IOA Connections June/July

CONNECTIONS

3575 Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94118

news from Institute on Aging | JUNE/JULY 2019 UPCOMING EVENTS • June 7: Harm Reduction Training, 10 a.m. - noon, Bethany Center (580 Capp St.,

San Francisco) • June 13: Santa Clara Department of Aging and Adult Services & IOA: World Elder Abuse ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Awareness Day, 9 a.m. - noon (IOA Santa Clara) • June 18: LGBT Dementia Care Tier 2 Training: Effective Communication Strategies,

12:30-2 p.m., (IOA San Francisco) • June 30: San Francisco Pride Parade (all IOA) • July 30: Recognition Luncheon (all IOA locations) Questions? Email us: communications@ioaging.org

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Learn to be more mindful, practice meditation, and reduce stress, at no cost to you! Visit: work.headspace.com/instituteonaging/join

CONNECTIONS Tom’s Two Minutes To my friends at IOA, These are exciting times for Institute on Aging! As you all know, we recently secured a new home for our dementia Enrichment Day Center in the Presidio, and we’ll be celebrating its grand opening in July.

Make no mistake – this new center is an important step for us, both for what it is and what it represents.

First, our new center will allow us to continue to address the needs of those living with dementia and their families, and on a much bigger scale. Our day program will now be able to serve 300 families, in a welcoming, sun-filled new environment that will be the ideal setting for older adults living with dementia.

But it’s bigger than that. Our presence in the Presidio, and in this beautiful building, is a signal to the community at Continued on back page

Tom Briody, CEO

For Blanca DeJesus, care work sparks joy

Blanca DeJesus

Registered Nurse Administrator Blanca DeJesus has been with Institute on Aging for more than a year now, and like many in the care work industry, she got her start at home. Blanca’s journey began when her mother became critically ill, and, nervous as she was, she made her way home to Mexico to care for her.

“I was a caregiver and nurse substitute without the training,” she says.

Thankfully, Blanca had the support of doctors and nurses, but that didn’t mean everything went smoothly.

Blanca remembers giving her mother injections even though she lacked the proper training, and also helping to care for other patients. The experience was stressful and difficult, but also inspiring. Blanca, now confident and excited, knew she had found her new path in life; what could

have been a brief chapter became her life’s purpose.

“When I returned to the United States I went to college and became a registered nurse,” she says.

Blanca says once she got started at IOA she could sense the commitment and compassion of her peers and instantly felt at home. Blanca found her purpose, and now she had a place to serve.

Care work can often be stressful, and while that’s true for Blanca, she says the work “fills her heart.”

“Knowing that a client and his/her family needs have been met makes my day,” she says. “What matters is knowing that we have made a positive impact, as small as it might be, on their lives.”

Blanca has made quite an impression on her coworkers, as well.

Cristie Truong has known Blanca since 2011, when they were both new to nursing and worked together at an acute care hospital. Cristie says she could tell immediately that Blanca was a hard worker. Over the years, she says, her respect and admiration for Blanca has only grown.

“Blanca is analytical and has great critical thinking skills, which makes her a great resource to her team,” Cristie says. “She is (open) about her needs and doesn’t hesitate to ask questions. She is passionate and works extremely hard to excel in what she does.”

Blanca says she has advice she shares with anyone looking at a career in nursing or other care work.

“If someone decides to become a

news from Institute on Aging | nurse it must come from the heart,” she says. “Compassion must be within a nurse’s DNA.” For example, Blanca jokes that when working on a hospital floor, “a nurse’s bladder is 80 percent full and her stomach is 90 percent empty.”

She reiterates that compassion, above all else, is key.

“Compassion is necessary when speaking to desperate or suffering beneficiaries or his/her family members,” she says. “Our work is a service for families in need. Yes, we get paid for what we do, but it remains a service.”

Cristie says Blanca puts her values into practice every day.

“Blanca is loyal, kind, and hardworking,” Cristie says. “She has a heart of gold to all humanity and often sees the good in people. She is patient and always willing to assist others.

“Blanca is a wonderful individual. Be like Blanca.”

Client Pete finds a new family, home through IOA Pete Trujillo was born and raised in Riverside, California, and to him, family was everything. It was a big family, too! Between his parents, his three brothers, and three sisters, there was plenty of support.

That’s why it was so difficult when Pete’s parents passed away.

He became estranged from his siblings, and those close, supportive relationships were soon non-existent.

Pete worked as an electrician for 20 years, and he had a good life, but he

missed the support of his family.

