Welcome from Carol Silver Elliott - Chair of LeadingAge National Board

Carol Silver Elliott is the President and CEO of the Jewish Home Family, located in northern New Jersey. Serving older adults for more than a century, the Jewish Home continuum of services includes the Jewish Home at Rockleigh, offering both long term care and short term rehabilitation; Jewish Home Assisted Living; Jewish Home at Home, providing home health care and adult medical day services; Jewish Home Foundation. Prior to joining the Jewish Home Family in 2014, Silver Elliott served as the President and CEO of Cedar Village Retirement Community in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Silver Elliott began her career in acute care, serving strategic roles in marketing, planning and public relations. Entering the world of older adult services in 2007, she immediately became involved on both a State and national level. She serves on the board of the Association of Jewish Aging Services and served as chair of the board from 2013-2015. She was a board member of LeadingAge Ohio and joined the board of LeadingAge New Jersey in 2015. She is also a member of the board of the VNA of Central New Jersey. In 2012 Silver Elliott joined the board of LeadingAge, the organization that represents nonprofit senior care providers around the country, and currently serves as chair.

Rubber Band Resilience: How Senior Care Can Stretch Without Snapping

You are disrupted. Your teams are stretched. Not only has the COVID19 crisis transformed the way you work, but changes from technology, regulations, and staffing/retention, are all affecting Leading Age Kansas professionals. The ability to apply a disruption-friendly mindset to transitional shifts will be necessary to serve residents, retain personnel and meet budgets. Equipping conference participants with the skill set to move through transitions while continuing to stay productive and engaged is imperative to successful organizations.

Roadblocks and unforeseen adversity, both personal and professional, stretch us every day. In this powerful keynote Kathy will share how devastating news led her on a journey to discovering the keys to thriving in the face of challenging circumstances. While sharing her 3-R method for resilient behaviors (React, Reframe, Re-energize), Ms. Parry will engage the audience with interactive exercises.

Kathy will inspire and encourage your audience to stretch, not snap when faced with disruption. Known for her candid stories and optimistic approach, Kathy is an expert in creating energetic teams and engaged professionals.

Kathy Parry, Energy Expert: A recognized authority in personal energy, productivity, and resilience, Kathy Parry uses her passion to ignite positive changes for professional leaders. Kathy works with senior living leaders, professional associations, and talent development specialists to help professionals plan for resilience to positively move through disruptive circumstances.

Reigniting Post-COVID-19 Employee Engagement by Creating a High-Performance CommuniTEAM

The after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are taking their toll on employee morale, engagement, & productivity. This, along with the post-Covid19 economy, tight labor market & multi-generational workforce requires leaders to recalibrate their workplace cultures in order to attract & retain top talent & to reignite & sustain high levels of employee engagement. To do this, leaders must create a culture that meets the needs of their dynamic workforce & unites everyone towards a common purpose as a “community”, where there is high trust, effective communication, respect, & high levels of cooperation. By creating a culture of community, that is aligned with their organization’s mission & values, leaders will see exponential & sustainable improvement in employee engagement because employees will feel connected, involved, & supported.
In this session attendees will learn how to create a high-performing CommuniTEAM…a place where employees Know & Are Known, Trust & Are Trusted, Love & Are Loved, & Hold Each Other Mutually Accountable. In a CommuniTEAM, employees share a common set of beliefs & priorities, are equally committed to a common purpose & goals, take collective actions towards achieving those goals, & are deeply committed to each other.

Bruce Berlin, President of Prioriteams: Bruce is President of Prioriteams, a leadership training & development company. Bruce led Life Plan Communities for over 25 years, developing strong workplace cultures resulting in high levels of employee engagement, resident satisfaction & profitability. Bruce is a LNHA, Certified Dementia Practitioner, & the Chair of LeadingAge Florida’s Education Committee.

The Changing Landscape of Senior Living

2020 was an unprecedented year which brought new challenges and opportunities. The pandemic, climate change and important social issues are continuously changing the marketplace and how we serve our customers and team members. Customer expectations are shifting and it is critical to stay ahead of these important transitions within, and outside of, our industry. HumanGood President and CEO John Cochrane will discuss the impact of these changes on our core business model and what we must do to meet changing consumer demands in 2021 and beyond. Learning Objectives: Attendees will learn about the challenges that lie ahead; what are our opportunities and why focusing on technology and the customer experience will be keys to success.

