LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE OF SENIOR CARE MARKETING
As MOVE Communications looks back at the past year, one event that stood out for us was LeadingAge’s Annual Meeting and Expo in Indianapolis over Halloween weekend. There’s no better way to immerse yourself in the non-profit senior living field than to attend the Annual Meeting and Expo!
The 2016 edition featured keynote presentations by national and international figures ranging from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charles Duhigg (author of Smarter Faster Better) to Angela Duckworth (author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance) to neurosurgeon and medical journalist Sanjay Gupta (author of Chasing Life) plus a raft of education breakout sessions, plus, of course, vendor booths.
But what I remember most is conversations at LeadingAge Michigan’s “Michigan Night Out,” held at the NCAA Hall of Champions that Monday night. Amid colorful exhibits featuring college athletes in pursuit of excellence and victory, representatives of Michigan’s leading senior services organizations chatted informally, sharing perspectives on where the field has been and where they see it going as they pursue excellence and victory serving the growing senior population.
I felt privileged to be part of multiple conversations about improving and expanding care options. Here are just three samples.
PRESBYTERIAN VILLAGES OF MICHIGAN (PVM): DEDICATED TO MICHIGAN
Presbyterian Villages of Michigan is the state’s largest non-profit provider of senior care services, with 29 senior living communities across the state, including 8 in Detroit alone (and another under construction there).
The organization focuses on increasing the availability of quality senior services in the state, especially to financially challenged populations. PVM has invested more than $67 million in six low-income senior communities in the city of Detroit, significantly contributing to revitalization in each of the neighborhoods. According to its website, PVM is ranked 75th nationwide by LeadingAge based on total senior living units, and 9th based on affordable housing units.
I met several PVM leaders, and was struck by their broad experience, professionalism and commitment. In the course of conversation, Board Chair George Millush, Jr., expressed resolutely that serving the financially challenged is central to PVM’s mission—and that if that ever changed, he would no longer have personal interest in participating in the work! This kind of dedication to core values is key to the senior care field, whatever niche you or your organization fills.
UNIDINE: FRESH FOOD, FRESH THINKING
We also spoke with Susan McGinley, VP of Operations at Unidine’s Senior Living Culinary Group. Unidine’s focus is on improving the physical health of CRCC residents—and the financial health of CRCCs themselves—by improving the nutritional quality, taste, and presentation of foods using fresh, natural ingredients, cooked from scratch in-house.
It’s no secret that pre-packaged foods are rife with unhealthy ingredients. Susan was shocked to find the daily intake of salt at one client site to be 12,000 mg—nearly 5 times the government’s RDA of 2,300 mg! Of course, that has health ramifications, especially for older people, such as increased risk of swelling and altering the effectiveness of medications. Susan’s team is changing that site’s menu, carefully weaning residents off of the high-salt diet.
Unidine’s “Lead with Dining” approach integrates restaurant-style dining into a CRCC’s care model, not only to promote happier residents, but to increase occupancy, improve clinical outcomes, reduce hospital readmissions and control costs. The program includes training for dining and nutrition staff to help them recognize changes in a resident’s condition that may signal trouble.
Susan’s dedication to the health of her client’s residents was clear and inspiring.
FELICIAN SISTERS: INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
Based in Chicago, David Ward is Senior Ministry Advisor and Executive VP of Senior Living & Healthcare for Felician Services, which operates nine residential senior care centers nationwide, including three in Livonia: Angela Hospice, Senior Clergy Village, and Marywood Nursing Center.
What struck me most about David was his joy—despite decades in the trenches of healthcare and senior care planning and administration. I was also impressed by his long-range perspective (and his command of the numbers!), drawn from experience in both the public and private sectors.
One observation particularly hit me. When David was working at CMS back in the ’70s, it was already planning ahead for the demographic shift from baby boomers to senior boomers. But the changes envisioned then, he said, are only now truly being implemented in the industry.
LOOKING AHEAD
It’s exciting to see innovations in senior care. As David’s reflections indicate, we have to make up for lost time. Thanks is due to LeadingAge (and LeadingAge Michigan!) for their work supporting and linking senior care providers with each other and with organizations providing them services. We at MOVE Communications were honored to be welcomed among such a dedicated group of folks, and look forward to working with you as the new year unfolds.
