ENGAGE Winter 2023

Partnership,

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1. 2019–2020 IE-SNP results.

2. McGarry BE, Grabowski DC. Managed care for long-stay nursing home residents: An evaluation of institutional special needs plans. American Journal of Managed Care. 2019;25(9):400–405.

© 2022 Optum, Inc. All rights reserved. WF6331817 02/22

THE FUTURE OF SENIOR LIVING

A MESSAGE FROM OUR Board Chair

shelley esden , President and CEO Sonata Senior Living

Welcome to the Winter 2023 Edition of FSLA’s Engage Magazine! As we round the corner for the final stretch of 2022, I look back with awe at the events of the year. Although we’ve made great strides in recovering from the pandemic, we continue to be challenged by workforce issues, inflation and increased interest rates, while many of us have not fully recovered from the impact of Hurricane Ian. Some operators have decided this is not the industry for them, but the majority of us remain, more committed than ever and dedicated to seeing this through. What I believe will be key, however, is how willing we are to move forward together.

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the National Investment Center (NIC) for Senior Housing Conference and the Senior Living Innovation Forum. It was interesting to hear two different conferences share similar messages about operators’ challenges and the need for increased collaboration between our industry’s organizations.

In an ideal world, all levels of senior living leaders are transparent and willing to share, despite their competitive relationships. When this occurs, we all benefit, right? Whether it’s a staffing dilemma, a challenging emergency evacuation or a new policy, tapping into our collective leadership acumen allows us to maximize our strengths. The challenges we face today are not going away any time soon, and the sooner we all understand the importance of

embracing collaboration and transparency, the sooner we will collectively overcome even the most complex obstacles.

This concept resonated with me when I attended one of the conference events and had the opportunity to speak with former colleagues. Many of us have worked in senior living for most of our professional careers, and we all share an overwhelming disbelief of how senior living has changed over the last 1020 years. Operators’ margins are continually being compressed with workforce challenges and historically low unemployment, inflationary pressures, and the rising cost of insurance and expenses. In 2008, the RIDEA laws were changed, allowing REITs to participate in the ownership of operating companies; almost overnight, the number of capital partners for most providers increased. And over the last 10 years, the severity and frequency of weather events have increased dramatically across the entire country, with unprecedented activity and correlating damages significantly impacting Florida communities and their workers.

There is no one solution for any of these issues just like there is no one-size-fits-all approach to senior living. Nor do any of us truly have all of the answers, no matter how long we’ve been in senior living. The only way we’re going to survive and thrive is to share ideas, support each other and advocate as a group for this industry.

As FSLA continues to grow its membership and foster growth among the next generation of leaders, the transparency and collaboration between our different organizations, communities, and even senior leadership continues to grow as well. I believe this is what will sustain us in the years ahead, and I am proud to face those challenges together. If you are currently not a member of FSLA, join now and get involved.

Gail Matillo, MPA

President & CEO

Jason Hand, Esq. VP Public Policy and Legal Affairs

Sheri LeaJean Director of Education & Sponsorships

Meredith Van Valkenburgh, MSAFA, CGB, CPM Project Director Kathy Keiffer Project Manager

Jimmie Fay Griffin, LPN Accounting & Membership Manager

FSLA EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair: Shelley Esden President and CEO Sonata Senior Living

Past Chair: Melinda Skirvin Vice President Five Star Senior Living

Past Chair Emeritus: Mary Sue Patchett

Vice Chair: Jay Thomas Asst. General Counsel – Ops Atria Senior Living

Secretary: Joe Jedlowski President Distinctive Senior Living

Treasurer: Chris Callahan Regional Director of Operations Brookdale Senior Living

Parliamentarian: Robin Khanal, Esq. Quintarios, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A.

Industry Partner Committee Chair: Matt Depenbrock Director of Business Development Guardian Pharmacy

Education Committee Chair: Marisa Strain Director of Quality Assurance SRI Management

Hospitality Committee Chair: Gilbert Bolivar

Membership Committee Chair: Krone Weidler Principal Cadre Healthcare Realty Advisors

PC Chair: David Nussbaum Senior Vice President Belmont Village

Editorial and Business Offices 2292 Wednesday St. Suite 1, Tallahassee, FL 32308 850-496-2562 | floridaseniorliving.org

Publisher: Gail Matillo gmatillo@floridaseniorliving.org

Executive Editor: Sheri LeaJean sleajean@floridaseniorliving.org

Creative Director: Katie Reeves ktcreative@me.com

Advertising & Editorial Submissions engage@floridaseniorliving.org

ENGAGE, Volume 1, Issue 3 is published quarterly by Florida Senior Living Association, 2292 Wednesday Street, Suite 1, Tallahassee, Florida, 32308. Florida Senior Living member companies receive subscriptions for communities as part of their membership. Free controlled subscriptions are also available to qualified individuals in the senior living business.

POSTMASTER, SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO:

ENGAGE, 2292 Wednesday Street, Suite 1, Tallahassee, Florida, 32308. Printed in USA. Copyright 2022. ENGAGE will not be responsible for the return of any unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

Copyright © 2023 Florida Senior Living Association. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form – print, electronic, or otherwise – without written permission from Florida Senior Living Association.

For media inquiries and advertising information, contact engage@floridaseniorliving.org.

Featured on the cover: Noelle LaPonte, Executive Director, Lexington Manor Assisted Living and Mark Cox, Regional Director, Five Star Senior Living are poised and ready to protect the health and well being of Five Star residents and staff in any emergency.

Photo Credit: Katie Reeves | ktcreative, LLC

&

THE COST OF THE

anywhere from 213% to 400% of an employee’s salary for executive and C-suite positions. To help organizations calculate turnover in terms of actual dollars, Sparkbay has created an employee turnover cost calculator.

While the negative impact of high turnover comes with some immediate and obvious financial costs, there are several other costs that are more complex and longer term, including:

by julie rupenski , medbest recruiting , founder and ceo

• Lowers Employee Morale. Your employees want safety, consistency, and familiar faces. When people are coming and going, your company is viewed as a revolving door which seriously damages morale. Plus, your remaining staff must pick up the slack created by high turnover.

• Decreases Employee Productivity. High turnover decrease productivity since there are less workers to handle the workload. Plus, since a new employee needs a period of adjustment, tasks and projects will slow down and take longer.

For your senior living organization to thrive in today’s economic climate, finding and retaining talent is paramount. A revolving door of employees is costly.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of U.S. employees voluntarily leaving their jobs in professional and business services has gone up substantially in the last year. Approximately 20 million Americans quit their jobs in the first five months of this year alone. As most of you know by now, this “I Quit” workforce trend has been coined, “The Great Resignation” and it comes at a high cost to your senior care organization.

The financial burden of losing an employee amounts to thousands of dollars when you consider the recruiting and training required for a new employee to take their place. However, it’s important to note that the costs vary by wage and role of the employee as well as how long the position remains open.

For example. some studies estimate that on average replacing an entry-level employee is 30% to 40% of their annual salary, 100% to 150% for a salaried technical position, and

• Tarnishes Reputation & Company Culture. High turnover can seriously damage your organization’s reputation and the ability to acquire new candidates. A survey by Harvard Business Review of 1,003 full-time professionals, half of them would NOT accept an offer to work for an organization with a poor organizational culture and reputation – even if they received an attractive offer.

• Loss of Knowledge. When an employee exits, they take their industry knowledge with them. That means you lose a valuable worker and resource, and your competition may benefit from it.

• Impacts Sales & Bottom Line. High turnover makes it difficult to achieve company revenue goals. Organizations lose out on revenue that could have been realized by an efficient workforce.

If you have a high turnover rate, you must examine the root causes.

