUS OUTREACH CRITICAL TO MEET THE COMING WAVE IN MEMORY CARE

6

A look at how senior living leaders can best prepare for increase in memory care needs.

OFFERING EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS THAT HELP SENIOR LIVING STAY COMPETITIVE A review of employee engagement and retention programs that position senior living as an attractive choice for workers. Recently recognized top workplaces are also highlighted for their unique employee programs.

DEPARTMENTS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

3

23 Open for Business: Atria Senior Living Employee Cafe Opens to the Public for Research, Training

25 Thought Leader: Tapping into the Power of Millennials in Aging

38 Argentum Member Workforce Survey

44 THE HEART OF

26 Change Agent: Expanding Opportunities to Meet Workforce Readiness Challenges

A NOTE FROM ARGENTUM

SENIOR LIVING

46 ARGENTUM ADVOCATES FOR YOU

50 PEOPLE AND PLACES

CONNECT WITH ARGENTUM Be sure to visit argentum.org and subscribe to receive Argentum Daily, our daily e-newsletter, for access to the latest news, research, and initiatives related to senior living. argentum.org/facebook

argentum.org/twitter

argentum.org/linkedin

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 5

BY SARAH LAI STIRLAND

T

he music is pounding and people wearing blue t-shirts with “Dream Big!” inscribed on them are cheering and dancing in a video posted online.

“It is the big dream lotto day,” said one man in the video. “This year, we’re giving away $50,000!”

This display isn’t an excerpt of an afternoon talk show, but rather a company event Aegis Living organized last September at its headquarters in Bellevue, Wash. The man in the video (http://bit.ly/dblotto) described above is Aegis Living founder and chief executive officer Dwayne Clark.

The celebration, which Aegis streamed live to all of its staff in its 28 senior living and memory care communities across California, Nevada, and Washington, was the fourth employee giveaway of 2016. A life enrichment coordinator in one of Aegis’ northern California

6 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

communities won the $50,000 that day. Fifteen other staff members won $1,000. Their names were snatched out of the air by Aegis Living chief operations officer Tom Laborde, who stood in a clear booth with hundreds of strips of paper swirling around him.

Winners had to have worked for Aegis for at least three years, and the longer a staffer’s tenure, the more tickets they could enter to win the lottery.

“Some people might think it’s gimmicky, but this has a real impact on our people’s lives,” said Rick Karnofski, Aegis Living’s senior vice president of human resources.

One of the first things the winner yelled out after winning the $50,000 was that he was “going to buy a house!” Meanwhile, a maintenance assistant used his $1,000 winnings to become a U.S. citizen. (The whole process, including the naturalization application, travel, and consultation with an immigration consultant costs about $1,200.)

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 7

OFFERING EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS THAT HELP SENIOR LIVING STAY COMPETITIVE

Aegis Living can’t give all of its 2,100 employees $50,000 bonuses, and it’s hard to compete with neighboring employers like Microsoft, but the company does put forth a significant effort recognizing and appreciating its staff through awards such as this, bestowing extra earned vacation time for longevity of service, and by calling out employees’ names for their years of service in its employee newsletter. The company also tries to address its younger workers’ needs by making work life as lively as possible. Each community, for example, has a committee of employees who ensure that there’s a “fun” activity available for their peers every day, such as bowling, picnics, or even go-kart racing. And employees can earn extra cash a number of ways, such as referring friends to the company as employee candidates, or by submitting ideas to management on how to improve the company’s day-to-day operations. The company also distributed eight allexpense-paid vacations this spring. One winner was 80 years old herself and has worked at Aegis for 17 years. She planned to take her kids and a grandkid to Disney World.

Employee giveaways are just one component of an extensive matrix of benefits that top senior living workplaces offer their hardworking frontline staff. Others include the basics, such as a choice of affordable health care plans, dental insurance, 401(k) retirement plans with company matches, and employee assistance. But some companies also offer free wellness programs, pet insurance, bring-your-child or -pet to work options, adoption assistance, tuition reim-

Arum quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut ommodios et volut volorerum que inti dellorro blaborem liqui ommolup taturercimus eum hillaborum que doles es dolupta ssimintem sed erum ommolup taturercimus eum Arum quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut 8 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

TOP WORKPLACE

AEGIS LIVING Headquartered in Bellevue, Wash., Aegis Living was recognized as one of the best 50 places to work in the United States in a December 2016 report compiled by the career website Glassdoor The report was based on anonymous employee reviews.

Aegis Living is led by chief executive officer Dwayne J. Clark, who prior to founding his own company in 1997, was executive vice president of operations at Sunrise Senior Living.

Clark has thought deeply about what makes employees happy and compiled his reflections in a 2001 book titled “Help Wanted.” The Aegis workplace and benefits even today reflect his thoughtful approach. For example, he writes about the importance of break rooms as a revitalizing force for his staff in an environment that could sometimes be “traumatizing.” So it’s not surprising to read an internal 2015 employee newsletter that touts a companywide contest to encourage communities to makeover their break rooms. The winning community would receive $1,000.

Aegis also holds an annual conference for management that features well-known speakers— 2017’s speakers included Ralph Hubert “Sonny” Barger, founding member of the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels; Monica Lewinsky; and Lance Armstrong. Every year’s meeting has a learning theme, and this year’s was about managing difficult life experiences and about “empathy, compassion, and truth.” The rest of the staff has access to the talks via recorded DVDs. “We are always looking for ways to extend our appreciation and support to those who are taking care of our seniors—work that is so often physically demanding and mentally exhausting,” Clark says in online literature about the company’s culture.

bursements, extensive training programs and opportunities for promotion, as well as the occasional transportation benefit.

The goal is to offer employees choices that match the realities of their lives. Aegis’ founder Clark illustrates the point explicitly in his book “Help Wanted.” He suggested that senior living frontline workers can be categorized into three buckets: “younger workers,” who are typically between 16 to 23 and who tend to focus on soft benefits like free food and having fun in the workplace; “career caregivers,” who are older and who need the health insurance and retirement plans; and “volunteer workers,” who may be middle-aged, but who are working the job because it fulfills their social conscience. These kinds of employees tend to want flexibility, Clark notes.

Other items, such as pet insurance, made it onto the benefits list because employees asked for it, says Judy Whitcomb, Vi’s senior vice president of human resources and learning.

“This is back to choice, giving employees choices that are not incredibly expensive to offer,” she says. “Every year we take the employee survey feedback and we look at our

benefits and we look at enhancements, and we make tweaks.”

Industry leaders’ focus on promoting a strong company identity and culture by providing decent benefits (which often involves holding “fun” companywide events that bring staff together) is all part of the struggle to hang on to good employees who often hold tough jobs.

“The cost [of care] for the residents has to be realistic, and the care is the most important thing, but then we have to pay our employees a competitive wage and it can be tough to balance all of that—especially when they could go to jobs that are ‘easier,’ that are less emotional and hands-on,” says Melinda Ericks, Carlton Senior Living’s senior vice president of human resources.

Carlton is a privately held company headquartered in Concord, Calif. It operates 14 senior living communities around Sacramento, the East Bay, and in San Jose. The company serves about 1,375 residents and employs 1,000 people.

But employee engagement comes in different forms, and the key to one of them

Dedication makes the difference.

Capital One® Healthcare provides the right financing, so you

can invest in your specialty—senior healthcare facilities.

$200,000,000

$26,500,000

$61,000,000

$33,600,000

Term Loan Administrative Agent & Joint Lead Arranger | January 2016

First Mortgage Administrative Agent March 2016

First Mortgage Administrative Agent April 2016

First Mortgage Administrative Agent May 2016

$20,880,000

$178,900,000

$635,000,000

$60,020,000

HUD Section 232/223F Refinance May 2016

First Mortgage loan Administrative Agent & Joint Lead Arranger | July 2016

Senior Secured Credit Facility Administrative Agent, Joint Lead Arranger & Joint Bookrunner | August 2016

First Mortgage Administrative Agent August 2016

$137,500,000

$30,000,000

Senior Secured Credit Facility Administrative Agent & Joint Lead Arranger | October 2016

First Mortgage Administrative Agent November 2016

Skilled Nursing Facility

capitalone.com/healthcare

Products and services are offered by Healthcare Financial Solutions, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capital One, N.A., Member FDIC. © 2017 Capital One. Capital One is a federally registered service mark. All rights reserved.

OFFERING EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS THAT HELP SENIOR LIVING STAY COMPETITIVE

is finding people who find satisfaction in helping a more vulnerable population. Like many other companies, Carlton tries to do that by screening potential employees for their values and job suitability by assessing them through a Hartman Value Profile.

According to Gallup’s 2017 State of the American Workplace report, only onethird of U.S. employees are fully engaged at work—i.e. they’re passionate and are enthusiastic about their jobs. The remainder are either just going through the motions or unhappy.

The senior living industry—and the senior living industry in California in particular—just can’t afford to run workplaces that don’t attract and inspire new employees who want to stick around. Argentum’s research has found that the industry is going to need more than 1.2 million workers by 2025. California is the neediest state with a projected requirement to hire more than 136,000 staff by 2025. The positions cover all staff roles from nursing assistants, personal care aides, waiters and waitresses, cooks, and house-

keepers. (By 2022, the U.S. will have more people taking care of seniors than elementary school teachers, and almost as many as the retail industry, according to a Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute analysis of numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Labor. Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living communities will make up 39 percent of that growth in demand for labor.)

These trends are being driven by the tsunami of Americans growing older. Census national population projections predict that the number of Americans 85 and over will triple by 2050 to nearly over 18 million.

Putting Benefits In Context

Most top workplaces strive to build management teams at all levels that have proven that they have high levels of “emotional intelligence.”

“Supervisors account for 70 percent of the variants in employee engagement scores.

So really, benefits are wonderful, but they’re the cherry on top,” says Mary Swartz, Eb-

enezer’s vice president of human resources.

Swartz’s sentiments reflected most of the human resources leaders interviewed for this article. “The real importance is training managers on how to instill that sense of support among the people that they supervise.

So we have an emphasis on training our managers to be good emotional engagers of our employees.”

Ebenezer is Minnesota’s largest senior living operator and is part of Fairview Health Services. The Minneapolis Star Tribune recognized it as a “Top Workplace” for the past seven years, including in 2017.

“Engagement is a critical part of the benefits and perks discussion,” affirms Gallup. “That is, if employees don’t have great managers, if they don’t know what’s expected of them, or if they are not in roles that match their talents, then the longest possible list of perks is not going to be a cure-all. Employees on the fence in terms of engagement may actually regard ping pong tables and free meals as an empty gesture— a Band-Aid fix for a much bigger problem.”

TOP WORKPLACE

EBENEZER Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., Ebenezer was recognized as a Minneapolis Star Tribune 2017 Top Workplace.

Cheryl Degrugillier, a registered nurse at the Ebenezer in Minneapolis, has learned two key skills that has enabled her to rise up the ranks in a 19-year career at the company.

“We have an expectation of our managers that they realize what they bring, and they self-manage around those qualities that detract from employee engagement,” she says.

One is when to say “no,” to requests being made of her in the workplace, and the other is being honest with herself about her emotions in highly stressful situations.

Among many other benefits, Ebenezer prides itself on offering workplace flexibility for its large immigrant workforce who sometimes have different holiday traditions, and who sometimes also need to take extended time off to travel back to their home countries.

“I would have a crying breakout [sometimes] if I were involved in an emergency situation, for example being at a scene where we’re doing CPR, and all of a sudden, that person has passed away,” she says. “There’s a lot of energy that you’re left with. What do you do with that? That would be typically when I have to cry and walk it off.”

Whatever the case, Degrugillier, who is now Ebenezer’s director of nursing, understands that everyone, including herself, needs to recognize and manage their emotions—even if it means expressing frustrations with peers.

Ebenezer uses a personality profiling tool from Insight that helps managers become more self-aware, and the company also trains its staff to reinforce positive behaviors, says Mary Swartz, Ebenezer’s vice president of human resources.

10 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

Ebenezer has established a list from employee feedback entitled “Top Reasons You Should Join Our Team”. Some of those include: • I love how Ebenezer is open to finding creative ways to support staff and residents in their lives and that they strive to care for the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.

• The family friendly environment and knowing that I am serving a greater purpose.

• I love the diversity, friendliness and compassion of all staff. I love that I’m challenged and encouraged to grow professionally.

• There is a culture of respect at all levels within the organization.

• The empowerment and support of Ebenezer leadership which enables all of us to provide superior service to our residents.

In 1895, the X-ray gave healthcare professionals 93%93%93% new insights.

Today, MatrixCare changes healthcare again.

Introducing CareCommunity: the role-based care coordination platform that connects your residents, their family members and everyone on their entire healthcare team – for better outcomes across the continuum of care.

93% Physicians & Staff

93% Residents

Family Members

Remote Access

Full Occupancy

Now you can take advantage of this latest healthcare breakthrough with MatrixCare Senior Living: the only comprehensive resident care management solution purpose-built by and for Senior Living Communities. Combining financial, operational and marketing features, you’ll get new insights that can help your organization maximize occupancy, quality of care and profitability.

See how this changes everything at www.CareCommunity.com/SL

®

Integrated Care. Better Outcomes.

866-469-3766 © 2017 MatrixCare. All rights reserved.

OFFERING EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS THAT HELP SENIOR LIVING STAY COMPETITIVE

tive directors are doing,” she says. “We’re not putting them out there and saying ‘good luck with that, and do whatever you need to do to keep everything going.’ There is somebody behind you who is supporting the mission.”

And that’s important because “our business, the absolutely critical position is the executive director,” Putzier says. “I could have all these programs, but if I don’t have a good leader at the local sites, all those programs will fall by the wayside.”

The C.A.R. program began in 2015 and has dramatically improved tardiness among its 500 members of staff in its 12 communities in Maryland and Pennsylvania, Putzier said.