John H. Cochrane III, President and CEO of HumanGood: As president and chief executive officer of HumanGood, John Cochrane is responsible for the strategic direction of the company, overseeing operations and serving as the primary liaison to the HumanGood Board of Directors. HumanGood operates 21 life plan communities and 96 affordable housing communities in eight states, serving more than 13,000 residents. HumanGood is one of the largest nonprofit senior living providers in the country and carries a Fitch rating of A- with a stable outlook on its core California-based credit.

Previously, Cochrane worked for Lifespace Communities, where he served as chief operating officer overseeing 11 retirement communities in seven states. Cochrane previously worked as a practicing attorney specializing in real estate and finance. He has his law degree from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northern Illinois University.

You Can Be Perfect or You Can Be Happy

Perfect or Happy™ is a humorous and poignant interactive presentation that reminds us we can choose perfection or happiness. Spoiler alert! The former is an impossibility, but by getting back to the B.A.S.I.C.S. Karith masterfully guides her audience through the crazy balancing act of life, work and social media with the end goal of finding peace and happiness in our imperfection.

Karith Foster, CEO of Inversity Solution & Founder of F.R.A.M.E : Karith is the CEO of Inversity Solutions & Founder of F.R.A.M.E the Foster Russell Alliance for Meaningful Expression a 501(c)3 non-profit, whose mission is to inspire free speech, inclusion, social change and empowerment through education and mentorship. For over two decades Karith Foster has taken her passion for entertaining and critical thinking nationwide- from the airwaves to organizations; from universities to corporations creating a seismic shift in mindsets and revolutionizing the way we address issues of diversity and leadership. She is a featured comedian in two hit documentary films “Can We Take a Joke?” and "No Safe Spaces" which have garnered accolades in The Washington Post and TIME Magazine, as has her TEDx Talk “The Art of Defying Stereotypes: Learning to be True to Your Voice” from TEDx Lincoln Square Risk Takers and Change Makers in New York City.

Safety vs. Autonomy During a Pandemic

Amy Siple, Nurse Practitioner, Educator & Speaker

The COVID 19 pandemic took our nation by surprise. The goal quickly became the protection of older adults and those with co-morbidities. There was a tension between safety and autonomy in long term care facilities prior to this pandemic. This tension has escalated as COVID 19 mitigation has impacted standards like “Resident Rights.” This presentation will explore the balancing of physical and mental health of our residents with their safety.

The participants will be able to:

• Recall the risk of a COVID-19 infection for an older adult with comorbidities
• Identify at least two “Resident Rights” that have been compromised during this pandemic
• Recall at least two risk factors for isolation of residents from each other and their families

The Science and Power of Hope 

Angela B. Pharris, PhD, MSW
Assistant Professor and Director, Center for Child Welfare Training & Simulation
Senior Research Fellow, Hope Research Center
The University of Oklahoma Anne & Henry Zarrow School of Social Work

Hope is a powerful motivator for each of us to keep taking the next step and keep moving forward. At times, hope becomes hard to find, especially when we have experienced loss and isolation for so long due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this presentation, Dr. Angela Pharris will discuss the elements that are necessary to keep our face turned towards hope. By the end of the presentation, participants will:

• have an understanding of the Theory of Hope
• have a common language of the theory to use within and across organizations
• begin to connect the theory to aspects of their work and family life

Thriving in the Midst of Long-Term Trauma

Bonni Goodwin, PHd, LCSW
University of Oklahoma, College of Arts and Sciences
Anne & Henry Zarrow School of Social Work

In this presentation, Dr. Bonni Goodwin will discuss the effects of living through a marathon traumatic experience like the COVID-19 pandemic. She will then share strategies and tips for maintaining a sense of well-being and mental health in the midst of this type of experience.