As senior living recruiters, we talk with senior care and long-term care candidates every day and their top reasons for wanting to jump ship are:

• Lack of career advancement

• Toxic work culture

• Don’t like or respect boss

• Lack of work/life balance (Lack of schedule flexibility, hybrid schedule or remote work)

• Pay too low

• Role was misrepresented

If you aren’t competitive in the market or suffer from a toxic culture, top talent will continue to migrate to organizations that are more attractive.

julie rupenski

Julie Rupenski is the Founder & CEO of MedBest Recruiting. Since opening its doors in 2001, Julie has grown MedBest into an award winning, multimillion-dollar national firm, garnering impressive awards including INC 5000 2021 and Tampa Bay Fast 50 2021! Julie was also named as one of the “Top 100 Women Leaders in Tampa 2022″ by Women We Admire.

MedBest is an award-winning national Executive Search Firm exclusive to the Senior Living Industry. For more than two decades, we have connected senior living organizations with exceptional senior living executive talent for both permanent and interim roles.

Once you can determine why your staff is leaving, it’s time to address the issue(s). It’s vital to reevaluate what your senior living organization is offering staff.

by sandi poreda

Good communication is so important primarily because information is currency. People who don’t have information want it, often desperately. Never has this been more evident than over the past few years, especially in the senior living industry.

Throughout the pandemic, as family members and other visitors struggled to keep in touch with their loved ones in senior living communities while visitation was prohibited due to COVID, communities wrestled with how to communicate important information, how often to communicate, and what exactly to say. This last part seemed especially difficult because not only did we not know much about COVID at the time, but what guidance the senior living industry did receive changed frequently and sometimes contradicted itself.

With all of the uncertainty, open and honest communication was often the best thing senior living operators could offer to worried family members, residents and staff. And because of the uncertainty, sometimes that honest answer was, “I don’t know.”

because many of us equate not having information with failure or a lack of preparedness. However, “I don’t know” is an incredibly valuable phrase because it allows us to acknowledge our humanity, make a commitment to our audience to be honest, and earn the opportunity for a second interaction – one that will be better informed than the first.

Deep down, many people inherently distrust someone who has all of the answers or seems too perfect, too good to be true. This is especially the case if the audience is scared, confused or frustrated; we don’t like being confronted with someone who is doing so much better than our current situation. Not only does acknowledging you don’t know something prevent you from making ill-informed and potentially dangerous guesses, it lets your audience know you’re just like them – trying to do the best you can with what you have.

Open and honest communication also inspires trust. When you’re willing to be fully transparent and own up to all

good, people are more likely to trust what you say and do. It also allows you to shape your own narrative instead of letting someone else tell your story. First impressions always matter, and so does the first version of a story. It’s much harder to take control of a narrative that already exists.

Of course, trust doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s much harder to get people to trust you during a crisis than when everything is running smoothly. Start building open lines of communication on a regular basis so that when you need them, they’re already established. Remember, information is currency. Be generous with yours.

sandi poreda , apr Bulldog Strategy Group

STRATEGIES FOR PERSONAL BALANCE AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

by karla pena rosa , ph . d .

We are survivors of a post Covid-19 pandemic world. Increasing staff burnout and short staffing challenges in the healthcare field, violence, and school shootings, in short, a hectic world. We are all familiar with an everchanging and challenging landscape in our day-to-day lives. A quick search of recent population and work health statistics clearly indicates a mental health crisis in society and in our workplaces. More than ever,

we require strategies for stress management and resources to offer them to our employees. We all know that we should make mental health a priority, but how do we accomplish this? In this brief, we offer some actionable strategies for personal and organizational changes that we hope help you set the tone for a more mental health conscious 2023.

Start by setting healthy boundaries

Studies show that personal and jobrelated stress are leading sources of anxiety for American adults. In a world where technology and constant information streams keep us connected to news sources, social media, and our email accounts, we could easily find ourselves working around the clock. Commit to make personal changes by setting healthy boundaries. Reclaim some free time and prevent overwork by learning to say ‘no’ without guilt. At the organizational level, we must communicate to our team that we are completing a marathon, not a sprint. Encourage your team to take regular breaks and institute mental health days. By saving our energy we can achieve more in the long run and make great progress towards work-life balance.

Notice your emotions

Our emotions matter. As human beings, we all experience strong emotions, and this is normal. The key here is to learn how to notice them and address them, not to ignore them, or react from a place of emotional unrest.

An actionable strategy is to get into the practice of responding versus reacting. I use this example in therapy often: Imagine what your dog would do if you served them food and attempt to remove the bowl before they are finished. That is the perfect example

of a reaction, driven by impulse and instinct, and not a thoughtful act. We are sure our dog loves us, but this event triggers a primal response. Neurologically speaking, when we experience an unpleasant event or a stressful situation, such as a verbal altercation, our initial reactions will come from the more instinctual amygdala brain region, and hence, not activate a frontal lobe response. We must give ourselves some time (seconds really) to engage beyond the immediate reflex to a thought out ‘executive function’ from our frontal lobe to be able to respond. Have you ever heard anyone say, “count to ten”, this is the essence of that principle. Empower your staff with the knowledge to respond and not react to work stressors and situations.

Engage in wellness practices

Developing a daily meditation practice is a very practical way to make time for yourself and make mental health a priority. This millenary practice is now backed by significant research, and easier than ever to develop. All you need is 5-10 minutes, and you can even use an app to guide you. The objective is to stay in the

moment, noticing what comes up in your mind without judgment and gently refocusing to your own breath. Daily meditation has been proven to alter brain waves and even improve cognitive functioning over time. Meditation does not need to be an esoteric practice; it can be a practical way to learn acceptance and connect with our breath and bodies.

Practice gratitude

Media messages are constantly bombarding us with the latest gadget, trend, and “must-have”. Is easy to fall into a tendency that can harm your wellbeing if you are focused on what we lack. Try a daily practice of being grateful for what you have, like your loved ones, coworkers, your health, and a roof over your head. Studies show that simple daily gratitude practice can ease anxiety and depression as we create a positive state of mind that will help us deal with life stressors more effectively.

Educate your staff about mental health and burnout

An excellent employee can experience burnout if they are exposed to chronic

work-related stressors. Turning them from engaged and committed to disconnected and apathetic. Encourage identification of mental health issues and work-related stress by providing in-service education. Offer safe pathways for your staff to seek help by approaching management and human resources. Work to communicate that there is no stigma or negative repercussions associated with seeking help. Build up your leadership and management team’s emotional intelligence, and encourage leading by coaching, to help employees through rough patches and help them recover.

Advocate for organizational changes

Looking for actionable steps to set mental health as a priority? Visit the following free resource websites for step-by-step instructions and examples of successful programs you can adapt to your organization, no matter the size. The start of a new year is the perfect time to make mental health awareness a priority.

pena rosa , ph . d .

Clinical Psychologist

Business Development and Clinical Consultant

Huntingdon Behavioral Health

American Medical Association (AMA) www.ama-assn.org offers strategies to manage and reduce staff burnout.

Surgeon General workplace wellbeing priority campaign https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/workplace-well-being/resources/index.html offers step by step strategies to promote wellbeing and mental health friendly workplaces.

National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI) https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Pledge-to-Be-StigmaFree/StigmaFree-Company/Resources has strategies and free campaigns to declare your workplace mental health stigma free.

karla

LONG-TERM CARE

Sustainability

by jason hand

Ever increasing insurance and litigation costs continue to increase ALF operational costs. Today, the senior living industry needs the Florida Legislature’s help to survive. Statutory reforms are necessary to secure reasonable and measured solutions to stop this cycle and drive down insurance premiums.