Transportation

Ryan Hershey (center) was a recipient of one of IntegraCare’s C.A.R. employee program giveaways.

Having said that, Senior Living Executive checked in with several leaders in the industry to see how they have worked to make their businesses attractive places to work.

How have they gone about supporting their staff through the benefits they offer?

How have they tried to help them grow? We talked to some industry leaders to find out.

Employee Giveaways

Aegis Living isn’t the only senior living company that has set up such employee giveaways. IntegraCare, a privately-held company based on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, for example, organizes an annual Continued Attendance Rewards (C.A.R.) program.

The mission is to incentivize hourly employees to be on time, and to show up to work consistently. Every year, employees are assigned digital raffle “tickets” for each pay period for which they had perfect attendance and without any disciplinary actions. Fulltime employees were assigned more tickets— and thus more chances to win. In addition to the chance to win a $100 gift card every month, employees have a chance to win a grand prize of a car once a year, along with $1,000, and a one-week paid vacation.

Other prizes awarded to eligible raffle winners included a 55-inch curved televi12 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

sion and a one-year subscription to Netflix, or a laptop, printer, and a copy of Microsoft Office, or an iPad and an Amazon Prime membership. All of the awards included a one-week paid vacation.

The employee rewards and activities are forms of support not only for its frontline staff but also for executive directors of IntegraCare’s communities, explains the company’s co-founder, president, and chief operating officer Loriann Putzier. She also said that the awards were items that the staff had expressed an interest in having after being polled by the company.

“What the implementation of these programs is really saying to you is that this company is really connected to what the execu-

While not many of the top workplaces we spoke with offered transportation as a standard part of their benefits packages, the location of communities often has an impact on this benefit. In California’s Bay Area, for example, local regulatory agencies require employers to offer employees tax deferred commuter benefits. Employees are eligible to set aside $255 a month for their commuter-related transportation costs.

At IntegraCare, Putzier notes that since Uber’s corporate offering has matured in the past year, the company is looking into using the service to pick up employees. In the meantime, either shuttles or managers at local communities sometimes pick employees up from bus stops. That started happening because local governments had cut back on public transportation.

“What happened to some folks is that the bus line ended up not stopping as near to the community as before, so we’d have people walking a mile in the winter,” Putzier said.

“Some people would think they don’t make enough money to make this worthwhile, so they quit.”

Arum quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut ommodios et volut volorerum que inti dellorro blaborem liqui ommolup taturercimus eum hillaborum que doles es dolupta ssimintem sed erum ommolup taturercimus eum Arum quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut ommodios

TOP WORKPLACE

ERICKSON LIVING Based in Baltimore, Md., Erickson Living was named to The Washington Post Top Workplaces list in 2016 for its Washington, D.C.-area communities.

Additionally, Computerworld magazine named it as a 2017 Best Place to Work in Information Technology.

Erickson Living’s senior vice president of human resources, Joseph Machicote, says that initially, he wasn’t thrilled when a headhunter called him to discuss an employment opportunity at a senior living company.

“I came from the world of manufacturing, and hospitality, and high level dining,” he says. “What brought me here was that every single interview and person that I spoke to was unbelievably nice—that’s the culture here.”

That culture seems to be reflected on career website Glassdoor as well, where Erickson earns mostly high praise for its support of its employees, its career development program, and other compensation and benefits.

Machicote says that its positive work environment is reflected in its company-wide turnover rate, which is 38 percent. If its students and flex workers are excluded, that rate drops down to 28 percent.

And at Chicago-based Vi, the benefits package says that “where applicable,” employees may use pre-tax money to pay for their commuting costs, including public transportation and parking expenses associated with their employment.”

Erickson Living, headquartered just outside of Baltimore, helps several of its 3,000 high school wait staff get to work by picking them up at bus stops with its community shuttle buses (which are used for multiple purposes at its communities). Or, they’ll buy bus passes for other workers.

“Our main objective is to make sure that we fulfill one of the things that we promised our residents, which is that you will have continuous, consistent care,” said Joseph Machiote, Erickson’s senior vice president of human resources. “So we really go out of the way to ensure that the employees are able to get to work in the least painful way possible, especially if they don’t drive.”

Family Benefits

Only 11 percent of U.S. workers receive childcare assistance from their employers, accord-

A member of an Erickson Living community student wait staff.

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 13

OFFERING EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS THAT HELP SENIOR LIVING STAY COMPETITIVE

ing to a 2015 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics National Compensation Survey. So that makes Silverado of Irvine, Calif. rather unusual. From the company’s inception in 1996, staff have been allowed to bring their children—as well as pets—to work whenever they want. All of Silverado’s 36 communities have playgrounds, kids can eat along with the residents without charge, and they often participate with the residents in daily scheduled activities.

Silverado has examined the academic research on the interactions between children and seniors, as well as animals and those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Children bring joy and engagement to the seniors, who often share their lives and experiences with the children.

“Over the years, the benefit had a hugely positive impact on the residents and on the children,” says David Gill, Silverado’s senior director of public relations and communications. “The residents feel that they’re still part of society and the greater community, which is so important.”

Meanwhile, academic research has found that interactions with animals often lowers stress levels and agitation experienced by those with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Dogs visiting Silverado communities must be well-behaved and have had the requisite shots. And they must get along with Silverado’s resident canines. Each of its 36

TOP WORKPLACE

VI Based in Chicago, Ill., Vi communities across the country have been recognized as top workplaces in 2016 and 2017, including: One of 100 Top Companies to Work for in Arizona in 2017 by azcentral.com, part of the USA Today network; 2016 San Diego Business Journal Best Places to Work; 2017 Best Places to Work by ColoradoBiz magazine; 2017 Sun Sentinel Top Workplaces; and 2016 Chicago Tribune Top Workplaces.

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation,” wrote the American historian and philosopher Will Durant.

Vi is one senior living operator that appears to have adopted that as a corporate motto: In addition to the above honors, the company has also won awards for the way in which it focuses on developing its employees’ careers from Chief Learning Officer Magazine and Training Magazine for the past seven years.

“We find that making that investment in learning and development helps us attract and retain talent, and in return have better operations, quality care, and high resident satisfaction,” says Judy Whitcomb, Vi’s senior vice president of human resources, learning, and organizational development.

Company executives at all levels are constantly training people throughout the enterprise either in person, or in pre-recorded videos. The company also offers more than a thousand online courses through an intranet portal; the online courses offer coaching for everyone in the company from housekeepers to top management. That means that courses cover subjects as diverse as customer service and knife skills for those in the culinary department to learning new languages online from Rosetta Stone. Management and communications courses from resources such as the Harvard Business Library are available. Chefs are sent on the company’s dime to the famous Culinary Institute of America.

Children of Silverado associates spend meaningful time engaging with residents of their communities.

14 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

communities of 80 to 90 residents are also home to three to four dogs adopted from local shelters and three to four cats. Each community also usually has two aviaries and a big saltwater fish tank.

Anecdotally, Gill says that he’s seen a lot of kids engage in activities alongside the residents, playing ping pong with them, or completing homework activities. One staff member brought her child to work on a regular basis from the day she was born.

(Gill recalls that he once spotted her giving visitors a tour of the community when she was seven.) Another child whose mother is a caregiver at Silverado’s San Diego community became a caregiver herself. She is now studying to be a nurse. And another child’s experience of “growing up” at Silverado with his mother as a community administrator has led him to ponder a career in medicine. Gill says that the young man has become interested in researching a cure for Alzheimer’s.

“When I needed time-sensitive financing, I called LTC. Their leadership is straightforward, realistic and creative in finding workable solutions.”

LYNNE KATZMANN, PhD Founder & CEO, Juniper Communities Partner since 2012

Acquisition Development Preferred Equity Mezzanine 200+ properties: AL•MC•SNF 805.981.8655 • LTCreit.com

OFFERING EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS THAT HELP SENIOR LIVING STAY COMPETITIVE

Vi’s Executive Chefs serve as mentors to aspiring culinary professionals.

For its part, Ebenezer in Minneapolis runs a faith-based intergenerational program in Burnsville, just south of Minneapolis, that is available to employees’ children at a slight discount. The non-profit offers a preschool for babies and toddlers that includes daily visits and activities with seniors in Ebenezer’s adult day program. Ebenezer has created a designated space to accommodate program activities, which includes things such as baking cookies together, playing games, reading together, and doing arts and crafts. They also go on outings together and make ceramics.

“It’s not an unbelievable discount, but the parents know where their children are, and they can pop down and see them at lunch,” says Ebenezer’s chief operating officer Jon Lundberg.

16 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

Training

Training may be one area that distinguishes the senior living industry from others when it comes to attracting new employees.

Many of the larger senior living companies look to promote promising candidates vertically through their businesses in order to minimize downtime and the many costs associated with having to find and train the appropriate new employees. Promotions and training can also be, and often are, key parts of internal companies’ management succession plans. Other smaller companies try to help employees in their careers by continually offering training that could help them land raises as they take on more responsibilities within their existing roles, or they switch roles.

Whatever the case, in order to attract Mil-

Arum quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut ommodios et volut volorerum que inti dellorro blaborem liqui ommolup taturercimus eum hillaborum que doles es dolupta ssimintem sed erum ommolup taturercimus eum Arum quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut taturerc

lennials, the largest demographic pool of workers out there, Gallup advises: “Organizations should ensure that their attraction and retention strategies highlight and deliver on learning opportunities, career-pathing, and performance management standards.”

Vi, a luxury senior living company headquartered in Chicago, has spent the past decade retooling its company culture to reflect this approach.

Every single employee within its company has access to an “eCampus,” with thousands of online courses that focus on personal career development relevant to an employee’s work and field of specialty and beyond.

Frontline employees have the opportunity to participate in Vi’s one-year Management Development Program that could enable them to land a leadership position. Vi also offers a six-month Emerging Leaders program for new leaders. Some of Vi’s course materials and resources are presented in Tagalog, Creole, and Spanish because for many of Vi’s employees, English is not their first language.

“Every year, we continue to look at every position and say: ‘What else do we need to offer to support and develop the competencies and growth of our employees?” says Vi’s Whitcomb.

Arum quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut ommodios et volut volorerum que inti dellorro blaborem liqui ommolup taturercimus eum hillaborum que doles es dolupta ssimintem sed erum ommolup taturercimus eum Arum quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut ommodios

One of Vi’s leadership competencies is “employee development.” Company, department, and individual goals include a focus on employee development, and managers are evaluated on the achievement of such goals. Compensation decisions are also tied to goals and the achievement of leadership competencies. That is designed to encourage managers to take a sincere interest in their reports’ careers and to underscore the importance of Vi’s learning culture.

High potential employees have the opportunity to participate in Vi’s year-long Breakthrough Leadership Program, which involves classroom training by Vi executives,

Recent graduates of the LCS one-year training program: (front row from left) Jacob Elliott, Morgan Holien, Kristen Kallas, Heather Kjelstad and (back row from left) Chris Burk, Adam Funk, Jake Cox, Cory Cain.

graduates from prior programs, as well as faculty from DePaul University. Following a series of assessments and classroom learning, Breakthrough Leadership Program participants engage in a six-month virtual program through Harvard Business Publishing, which includes virtual learning sessions, online learning, and study groups.

DePaul professor Robert Rubin produced a report last November concluding that given the magnitude of observed performance increases, Vi will realize an estimated return on investment value of $123,000 per career employee from this year-long program.

Learning opportunities, and the result of those opportunities, are published internally through an internal employee newsletter with employee career profiles as well as on Vi’s career site. Senior leaders at Vi also highlight the importance of career development by recounting their own career trajectories through the company through online videos. The whole point of this process is to continually demonstrate and communicate to employees that Vi cares about career development.

“Some would say that it’s expensive, but when you look at our retention rate, and the outcomes we experience, how can we not [provide all these resources]?” Whitcomb says. “It’s about the quality of the care, the quality of the communities, how you take care of your assets—that’s all part of the brand.”

A 2016 case study of Vi’s learning and development approach by Deloitte’s Bersin unit reports that since it revamped its training approach, resident satisfaction with the service has increased to 94 percent in 2016 from 83 percent in 2010. Their rate of recommendations has also increased to 95 percent from 83 percent, and the company has seen better sales.

Aside from Vi’s programs, many other top workplaces make sure that managers sit ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 17

OFFERING EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS THAT HELP SENIOR LIVING STAY COMPETITIVE

Arum quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut ommodios et volut volorerum que inti dellorro blaborem liqui ommolup taturercimus eum hillaborum que doles es dolupta ssimintem sed erum ommolup taturercimus eum Arum quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut ommodios

company hopes will return to train to become executive directors of local communities. The interns work at three different HRA communities for about four months or the equivalent of one of their university’s semesters. They work with and shadow staff in all of the local communities’ departments and work to come up with a solution to a lingering community problem.

Kylee Hanson, an undergraduate of Florida Atlantic University, for example, came up with a labeling system for residents

down with employees to discuss their career paths and options.

At Erickson Living, for example, employees and supervisors develop career plans together. Supervisors will assign their reports a mentor and direct them to take specific courses and reading material at Erickson University Online. The employees would also engage in several three-day live immersion training sessions to enable themselves to take the next step in their careers.

Paid Internships

Some senior living organizations have found that offering paid internships and training programs for university graduates is a fruitful way of recruiting talent.

Harbor Retirement Associates (HRA) of Florida kicked off a new internship program this year, for example, and St. Joseph’s Rehabilitation and Residence in Portland, Maine has embarked on a program where it invited a few college students to live in its communities for free as interns while they worked as certified nursing aides or resident assistants.