By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:

• Describe the impacts of the pandemic on mental health and well-being
• Discover some tips and strategies for thriving during long-term traumatic experiences, such as the pandemic

Creating Joy at Work

Jessica McCracken, MPA & Kate Wade, Med, LPC; Creative Spark/COVIA

Apply a creative, joyful lens to the work you do! Why explore joy? Research shows the significant benefits of joy, to our minds and bodies. Through interactive exercises, we’ll will utilize the power of creative thinking to discover the role of joy in our work experience, helping us shift perspective and see our organizations and ourselves in a new way.

Learning Objectives:

• Discover how creative engagement principles can support professional growth amongst your staff.
• Identify internal motivators to address workplace needs in a new way.
• Acquire tools to create a co-learning environment within your staff.

Rural "Rightsizing" - Using Benchmarks to Measure Success

Grace Team

For small or rural providers, little changes can make a huge impact on the bottom line. Meet with industry experts from Grace Team Services as they share applicable benchmarks and simple tools that will help you reach and even exceed your goals. Information shared will be focused on transparent leadership, budgeting 101, and ways to increase reimbursement. Hear from an Administrator that has implemented the tools and see the impact it has made to make their home more successful.

Learning Objectives:

• Receive tools to reach financial sustainability goals
• Learn ways to maximize reimbursement
• Discuss clinical assessments

Senior Living, We Were Built for This - Selling During a Pandemic

Michael Marlow, Sales Engagement Manager at Life Care Services

This presentation covers the critical role of selling in the senior living industry. Whether we are in a pandemic such as this or back to "normal" times in our industry, salespeople must learn and utilize atypical selling behaviors to develop relationships of trust with both internal and external customers. This is our great opportunity to show the public who we are and what we do but we must act now! Using actual case studies, real world senior living-based stories and illustrative exercises, this presentation will focus on ending our addiction to "Marketing to the Collective" and beginning a new focus on "Selling to the Individual!" Our customers deserve better so let's discuss how we can move FORWARD as an industry!

Learning Objectives:

• Learn 8 specific atypical selling behaviors and skills to quickly establish relationships of trust to grow occupancy and revenue.
• Understand effective communication skills to apply to situations in participant’s professional and personal lives.
• Discuss unique ways to first fully understand and then to successfully address the needs of all of our customers, both internal and external.

Sustaining the Well-Being of Healthcare Workers During Coronavirus

Dr. Kathleen D Weissberg, OTD, OTR/L, CMDCP, CDP
Select Rehabilitation

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is presenting new and unique challenges. We are navigating unchartered waters with this virus, making it important to find new ways to work and interact while also taking care of our mental health and well-being. Many are teleworking full-time for the first time, isolated from co-workers, friends and family. Others are on the front lines caring for others. No matter what, our daily living routines are disrupted causing added anxiety, stress and strain—physically, mentally, and financially. Now more than ever, we all must take care of our mental health and well-being. The purpose of this session is to provide wellness considerations for work settings as we all navigate the uncharted territory and response to novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). In this webinar, the learner will be offered strategies, exercises, activities and considerations for addressing their own health and wellness including stress management, sleep behaviors, and social connectedness. Additionally, symptoms related to trauma are reviewed along with techniques supervisors can utilize for effective, empathic management.

Learning objectives:

• Explore strategies employees can enact to address their own health and wellness during an infectious disease outbreak
• Provide example exercises and activities employees can utilize for health and wellness
• Describe techniques supervisors can utilize to address trauma and secondary trauma in employees

Safe Engagement Tool Box: Ensuring Active Living Never Stops at Any Phase of Health Precautions

Benjamin Surmi, MSG, Social Gerontologist
Director of Culture and Education, Koelsch Communities

Senior living communities face periodic and extended infection-control protocols – sometimes shutting down group programming. Yet, there is no reason to end engagement programs, regardless of how strict protocols become. Instead, every team needs a tool box of safe options to leverage at every phase. Get inspired and share your own successes as we explore the tool box that starts with the most strict, in-apartment protocols and gradually moves toward less restrictive phases. Our industry knows engagement and socialization is essential to well-being and survival; let’s make it practical and do-able in challenging situations.

COVID-19 and Beyond: Improving Food Intake and Hydration in Residential Care

Heather Keller RD PhD FDC FCAHS
Schlegel Research Chair in Nutrition & Aging
Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, and
University of Waterloo

KDADS Update with Q&A