The Florida Senior Living PC is an essential tool to educate legislators and other key leaders in Florida about the tough issues facing senior living communities and the many benefits brought to the state from senior living communities. The political committee strengthens FSLA’s relationships by supporting legislators who help advance the association’s advocacy agenda and developing new champions amongst both legislators and new legislative candidates who will support senior living issues

jason hand VP of Public Policy & Legal Affairs Florida Senior Living Association

of significant importance to the membership. Our future depends on building and keeping a healthy and robust political committee.

FSLA is proposing to update Chapters 429 and 400 to provide ALFs and nursing homes with parity compared to existing statutory protections for other health care facilities to ensure long-term care sustainability:

Limiting Defendants: Shield passive investors from liability by limiting who may be sued to the licensee, management company, and employees.

Limiti ng Cla ims: Codify case law providing that Ch. 429 is the exclusive remedy for negligence and resident rights claims, and require the court to hold an evidentiary hearing before allowing a claim for punitive damages.

Limiting Adult Children Claims: Apply medical negligence protections of limiting non-economic damages awardable to independent adult children in other health care facilities to ALFs and nursing homes.

Authorizing Offer of Judgment: Require that offers of judgment should be expressly authorized for ALFs and nursing homes.

Qualified Expert Witnesses: Revise the ALF and nursing home statutes to strengthen expertise and experience requirements necessary to qualify as an expert witness.

Limit Admissibility of AHCA Surveys: Prohibit the use of previous, unrelated AHCA surveys to establish general wrongdoings unrelated to the case at issue in ALFs and nursing homes.

by todd d . williams

Hiring has become a vicious cycle–especially as we willingly give away our future.

All of us have experienced this negative feedback loop: one person quits, so the remaining team members work longer hours and more shifts to pick up the slack. This leads to frustration, burnout and more resignations. The team and their managers then must take on more shifts and subsequently, longer hours to fill the gap, which compounds frustrations and eventually leads to more resignations.

Layer on anxiety and concern for the wellbeing of others in the world around them, and it’s a recipe for disaster. Health care workers have especially strong feelings around “changing safety protocols, low pay and a general sense of being disposable.” The antidote to a sense of being disposable? Feeling valued and cared for, with a bit of added personalized attention. This is no doubt exactly what your organization says it strives to offer to your residents, clients or patients–does this sound all too familiar?

In his book The Dip best-selling author, business and social commentator Seth Godin highlights the concept of knowing when to quit, and when to stick with solving a problem. He asks, “If we audited your day in six-minute increments, what would we find?” This question challenges us to assess the best use of time within our current processes, or to rethink new answers to solving critical challenges.

Godin’s take home point? “Quit the wrong stuff. Stick with the right stuff. Have the guts to do one or the other.” When it comes to hiring managers filling high turnover frontline roles, now is the

time. Quit wasting their daily effort and emotional energy chasing applicants, who then no-show for interviews, or don’t respond after an offer is made. Worse yet after spending valuable resources, many fail to show up for dayone on the job. Is there any more critical “right stuff” for our focus today than solving for staffing in the Care Economy?

Godin’s summary: ”When we give away our day, we give away our future.”

If retention and recruitment are two sides of the same coin, how does management best prioritize? Don’t give away your future time on recruitment that would be better spent on retention of quality candidates. Retention efforts require time and energy, which are locked in a constant struggle for time spent by the same people needing to recruit new candidates or backfilling vacated positions.

Savvy leaders who have dedicated themselves to providing life sustaining and life saving care to millions every year, owe it to their communities to

learn this valuable lesson of how to “quit the wrong stuff.”

There are three important outcomes that Care Economy leaders gain with solutions which serve to “Quit” repeating the same old habits.

#1) Quit wasting valuable time spent on recruiting and recapture that time to allow a focus on a hiring manager’s day job. With repetitive tasks of recruiting now under control, these managers get the payoff of more time to engage with new hires to reduce turnover.

#2) Quit ignoring the realities of recruitment waste that are lost six minutes at a time, in every hour of every day.

#3) Quit enabling the deliberately cruel and vicious cycle where we began this discussion.

Seems there’s never been a better time to Quit!

todd d . williams

, Founder + CEO,

ProsperCare

ProsperCare solutions allow hiring teams to become unshackled from ineffective processes, so they can quit wasting their valuable time to focus on their day jobs. From scoring candidate pre-interview behaviors, to bringing predictive hiring measures, ProsperCare exists to help busy hiring managers make better offer decisions and increase retention with the right candidate fit, for longer tenure and reduced turnover.

More insights from ProsperCare: https://prosper.care/blog/

by meredith van valkenburgh , msafa, cgb, cpm

Have you ever worked late and realized dinner is your responsibility? As with most people, technology to the rescue. So, I start looking at my apps, and quickly pick chicken wings for dinner. Ordering is always the easy part. When it gets to the payment, there is a fee for this, a fee for that, plus the tip. My hesitation builds as the total order equals a steak dinner.

Are chickens endangered or is the order too big and expensive?

The answer is no to both. I need a better solution. My thought was to have the groceries for chicken wings dropped at the house, task the teenager with prep, and finish cooking when I get home. Once again, the price for one meal was higher than I was willing to commit.

As I continue to work trying to make a decision about dinner, and looking back down at my computer monitors, the project that had my full attention was the free CNA training grant program. Now, I can just imagine assisted living providers experiencing the same issues with staff training.

Short on time, labor pressures, and higher costs of training.

The free CNA training grant program is designed for staff to advance their career while employed by taking one of the offered tracks and able challenging the CNA exam. The community only needs to commit to having a single mentor to answer any learner questions that might arise and communicate with the program staff to remove barriers. The tracks are approved by the communities for their staff. The grant program offers three different tracks; Teal, Coral or Blue, all including the Prometric Exam.

meredith van valkenburgh , msafa, cgb, cpm Project Director Florida Senior Living Institute

For the Teal Path, the more experienced staff can take a 75-Hour Online Training Course. It includes a CNA overview, online coaching, test prep, practice written exams, and clinical skills Review. This is really for the experienced staff who know their craft but need the opportunity to review and challenge the exam.

Newer staff may be interested in the Coral Path. Ranging between 2-7 weeks, the online course delivered in a Google classroom setting. Coral will have a deeper dive in subjects, online coaching, practice written exams and clinical skills review. The mentor will have a role answering any questions that may arise, relating questions to the learner’s experience and communicating with program staff to remove barriers.

The Blue Path is a true apprenticeship program. If you were wondering about the steak dinner, this is it. We don’t have data for retention with the first two tracks just the 90% pass rate but with apprenticeships there is a 93% employment retention rate. Phase one is the online course portion for the CNA materials with an expectation of up to 12 weeks to complete. Phase two offers advance skills and on the job training (OJT). Phase Three is just OJT. Staff are given credit for qualified hours already worked up to 1040 hours. The Blue Path offers an opportunity to invest in your employees, improve employee retention, and instill a sense of ownership.

Depending on your local Career Source, there may also be funding to offset the costs or salaries during training. More to come about that later.

So, what is the catch? There is always a catch. The catch is Florida Senior Living Institute MUST enroll more than 300 CNAs for licensing, but we can’t do this without the help of our member communities.

Here’s why we need your help…

Prometric is limited on available testing centers and seats for taking the exam. If your community has a space for 10 learners to challenge the CNA exam along with a space for the Clinical Skills test, we can work with you to get your community and spaces qualified as an alternate site. This keeps it local, allows ALF CNA exam challengers to test, and only ties up the space for a day. Our goal is to have at least one site in each of the Career Source Regions if not each county.

Feel free to reach out to me to express interest and ask questions via email, text or call. Meredith@floridaseniorliving.org (850) 755-6583. Or visit our website: flseniorlivinginstitute.org/cna-training

By the way, I ended up going through a drive-thru for dinner but now I want a steak.