LCS of Des Moines, Iowa, works with university graduates and places them in a one-year training program to train them to become executive directors of local communities. The one-year leadership training program also helps to bond the graduates together and strengthens their ties to the company, said Mark Heston, LCS’ senior vice president and human resources officer.

Six to ten individuals a year train through this program, and about 100 people total have gone through the process. The trainees work at local communities and then gather at LCS’ headquarters for a week a few times per year to take classes from LCS leaders.

For its part, HRA partnered with several local universities in Florida, Michigan, and South Carolina to recruit interns who the 18 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

Kensington Johnson started working for Brandywine 15 years ago as a dishwasher while still in high school. He used Brandywine’s tuition reimbursement benefits and worked his way up to food services director at Brandywine’s Moorestown Estates.

so that staff can better track down and find lost items. Amanda Wilson, another FAU undergraduate at the time of her internship, came up with several ideas to improve residents’ dining experiences. One of them included soliciting residents for their favorite home recipes. Both interns presented their ideas to HRA’s senior leadership and the managers of several of HRA’s 25 senior living communities. The community managers implemented Hanson’s ideas and saw a dramatic reduction in lost items.

Wilson said that she knew nothing about the senior living industry before she undertook the internship, but the experience made her a convert. She graduated this May with a degree in healthcare administration and is working toward an MBA at Lewis University outside of Chicago.

“Prior to my internship, I had no experience in this industry at all,” she wrote in an e-mail interview. “I went in completely blind and was hoping for the best. Through this internship, I ended up finding my passion for working with seniors in this industry.”

She said that none of her friends knew much about the senior living industry, but that she would recommend her internship experience to anyone else thinking about doing it.

Natalie Cardenas, HRA’s manager of associate growth and development, says that HRA has since taken on additional interns and hopes to ultimately place those who decide to return and who complete executive director-in-training programs in markets where it’s hard to find candidates.

TOP WORKPLACE

THE SHELTER GROUP/BRIGHTVIEW SENIOR LIVING Based in Baltimore, Md., The Shelter Group/Brightview Senior Living was recognized in The Baltimore Sun 2016 Top Workplaces issue with special recognition in the area of ethics.

Brightview Senior Living, part of the property development and management company The Shelter Group, opened its first community 18 years ago in Baltimore, where the company is headquartered. It now operates 35 communities in eight states.

One of the company’s benefits that sets it apart from others, says Ron Bryan, Brightview’s vice president of human resources, is its health and wellness program, which is managed by a fulltime wellness manager.

The company offers free health coaching, which is supplied by an outside vendor. It also offers free smoking cessation coaching and prenatal care coaches. Bryan says that its annual medical plan cost increases are in the two percent range as opposed to the more common eight to nine percent range.

Brightview funds its own medical plan for employees directly instead of buying insurance from an insurance company, so it puts a heavy emphasis on wellness and cost control. In the past year, the company signed up for a service called Healthcare Bluebook, which enables employees to shop around for the most reasonably-priced healthcare services for tests and measurements. Employees who opt for lower-priced services, such as lower-cost MRIs, can receive gift cards between $25 and $100 as a reward.

Employees who want to access the richest plans at the lowest costs complete health screenings that provide a third party with information on employees’ blood pressure, cholesterol blood glucose, and BMI. The data is aggregated by a third party provider and informs the company’s wellness campaigns. One recent 12-week motivational campaign to encourage fitness, for example, was supplied by The Wellness Council of America, a group that builds wellness campaigns for corporate employees. As part of the package, Brightview offered employees discounts on Fitbits and those who participated in the program were eligible to win prizes.

Other campaigns in the past have focused on employees’ financial health.

Education Benefits

Many leading workplaces also offer financial assistance to help their workers further their education.

Brandywine Living, for example, currently offers its associates a $2,000 annual stipend for approved academic courses relevant to their careers. It also offers a scholarship of $7,500 a year for nursing school. Eligible employees must be full-time workers. Those who take Brandywine up on the offer must make a twoyear commitment to stay on at the company.

The luxury senior living provider is thinking about restructuring the program, however, since turnover among its nursing staff is extremely low.

Instead, it’s examining whether it should increase the general stipend to $3,000 or $3,500 and eliminate the fixed, annual $7,500 nursing scholarship.

The company also works out customized scholarship programs for staff across the company depending on the circumstances, said Pamela Hernandez, Brandywine’s vice president of human resources.

“So if we identify somebody who works in dining, for example, and they might show leadership potential, we’ll have that conversation with them about the potential of sending them to culinary school,” she said. “They might not even have realized that as an option.

We will put them through culinary school, and we’ll hire them as a food services director.”

Brandywine also pays for certificate courses for staff that want to gain expertise in a field that interests them that they could move to within the company. The

company is also looking at partnering with Rowan University in New Jersey where its staff could take courses for credit as part of their internal company training.

The company likes to grow its own talent. In a recent new managers meeting, she noted, 25 of the 30 staff attending had been promoted from within.

For its part, Ebenezer offers $5,000 to $8,000 annual stipends for staff that want to strengthen their credentials. In some cases, the company will also buy down some of its staffs’ student loan debt—up to $6,000 per year. Only four percent of companies offer a student loan repayment assistance benefit, according to the latest annual survey by the Society for Human Resource Management.

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 19

OFFERING EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS THAT HELP SENIOR LIVING STAY COMPETITIVE

TOP WORKPLACE

BENCHMARK SENIOR LIVING Benchmark Senior Living, headquartered in Waltham, Mass., was named to the 2017 Boston Globe Top Places to Work list and was also named to the 2016 Boston Business Journal Best Places to Work list.

Luciano Parente is sitting in an armchair gazing fondly at a framed photograph of Lucia and Justin Maccarone, descendants of Italian immigrants.

Parente, who’s an Italian immigrant himself, sighs: “Ah Lucia, I miss you!”

Then he turns to Lucia’s daughter, Michele Maccarone Brophy, and they sing/hum an Italian song together. It’s as if they’re old friends.

Parente is a 13-year veteran of Benchmark Senior Living. He works in dining services at River Ridge at Avon, a Benchmark community in Connecticut, and he took care of Brophy’s parents, both Benchmark residents, for many years. Among other things, he spoke Italian with them and made them special Italian meals.

In a video of Brophy and Parente reminiscing about Brophy’s parents, Brophy says that she knew when she met Parente that “everything would be fine” for her parents, who were fearful at first about moving into a community.

Benchmark created the video to recognize Parente and two other colleagues for their compassion and shared it with the rest of the company’s employees at its Annual Awards Gala, a black-tie event held earlier this year at Gillette Stadium near Boston. Parente received Benchmark’s 2016 Compassionate Caregiver Award for consistently

making rich, meaningful connections with residents, families, and fellow associates. The recognition came with a $2,500 cash award and crystal trophy. The Maccarone family was one of more than 300 who nominated a Benchmark employee for the 2016 award.

The honor is just one of more than a dozen forms of recognition that Benchmark showers upon associates and communities for extraordinary acts of caring for residents, superior leadership, and excellent customer service.

Like many other workplaces rated as “best places to work” in employee surveys, Benchmark offers matching 401(k) retirement funds and a bundle of other benefits, including insurance, profit-sharing, service and product discounts, tuition reimbursement, and training. But when asked what sets the company apart, vice president of human resources Tim Reilly says it’s “Benchmark’s 20-year culture of appreciation and recognition.”

Luciano Parente, recipient of the 2016 Benchmark Compassionate Caregiver Award, with Benchmark chief executive officer Tom Grape.

The 15th Annual Awards Gala honoring Benchmark’s Best for 2016 held in Gillette Stadium, home of the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots

20 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

Dear iN2L, My Great Grandma enjoys watching us play...

• Meaningful Engagement • Increased Staff Efficiency • Drug Reduction • Seemless Implementation • Improved Market Position

Get started today, contact us at www.in2l.com

OFFERING EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS THAT HELP SENIOR LIVING STAY COMPETITIVE

Crisis support

Several senior living companies administrate the equivalent of benevolent funds. The money helps staff who are facing dire situations, such as managing cancer treatments, paying for the costs of a funeral, rebuilding after a house fire, or other crisis situations.

Profit sharing

Both Aegis Living and Benchmark Senior Living of Waltham, Mass. offer its associates profit sharing bonuses based on the net operating income of the communities in which they work. Amounts vary depending on the

company’s financial results and the number of associates in each community.

For all the talk of the need to offer decent benefits to stay competitive with other kinds of businesses, senior living human resources leaders interviewed for this article still universally believe that the opportunity to work a job that helps others will remain a big factor in attracting new candidates—as long as their companies can provide a hospitable workplace, that is.

“Our industry is competing for those 1.2 million workers against a lot of other companies like the Walmarts and McDonalds,”

notes LCS’ Heston. “The one advantage we have is that we have meaningful work: It is meaningful to be able to care for and interact with seniors. [But] we as an industry have to do a better job of educating especially entry-level workers about the opportunity. If we can attract them to the industry, and we have good leaders, people will want to stay. That’s how we’ll win this battle for talent.”

FIVE STEPS TO MAKING YOUR ORGANIZATION A GREAT WORKPLACE FOR WOMEN

BY LEO WILLIAMS Baker Donelson knows a little something about attracting talented women and keeping them on staff. Last fall Baker Donelson was the second-highest-ranking law firm in Fortune’s “100 Best Workplaces for Women.” More recently, the firm came in third in Vault.com’s “2018 Best Law Firms for Women.”

“Our mission is to recruit, retain and advance bright women into positions of leadership,” said Christy Tosh Crider, chair of Baker Donelson’s Women’s Initiative.

Crider offers a five-step process you can use in your workplace to recruit and retain talented women.

Meet with the women in your organization and ask them what they need. They can tell you what you’re doing right and what needs work.

Put together a comprehensive plan, and get buy-in from your organization’s senior leadership.

22 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

Get passionate people to lead in specific areas. For instance, Baker Donelson’s Women’s Initiative encompasses specific areas such as parental leave, pathways to leadership, and mentoring.

Create a support structure that celebrates success but also holds the group accountable. Make sure your team meets regularly, and be honest about what is and isn’t working.

Build momentum for your initiative by identifying areas where you can get some quick wins.

Momentum allows you to tackle the challenges that are going to take hard work and time.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Open for Business: Atria Senior Living Employee Cafe Opens to the Public for Research, Training

By Heather Loveridge

T

o the casual observer, it looks like just a restaurant. But looks can be deceiving. Haymarket Bistro in Louisville, Ky. is actually a test kitchen and training facility housed on the ground floor of Atria Senior Living’s headquarters. It’s where Atria develops, proves, and refines new concepts; concepts that help their senior living communities run a better business and provide a better experience to residents.

For Atria’s leadership team, it’s about

looking ahead, becoming more creative and efficient, and being very intentional and forward thinking about how they approach their culinary program and offerings. Spearheaded by Ronda Watson, Atria’s senior vice president of culinary and engage life, Atria now has over 30 buildings with bistros.

“The bistro and test kitchen here at our headquarters are really about cultivating leadership and innovation for our culinary staff in our communities, and ultimately,

providing the best possible food experience for our residents,” Ronda Watson said. “In doing so, that allows our communities to remain competitive at a local level. The bistro and test kitchen help us stay on our ‘A game’, whether it’s creating and testing new recipes, or refining processes to stay efficient—whatever the case might be.”

Atria already had a test kitchen planned for the ground floor and decided to move the cafe, which was originally housed on an-

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 23

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

other floor, there as well. Since Haymarket Bistro opened in April 2017, business has been booming. Three full-time employees work there and additional help is called in for events or large meetings outside of regular bistro business.

Watson and her team have also made some important findings.

“One of the most important things we’ve learned [since relocating] is how to be more efficient with our time while maintaining the same high quality of food and service.

To deliver both really requires our bistro staff to serve in a dual role, and they do a great job,” Watson said. “With the uptick in business, we’ve also had to keep a close eye on making sure we’re staffing appropriately and continuing to keep food fresh and stocked. We have also been able to experiment with new equipment such as vacuum sealers, blast chillers, sous vide, and other technologies that can help optimize food production in our kitchens. Many more people are using the bistro now as a place to congregate and have informal meetings.”

And what’s been the public’s response?

“Amazing! Our building is on the former site of a well-known produce market, and the bistro’s interior design reflects the location’s historic significance. One day a member of a prominent local family that runs an orchard and winery came in, had a great meal, and recalled bringing produce to the market long ago. So aside from the food we serve, the location itself occupies an important place in our city’s history, and it’s a special thing to see people’s attachment to it,” Watson said.

“It’s also been really fun to hear people’s reactions when they fully grasp that we’re a senior living company with a public-facing bistro. They’re always pleasantly surprised.”

Along with serving the public and testing new recipes, the bistro also serves as training ground for Atria employees. Watson routinely brings in Atria culinary directors from across the United States and Canada so they can learn how to better manage their restaurants and culinary programs, from the food and business side.

“We recently hosted a cooking challenge 24 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

Atria Senior Living's Haymarket Bistro

with about 20 chefs to create a family-style meal. They were split into pairs, and each pair was responsible for a different part of the dinner—cocktails, table settings, entrée, sides, desserts, and so on. It was a way to assess their creativity and use of the products they were given, as well as an opportunity to learn new equipment and just enjoy some time with colleagues,” Watson said.

“We’ve also spent some time lately training our culinary and leadership staff, at a local and regional level, along with our employees, about the importance of taste and the way our resident’s tastes alter as they age. It’s really important that we’re always keeping top of mind the unique circumstances of the older adults we serve.”

Part of those unique circumstances include working with residents with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. “[We’ve conducted] recent trainings on the unique challenges faced by our Alzhei-

mer’s and dementia residents when it comes to something as simple as eating a meal, which many of us may take for granted.

We’ve partnered with our Care Team to talk about food presentation and plate ware, along with other aspects of food prep and service,” she said.