In 2008, Pete had several heart attacks. He stayed at a skilled nursing facility to recover, but he was there too long to return to his subsidized housing. What was supposed to be a brief stay at a skilled nursing facility lasted 12 years.

Living in this new environment wasn’t easy for Pete. He found it emotionally difficult, and he would often isolate himself from others; often, Pete just stayed in his room.

His circle of social support was small and his relationship with his siblings was not reconciled. The moment family was brought into conversation, he became frustrated, upset, and chose not to speak about them. Pete was in poor health, and exhibited signs of depression.

In recent years, though, Pete’s outlook changed. He began to accept help! He began attending church, increased his social support system, and focused on his health.

In May of 2018, Institute on Aging got involved. IOA was contacted to assist Pete in applying for our Community Living Solutions program, an IOA program with the goal of helping those who are residing under long-term custodial care to transition safely back into the community.

An IOA care manager visited Pete and his transition began! His application was approved, and Pete set about, as he says, making “the best of what is left of life.” Pete was excited to have a place of his own again.

There were stumbles along the Continued on back page

JUNE/JULY 2019

Compliance Corner At Institute on Aging, we are committed to improving the lives of older adults, adults living with disabilities, and their caregivers. It’s difficult and often rewarding, and it’s important that we do the best we can to get it right.

When we fall short of that standard, it’s critical that we identify the issue and address it.

Maintaining compliance is all of our responsibility!

That’s where the mantra “If you see something, say something” comes in handy. What are some examples of things you should report to Compliance? I’m glad you asked! Here are just a few: • HIPAA violations • Conflicts of interest • Breaches of ,,,,,confidentiality • Discrimination or ,,,,, ,,,,, ,,,,, harassment • Employee safety!

Continued on back page

415.750.4111 ioaging.org

Human Resources is here for you Institute on Aging is committed to the happiness and wellbeing of its employees; programs like Wellness Way are an example of that commitment. On a day-to-day basis, however, and for some issues, there is no place like Human Resources.

IOA’s Human Resources department is there for its employees, and can help with a variety of issues.

The department is committed to making themselves available when it is convenient for you. After all, that’s why they are here. To be a resource for you!

If you have a question for Human Resources, big or small, there are several ways to go about reaching out to them. Human Resources’ office hours are 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. MondayFriday, so feel free to visit any time during those hours and say ‘hello!’ If you’d rather, you can email them at HRAdmin@ioaging.org, and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Do you have any questions or concerns, about policy or pay or benefits? Human Resources is here for you!

Tom’s Two Minutes continued large: Institute on Aging understands that dementia is the defining health concern of our time for seniors, and we are committed to addressing it head on.

This new Enrichment Day Center is the physical embodiment of our long-term strategy to lead the way in dementia care.

IOA will be reaching out to major foundations in the coming months to help us in this work. We hope to develop pilot programs at the Day Center to determine what works best

for individuals with dementia and, as importantly, their families, and ultimately, to objectively demonstrate that certain interventions lead to better care and lower health care costs. Hopefully, in the not-toodistant future, Medicare and other payers will support this work.

I couldn’t be prouder of this development or more excited to get started in the Presidio, and I hope you all feel the same!

Thank you for all the great work you do!

Client Story continued way, but Pete and his care manager overcame them.

On Jan. 9, 2019, Pete left the skilled nursing facility and into a beautiful senior housing apartment in Riverside. Brilliant Corners, a partner agency of the program, assisted with furniture and necessary apartment accommodations.

Now, Pete has a fully furnished apartment he decorated himself, he’s connected with community

services for food, social support, and transportation, and he has an income of his own. Pete is maintaining his health, and is adjusting well to his new life.

More than once, Pete has expressed his gratitude to IOA for the CLS program and for the compassion and hard work of his care manager, which allowed him to return to the community and to life the way he wants to live it.

Compliance continued • Client safety!

• Illegal conduct • Fraud • Financial impropriety • Code of Conduct violations • Inappropriate workplace ,,,,, ,,,,,behavior If you see, or even think you see, one of these issues, the process is simple – speak to your supervisor first if you are comfortable speaking with them. Then, if need be, call the 24/7 Compliance Hotline at 855-535-8219, complete a secure web form at ioaging. ethicspoint.com, or send an email to compliance@ioaging. org! And remember, reporting is completely confidential and can be done anonymously, so there’s no reason not to let Compliance know if you think there might be an issue. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

415.750.4111 ioaging.org