DRAINERS ENERGIZERS

by monica wilson

It sure has been a turbulent three years. We know that being exposed to continual stress can cause burnout. I want to kick off the year with an invitation to focus on you using a simple, self-reflective exercise designed to promote selfcare and boost energy.

Quality of Life

Senior living has long focused on our residents’ well-being and quality of life. But really, we want to support the quality of life for all stakeholders. When we come to work each day, we should all have relationship opportunities and activities that allow us to experience a sense of security, belonging, continuity, purpose, achievement, and significance. As leaders, we are the ones responsible for establishing and supporting the culture and environment that promotes these opportunities.

Self-Care

It’s hard to effectively lead our teams when our energy is depleted, and our own sense of purpose is diminished or compromised. I think we all know this, but sometimes a little nudge and reminder to take some time to focus on self-care helps. Even if we are pretty good at self-care, we can sometimes find ourselves in a rut.

It’s helpful to examine what feeds us, what inspires us and what is dragging down our energy so we can be intentional about how we spend our time and choose activities that fuel and energize us.

Drainers& Energizers

I invite you to take a few minutes to complete this short, simple exercise. We’ve been using some form of this exercise for almost thirty years in workshops and trainings. When this tool is used optimally, the results you can achieve are significant. It’s best to jot down your responses and really examine them. If you want a quick, more detailed form to use, you can grab one here: https://www.icebridgetraining.com/ drainersandenergizers

The goal is to identify the negative stressors that drain you and the positive energizers that revitalize you – at work, at home and at play. Take a few minutes to visualize how you typically spend your day and then list the places/people/activities and conditions that both drain you and those that renew your energy and sense of well-being.

One way to reduce the risk of stress exhaustion is to increase the energizers and if possible, decrease the drainers or find a way to turn the drainers into energizers. You can easily adapt this into a team-building exercise and use it to help reset your team’s energy.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and revitalized year!

monica wilson , ms ICEBridge, LLC

monica wilson , ms ICEBridge, LLC

Have a question about assisted living operations?

Ask Monica: Monica@icebridgetraining.com

She is an

Can we use a Hoyer lift in assisted living in Florida?

When a resident is receiving hospice care, specialized equipment including lifts and transfer devices, may be used in their home environment. Importantly, you will want to ensure that any durable medical equipment is included in the interdisciplinary hospice care plan and that staff (and the resident and family as appropriate) are trained by the hospice staff on the safe use of the equipment. Hospice should ensure that the equipment is operated and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. As always, the plan of care should be developed by the hospice in consultation with the assisted living community. The services provided by the assisted living community and the hospice, and any services provided by family

Can unlicensed, trained staff provide assistance with PRN medications in memory care?

In order for unlicensed, trained assisted living staff to provide assistance with PRN or “as needed” medications, the resident requesting the medication must be aware of the need for a medication and the purpose for taking the medication.

When trying to answer this question, you should consider if the resident is capable of requesting the medication and understands the need for, and the purpose of taking the medication. PRN medications may be administered by a licensed nurse.

I have been working as an assisted living administrator in another state for the past 3 years. Do I need to complete the Florida ALF Core training and state competency exam again?

In order to maintain your Florida assisted living administrator credentials, you must complete 12 hours of continuing education every 2 years in topics related to assisted living. This is a fairly broad statement in the regulation. I typically use the ALF Minimum Core training outline as a guide for continuing education topics to maintain my own certification – if you have 12 hours of continuing education in topics addressed on this outline, these should count these toward your 12 hours of continuing education.

Monica Wilson is registered with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) as an Assisted Living Core training provider and with the Florida Department of Elder Affairs as an Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders training provider.

experienced administrator, trainer, facilitator, and educator with a passion for older adults, technology and connecting people and processes.

RIDING OUT HURRICANE IAN

Can you even imagine what our south Florida caregivers and residents must have experienced during Hurricane Ian?

At the first warning of a category 2 in my north Florida hometown, panic ensues, the gas lines form and grocery store shelves go bare within hours. It’s chaotic and messy!

Senior living professionals, however, have a vastly different approach to mother nature’s threat, one that is synonymous with excellence in emergency management. Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) yearly planning impacts every aspect of your community such as: ALF business operations, residents, and staffing; emergency management resources, logistics and response; and coordinating with outsourced companies that provide shelter, transportation, fuel, repairs, communications, medical supplies, food, water, generator services, etc. Coordination is critical, time is precious and the lives of our seniors and staff are irreplaceable.

by sheri leajean

But, this is nothing new to senior living. Well ahead of Ian’s unwelcome arrival in Sarasota and Ft. Myers, decisions had been made, preparations secured, and the emergency master plan was activated on high alert. It was all hands on deck for Five Star communities in this area of the state.

ENGAGE magazine team CEO Gail Matillo, Creative Director Katie Reeves and myself visited these communities. We were awed by the staff’s dedication, seamless orchestration and exemplary planning demonstrated throughout each community.

Five Star Senior Living Regional Director Mark Cox led the boots on the ground while East coast leadership Vice President of Operations Melinda Skirvin was just a phone call away for problem-solving and support. Each worked tirelessly. It was all systems go and they were on a mission to keep staff and seniors safe.

• Generators on.

• Food orders doubled.

• Medications ordered.

• Families contacted.

• Vendors and coach transportation on standby.

• Evacuations in process.

• Cots assembled and rooms ready for guests.

• Let the hurricane party begin!

Kicking butt and taking names

As Ian’s path became more obvious, communications with staff and residents became more frequent.

Lexington Manor ED Noelle LaPonte said residents never knew there was a storm nearby. She smiled, “we have a residents first policy…it all started with a Happy Hour on the 2nd floor.” “It’s our job,” she stated. “In this business, you get to know each of the residents, and they are our number one priority.” LaPonte credits the CEMP success to strong leadership and an amazing staff with a family affair attitude. Plus, advance preparation, coordination, constant

communication, and adjusting as needed were some of the most important contributing factors. Everyone played a key role including super-star team member Donna who was instrumental in keeping waste issues at a minimum. She was the plunger queen! LaPonte, who worked to remove water intrusion, chuckled stating, “next time, we need more shop vacs“. To top things off, Lexington Manor welcomed nine, yes 9, new move-ins during the storm. Talk about taking care of business!

It’s all about the right team.

Just a few miles away, Executive Director Georgie Romeo and her Tuscany Villa of Naples team were busy doubling their capacity moving in 60 assisted living residents from Calusa Harbour plus staff. Family members of some Tuscany Villa residents even sought shelter and were welcomed without hesitation…a family affair in every sense. At the time, no one knew what started as a 3-day supersized hurricane party would become weeks of coordination.

Romeo said “confidence is key”… Five Star’s support system and resources plus well-established vendor relationships enabled staff to focus on caring for residents. “There was no interruption to Tuscany Villa residents,” she said. Residents were kept informed; they communicated with families and held forums for questions. Regardless of the challenges, Romeo reinforced, “it’s all about having the right team in place.” For example, the nurse call system for Calusa didn’t match Tuscany Villa so they had to pivot. In a pinch, they issued whistles to all the newcomers until new pagers and pendants arrived. Once in place, devices were programmed on different frequencies so staff would be alerted to their specific residents needing assistance. “Accepting assisted living residents puts lots of pressure on maintenance, housekeeping, and dining, “ Romeo

said, but having the Calusa Harbour team onsite made a huge impact. Matter of fact, they all stayed onsite for a week after the storm. Afterward, Five Star began shuttling Calusa Harbour employees daily to and from their temporary home away from home.

Gerdie Civil, Calusa Harbour LPN agreed, “at times it’s frustrating. Residents only packed for 3 days. There was a feeling of being stuck when they had expected to go back home sooner.” Staff worked with each of the residents to pack additional clothes and other belongings so they would feel more comfortable.