For Atria, the information they’ve gathered about what senior living residents want regarding cuisine and service has been invaluable.

“We continue to design our communities with multiple dining options and amenities that will encourage participation from all generations of the family. We'd like our bistros to be a place that the grandchildren and great grandchildren ask to be taken to. And we want to dispel the assumptions people make about the food that’s served in a senior living community,” Watson said.

“This learning will only continue as we test new products, recipes, and processes.”

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Tapping Into the Power of Millennials in Aging

By Sara Wildberger

E

ntrepreneur Amanda Cavaleri often hears the remark, “but you’re so young—what are you doing here?” Her answer: She couldn’t see herself not being here.

In college, she wouldn’t have seen herself here. But at 20, she started work as a server in a Colorado retirement community—and she loved it. She saw a need, and an opportunity. How many others her age were missing out on the personal and professional rewards possible in senior living? And why?

Pursuing these questions paved a fast track to success—starting up the Capable Living elder concierge service, being named a thought leader by Carnegie Mellon’s Quality of Life Technology Center, being made an AARP fellow, and more.

Two years ago, she launched Connect the Ages (ConnectTheAges.com), a grassroots initiative with the mission to “inspire five million Generation X, millennials, and Generation Z individuals to pursue multidisciplinary careers in aging over the next eight years.”

Here’s how—and why.

You’re going to need 5 million workers—or more.

As Cavaleri points out, 10,000 Americans turn 65 daily, and in about five years, millennials will make up 75 percent of the workforce. The assumption among some senior living leadership that immigrants can fill this gap misses the fact that “we’re competing on a global level for the whole immigrant population,” she says.

Too much of the aging field is stuck in a process of “rotating talent,” simply replacing workers who are burned out or under challenged with a fresh crop at the same level.

The investment in onboarding and training

presented by this state of constant churn can result in losses and untapped talent.

Solution: Open the possibilities.

Cavaleri found that like her, many young people simply weren’t aware of careers in aging. The key is to communicate the rewards.

As one of the millennials says in the group’s awareness-building video, “I thought I’d be a video game programmer,” but by applying his skills in the aging sector, he learned, “you can actually change someone’s life.”

One top Connect the Ages initiative, for instance, is recruiting millennials in aging sector careers to give guest talks at colleges.

With passion and personal examples, speakers can easily tick off the advantages: a sense of mission and personal accomplishment, a chance to innovate, a career that will last for the long haul.

Connect the Ages produced a video Cavaleri urges leaders to use, and it’s developing more such multimedia, with potential to get the message out to many more millennials more quickly.

Staring down that 2025 deadline, speed matters: “We need new talent,” Cavaleri says. “We need to start to be the squeaky wheel, or this will get a lot worse.”

How can you connect?

Senior living leaders also need to work to bridge the gap—but it’s an effort Cavaleri sees as having a high ROI. »» Create and communicate a career ladder.

Those entering the field need to see the potential for a future. Where could they be in one year, five, 10? Create and share narratives of those who have climbed a ladder. »» Show your range. “The interesting thing about aging is it does touch every industry,” Cavaleri says. It’s not just for health

Thought Leader Profile Amanda Cavaleri Chief Executive Officer, Connect the Ages

care or caregivers—and even those jobs can be more complex than many realize. »» Support that ladder. Support employees in reaching their goals. Incentivize with increased responsibility or new opportunities. Build an easy on-ramp from colleges to volunteering or appropriate part-time work, and from there to fulltime careers. »» Make connections and be an advocate.

Start with educational institutions and workforce development boards.

“We need to educate the educators in what you’re looking for,” Cavaleri says.

“Who’s your ideal candidate—and what can they do to help them grow?” “What if you partner with a school, or start your own CNA training program, with classes at times that are convenient for people? We can be more creative about that.” Economic development groups want to help, she says, but don’t have compelling data or messages. “We need to show them that we’re creating jobs, creating value, potentially saving Medicaid dollars,” she says. And, consider giving staff time off to advocate and join the effort, Cavaleri says.

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 25

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Expanding Opportunities to Meet Workforce Readiness Challenges

S

enator Tammy Baldwin is Wisconsin’s first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. Prior to her election to the Senate in 2012, she served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District for seven terms.

Throughout her career in public service, Senator Baldwin has worked to support investments in education and workforce readiness, ensure quality and affordable health care for all Americans, and strengthen retirement security for today’s seniors and future generations.

Senator Baldwin currently serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Here, Senator Baldwin shares some of her workforce initiatives and the history behind her passion to serve.

Investing in Veterans’ Health, Education, and Job Training

Advocating for Workforce Readiness and Training Programs

“I believe that hardworking people who build their future should never have to doubt their retirement security. That’s why I have opposed efforts to privatize Medicare and Social Security. In addition, I have introduced the Keep Our Pension Promises Act. This legislation will reverse deep pension cuts for retirees and workers in multi-employer pension plans—protecting the pensions of up to 10 million Americans.”

“As a co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, I’ve made workforce readiness and job training one of my top priorities. I’ve advocated for increased funding to expand programs designed to meet our workforce readiness challenges, and earlier this year, I also introduced the CTE Excellence and Equity Act. This bipartisan legislation helps support re-designing the high school experience to include courses that better support career and technical education students so they are better equipped for the high-skilled jobs of today and tomorrow, including in our health care industry.”

“America’s veterans have bravely served our nation and we have a shared responsibility to support them with strong investments in health care, education, and job training.

Just some examples of my work in this area include my bipartisan Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act, which passed Congress and was signed into law by President Obama last year. This reform holds the VA accountable, strengthens oversight of their prescribing practices, and provides safer care for our veterans. I’ve also worked across party lines with Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) to introduce the BRAVE Act to create incentives for employers to hire veterans returning to the workforce.”

Strengthening Retirement Programs for Seniors

Supporting Caregivers

“My grandparents, who raised me, were my heroes. When my grandmother grew older, I did not hesitate to serve as her primary caregiver. Being a caregiver for her was extremely

Hillaborum que doles es dolupta ssimintem sed erum ommolup taturercimus eum Arum quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et 26 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

Change Agent Profile Member, Senate Appropriations Committee, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

rewarding, but also challenging. I often struggled to find the best resources and assistance in the community for the different aspects of her care. Being a caregiver shaped my future in public service and my priorities in the U.S. House of Representatives, and now in the Senate. I am proud to work across party lines on legislation like the RAISE Family Caregivers Act and the Credit for Caring Act to support caregivers.”

Growing Our Health Care Workforce

“One of the reasons I got involved in public service was because of my own experience with health care. When I was young, I got really sick and had to be in the hospital for months. Although I eventually recovered, I was branded as a kid with a pre-existing condition. That experience has guided me in public service as I have worked to provide affordable health care for all Americans.

Health care is personal. It is for me and it is for the people I work for.

As our population begins to age, we need passionate and motivated young people to help grow our health care workforce and strengthen our health care system to ensure that everyone has access to the care they need.”

WE INVEST IN RELATIONSHIPS Not Just Properties

nhireit.com | 615.890.9100 Leaseback | Construction | Mezz | Joint Venture

~interior solutions ~ beyond style ~

4 design, LLC

PH: 262-293-5099 Ext: 100 www.4designinteriors.com ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 27

OnShift Sponsored Editorial

28 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

OnShift Sponsored Editorial

Sponsored by

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

2 Lines Title Mark Woodka, CEO, OnShift

B

ody text 1 with drop cap Sus volore volupta di ium arum arupic tem estrupturis quist, quia veliquatat. st et ma quati ommolorro volupta nimporp oruptat aerchil. Uptat pelist, temquidebit perspiciam quis ut esto doluptatius.

In cuptatem dia disit ut qui quamuscit aIpid eosapic ipsume etur aligend elecae quissum aut qui occus adignis imquidebit.

Department Subhead 1. Otas sum etum alibus destoIm ipsaperiam facea et deles aliquas amest.

Department Subhead 2 Body Text 2 Et delis quo voluptati doluptaspere sit am, ullatin ullaut explitatium qui dolores equaeptisit quatia qui bea velenimpor arum ipit, tem quaturios sum explit faceseque apitasCatur aut atus molorep edipic to ommollaut eosa voluptat. Ides cusae. Nequam dolorios aborupt atibus, unt idem autesciet ipsandi te ra solore aliquia doluptatquid quam, sam, sequas eaquidusda sandita turibus di cum aut dolupta doloreri cus dusam, istrum quunt quia dolorpo ribusam.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NEW MEMBERSHIP OFFERINGS! Argentum is excited to announce new membership offerings available for the mid-year membership enrollment period. The new membership levels are more streamlined and pricing more inclusive for small and medium-sized companies.

JOIN BY SEPTEMBER 1 TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ARGENTUM’S COMPLIMENTARY FALL/WINTER EVENTS September 12 - 13: Public Policy Institute & Fly-In Washington, DC | argentum.org/ppi September 14: Workforce Development Symposium Washington, DC | argentum.org/wdsymposium September 25: Senior Living Leadership Reception Chicago, IL (at NIC) | rmontgomery@argentum.org November 8 - 9: Chief Executive Summit Half Moon Bay, CA (Premier Members only) argentum.org/summit

Contact Argentum to Learn More

Brad Williams VP, Business Development (571) 527-2625 bwilliams@argentum.org

Best Practices in RECRUITING FRONT-LINE STAFF ACROSS INDUSTRIES

BY ADAM STONE

Bill Pettit struggles to hire front-line staff, the customer-facing employees who are the heart and soul of senior living.

“We have an economy that is booming, and the types of people who will do well in our organization also will do well in other industries,” said Pettit, chair of the Argentum workforce development committee and president of the R.D. Merrill Company, parent company of Merrill Gardens.

“Many of their skills directly translate, and so we all compete.”

He contends with restaurants for dining staff, while construction firms snap up maintenance workers. Health care companies hire away potential caregivers and so it goes down the line, with competing industries all vying for the same limited pool of applicants.

For many senior living providers, the struggle to hire front-liners seems never ending, but it’s important to look for pockets of opportunity. For instance, the radical downturn in retail has lately cost some 60,000 workers their jobs, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That’s a big pool of potential senior living employees.

32 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

Still, companies across competing industries continue to feel the pinch. In hospitality, turnover rates may run as high as 100 percent, according to the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), an Affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, while in health care high turnover may add 35 percent to the cost of patient care. An ICW survey found at least half of employers have a hard time hiring front-line staff.

“This is probably the biggest challenge in the present labor market,” Pettit said. His prescription for success? “You have to do your homework on these other industries, whether it’s restaurants or multifamily or the care industry. For those industries that compete directly, you need to understand the current labor market and current practices.”

Senior Living Executive did exactly that, interviewing human resources leaders from a range of sectors to mine their best practices for hiring front-line workers. Health care and dining, hospitality and customer service organizations: Here is what some of the best had to say about their winning recipes for hiring and retaining those hard-to-find employees.

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 33

BEST PRACTICES IN RECRUITING FRONT-LINE STAFF ACROSS INDUSTRIES

“When you meet somebody at a restaurant or a coffee shop and you really appreciate their service level, you approach them. Maybe they are looking for a second job or maybe they know someone else with a great attitude, and so you hand out your business card,” said Teri Serrano, Vice President of People Services, Mayo Clinic.

Being transparent

Beer-and-chicken chain Buffalo Wild Wings employs some 45,000 people nationwide.

For many it’s a first-time job. Restaurant work isn’t glamorous: Long hours on your feet, answerable to the demands of an often-finicky clientele. BWW’s best tool for attracting talent: Transparency.

“If they want to see what a day in the life is like, we will give them a chance to shadow shift,” said Julie Letner, vice president for talent management services at BWW. “Even for hourly workers, it’s not uncommon for them to talk to at least a couple of managers so that they can get different perspectives and different points of view.”

The more people understand about the business, the more likely they will want to come aboard. As a recruiting tactic, this takes some effort, but Letner says it is worth putting in the extra energy. “We are willing to share anything about the organization, anything about our plans. When there is a willingness on our end to invest the time up front, it helps them to know they are making the right choice,” she said.

Just as senior living must compete against hospitality, retail, and a range of other industries, BWW vies for the allegiance of workers who could potentially serve in diverse settings. How to sell them on food service? The BWW narrative focuses on serving hot wings not as an end but rather as a beginning.

“There is a ton of room for growth and career advancement, so we compile success stories about team members who started as cashiers and now are leading teams, running multi-million dollar businesses. We tell them that if they have a desire and an appetite to learn and grow, this can be a great place for them,” Letner said.

BWW casts a wide net to find such individuals, and they make the search personal. “We 34 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

look at our general managers and managers to be their local mayors, so to speak. We want them to know what is going on in their towns, to be connected to the businesses and the schools. The more they are integrated into the communities they serve, the better placed we will be to attract talent,” she said.

Managers volunteer with civic groups.

They get involved in youth activities, coach sports, make themselves visible among the labor pool. “For a lot of our team members this may be their first job and we want them to feel that they can authentically be themselves and feel accepted and be part of the team,” she said. “The more our leaders can connect with potential team members, the more we can create that sense of being connected, the sense that managers genuinely care about them.”

Building the pipeline

Senior living professionals have been advocating for a renewed emphasis on the pipeline, a need to promote the industry early and often.

To that end, the industry might take a cue from the Mayo Clinic. In addition to its home base in Rochester, Minn., the world-renowned health organization employs some 65,000 people nationwide, many of them recruited from among the same pool of care-minded workers coveted by senior living.

Mayo Clinic’s secret to success in hiring front-liners? “Pipelining,” said Jamie Schmitgen, chair of talent solutions for Mayo Clinic. The organization works with colleges, high schools, and even junior high students, sometimes helping to develop skills but more often just raising awareness of health care as a career option.