Civil said it was long days for staff, too, with the added commute time but she was happy to be able to work. She said “keeping morale and spirits positive” was important and she focused on always having a smile even though she experienced lots of hurricane damage and flooding in her own home.

Another account from Tuscany Villa of Naples Christine Heaton, Lifestyle 360 Program Director (I just love this title!) said “Five Star is the glue that kept me together during this time…coming to work every day is a blessing!” Heaton’s home suffered major damage during the storm. Three feet of water sustained for days will do that. Her home is stripped down to the studs now and still waiting on insurance to determine the next step. Early next year, perhaps? Her patience is running scarce and she and her husband have exhausted all their financial resources but are hopeful to regain some normalcy soon. In the meantime, Heaton is passionate about her work, “happy residents are rewarding” but after 31 years she doesn’t call them residents, rather, it’s friends. “We are one blended blessed family,” she says.

In the comforts of The Palms Fort Myers, Bill Brewster, Administrator,

we met with the A-Team from Calusa Harbour, Kim Kelly, Morgan Leopard, Lorren Becker, Olga Konstandinidis, Hank Fyock and Chef Steve Wells. The team shared stories and pictures from their Hurricane Ian experience. They jokingly agreed they hoped to never go through this again.

In previous years, Calusa Harbour faired well during many storms with minimal damage and no flooding, but this storm was different. They are still weeks away from being ready for resident returns. Sixty assisted living residents were relocated temporarily to Tuscany Villa of Naples, but many Independent Living residents decided to stay put and ride out the storm even though county authorities issued a mandatory evacuation. As

a result, special arrangements were made for 114 residents plus a caring and courageous A Team staff (and some family members and pets, too!) to remain in place hunkered down to ride out Hurricane Ian. I’m sure they never expected what happened next. Water was rising, the wind howling and debris was flying. An AC unit relocated itself to a second-floor roof extension. A yacht parked itself in the D’Amicos’ first-floor apartment (but please don’t tell 95-year-old Irene… she’d be so upset).

Morgan Leopard, Business Office Manager for Calusa Harbour, relived her account of investigating damage on the 20th floor. There had been a report of a possible broken window so she went to assess fully expecting

just to see broken windows… “Nope, I opened the door and saw the roof flapping in the wind! I immediately moved residents and staff to the 9th-floor atrium” where they would await Ian’s exit. Trees down, awnings crumpled like a wad of notebook paper, an unmanned boat cruising down First Street,“we never lost internet though LOL!,” Leopard laughed. But then hearing massive alarms sounding off and a look out the window to see all the employees’ cars in the parking lot underwater, floating away and subsequently totaled…it was completely devastating.

“Our staff had a lot of good assistance with FEMA. They replaced food costs up to $700 for each household. Five Star also held donation drives

PHOTO CREDIT: OFFICE OF LEADER GRANT

for supplies and sent $10K down to assist with replacing items lost. Mark Cox loaded an external tank in the back of his truck and drove back and forth from Naples to bring gas to employees every day so we didn’t have to pay for gas to get to work. Plus, furniture was purchased to help families who were flooded out. Cars mostly were replaced with insurance … Most had coverage to replace their totaled vehicles, but some didn’t. :/ That was hard.”

Five Star was prepared.

This storm was so long and hard on residents. The roof went first, then the plumbing. “You could feel the building swaying,” they all nodded in agreement. Some Calusa residents didn’t want to leave their apartments but staff found ways to entertain and make them as comfortable as possible while staying safe.

A strong support system. Dedicated staff.

Residents First Policy.

Having a plan in place. These and so many additional factors

were significant in the success of keeping residents and staff safe and cared for during Ian but to hear the team talk about it, you’d believe it was just another day at work…a seamless operation focused on providing the best care for their residents.

Mark Cox said, “Resident safety was a priority. It’s why we do what we do.” He noted policies are continually evaluated…they are always evolving and looking for ways to improve. Plus, he said they “begin preparing for hurricane season in March”, months in advance of any possible threats. “Never at any point did we not feel prepared.”

Hank Fyock, Five Star Regional Engineer, was on top of things early on reviewing depression potential, looking at hurricane apps, communicating with staff, and tracking the storm well in advance of Ian being named a storm. As Ian’s path narrowed, Fyock’s alerts became more and more frequent to keep communities on alert and ready. Next on his agenda, Cox said, is to “upgrade everyone to the iPhone 14. The new satellite capabilities would have been a huge bonus and made communication so much easier.”

At times, there was no service. Cell towers were down; some had internet and others did not. Staff got creative though and pivoted when needed. Those who had the internet could communicate through Facebook messaging while others downloaded a 2-way radio app and exchanged important updates that way. Corporate was able to keep families updated through mass email and text communications, too.

Cox also commented how critical it was that Five Star contracted buses on standby so they would be ready to go at a moment’s notice. “It was worth the extra money to know they had transportation ready when it was needed.”

And the generators are a game changer!

“Without generators, we would have had to evacuate,” stated Cox. Generators were fired up even before the storm hit so that when, and if, the power went out, residents would not experience a disruption in their homes. “Some residents never even knew there was a storm,” he said. Further, generators were a critical resource at Calusa. At the height of

the storm when the community was without power, elevators were still operating on generator power to move residents and staff safely and quickly to secured areas of their twenty-story building. (I don’t even want to imagine the difficulty and challenges staff would have experienced had generator power not been available. It’s very likely that generators saved lives in this instance.)

More notes from Five Star Hurricane Ian veterans… Have a contractors list handy.

Need more shop vacs.

Secure coach transportation with lifts.

Utilize resident volunteers. Shine a light on the ability of your residents. Staging. The cots didn’t work well for all assisted living residents so beds were purchased to replace them as quickly as possible.

“Serve more coffee and pie,” said resident Irene.

“Replace staff phones with I-phone 14’s for the satellite capabilities.”

Return on Investment

The Five Star team is a model of excellence in emergency management for senior living. Their success boils down to a company that cares for and supports its own AND having the best team in place working together to ensure its emergency management plans are top-notch, so their communities, residents, and staff are always safe. Creating a company culture that breeds dedication and commitment like this is inspiring and it’s evident that employees appreciate and thrive in the Five Star environment where everyone can be a leader.

“When you have leaders like Melinda Skirvin, this is what happens.” Mary Sue Patchett, former Chair and Co-Founder of Florida Senior Living Association asserts Skirvin’s leadership is the driving force behind the Five Star team’s success.

Fyock reported that repairs are underway at Calusa Harbour with a targeted December reopening date. At the time of this article, an inspection is scheduled for December 19th, and everyone is hopeful residents and staff may return home by Christmas.

sheri leajean Executive Editor, Director of Education and Sponsorships Florida Senior Living Association

Florida Legislature Names Senate and House Hurricane Recovery Committees

In preparation for the 2023 legislative session, incoming Senate President Kathleen Passidomo announced the creation of a new Senate Select Committee on Resiliency. The Resiliency Committee will be chaired by Sen. Ben Albritton, a Wauchula Republican who is also the Senate majority leader. The new committee will address hurricane and recovery efforts and overall resiliency planning. On the House side, newly swornin House Speaker Paul Renner also established a new Select Committee on Hurricane Resiliency and Recovery to fortify the state against future hurricanes in the aftermath of Hurricane Nicole and Ian. Representative Michael Grant, (R-75), and the Majority Leader will be chairing this new committee.

Hurricane Ian, a category 4 storm, devastated parts of the state and will take years to recover. Rep. Renner said the state will remain laserfocused on the recovery efforts and on identifying steps to be better prepared for future storms.

Douglas Soule, a USA TODAY reporter said that three major factors played a large part in the severity of the disaster:

• An underestimation of deadly storm surge in Lee County, both in early forecasts and by residents likely unaware of the extreme damage that can be wrought by water.

• A challenging forecast that at one point painted the bull’seye on Tampa and Clearwater, a worst-case scenario for the area of more than 3 million people. The National Hurricane Center warned multiple times that there was low confidence in the track of the storm, although the rapid intensification was accurately predicted from the beginning.

• And those in the path of the storm, whose past experiences, or a lack of experience with hurricanes, may have influenced their actions to stay in place.

Summary

More than $2.69 billion in federal grants, disaster loans and flood

insurance payments have been provided to the state of Florida and households to help survivors jumpstart their recovery after Hurricane Ian, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

About $752 million has been distributed to households and $327 million to the state of Florida for emergency response and recovery, while the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved $962 million in disaster loans. The National Flood Insurance Program has already paid $652 million in claims, FEMA reports.

And, during the Special Session held the week of December 12, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill (SB) 4-A, Disaster Relief, which provides $750 million for additional disaster relief to Floridians following Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. This legislation provides tax relief for owners of destroyed homes, housing assistance for displaced Floridians, and funding for reconstructing impacted beaches and essential water infrastructure.

Advice to New Dining (and other) Supervisors and Managers

by aaron fish

I was a young, fresh-faced professional when I landed my first job in senior living. I was hired in the fall of 2003 as a Dining Room Manager at Lakeview Village, Inc. Lakeview Village is a continuing care retirement community-the largest in the state of Kansas at the time–that served over 800 residents in all levels of care. Eighteen months into that job, I was promoted to the role of Dining Services Director. It was a role that I was not really working towards or had anywhere on my career path at that moment in time. But that promotion and the following 3 years changed me, and opened my eyes to what senior living food and hospitality could truly become.

I had always planned to be the GM at a high-end hotel or resort. I spent time learning the business working at amazing hotel operations such as The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs and Marriott International in Kansas City. And before I went into that Dining

Room Manager role, I had just spent the last 7 years working my way up the ranks from a banquet server to the Food & Beverage Manager at a conference hotel. So the idea of taking the job at a senior living community seemed to me to be one that was a stop on my “actual path”, one that was needed due to things happening in my personal life.

But once I got into the position at that CCRC, I never looked back. I learned that there was ample opportunity to bring a hospitality mind-set to senior living. I got the promotion to Dining Services Director because even though I had never been at the director level in an organization, I had the hospitality background needed to begin transforming the dining operation.

But I was really green when it came to understanding how to be a leader and develop a team that would be successful. And as I look back on my career at that point, I think of some

advice that I would share with myself then. Advice that I think can be helpful to new managers & leaders in senior living food & beverage today.

1. Always be yourself. Early on I was given the (bad) advice of separating my work and personal lives completely. DON’T DO THIS. You should absolutely create boundaries around personal things, but your team will be more engaged if they see you as an authentic leader that is a real person outside of those dining room walls.

2. Embrace the idea of having a mentor. I didn’t believe in the concept of having someone that could show me the way early in my career. I fell flat on my face a few times as I grew into the role, and could have avoided some of those mistakes if I had set my ego aside and had someone that would offer me advice and guidance. I eventually found that mentor, and she made me a better director and person.

BOLDLY DEFINING THE FUTURE OF SENIOR LIVING

SENIOR

3. Lean in to developing deeper relationships with your team. Knowing your team on a more personal level will allow you to build trust with them and create a more cohesive group. It also gives you the opportunity to celebrate personal wins and special moments

in their lives. All of this will make for a better team, and will give you more insight on how to manage each person better and give them grace as needed should there be bumps along the way.

It took me a while to figure these things out, and fortunately that

brand new director eventually did make these things a part of how he operated. And as the senior living industry continues to grow, we are going to be adding many young and new managers and supervisors to our ranks. Hopefully the advice from someone that has traveled a similar journey will help them along the way.

aaron fish Founder & CEO Trestle Hospitality

PURPOSEFUL

13465 PASTEUR BOULEVARD

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL 33418 561-227-0065

Assisted Living Facility License #13239

•24/7 on-site licensed nurses and full-time management nurses

3490 THRIVE DRIVE NAPLES, FL 34105 239-354-7081

Assisted Living Facility License #13285

• Delicious, nutritious meals prepared by our Taste of RUI Executive Chef, served in a restaurant- style setting with tableside beer and wine service

•A full life enrichment calendar

• LUXE Unlimited – Full service salon and spa

• RUI FIT programming and gym

•Physical, occupational and speech therapy on-site

• Housekeeping and laundry services

15800 B EACHWALK BO ULEVARD FORT MYERS, FL 33908 239.349.3769

Assisted Living Facility License #13074

• Scheduled transportation

• All utilities including cable and Wi-Fi

• RUI University programming and classroom for continuing education

• Leash on Life – pet concierge services

• Spacious studios, one bedroom, and two bedrooms many with full kitchens

• Residential living, assisted living and Inspiritás – memory care

1060 CLARITY POINTE DRIVE TALLAHASSEE, FL 32308 850-219-2900

DAVIS HIGHWAY

FL 32514

INDIAN STREET STUART, FL 34997 772-403-0573

ROAD WEST MELBOURNE, FL 32904 321-220-0295

ROAD WILDWOOD, FL 34785 352-254-7550

5461 JOHNSON ROAD COCONUT CREEK, FL 33073 954-246-7000

Our Inspiritás “neighborhood” is secured for resident safety yet still offers beautifully designed private garden and courtyard areas. It hosts a variety of Life Havens, designated areas to experience music and art and interactive Wall Art. These settings allow residents to explore and engage with the scenes that stimulate memories and topics of conversation. Our goal is to ensure each resident receives compassionate care to meet their emotional, social, physical, spiritual, and cognitive needs. Above all, we provide our residents with smiles, personalizedattention, encouragement, and family members with peace of mind.

• 24/7 on-site licensed nurses and full-time management nurses

• Outdoor enclosed courtyard with garden beds, walking paths and covered patios

• A full life enrichment calendar

• LUXE Unlimited – Salon • Physical, occupational and speech therapy on-site • Housekeeping and laundry services • Zero Entry Showers and automatic lights in bathrooms • Private studios and companion suites

MARKETING TRENDS

by katie reeves

The complexities inherent in senior care only became more complex since the pandemic. With earnest, high-level issues on hand, including rapidly increasing demand for services and staff shortages, senior care organizations are reevaluating their marketing strategies and priorities. How is senior care marketing evolving in 2023, and how do you adapt your strategy to remain competitive? Here are the top senior care marketing trends we think you need to keep in mind as 2023 begins:

1. Focus on Maximizing Marketing Budget

The triple whammy of increased competition, payment adjustments, and a recessive economy will mean senior care providers need to maximize their marketing budget. More than ever, every dollar counts now.

In 2023, senior care marketers must keep a close eye on their Google Ads campaigns and budget to ensure their acquisition costs don’t creep too high. Here are our tips on how to monitor your account and optimize it:

Remove Low-Intent, Low-Quality

Keywords

Low-intent, low-quality keywords may look appealing with their high search volumes, but they rarely translate into buying intent.

Target Relevant Keywords

Refine your keyword strategy and target the most relevant keywords that produce high-quality leads.

Refine Your Ad Game

Your messaging and ad copy forms the foundation of any Google PPC strategy. You need to put your best foot forward with relevant, quality ad

copy with a solid CTA and supportive information to capture those seeking immediate answers.

Enhance Digital User Experience

Landing page optimization is about improving the user experience and removing hurdles that block conversions.

2. Recruitment Marketing May Capture More of the Total Budget

Any senior care provider can confirm it—the industry has been and will continue to face dire staffing shortages. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that home health and personal care aides will grow by 33 percent in the next ten years, that still will not be fast enough to keep up with an aging population. Pandemic exhaustion, of course, compounded the problem, with 400,000 nursing home and assisted living staff quitting since early 2020. With census statistics showing that the elderly population is predicted to double by 2040, senior providers will have to focus more of their marketing initiatives on recruitment.