“We talk about working in health care and we talk about opportunities at Mayo Clinic. We want to have those conversations

long before they are even an active candidate,” he said.

Through the “Bridges to Healthcare” program, for example, Mayo Clinic teams with Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) to introduce local high schoolers to the industry while helping them to complete their GED work. In addition to building awareness, the program is a direct feeder for Mayo Clinic, which has hired over 100 graduates out of the program.

Another effort enables local high schoolers to get hands-on experience in health care career paths while earning academic credits and even professional certifications.

This too becomes a feeder, with graduates often moving directly into front-line jobs with the health care organization.

For senior living companies looking to team with local schools in order to raise awareness, Schmitgen says it typically will be up to the potential employer to make the first move.

“These institutions are more than willing, but you as the employer have to take the initiative,” he said. “You have to go ask. You have to reach out to them and that means having someone dedicated to building those relationships as part of your recruiting strategy.”

While this may sound like a heavy lift, especially when the focus needs to be on filling immediate vacancies, Schmitgen says that building a pipeline is something that can be done gradually.

“You can go in slowly and take it in phases,” he said. “You can start with a high school observation program. Or you can go to the local workforce board and see if they will help to pay for retraining of displaced individuals. You don’t necessarily need to start a big comprehensive program right away. But you do have to be thinking about the future and convincing people that your industry is the right one to be in.”

In a more immediate sense, Schmitgen

also stresses the importance of keeping competitive with local wages. “A lot of it comes down to what you are paying people.

If there is a shortage in supply, the entry-level salaries start to creep up,” he said. “You have to stay on top of the local pay and be proactive around that.”

Service mindset

While a massive organization like the Mayo Clinic can set its sights on the long game, for Teri Serrano hiring front-liners is all about basic block and tackle: Referrals, word of mouth, carefully crafted advertising. That’s what it takes for the vice president of people services to keep 450 jobs filled at the 16-property boutique chain Broughton Hotels.

In cities like Palm Springs and Monterey, Calif., hourly workers are thin on the ground and Serrano has to compete against a range of other service industries.

“When you meet somebody at a restaurant or a coffee shop and you really appreciate their service level, you approach them.

Maybe they are looking for a second job or maybe they know someone else with a great attitude, and so you hand out your business card,” she said.

Serrano will do some paid advertising in markets where labor is especially tight, “but how you write the ad is really important if you want to find people who have the same attitudes that you do as an organization,” she said.

“I use the verbiage that is on our websites, language about having ‘radical ideas’ about how to run a hotel company. If you are someone who connects with that idea, you will respond to my ad,” she said. “In the same way, I look for people who use that same language in their response. That shows me that they have taken the time to research the organization. It tells me they are authentically interested in how we manage and what we want to do.”

Serrano also leverages a tactic familiar to many in senior living, paying referral bonuses of $100 or more. To make the most of that investment, she always tries to dig a little deeper before pursuing the referral, rather than just calling the candidate cold.

“I will ask that person making the referral: ‘How do you know John? How long have you known him? Why do you think John would be a great candidate for us?’” she said. Such

questions can save time and effort when it comes to vetting the potential candidate.

It helps, too, to think about the type of employee you are seeking, when specific skills are not required. “These are transformational activities, not transactional,” she said. That means an individual with a flair for interpersonal work may be a good fit, regardless of specific background.

“I find that folks who work in theme parks or who volunteer someplace are actually really great in this industry. If you enjoy making people happy, if you enjoy giving back, this is a good industry for you,” she said. The same could be said of senior living, so it’s important not to write off a candidate just because the fit is less than precise.

Even making all the right moves, Serrano sometimes strikes out. She describes a recent effort to hire for a front-line position in Santa Cruz. “We posted on Indeed, we posted on HCareers, and the resumes appear to have the right qualifications. But I’ve interviewed 60 people and still can’t find the right candidate,” she said.

The problem is not with the labor pool but rather with the hotel’s own approach to the position. “I think we budgeted the wrong wage for the position, we undervalued that individual for that market. The price point was off. We may also need to rethink the job description. Maybe we are looking at the wrong skill sets,” she said.

Her point is just this: That if you are doing everything right in a front-line job search and you still aren’t getting the right candidates, it may be time for a review. Is the pay right?

Is the job description on target? Finding the right candidate often comes down to making the right offer, in the right way–and that’s something that is in your control.

Working the interview

Senior living knows it’s competing for frontline talent with health care and hotels. But the industry is also up against LaShena Matthews. As talent acquisition partner for software company Sage, she helps to keep some 13,000 jobs filled, and half of them are customer service positions—the same entry-level employees senior living is trying to hire.

Between online ads and referrals, Matthews usually has plenty of resumes to read. What she needs, though, are people who bring the

right type of character to the table. “We need people who can think and who are problem solvers. That is the differentiating factor. We need someone who can really make a difference for our customers,” she said.

So how does Matthews find these people?

Mostly by listening very carefully. “It’s not that we have set questions. It’s about having a range of questions available that help us uncover those soft skills,” she said. A personal favorite: “Why is a manhole round?” The answer doesn’t matter. What’s important is the way in which the interviewee reasons through the problem.

“Each person may interpret the question differently. Even if they don’t know the answer, you want to see them think through a creative answer,” she said.

It helps, too, to ask open-ended questions.

In a recent interview Matthews simply asked the subject to rate his customer service skills on a scale of one to 10. Instead of just giving a figure, “this person went further: ‘I would rate myself an eight because of this or that experience.’ It showed me someone who was solution-oriented, who could understand what being an eight really means and could help me to understand what it meant to them.”

Bottom line: It takes good interviewing to make good hires. That’s why Sage recently launched a training academy to help managers beef up their interview skills.

Invest in training for hiring managers?

It’s expensive and the outcomes seem intangible. But take a step back and listen to all these voices from across these competing industries. They call on hiring managers to invest in training, to invest in long-term reputation building for the industry, to invest in partnerships to build the pipeline. They call for investments of managerial time and effort in community outreach, as a way to build bridges to potential employees. And they call for block-and-tackle investing in things like advertising and referral bonuses.

So the short answer is: There is no quick fix.

These leading companies from across a breadth of competing sectors share a common approach to front-line recruiting. They all work on the premise that successful recruiting is neither quick nor easy, but rather the product of a patient and deliberate effort played out over time.

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 35

Make Your Senior Residents Feel

RIGHT AT HOME with directv

DIRECTV brings a more affordable, more manageable and more enjoyable experience to your community. You get: ¡ Customizable technology that’s easy, flexible

and compatible with all TVs and wiring

¡

Resident information and community message channels

¡ Fully customizable Welcome Screen with

interactive apps that allow residents to find and watch their favorite shows and discover property amenities, activities and services1

¡ Easy-to-use HD interactive

programming guide

¡ Remote management capabilities that can

lower servicing costs

¡ Simplified, anti-microbial remote

¡ Full residential channel lineup with

over 100 HD channels available2

Call 866-945-9069 TODAY to give your senior

community the best TV experience at our best prices.

Welcome Screen PRO is only available with DIRECTV Residential Experience Plus installations and requires a dedicated Internet connection and PMS integration for full optimization of all Welcome Screen features. Additional fee of $1.25 per room per month applies. Programming, pricing, terms and conditions subject to change at any time. Receipt of DIRECTV programming subject to DIRECTV Customer Agreement; copy provided at directv.com/legal and in your first bill. 2To access DIRECTV HD programming, HD Access ($0.75/room/mo.) and HD equipment required. Number of HD channels varies based on package selection. A DIRECTV System software receiver fee of $0.40/unit/mo. required. ©2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All Rights Reserved. AT&T, Globe logo, DIRECTV and all other DIRECTV marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

1

Argentum Member Workforce Survey

RESPONDENT CHARACTERISTICS Gender

Age 30-44 27%

Senior Living Executive surveyed Argentum members to gather data on recruitment practices and retention of senior living professionals. We received over 200 responses to inquiries relating to demographics, length of employment in senior living, employment in other industries, and projected desire to remain in senior living, among other questions.

Male

Female

37%

63%

58%

18-29 <1%

45-59

60+ 15%

Highest Education Level Assoc. Degree 11%

Here, you’ll find a top-line breakdown of some of the results gathered:

Bach. Degree 47%

Some College 10% Grad./Pro. Degree 31%

HS Grad 1%

RESPONDENTS’ LIKELIHOOD OF CONTINUING EMPLOYMENT IN SENIOR LIVING Not so likely

Not at all likely

The majority of respondents said they are extremely likely or somewhat likely to remain working in senior living for the next five years; older respondents were more apt to say they are extremely likely to remain in the industry.

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Extremely likely

All Age 30-44 Age 45-59 0%

40

20

60

80

HOW RESPONDENTS’ CURRENT POSITION WAS OBTAINED Came from a different industry

Employees came from the following industries:

16% 14% 13% 11%

27% 29% Were promoted from within company

38 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

44%

Moved from another senior living company

Health services Financial Retail Leisure & hospitality

5% Food services, restaurants

5% Manufacturing 4% Publishing/ telecomm.

4% <2% <2% 25%

Construction Agriculture Education Other

100

TYPE OF SENIOR LIVING COMPANY EMPLOYED BY POSITION Senior Living Owner/Operator

Operations C-Suite

22% 17%

75% Corp./ Regional

Other/Non-Senior Living Owner/Operator

74%

16% Industry Partner/Vendor

26%

44%

7% Other

Executive Director

Sales & Marketing

3% REIT/ Capital/Lender

21% 25% Community

<1% Media/Assoc./University

TIME SPENT WORKING IN SENIOR LIVING In years

17% 1-5 years

16% 6-10

21%

16%

16-20

11-15

14%

6%

5%

21-25

26-30

31-35

3%

2%

36-40

41-45

SELECTING SENIOR LIVING AS CHOSEN CAREER

84%

of all respondents said senior living was their chosen profession/career

9%

were unsure

7%

said no

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 39

MEMORY CARE

Innovation Plus Outreach Critical to Meet the Coming Wave in Memory Care

By Sara Wildberger

W

atch out for the “hockey stick.”

That’s the metaphor for the shape data takes on a chart when there’s a sharp uptick ahead. And that’s what the numbers on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia look like from this moment until 2050: going up, and fast.

How can senior living leaders prepare for this abrupt spike in need for memory care?

Innovative programs, community outreach and engagement, and participation in pilots and clinical trials were the top areas discussed at the Argentum Memory Care Symposium hosted in June in Washington, D.C. sponsored by MatrixCare.

Facing the wave

“The time is now to be thinking about how we’re going to be treating 10 times the number we do today,” said keynoter George Vrandenburg, chairman and co-founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. “Society won’t do it; taxpayers won’t do it—you’re the leading edge. So set the standards now.”

Among the calls to action Vrandenburg made to senior living leaders: Open more doors to involvement in clinical trials, and

Deaths from Alzheimer’s

disease increased

55% from 1999-2014.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control

40 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

The number of U.S. Latinos living with Alzheimer’s disease is projected to grow

832%

2012 2030

by 2060

379,000 1.1 million

2060

3.5 million Source: USC Roybal institute on Aging and LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Network

develop ways to share information, data, and innovations, while recognizing the importance of preserving proprietary information and healthy business practices.

Be advocates for trials, he urged: “I would love to see a study about what matters most to residents and how you respect that at the individual level.”

Senior living leaders can play a strong role in the search not only for a cure but also for interventions that improve quality of life for those living with memory decline.

Directing resources to timely detection and diagnosis, working with communities on dementia-friendliness, promoting better integration with health care, and coordination with arts institutions and colleges were other ideas he extended.

These are win-win propositions for senior living, Vrandenburg pointed out. For instance, such efforts can result in net lower cost of healthcare delivery in communities, or lower cost of treatments in the future.

Reaching out to diverse communities

Recognizing that people living with memory disorders are from diverse cultures and communities is key to better quality of life.

Presenters in the “Memory Care & Diverse Communities: The Need for Action & Resources” panel provided a picture of some of these diverse communities and what they need.

Moderator Virginia Biggar, executive director, Patient-Caregiver, Faith and Veteran Initiatives at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, drew attention to the group’s new initiatives focused on veterans, including outreach using technology such as online groups and podcasts, which allow a geographically widespread cultural group to share support.

Alzheimer’s is a “perfect storm” situation for America’s Latinos: They’re the fastest-growing older adult population in the United States and they’re 1.5 times as likely as whites to get the disease, pointed out Jason Resendez, executive director, LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s

Network and Coalition. The toll extends, of course, to whole families, falling particularly hard on daughters, who leave the workforce, lose years of productivity, and suffer illness and stress as they serve as caretakers. “We all basically went broke,” Resendez quoted one member of a caretaking family.

Statistics are equally troubling for African-Americans and Alzheimer’s, said Stephanie Monroe, executive director, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s African American Network.

In addition, only about 40 percent from this community get an accurate diagnosis.

Other points of interest to senior living leaders: African-American people are more likely to own their homes and to want to stay in them; and there’s more need for help in memory care in the South. But obstacles to care in this community include strong impressions that memory problems are a normal part of growing old or that it is “shameful” or

“selfish” to choose residential memory care.

A similar sense that residential memory care “isn’t part of our culture” prevails in Latino communities, said Carmen Pastor, president of Fuerza Contra Alzheimer’s, who related her own experience in addressing her mother’s isolation.

“We started a Spanish club, with a festival,” she said. “My mother became the queen of karaoke,” with songs in Spanish from her own generation. Providing for religious observance (such as a small personal altar) and getting familiar flavors onto the menu also proved helpful.

Presenters also mentioned the importance of considering inclusiveness for LGBTQ people and couples in residences.

Innovation holds answers

The “Memory Care Innovations: From Idea to Implementation” panel featured

African Americans are

2 to 3

times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than non-Hispanic white Americans

Source: Tang, 1998

5.4 million

people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease.

At least 1 million of those are African Americans.

Source: AfricanAmericansAgainstAlzheimer’s Network

MOBILE + WEB DASHBOARDS & ALERTS CLOUD PLATFORM

IOT

WEARABLES

INDOOR LOCATION

DEEP LEARNING

MANY TECHNOLOGIES, MANY SENIORS

ONE PATH TO BETTER CARE Call 1-877-789-9657 to schedule a consultation.

Or visit us at www.bluewillowsystems.com

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 41

MEMORY CARE

TIPS TO MAKE THE BIG SHIFT GET OUT THERE. Don’t expect people from diverse communities to simply walk through your door. Participate. Reach out to be part of events, removing the stigma and the mystery from memory care. Invite community members to be part of your music or creative programs. Extend your expertise to the community.

For instance, Monroe suggested using college fairs as a model: Host an event where people can get solid information from several organizations about memory care options and financial realities.

BUT BRING SOMETHING TO THE TABLE. Community involvement works both ways. Offer value: education, donations of resources, or funds or fundraising to religious and community groups. Take time to discover what they need and how you can help provide it.

USE AMBASSADORS. In reaching diverse groups, “make the messenger look like them,” Pastor said. Ambassadors can represent your organization at events, on social media, and in culturally owned and centered publications and radio.

LISTEN ACTIVELY. Care partners, staff, and family can be your best source for ideas. Longtime cultural practices and generations of

practical programs that hit the center of the target: they get results now, they can be adapted to diverse residences, and they can be expanded and transformed to meet future needs. »» Unidine Corporation’s Jenny Overly, director of Health & Wellness Innovation presented details on implementing and advancing the Fresh Bites program, a food preparation method that brings adult flavors to finger foods—and dignity and personalization to the meal experience. »» Kristine Theurer, founder and president of Java Group Programs, Inc., countered the stereotype that peer support can’t be practiced in memory care. In fact, she’s found, it can reduce loneliness, isolation, and loss of social identity. The 42 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

caregivers can hold wisdom and insights that could be the seed of a great program. And if staff or family balk at change, a cultural difference could be the reason. You may need to unwind your program and add more education, input, or time for building trust.

MODEL FROM RESPONSES TO OTHER DISEASES. Many presenters pointed to cancer survivor networks, therapy groups, even AA as possible models for memory care. These actively involve the person with the condition, use peer support, and engage families and caretakers.

EXPLORE MOVES TOWARD DEMENTIAFRIENDLY COMMUNITIES. Do EMTs and public safety providers, community groups, and businesses and retail need greater awareness about people living with memory disorders? You can add your efforts and expertise to the Dementia Friendly America initiatives (and benefit by stronger community relationships).

TRACK RESULTS. Your data is gold—plan how you’ll track, analyze, and evaluate programs from the beginning. Find ways for more people to contribute to gathering and recording data— quantitative and qualitative.

simple-to-implement Java Time program uses music and social events to cultivate meaningful emotional engagement—and, Theurer adds, “anyone can implement it.” »» The Alzheimer’s Resource Center Well-BEING Project starts with “appreciative inquiry”: If staff turnover is high, for instance, one could ask why people are leaving, or “I could say, ‘We’ve got people who’ve stayed for 20 years—what can we learn from that?’” explained Jenna Weiss, director of learning at the Center. The simple but illuminating approach involves techniques such as “huddles,” for instance: short, informal, small-group meetings of care partners and residents, designed to check in on choices and decisions.

“I was interested in hearing about the advancements in dementia care and approach. I have been to many seminars where the same recycled talks have occurred. This was fresh and unique.”

– 2017 Memory Care Symposium attendee Stephen Nichols, executive director, Brightview Senior Living

»» The TimeSlips Creative Storytelling approach has gained attention because of its striking creative theater work and website. But what’s more important than the finished creative projects is the pro-

cess, says Anne Basting, its founder and president. Participants use pictures and photographs, as well as classic story structures, for self-expression and to interact with the community. On-site, the pro-

gram requires certified facilitators and master trainers, but there’s also an online component that allows greater participation and family involvement—even global interaction. People “take pride in what they can give to the world” through their creative efforts, Basting says.

Individual residences and groups need to evaluate the fit and adaptability for these programs. But the initiatives share one important quality: They’re less dependent on a big resource investment than on a big shift in thinking.

To see more information and speaker presentations from the 2017 Memory Care Symposium, please visit argentum.org/ symposia.

2017 Argentum Workforce Development Symposium SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 | THE LOFT AT 600F | WASHINGTON, D.C. Join leading executives in senior living for an interactive program focusing on building employee recruitment, retention, and engagement. Learn about human capital management strategies and analyze the impact of generational change on the senior living workplace.

The program will be facilitated by Bruce Tulgan, an internationally recognized leading expert on young people in the workplace and one of the leading experts on leadership and management.

For a more detailed schedule, suggested hotel accommodations, and to register, please visit argentum.org/wdsymposium.

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 43

SPOTLIGHT: THE HEART OF SENIOR LIVING

Making a Difference Why George Vradenburg of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s wants everyone to “Be Trish.”

By Cynthia Helzel

A

s a writer for popular television comedies including “Designing Women” and “Family Ties,” Trish Vradenburg knew how to find creative inspiration in life’s difficulties. She applied the same skill to real life after her mother, Bea Lerner, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

First through a semi-autobiographical play and later through co-founding the nonprofit UsAgainstAlzheimer’s with her husband George, Vradenburg used her creativity and compassion to improve the lives of people with Alzheimer’s. Sadly, on April 17 this year she passed away unexpectedly at age 70.

George Vradenburg carries on her legacy as chairman of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.

“Trish’s mother and her grandmother died of Alzheimer’s, so we started this together in 2010,” he says. “It was about 25 years after her mother had been diagnosed with the disease, and nothing seemed to be happening. We wanted to devote pretty much full time to trying to conquer Alzheimer’s.”

When her mother first began showing symptoms, Trish Vradenburg was living in L.A. writing for “Designing Women.”

Her mother lived in New Jersey and they didn’t see each other often, so the extent of Lerner’s decline was not immediately apparent. But as the disease worsened, there was no mistaking that she needed help. She had gone from being a bright, active civic leader to someone with memory lapses and hallucinations. “Trish ended up commuting every other week back from L.A. to New Jersey to see her mother and to make sure she was okay,” George Vradenburg says.

When the couple moved back east, the emotional and financial strain on the family became much more intense.

True to her creative spirit, Trish Vraden44 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

George and Trish Vradenburg

burg turned to writing to help her cope with the situation. She wrote a darkly comedic play, “Surviving Grace,” that closely mirrored what had happened in her own family.

“The play was a way for her to resolve all of her issues with her mother,” George Vradenburg says. “It was almost therapeutic.”

The play was produced at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and ran off Broadway at the Union Square Theater in New York City. Marilu Henner, Carol Burnett, and other celebrities have participated in readings of the play to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research.

In an effort to create a greater impact in the crusade against Alzheimer’s, the influential Vradenburgs also began volunteering with the Alzheimer’s Association. Beginning in 2003, they chaired a high-profile gala every year to raise funds and awareness for the organization. In nine years they raised more than $9 million for the Association.

However, they were disappointed with the slow pace of progress toward a cure. “In 2010 we said, ‘You know, it’s not enough to do one night a year. This just isn’t satisfying our desire to really have an impact on creating a movement here.’ And so we started UsAgainstAlzheimer’s,” says Vradenburg.

The nonprofit aims to pressure global governments, the pharmaceutical industry, and scientists to work harder to produce effective methods of preventing and treating Alzheimer’s by 2025. As an independent nonprofit, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s is able to push hard for change across all sectors without fear of repercussions. “As Trish would say, ‘If industry gets mad at us, or government gets mad at us, or researchers get mad at us, what are they going to do, fire us?’” Vradenburg says. “They can’t fire us, so why don’t we demand change?”

With a mixture of frustration and optimism, Vradenburg carries on his wife’s legacy in continuing to push for greater effort across all sectors. “We’re learning a lot, and we’re learning a lot quickly,” he says. “I do think that we have a reasonable prospect of getting a means of prevention and treatment by 2025. But that does not

Bea Lerner, Trish Vradenburg's mother

mean it’s cured. I think we’re going to be in a world in which we’ll have some successful drugs but the drugs are only going to be partially effective and where we’re going to need high-quality care institutions for a very, very long time.”

Vradenburg urges memory care providers to take a leadership role in Alzheimer’s care beyond the confines of their own properties.

For instance, he suggests that staff members could attend or host community events to educate people about Alzheimer’s. He also proposes the idea that senior living proper-

Arum quamuscipsa quis asit ommodios et volut ommodios et volut volorerum que inti dellorro blaborem liqui ommolup taturercimus eum hillaborum que doles erum ommolup tature

ties consider offering a fee-based in-home care management service, visiting Alzheimer’s patients at home once a week to guide their care and to educate caregivers about patient well-being, home safety, enrichment activities, and other issues.

As UsAgainstAlzheimer’s continues to press toward its goal, Vradenburg will ensure that his late wife’s legacy grows right along with it. “Trish is going to be part of this organization forever,” he says. He recently launched the “Be Trish” campaign, which urges everyone to follow her example of working for meaningful change and to therefore “Be Trish.” The campaign will include a “Be Trish” award and other initiatives.

“Trish was the light of my life,” Vradenburg says. “She was joyful, optimistic, a believer that ‘today’s dreams are tomorrow’s realities.’ She infused people around her with a sense of optimism and a sense of joy that we can solve this problem. This is not intractable. This is something we can do; we just have to get at it.”

For more information about UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, visit usagainstalzheimers.org/.

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 45

PUBLIC POLICY

Argentum

Advocates For You

Legislators are not the only ones in state capitols making policy changes; regulators also use their power to amend state laws. Many senior living communities are held accountable to abide by state regulations, and therefore it is imperative that Argentum keeps a close eye on regulatory activity to protect the industry from onerous regulations. Along with our state affiliates, Argentum identified key regulatory activity that has occurred thus far in 2017 in several states:

Arizona

Arizona ALFA began to work on reducing overall certified caregiver training hours.

Through the regulatory rules process, the goal is to reduce the total number of 104 required hours that certified caregivers must have before working in assisted living.

Currently, those hours are delivered via 88 classrooms and 24 skills trainings. This burdensome requirement has contributed to an extreme workforce shortage within the state.

Arizona ALFA proposes a reduction in both classroom hours and skills training while also accepting previous work experience in lieu of certain hours. The anticipated date for completion of rule change is late spring 2018.

Colorado

The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment’s (CDPHE) Assisted Living Advisory Committee is working on a complete revision of the state’s assisted living licensure rules. The committee is two years into the process and expects to complete its work by this fall with implementation of the new rules next spring. The revisions cover all aspects of assisted living operations from staff training to admission and discharge, fall prevention, secured units, and inclusion of the Facility Guidelines Institute’s standards for the design and construction of 46 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

residential facilities. LeadingAge Colorado is a member of the committee.

In July, the state implemented rules based on statutory changes that revise the training process for qualified medication administration personnel (QMAPs). QMAPs are employed by assisted living communities to provide routine medication administration to residents. They are now trained by private training entities that are approved by CDPHE. The state’s Medicaid agency, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF), is continuing implementation of the federal home and community-based services (HCBS) final rule.

Although the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) delayed the deadline until 2022, HCPF expects compliance

by March 2020. As part of this process, the state is revising the rules for Medicaid-certified assisted living communities. HCPF is revising the rate methodology for HCBS waiver providers, which includes assisted living. The rates and rate methodology will be sent to CMS for approval. Once CMS gives approval, providers can expect a 1.4 percent increase, which will likely take effect in the fall. HCPF is also working through a statutorily-created committee to review the adequacy of HCBS provider rates. A report will be drafted later this year and provided to the Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee for consideration.

The Colorado Department of Human Services is ramping up efforts to draft rules implementing a bill passed this year that requires employers providing care to at-risk adults to check the Adult Protective Services database prior to employment.

Florida

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs published the latest notice of change in the development of the administrative rule governing assisted living community operations. This rulemaking is in response to statutory changes that occurred in H.B. 1001 that passed in 2015.

This notice of change is not the final rule, but it represents revisions to the earlier proposed rule the department incorporated as a result of testimony provided at rule hearings. Many of the concerns expressed by Florida Argentum and its members were acted upon, although some do remain. There are several options for the next steps in the final rule development: »» A rule hearing may be requested, although that request is not required to be honored by the agency; »» A rule challenge can be brought within 20 days of the notice being published in the Florida Administrative Register; or »» If a hearing is not granted and no challenge is brought, the department may file the rule with the Secretary of State for final adoption between 21-45 days after publication of the Notice of Change.

Changes in Regulatory Landscape by State

SENIOR LIVING Each senior living community has

unique menu planning, resident dining, and point-of-sale needs.

“

CBORD is the only provider to satisfy them all with an integrated suite of technology solutions.

CBORD Senior Living Technology to serve your community. cbord.com/seniorliving

SL_Exec.indd 1

7/25/2017 12:01:50 PM

Find Your Next Leader Argentum Senior Living Career Center connects you with experienced candidates that you need to meet your organization’s goals.

Increase the exposure of your job offering by crossposting it on up to 250 healthcare job boards partnered with Argentum through the National Healthcare Career Network (NHCN), and gain access to an extensive resume database.

Use Promo Code NHCN for 25% off a 30 or 60-day NHCN job posting. Offer expires 9/30/17 Use Promo Code LEADER for a complimentary 60-day local job posting. Offer expires 9/30/17

argentum.org/career

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 47

PUBLIC POLICY

Georgia

Georgia Senior Living Association (GSLA) is currently working with the Department of Community Health to revise a rule that requires a community to give 60-days’ notice of a rate change before implementing a change in charges or rates when a resident experiences a change in condition, despite the fact that the increased services are to be provided immediately.