With numbers like those, it’s clear—senior care companies must invest in employee retention, brand marketing, and provider recruitment. Your affiliated brands and caregivers should be prioritized as much as your patients and residents. Without a strong recruitment pipeline, senior care groups won’t be able to expand their capacity or grow.

websites at this point, they are typically basic with little content or information. Digital is the key to improving operational efficiency, producing outsized returns for investors, and helping more people get mental health care.

Digital is also vital to improving the quality of patient and resident care, and it’s especially relevant in senior care. For example, wearables with fall detection provide much-needed acute data in crises, while edgesupported cameras and sensors help with monitoring. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are also stepping in to address some care pain points, parsing large data sets related to behavior patterns to tech-powered services and products.

4. Your Website User Experience Remains Paramount Google wants good user experiences, as do potential admits and their families. A top priority for Google and senior care consumers is the ability to find information easily. While seniors are more digitally savvy than before, many are still technology illiterate. To address this, your site must be easy to navigate with an easy-to-understand information architecture.

Follow these best practices to improve conversions:

Make it Easy to Schedule an Appointment Offer more than one option to book an appointment, tour, or consultation.

3.

The Industry’s Digital Transformation Continues

In general, the healthcare industry has lagged in digital advancements. Senior care is no exception. While many senior care providers may have

You may not realize it, but you may be forcing your audience to conform to what you want and limiting their options. Provide a range of options when it comes to bookings, including:

• Call directly from an ad

• Click to call on a mobile device

• Fill out a contact form

• Send an email directly

• Dial your number

• Visit your physical location

Optimize Your Mobile Experience

You know users are looking for you on mobile. Why make it harder for them? You need to prioritize the mobile user experience to be fast and responsive. Make sure that your click-to-call functionality on your landing pages and your online scheduling and forms are optimized for mobile, too.

Make Text Skimmable

Site and ad texts are always tricky. They have to be detailed and precise but disseminated in an easy-toconsume way. To meet this strange balance of detail and “skimmability,” start here:

• Include rich, comprehensive detail, but do it strategically

• Break up long blocks of text with an organized hierarchy of headers, subheads, and bullets

• Limit titles and headings to eight words or less (leaning toward less, where possible)

• Keep paragraphs tidy (three to four sentences max)

• Keep bullet points brief (a paragraph-long bullet point is just another paragraph!)

• Emphasize pull quotes, key statistics, and social proof with distinct web elements

Use Social Proof

Like in any industry, online reviews and digital reputation markers are essential in healthcare. Patients and admits tend to make decisions based on reviews, ratings, and testimonials they read online. So make sure to incorporate what available social proof you already have throughout your digital channels. How can you do that? In senior care, you might consider embedding reviews in ad campaigns. You should also make sure your site is replete with video testimonials, too, that can be repurposed across social media. In our experience, video is the most compelling social proof, though photos and quotes are more than adequate.

5. Seniors Have Questions - You Need Quality Content to Answer Them

The U.S. has a rapidly aging population that needs to determine their senior living and care options, quickly. Of course, given the stakes involved, it’s never that easy or quick a decision. Admits and their families will have questions, and your brand needs to answer them.

We’ve already discussed how seniors are becoming more tech-savvy, and you can be confident that their children are, too. They will go to the internet to find answers to their senior care needs. What are they asking? Anything from “what types of senior living communities exist” to “what’s the difference between independent and assisted living.” When they ask these questions, you need to make sure your senior care organization appears for those queries.

As senior care moves into a busy future, 2023 will be all about engaging the best new hires, attracting admits, and leveraging technology in dynamic new ways. With an increasingly techliterate senior population, senior care organizations have a wealth of opportunities to attract admits and their families by optimizing content, ads, and more.

katie reeves

Chief Creative Guru & Solutions Hero of ktcreative; a boutique marketing agency

by pascal bergeron

As assisted living operators at one point or another you have faced some type of issues that have required problem-solving skills. At the end of the day everything falls back on you. It can be a very stressful position at times. One of our biggest responsibilities is the overall compliance of the facility. Keeping up with AHCA regulations is a huge part of what we as operators are responsible for and that stress can be overwhelming.

I have come up with a word that I believe many operators suffer from. I call it “AHCAXIETY.”

So, what exactly is AHCAXIETY? This is my definition…a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an interaction or a thought of an interaction with an AHCA surveyor/surveyors with an uncertain outcome.

Does this sound familiar? For many this feeling can be very harmful to your mental health and often leads to the well-known cause of burnout of industry professionals. Luckily there are some steps that can be taken in order to minimize the effect of AHCAXIETY.

The most important step to help minimize your AHCAXIETY is to look in the mirror and to give yourself a reality check.

Actions and Systems

How often do you sit down and evaluate your compliance systems? You have looked at the regulations and designed systems for your staff to follow to keep you in compliance. You must take the time to review systems often to make sure they are working and being followed. You should

pascal bergeron Chief Executive Office ALF Boss, Inc.

constantly be making changes in your systems and designing new ones. Ask yourself how much time do you spend on this?

Being Proactive

Next, ask yourself how much effort you put toward being proactive. By this, I mean how you interact with residents and families, talking with them and looking for issues and addressing them. Remember happy individuals don’t call in AHCA complaints, angry ones do.

Continuing Education

After passing your Core Training how much time have you spent on education on a weekly basis. Do you spend at least 10 minutes a week reading the regulations, or reading posted surveys and making sure you have systems in place so you don’t commit those same deficiencies? We all know that the continuing education requirement is 12 hours every 2 years. Did you know 10 minutes a day would give you 40 hrs. a year. It might seem a lot but it’s not that bad compared to the investment for a four-year college degree. Remember you took a 26-hr. course for your career, let that sink in.

Exposure

When you are afraid of something, one of the best treatments is to continue to expose yourself to the situation. A lot of times AHCAXIETY is caused by the unknown, the unknown of what AHCA will find and what they will look for. There is no better way to address these unknown concerns than to hire a third party to come in and conduct a mock survey of your facility. I recommend quarterly surveys but once or twice a year will do wonders to help ease your fears.

In closing, to minimize AHCAXIETY you need to put more effort into your compliance task. This will help you to always be ready. Being ready builds confidence. Confidence kills AHCAXIETY.

AHCAready

A feeling of ease, confidence, or swagger, typically about an interaction with an AHCA surveyor/surveyors with a certain positive outcome.

WHO CARES FOR THE

by

Caregiver. Simply translated it means, a person that spends a substantial amount of their time taking care of someone else. Does this sound like anyone you know? It does to me. It sounds like almost every staff member in senior living communities across this nation. Giving up their own time and spending significant time with your residents. Yes, I know, it’s their job, but who cares for the caregivers?

Let’s talk about the impact of hurricanes for a moment. When a hurricane begins to form, what do we do? It is fight or flight, right? I am a native Floridian and have worked in long-term care pharmacy for the better part of 30 years. I can tell you that the leaders in this industry watch the weather almost as much as our farmers do. They must decide if we will shelter in place or evacuate. We must take all things into consideration and make the best possible choice for the seniors in our care. And those seniors and their families rely on us to make the right choice.

The preparation process whether we stay or go is still a tedious one. A checklist of matters must be handled. I have been blessed to have worked alongside some amazing people and worked for some great companies that have done all they could to provide support in times of severe and unavoidable weather. The seniors in your care have, in my opinion, always been put first in the decisions you have had to make. But who cares for the caregivers?

The caregivers in long-term care communities often neglect their own homes and loved ones to be with our seniors and to give them the best possible care in such stressful times as a hurricane. Some experience damage to their own property once they arrive home after the storm passes and the seniors in their care are safe and back home in your communities. Some are left with minimal means in order to repair this damage in order to return to work and carry on their cause of caring for our seniors.