GSLA has also supported legislation that increases punishment for the abuse of seniors physically, mentally, or financially. They are supporting efforts by the Department of Community Health and the Department of Public Health to inspect and fine and/or close those providing sub-standard housing and living conditions for seniors.

Louisiana

The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) is accepting public comments through August 25 on the proposed Adult Residential Care Providers (ARCP) Licensing Standards regulation. The Louisiana Assisted Living Association (LALA) supports the proposed amendments and has met with LDH to provide input. The proposal would provide provisions and approved sources for continuing education for

ARCP administrators and direct care staff; clarify the requirements, relative to criminal background checks, direct service worker registry checks and prohibited use of social media in order to ensure consistency with other licensing standards; and clarify that licensed capacity is based only on residents of the ARCP facility and inclusive to the nontraditional marriage/couple.

Massachusetts

The Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) released new regulations on the assisted living industry. EOEA solicited feedback and hosted a hearing to discuss draft ideas and in response received testimony from more than 50 industry representatives and a number of allied legislators.

Mass-ALA supported certain provisions of the draft regulations that they felt were sensible and would contribute to the safety and affordability of residences, including: 1) implementing “evidence-informed” falls prevention programs in residences; 2) preventing the employment of any person convicted of a felony for theft or the illegal sale of a controlled substance; and 3) providing an exemption to staffing requirements for special care units during overnight shifts.

However, MASS-ALA had serious con-

Argentum Public Policy Institute and Fly-In TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH Public Policy Institute

Join your colleagues in Washington D.C. and make your voice heard on Capitol Hill.

You will engage with lawmakers, hear from policy experts, and learn how you can make a difference for senior living today and for the future. Visit argentum.org/ppi

48 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH Meetings on Capitol Hill

cerns about two provisions that would have created unnecessary new burdens and worked against efforts to make assisted living affordable and accessible to more Massachusetts seniors. These proposed provisions were: 1) an automatic 30-day certification suspension penalty for failure to file an incident report; and 2) a requirement that nurses train all staff even on non-clinical services. The certification penalty was removed and the training requirement was broadened to include “any professional with relevant experience.”

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania continues to struggle with personal care homes transitioning to the assisted living residence license, which was anticipated when the regulations were implemented in 2010. PALA is currently participating on the Department of Human Services workgroup that is assessing the 2,800 regulations for changes to encourage more personal care homes to seek the assisted living license. The two main areas of concern are the fees for application and license and physical site requirements. The three provider associations are requesting waivers for several of the regulations to increase the supply of assisted living as the changes to regulations will take over two years. The interest by the department and state is the beginning of managed care in 2018; managed care organizations are interested in using assisted living providers.

Texas

Texas faces big changes this year as the agency that monitors senior living, the Department of Aging and Disability Services, will cease to exist as of September 1. The department will be consolidated into Texas Health and Human Services. The consolidation began almost two years ago and is one part of a major revamp of the state’s health agencies.

The regulatory arm of the department will be placed in the regulatory services division of Texas Health and Human Services. The Texas Health and Human Services agency is also reviewing their current process to better reflect how ownership of senior living communities is held.

COMMUNITIES WITH LOW STAFF TURNOVER HAVE

HAPPIER RESIDENTS AND HIGHER NOI Give your staff the tools they need to succeed with wireless table-side ordering: Empower your staff to spend more quality time with residents Equip your staff with resident allergy and dietary information Increase resident satisfaction and your community's occupancy rate

To learn how, go to www.noiguaranteed.com

PEOPLE AND PLACES

Seattle, Wash.-based Merrill Gardens announced five new communities to their portfolio: Merrill Gardens at Anthem, Ariz. (photo left); Merrill Gardens at Rockridge, Calif. (photo right); Merrill Gardens at Monterey, Calif.; Merrill Gardens at Auburn, Wash.; and Merrill Gardens at Burien, Wash. All new developments opened between February 2017 and June 2017. Additionally, Merrill Gardens at Siena Hills in Henderson, Nev. is now under Merrill Gardens management effective April 2017.

News, Sales & Developments Allegro Senior Living, headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., celebrated the groundbreaking of their 12th community. The community will be Allegro’s first in St. Louis and will feature 87 residences for assisted living and memory care. It is anticipated that the community will accept its first residents in fall 2018.

Headquartered in Hickory, N.C., Affinity Living Group will manage a new community under development in Charleston, S.C. The community, expected for completion in June 2018, will offer assisted living and memory care residences and will accommodate rehab and therapy services.

Belmont Village Senior Living, based in Houston, Texas, announced it expects to start construction on its first Florida project this summer. The Ft. Lauderdale community will include 204 residences for independent living, assisting living, and memory care. It is anticipated that the community will open in 2019 and will be the company’s 30th property nationwide. Additionally, in May, Belmont 50 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

Village opened their first community outside of the United States. Belmont Village Santa Fe in Mexico City features 133 residences for assisted living, memory care, and its Circle of Friends® memory program.

Bickford Senior Living, based in Olathe, Kan., recently completed their third project in Virginia. The community, Bickford of Suffolk, features 60 residences for assisted living and memory care. The company will begin accepting its first residents in August.

Bickford manages and operates 55 communities across nine states.

Atlanta, Ga.-based Guardian Pharmacy announced the opening of its seventh location in Florida. Guardian Pharmacy of Orlando opened in May 2017 and is one of 29 pharmacies in the Guardian family.

Norwood, Mass.-based LCB Senior Living announced that it is building Residence at Orchard Grove in Shrewsbury, Mass. The community will include 80 apartments for independent living, assisted living, and memory care. It is expected to open in fall 2017.

Enlivant, based in Chicago, Ill., has acquired three senior living communities in Indiana and one in Iowa: Elkhart Place (formerly Beardsley House) in Elkhart, Ind.; Chapman Place (formerly Harbour Assisted Living) in Fort Wayne, Ind.; Jewel Place (formerly Jewel House) in Madison, Ind.; and Reed Place (formerly Reed House) in Denison, Iowa. The company now operates over 230 communities across 27 states.

Five Star Senior Living, headquartered in Newton, Mass., announced a new name and expansion of the company’s rehab and wellness division, offering services outside of its current operations. Under the new name, Ageility Physical Therapy Solutions, Five Star will establish partnerships with other senior living providers. Five Star also announced the completion of a short-term rehab neighborhood addition at Meadowood Retirement Community located in Bloomington, Ind. MatrixCare, headquartered in Bloomington, Minn., announced the acquisition of SigmaCare, a long-term care EHR vendor

A trusted partner makes all the difference.

The Greenleaf Energy Solutions team has a 15-year history of creating turnkey energy efficient lighting solutions for our partners.

We strive to improve overall experience and aesthetics, while reducing operating costs and meeting your sustainability goals.

Why choose us?

At Greenleaf, we understand the specific needs and concerns of Senior Living and Continuing Care communities.

We have developed a comprehensive approach to assessment and upgrading — insuring a seamless process minimizing disruption, enhancing the resident experience and satisfaction, while improving the bottom line.

We want to be your energy efficiency partner.

Improve Aesthetics & Lighting Quality

Easy, Turnkey Process

Achieve Goals for Sustainability

Proven Results & Real ROI

No-cost “building wellness” assessments • Proven process for maximizing rebates across the country Exclusive white glove, 5-year warranty • Improving aesthetics, quality of light, safety and well-being Our team of experts becomes your energy efficiency partner!

Please call us today to arrange a no-cost building wellness assessment.

ROIs up to 50%!

Increased asset valuation!

Improved net operating income!

1-855-GRN-LEAF (476-5323)

greenleafenergysolutions.net

PEOPLE AND PLACES

based in Manhattan, N.Y. Additionally, the company announced the general availability of its next-generation MatrixCare Analytics Suite designed to assist long-term care owners/operators in managing and growing their business.

Minneapolis, Minn.-based New Perspective Senior Living announced that it will assume operations of Red Rock Senior Living and rename the community New Perspective— Woodbury. The community is located in Woodbury, Minn. and offers 77 residences for independent living, assisted living, and memory care.

Senior Lifestyle Corp., based in Chicago, Ill., recently celebrated the grand opening of The Sheridan at Overland Park, an assisted living and memory care community in Overland Park, Kan. Headquartered in McLean, Va., Sunrise Senior Living opened its fourth community in the San Diego, Calif. area, Sunrise of Sabre Springs. The assisted living and memory care community will serve up to 100 residents. The company plans to open another California-based community, Sunrise of Pleasanton, in the San Francisco Bay Area this September.

STANLEY Healthcare, based in Waltham, Mass., recently announced a partnership with LifeAssist Technologies. The partnership will provide for LifeAssist’s caregiving solutions, which include a platform for care coordination, content delivery, and collaboration, to be made available to senior living communities through STANLEY Healthcare.

Fairfax, Va.-based Inspirit Senior Living worked with Care Investment Trust, LLC on the acquisition of two properties in Pennsylvania. The communities, located in the boroughs of Macungie and Palmerton, will be renamed The Willow, an Inspirit Senior Living Community and The Palmerton, an Inspirit Senior Living Community, respectively. Combined, the two communities offer 111 residences.

Columbus, Ohio-based Lancaster Pollard announced its Propero® Seniors Housing 52 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

Equity Fund II has acquired a memory care community in Coeur d’Arlene, Idaho from Koelsch Communities. The community, Creekside Inn, includes 38 memory care residences.

Medication Management Partners (MMP), based in Crestwood, Ill., announced a collaboration with PointClickCare, integrating its assisted living pharmacy with the software solution. MMP’s pharmacy will now be among PointClickCare’s applications.

Ridgeline Management Company, headquartered in West Linn, Ore., announced the construction of Waverly Place Assisted Living & Memory Care in Albany, Ore. The community will offer 70 assisted living apartments and 21 memory care apartments. This community joins Ridgeline’s 25 communities operating across 11 states.

Vero Beach, Fla.-based Watercrest Senior Living announced a joint venture with United Properties for a new 128-residence assisted living and memory care community, Watercrest Naples, in Naples, Fla. Groundbreaking is planned for November 2017 with the first residents taking occupancy in early 2019.

Appointments, Promotions, & Recognition Atria Senior Living, based in Louisville, Ky., received the 2017 Elevate Award from Argentum state partner, California Assisted Living Association, for its Legato® music program. The program is designed for residents in Atria’s Life Guidance® Memory Care neighborhoods and encourages engagement with music across eight key dimensions.

Since the program’s introduction in April 2015, Atria’s memory care neighborhoods have seen reductions in incidents of exit-seeking behaviors and other challenging behaviors. Atria operates 37 communities across California.

HCP, based in Irvine, Calif., announced the appointment of Shawn Johnston as senior vice president and chief accounting officer effective August 15, 2017. Previously, Johnston has served as chief accounting officer

at UDR, Inc. and at American Residential Communities. LLC. Integral Senior Living, based in Carlsbad, Calif., has appointed Allison Singler as regional director of sales and marketing. Singler brings 20 years of experience in the senior living and real estate industries to Integral. Most recently, Singler served as regional director of sales and marketing at Harbor Retirement Associates.

The Shelter Group/Brightview Senior Living, based in Baltimore, Md., announced the appointment of Jeffrey Hettleman as chief financial jeffrey hettleman officer. Hettleman most recently served as executive vice president and partner at the company, where he has worked for 23 years. In his new role, he will be responsible for Shelter’s financial planning and analysis, banking relationships, tax planning, and overall investor relations.

Based in Centennial, Colo., It’s Never 2 Late® announced the hire of Dennis Jakubowicz as sales and marketing vice president. Most recently, Jakubowicz served as senior vice president of MatrixCare and brings expertise in healthcare as well as sales, marketing, and business development to the company.

Watercrest Senior Living, headquartered in Vero Beach, Fla., announced the promotion of Manuel Navarro as director of culinary operations. Namanuel navarro varro first joined Watercrest in 2015 as director of dining services and executive chef for Watercrest Lake Nona Assisted Living and Memory Care.

Share your member news with Senior Living Executive.

Visit argentum.org/membernews or email editor@argentum.org.

Aegis Living Atria Senior Living Brookdale Senior Living Capital Senior Living Elmcroft Senior Living Grace Management Harbor Retirement Associates MBK Senior Living Oakmont Senior Living Senior Lifestyle Corporation Sonata Senior Living Sunrise Senior Living

Our senior housing communities are managed by best-in-class operators meeting individual resident needs across the entire care spectrum: independent living, assisted living, memory care and continuing care retirement communities.

As a trusted capital provider, with a keen focus on operational excellence, we collaborate with our partners to ensure our communities provide for a high quality living environment.

Irvine

|

Nashville

|

hcpi.com

San Francisco

Registration is Open for the

Certified Director of Assisted Living Examination

Demonstrate Your Commitment As an executive director, you’ve likely had to build a skill set through practice on the job. The CDAL exam requires that you think outside the box and demonstrate that terrific experience that you have spent years fine tuning. If you meet the CDAL eligibility requirements, put your knowledge to the test and earn the recognition you deserve.

3 Things You Should Know About the Test 1 The Exam Focuses on 8 Knowledge Domains

The exam includes 150 multiple-choice questions and is developed and built according to 8 core domains.

2 You Design Your Own Study Plan

While on the job experience is the best tool to help you prepare for the exam, SLCC now offers a 50 question Executive Director Practice Test.

3 Testing is Convenient

The Internet-based exam is administered at testing centers in all 50 states. You determine the best day and location for your exam.

2017 CDAL Examination Dates July 31 – Applications Open September 15 – Testing Period Opens November 1 – Application Deadline December 15 – Testing Period Closes

54 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

SENIOR LIVING CERTIFICATION COMMISSION

Register at slcccertification.org

Add the testimonial back in- because it looks weird without it. ...

"Whenever there is an opportunity to hone your skills, it should be taken."

MARGIE LONGSTRETH, CDAL Margie Longstreth, CDAL, Executive Director, Five Star Senior Living

Jerrod Ayers General Manager Merrill Gardens

Charles Crush Executive Director Benchmark Senior Living

Toni Gozzo Executive Director Brightview Senior Living

Tracy Johnson Executive Director The Arbor Company

Holly Minnis Executive Director Brandywine Living

Nancye Snyder Executive Director Brandywine Living

Christopher Barstein Executive Director Benchmark Senior Living

Dorothy Cryan Executive Director Elmcroft Senior Living

Lanny Harvey Executive Director Five Star Senior Living

Desiree Krajnyak-Baker Executive Director Benchmark Senior Living

David Souza Executive Director Brookdale

EileenBennett Executive Director Brandywine Living

Kristen Dalrick Executive Director Harbor Retirement Associates

Donna Hester Executive Director Elmcroft Senior Living

Jennifer LaCroix Executive Director Benchmark Senior Living

Maureen Mochon Chippas Executive Director Belmont Village Senior Living

Melissa Hingher Executive Director Brandywine Living

Bobby Lane VP of Wellness Civitas Senior Living

Michael Hoots VP of Facility Services Maxwell Group

Rodney Lege Executive Director Five Star Senior Living

Colleen Howard Executive Director Danbury Senior Living

Andrew Levin Sr. Executive Director Atria Senior Living

Robert Ingram Executive Director Atria Senior Living

Lisa Lewis Executive Director Atria Senior Living

Elizabeth Irrizarry Executive Director Brandywine Living

Ashley Lodi Executive Director Brookdale

Lynn Irvine Executive Director Five Star Senior Living

Jennifer Marcus Executive Director Brookdale

Tommy Jackson Executive Director Five Star Senior Living

John Maroon Executive Director Autumn Leaves

Linda Fischer General Manager Merrill Gardens

Amie James Executive Director Brookdale

Patti McFann Executive Director Brookdale

Jennifer Forbes Executive Director Brookdale

Brenda Jarmer Executive Director Brookdale

Kellie McHugh Executive Director Brightview Senior Living

Royce Gilder Executive Director Elmcroft Senior Living

Kevin Johnson Executive Director New Perspective Senior Living

Shawna Mellott Executive Director Brightview Senior Living

Kelly Bojorquez Executive Director Five Star Senior Living Angela Bowden Executive Director Brookdale Donald Breneman VP of Risk Management & Business Operations Juniper Communities Machella Brooks Executive Director Five Star Senior Living Gary Brown Executive Director Five Star Senior Living Zachary Butcher Executive Director Brookdale Douglas Buttner Executive Director Benchmark Senior Living Barbara Camillo Executive Director Benchmark Senior Living Darryl Clemmer Executive Director Brightview Senior Living Mary Cole Executive Director Five Star Senior Living

Steve De Jesus Executive Director Benchmark Senior Living Heather DeVore Executive Director New Perspective Senior Living Larry Dix Executive Director Brightview Senior Living Monique Dixon Executive Director Brookdale Patrick Duffy Executive Director Five Star Senior Living Paula Felton-Werner Regional Operations Specialist Belmont Village Senior Living

Kenneth Morrison Executive Director Five Star Senior Living Dana Nix Administrator Silverado Bonnie Pollard-Johnson Executive Director Benchmark Senior Living Mary Posse Executive Director Elmcroft Senior Living Michael Reed Executive Director Brightview Senior Living Sara Reyst Executive Director Brookdale Beth Richardson Executive Director The Arbor Company Angela Roher Executive Director Brookdale Steve Rovner Executive Director Brightview Senior Living John Schaum Executive Director The Arbor Company

Tammy Speece Executive Director Elmcroft Senior Living Kristen St. Jean Executive Director Benchmark Senior Living Jennifer Stratton Executive Director Thrive Senior Living Don Tawney VP of Operations Civitas Senior Living Kelly Thomas Executive Director Legend Senior Living Lucy Townsend Executive Director Five Star Senior Living Jeremy Walker Executive Director Brookdale Sandra West Executive Director Benchmark Senior Living Elizabeth Whittington General Manager Merrill Gardens Ken Williams Executive Director Five Star Senior Living Amy Willner Executive Director Brandywine Living

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 55

ARGENTUM 2017 GOLD MEMBERS

Member companies at the Gold level make a direct investment in advocating for and protecting the collective interests of the senior living profession. They enjoy the many expanded benefits of membership, like participation in the semi-annual meeting of the Executive Advisory Board and the exclusive Chief Executive Summit. For membership information, please download Argentum’s 2017 membership brochure at argentum.org/membership.

A Place for Mom aplaceformom.com

Country Meadows countrymeadows.com

Integral Senior Living islllc.com

ROC Senior Housing bridge-igp.com

Affinity Living Group affinitylivinggroup.com

Direct Supply directs.com

Kensington Senior Living kensingtonsl.com

Sagora Senior Living sagora.com

Allegro Senior Living allegroliving.com

Elmcroft Senior Living elmcroftseniorliving.com

Kindred Healthcare gentiva.com

Senior Lifestyle seniorlifestyle.com

Almost Family almostfamily.com

Enlivant enlivant.com

Kwalu kwalu.com

Senior Living Communities senior-living-communities.com

American House Senior Living Communities americanhouse.com

Era Living eraliving.com

Legend Senior Living hegendseniorliving.com

Shepherd Senior Living liveshepherd.com

First & Main firstandmain.us/communities

Life Care Services lcsnet.com

Silverado silveradocare.com

Five Star Senior Living 5sqc.com

LTC Properties ltcreit.com

Sodexo sodexo.com

FOX Rehabilitation foxrehab.org

MatrixCare ★ matrixcare.com

Belmont Village Senior Living belmontvillage.com

Gardant Management Solutions gardant.com

Morrison Community Living Compass Group NAD compass-usa.com

Spectrum Retirement Communities spectrumretirement.com

Benchmark Senior Living benchmarkquality.com

Genworth Financial Inc genworth.com

National Health Investors nhireit.com

Swiss Re America Holding swissre.com

Bickford Senior Living enrichinghappiness.com

Greenfield Senior Living greenfieldseniorliving.com

New Perspective Senior Living npseniorliving.com

Symerica Senior Living symphonyseniorliving.com

Blue Harbor Senior Living blueharborsl.com

Guardian Pharmacy guardianpharmacy.net

Omnicare omnicare.com

The Arbor Company arborcompany.com

Brandywine Living brandycare.com

Hanson Bridgett hansonbridgett.com

OnShift ★ onshift.com

The LaSalle Group autumnleaves.com

Bridgestone Living bridgestoneliving.net

Harbor Retirement Associates hraonline.net

Pathway to Living PathwaySL.com

The Waters Senior Living thewaters.com

Philips Lifeline philips.com

Ventas Ventasreit.com

PointClickCare pointclickcare.com

Vi Living viliving.com

ProMatura Group promatura.com

Vitality Senior Living vitalityseniorliving.com

R.D. Merrill Company merrillgardens.com

Welltower Inc. welltower.com

Raydian Properties raydianproperties.com

Willis Towers Watson ★ willistowerswatson.com

RCare rcareinc.com

Yardi Systems yardi.com

Arena arena.io Atria Senior Living atriaseniorliving.com Avanti Senior Living avanti-sl.com

Brightview Senior Living (The Shelter Group) sheltergrp.com

HCP ★ hcpi.com

Brookdale brookdale.com

Hearth Management thehearthllc.net

Century Park Associates centurypa.com

HHHunt Senior Living hhhunt.com

Chelsea Senior Living chelseaseniorliving.com

Holiday Retirement holidaytouch.com

Civitas Senior Living csrliving.com

IntegraCare Corp integracare.com

Commonwealth Senior Living commonwealthsl.com

Sunrise Senior Living sunriseseniorliving.com

★ CORPORATE PARTNER: Thank you to Argentum’s Corporate Partners whose annual financial support and resource commitment advance critical industry initiatives.

56 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

ARGENTUM 2017 SILVER MEMBERS

Silver members enjoy premium recognition for their enhanced support of Argentum, and exclusive invitations to attend industry symposia where they explore critical imperatives like memory care and workforce development.

Avanir Pharmaceuticals avanir.com Barrington Venture Holding barringtonventure.com Buron Healthcare buroninc.com Cornell Communications cornell.com GlynnDevins GlynnDevins.com Goodneighbor Care Centers goodneighbor.com Gordon Food Service gfs.com HD Supply HDSupply.com Jones Lang LaSalle oakgrovecap.com Kaplan Development Group kapdev.com Lyft lyft.com NRC Health nrchealth.com Provision Living provisionliving.com RealPage Senior Living realpage.com Red Capital Group redcapitalgroup.com Singh Senior Living - Waltonwood Communities singhweb.com/senior_living STANLEY Healthcare sbdinc.com Western States Lodging and Management wslm.biz

SAVE THE DATE

SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE

ISSUE 4 2017 / ARGENTUM.ORG 57

ARGENTUM BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CHAIRMAN Loren Shook, CEO & Chairman Silverado VICE CHAIRMAN Timothy Buchanan, Founder & CEO Legend Senior Living VICE CHAIRMAN Pat Mulloy, Chairman & CEO Elmcroft Senior Living SECRETARY Randy Richardson, President Vi TREASURER Bruce Mackey, President & CEO Five Star Senior Living IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN Brenda Bacon, President & CEO Brandywine Living

We’re big on small spaces.

Jack Callison, CEO Enlivant Thomas J. DeRosa, CEO Welltower Labeed Diab, COO Brookdale

No folding door works harder than a Woodfold Accordion Door.

Tom Grape, Chairman & CEO Benchmark Senior Living

Our doors meet every job requirement, including frequent use, special-sized

Stephanie Handelson, CEO Handelson Consulting Group, LLC

openings, economy, and ADAcompatibility. Cover closets and storage

Judd Harper, President The Arbor Company Kai Hsiao, EVP Senior Housing Asset Management HCP

spaces in assisted living facilities for a

ADA Compatible

cleaner, roomier look. Outsmart bathroom space limitations with our

Ed Kenny, Chairman & CEO Life Care Services

custom-sized doors that fold away quietly

Brad Klitsch, SVP of Market Development Direct Supply (ex-officio)

and divide rooms of any size using vinyl

Sally Michael, President & CEO California Assisted Living Association (CALA) (ex-officio) John Moore, Chairman & CEO Atria Senior Living

and reliably. Or curtain off a service area laminates, modern aluminum, beautiful

www.woodfolddoors.com ©2017 Woodfold Manufacturing, Inc. Forest Grove, OR 97116 1-503-357-7181

hardwoods, or custom finishes. Whether you’re building new, retro-fitting, or just remodeling, Woodfold’s got you covered.

Todd Novaczyk, Founder & CEO New Perspective Senior Living Bill Pettit, President R.D. Merrill Gardens Bob Probst, EVP & CFO Ventas Andy Smith, President & CEO Brookdale Tiffany Tomasso, Founding Partner Kensington Senior Living Collette Valentine-Gray, CEO & COO Integral Senior Living Patricia Will, Co-Founder & CEO Belmont Village Senior Living Chris Winkle, CEO Sunrise Senior Living

58 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017

LEARN MORE IN ARGENTUM QUARTERLY

ISSUE 2 2017

QUARTERLY CULTIVATING CAREER PATHS

of higher learning 240 Institutions s in the fields of offering degree & aging adult services gerontology, &

WORKFORCE METRI

CS

ee Calculating employ n turnover and retentio

S OF PUBLIC PERCEPTION R LIVING CAREERS IN SENIO

ses by age cohort A look at respon

R STATE OF THE SENIO LIVING WORKFORCE

2017 Q1

Sponsored by:

Argentum Quarterly Issue 2 2017 looks at colleges and universities offering degrees in gerontology and adult development & aging, why workforce metrics are important to senior living, how different generations view careers in senior living, and quarterly data on the state of the senior living workforce. Argentum members can access a digital version of this publication at argentum.org/store. sponsored by

The trusted leader in mobile technology and emergency response services for seniors.

Today, more than 900,000 customers rely on our award-winning service.

5Star Service on the Lively Mobile medical alert device can support your community and save you time and money.

Mobility Support GreatCall’s Lively® Mobile device works everywhere, which helps promote resident activity. Use it as a tool to give your residents the freedom to be more active and confident, both in and out of your community, knowing that help is just one button away.

Improved Care Management Workflow We can help offset the toll on your resources.

High-stress staf f responsibilities can be supported with automated connectivity to qualified responders. Our highly-trained IAED-certified 5Star® Agents help reduce on-call needs, improving staff satisfaction.

Minimized Infrastructure Costs John Walsh, Safety Advocate and Vice Chairman of GreatCall®, has proudly recommended GreatCall mobile devices and 5Star emergency response service for more than 5 years.

See what we can do for you. Contact us directly so we can tailor the right connected health solution for your organization.

With 10 years of research and development for the senior market, we can provide the latest emergency response technology while reducing your capital and maintenance costs.

greatcall.com/senior-living

The Lively Mobile is rated IPX7 and can be submerged in up to 3ft of water for up to 30 mins. GreatCall, 5Star and Lively are registered trademarks of GreatCall, Inc. Copyright ©2017 GreatCall, Inc.

010390_R1_20170827_LIVELY_MOBILE_SENIOR_LIVING_EXEC.indd 1

7/17/17 4:38 PM

Fueling Senior Living Success Stories Your commitment to serving Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seniors is what drives our passion for creating new, innovative solutions for your toughest challenges. See how Direct Supply can help you Build, Equip and Run exceptional Senior Living communities at DirectSupply.com.

Š 2016 Direct Supply, Inc. All rights reserved.