So, who cares for the caregivers while they are caring for our seniors? Well, the answer is quite simple. We do. We care for each other. This industry takes care of its own. If you have been blessed enough to either have no personal damage to your own property during one of these horrific hurricanes, or blessed enough to have the ability and the means to fix any damage you may have had, wouldn’t you like to take an opportunity to bless those that aren’t so fortunate?

Let me give you some examples of the caregivers that Florida Senior Living Association is trying to help right now.

• A 70-year young industry partner, a housekeeper that must now live in the community where she works because her apartment was a total loss from flooding, and she can’t quite find affordable housing. She lost everything. She was at her community while her home and everything she owned was destroyed. Help us her.

• An activities director that is still using sandbags to secure her door because she lost everything and doesn’t have the means to pay for a secure one. Sand. Bags. Surely, we can find a way to help her.

• A resident care coordinator was trapped in her home for 32 hours and couldn’t get to her residents to care for them. TRAPPED! How scary. She lost pay and is having trouble catching back up.

Now that you have read a little about those caregivers that are less fortunate, how will you show up for them? How will you show up for them the way they have shown up for you, your community and our seniors?

What I love about all the people that I have been fortunate enough to work with for over three decades, is how we also care for each other. With all the uncertainty in this world today, help Florida Senior Living Association show the world the compassion we still have for those that fight the battles and man the front lines to show their love for this industry.

If you have the means to help, please donate to the Florida Senior Living Fund that is set aside to help those described. Help them fix their lives so they can go back to helping our seniors without the worry of the destruction they step over daily, like sandbags in their homes so that they can get back to caregiving.

Donate to the ALF Staff Hurricane Relief Fund.

ali wiggins

A native of Jackson County, Florida. She has been in the longterm care pharmacy industry since 1993, and recently retired.

ali wiggins

USING TECHNOLOGY

to Augment Your Team and Resident Experience

Technology and automation use is exploding as senior living providers are examining opportunities to better utilize their existing software and to invest in devices that provide options to enhance their staff productivity. While robotics as a field is advancing, the truth is, they are not yet truly operating autonomous from human interaction. Robots still need people involved in the process to use them. This includes programming, monitoring them and changing batteries as they perform their service. At best this now can be considered “co-botics” and while people will never be fully eliminated from the equation, they will work in tandem together with technology. As this combination gains traction, it also has the potential to enhance your resident experience.

Some senior living providers are now deploying robotic devices in their settings with most of them being focused for use in their dining area. Robotic servers are loaded up with plated meals in the kitchen and they carry the meals from the kitchen to the servers to deliver to the residents

at the table. Using these robots creates opportunities for expanded customer service. They allow the available servers you have to focus on their interactions with residents to meet their needs and engage with them to enhance their dining experience.

In some provider settings, these service robots are paired with higher-paid professional servers. These servers are not high school or college students doing a parttime job, but highly experienced wait staff who have usually worked in higher-end restaurants. These servers know how to efficiently manage table service and how to engage with those they serve.

The hours and benefits found in a senior living setting are often very appealing to them. When combined with robot support, the servers no longer have to lift trays or run back and forth to the kitchen. They stay where they have the most value in providing resident hospitality – in the dining area itself.

As options for using robots and other technologies expand, providers are finding new opportunities to take advantage of

them too. The senior living sector is ripe for exploration of the use of other types of autonomous robotic devices including floor cleaners, lawn mowers, drones and more. These devices can sense the environment around them and operate without significant human involvement. This enables your available staff in housekeeping and maintenance to stay focused on the portion of their jobs that focus on resident engagement and impact their satisfaction. Even a minimal expanded use of technology that enhances their productivity has the potential to be valuable to a senior living community and those who live there.

Most software and technology devices are already collecting data. There is growing interest in how data and analytics can be used to manage staff productivity and service delivery within the senior living setting. When combined in the future with artificial intelligence, the possibilities for data analytics to be use for resident care and service appear to be endless. When the data is combined with AI interpretation, this can provide valuable insight

to help streamline your processes and maximize staff efficiency. It can also be used to anticipate adverse resident health issues and create opportunities for staff intervention before an emergency room visit is needed.

Take the time to evaluate how you are using the existing software and technology already currently deployed in your senior living setting to look for new ways to maximize their value to your team and your residents. Prioritize deploying those resources that

augment your resident experience and enhance the ability of your team to provide resident services. Carefully monitor the efficiencies to be achieved or productivity enhancements gained. Keep in mind that your team may need some training to be able to effectively work with advanced technologies or to be able to take advantage of the software productivity.

As you continue to explore your options for using more advanced software and technologies, you

might find you need a different skillset in your workforce to work effectively with them. While this might create additional challenges, the shift in the skills needed to complete the job may actually expand your opportunities to pull your workforce from a broader pool of potential available talent. Above all, keep an open mind to the possibilities for expanding your staff capabilities to serve your residents as efficiently as possible without eroding your resident experience.

jill johnson , mba

Founded in 1919, Plastridge Insurance Agency has served the South Florida community for over 103 years. Because of our extensive experience and relationships in this risk specialty area we have an exclusive and proprietary program with Lloyd’s of London allowing our clients to access some of the best products specific to their insurance coverage needs

We’re here when you need us.

Jill J. Johnson, MBA, is president and founder of Johnson Consulting Services – a

“Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us together today. Mawage, that blessed awangement, that dweam wifin a dweam…” The Princess Bride, Directed by Rob Reiner, 1987.

After the impact of the five-letter word…c.o.v… (I dare not spell it out in case you stop reading). It impacted everyone both personally and professionally, creating emotional and physical distress in the process. It is time to “bwing” us back together!

Building back our social and professional networks, reclaiming our connections with other professionals in the same industry, is needed and we have a plan!

We all have become too familiar with online meetings in the past two years. The have become the norm and we have our schedules packed with them.

To start the dream of building back our connections with communities and individuals, FSLA began hosting Cocktails and Conversations earlier this year, a once-a-month Zoom Happy Hour for fun evening networking among senior living professionals.

Trestle Hospitality Concepts provides a demonstration of two featured cocktails to up your bartending skills, share tips, and provide helpful insights. Do not feel you have to enjoy a libation while chatting, viewing, and sharing,

by meredith van valkenburgh , msafa, cgb, cpm

but it is not discouraged. In between both cocktail demonstrations, a guest speaker, with topics that vary from improving your social media presence to best practices for senior living professionals, provides an informative presentation. Chatting and cutting up is strongly recommended.

“Wot bot the Dweam wifin a dweam?”

Florida Senior Living is reestablishing the quarterly meetings across the Great State of Florida. These meetings will bring us together every quarter to rebuild, reinvigorate, and refresh our connections and communities. The meetings will be held in each of the Career Source regions, include a free lunch, a speaker, and free CEU’s. This is where we can really come back together once a quarter, network, and build back our local social networks. We want the entire experience to be local, so we have invited your local Career Source to highlight employee and training funding opportunities. These opportunities can not only create pathways for your staff but help the bottom line. FSLA really hopes to see you at the next quarterly meeting in your area. Check out the website, watch your email for more details,

meredith van valkenburgh , msafa , cgb , cpm Project Director Florida Senior Living Institute

Make sure your residents get the right medications, right on time. Our team ensures resident safety with thorough medication reviews, 24/7/365 deliveries and smart packaging for easy med pass. We even offer robust analytics to help prepare your community for updates like the Patient Driven Payment Model, which affects the way you’re reimbursed for facility and medical services. Between large -provider resources and local support, we can help you navigate changes. Ask us about tools to contain costs, improve patient care and enhance safety at guardianpharmacy.com/contact.