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Tag: evaluation

Life Plan Communities Seen as Gift to Adult Children

Mon, May 13, 2019 Published by

One of the favorite moments in our presentations to those considering residency at Beatitudes Campus is when Jim and Marlene Plaster talk about the letter they wrote to their children alleviating them of the responsibility to make decisions for them as they progressed toward their “third act” in life.  You can usually hear a “pin drop” as they tell of the series of decisions that led them to the campus.  (By the way, I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the Plaster’s willingness to help us along the way…..Jim is our Residents Council President Emeritus, but they have also selflessly allowed their patio home to be the “model” for the future project over 220 times!)

“It’s the best gift my parents could have possibly given us at this stage of life.”  Comments like this are common among adult children whose parents live in continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), sometimes referred to as life plan communities.

Research reveals that family members who care for an aging loved one often experience clinically significant signs of depression, have less time available to spend with friends and other family members, and sacrifice financially by taking time away from their careers or retiring early.

It’s no wonder then that those whose parents are happily living in a continuing care retirement community consider it a gift. A study of 3,700 family members of CCRC residents revealed that 93% feel that the CCRC is providing good services to their loved ones and 77% would be likely or very likely to consider a CCRC for themselves in the future.

Cited as the most important features of the community were transportation services, availability of a fitness center, housekeeping services, walking paths, emergency call systems, and the availability of assisted living and healthcare services.

Of course, we always tell our prospects that whether you are considering a CCRC for yourself or a loved one, finding the right fit requires doing proper research and due diligence. Generally, that includes speaking with our Resident Ambassadors who have been through the very same evaluation process.  Contract details and pricing can vary dramatically from one provider to another. It is important to be sure that the community you are considering is a good match for your lifestyle, finances, and cultural preferences, and that it is well-managed, both operationally and financially.

One of the very best parts of my job is making sure we connect folks about these considerations.  With over 30 years in senior living services, I have had wonderful options to provide, but none as comprehensive and “resident-centric” as this campus.  How proud I am to let our standards speak for themselves through the authenticity provided by our Ambassadors and so many more.

Thank you for always giving a warm welcome to those visiting campus and letting them know why living here is restorative, powerful, fulfilling, purposeful and exciting (some of your “B” words on your badges)!  By the way, we will be working with your building reps to get everyone’s name badges updated with the new logo and your “B” word in the next few months—stay tuned for the updates coming in the next few weeks.

What an exciting time it is for the campus!  Our new patio homes are under construction with twenty-nine committed, our Promenade Residences priority B V.I.P. membership program has over 75 members and the campus redevelopment program is comprehensive and a testament to listening and planning for the best in senior living.  I am so proud to be a part of this process!

Senior Driving Safety: CarFit at Beatitudes

Mon, October 17, 2016 Published by

With years of experience, older drivers are some of the safest drivers.  In fact, older drivers are more likely to wear seatbelts and less likely to speed or drink and drive.  However, older drivers, who do experience accidents, are at greater risk of serious injury, due to greater bone fragility.  Older drivers are also more likely to have physical, visual, hearing and memory impairments that can influence their ability to drive safely, and it can be difficult to know when to make the decision to stop driving.

Thankfully, there are a variety of programs and resources that can help keep senior drivers stay safe on the road despite many of these challenges.  From 9AM-1PM on October 29th, Beatitudes Campus will be cooperating with the NAU Occupational Therapy Program and AARP to host our second annual CarFit event.  CarFitcarfit-large is an educational program that offers older adults the opportunity to check how well their personal vehicles “fit” them.  The CarFit program also provides information and materials on community-specific resources that could enhance their safety as drivers, and/or increase their mobility in the community.

At the upcoming CarFit event, a team of trained occupational therapy CarFit technicians will work with each participant to ensure they “fit” their vehicle properly for maximum comfort and safety.  Each CarFit check takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.  During the check, the CarFit technicians will review 12 items, such as line-of sight, proper steering wheel tilt, positioning of airbag and head rest, mirror alignment and neck mobility for blind spot checks.  The CarFit technicians will also offer ideas for simple equipment and devices for those who have difficulty getting in and out of their vehicle or reaching the seatbelt.

Additionally, for those who are interested in learning more about whether and when it may be a good idea to stop or limit driving, there will be resources provided for senior driving evaluations, senior driver rehabilitation, top signs that it’s time to stop driving, and how to talk to loved ones about when to give up the keys.

Space is limited at the Saturday, October 29th CarFit event, and residents are required to make appointments.  Please contact Jessica Meyer at x16110 (@jmeyer) to learn more and book your CarFit appointment.

It Ain’t Easy Being Green (But It Can Be Rewarding!)

Wed, September 14, 2016 Published by

These immortal words from Kermit the Frog in my childhood continue to resonate with me today and remind me that it’s not always easy being a part of this large, amazing organization we call Beatitudes Campus, it is a wonderful and worthwhile journey.  I want to share with you today information regarding our finances (and raises), updates on exciting work that has come to fruition recently, and projects to look forward to in the near future.

First, I want to say I am extremely proud of the work that staff and managers have done this fiscal year to focus both on generating revenue and also controlling expenses.  Never in my tenure here have we had such transparency and robust discussions around our financial position and I feel the staff here are so engaged around making sure the campus are good stewards of the financial resources we receive from our residents.  We are primed to finish up the year with a positive operating income.  The reason this is so important and why we discuss it so often is that when we perform well financially, we can do so much more for our residents and staff; it helps us deliver our mission in real and lasting ways.

This positive energy and focus around finances is also what allows us to budget and present salary improvement (i.e. raises) recommendations in future fiscal year budgets and reports to the Board of the Directors of the campus.  It is with great pleasure that I can share with you that the leadership of the campus has budgeted a total of 3% of the operating budget towards raises this year and that the Board is in full agreement with this recommendation.  This will be split in two ways – 1% will be used to help move over 130 staff members’ hourly wage up to market rates and the remaining 2% will be spread to the remaining staff as a 2% increase for the year.  Last year, many of you will recall, the raise came into effect at the beginning of the fiscal year with the hope and the charge of faith in the staff that we would pull together to hit all financial metrics.  That plan worked so well that it is another reason this year’s raise is being implemented at the beginning of October 2016.  It also comes with the same charge to all of us to continue to focus on our goals this year so that we can continue to be a financially stable community that delivers much needed programs and services to older adults within our campus and great Phoenix communities.

Second, I need to congratulate all of you on the fantastic work around the Campus and Department WIG projects.  I have not seen all the results yet, but I’m thrilled by the reports I am getting each week from your respective senior staffer.  Programs like CAREcorps and SMILE are being woven into the fabric of the campus and will pay dividends for years to come.  I would like to also ask all staff members (and later residents) to be sure to complete the online Employee Satisfaction Survey now active online.  This survey will not only help us see if one of the campus WIG goals was achieved; rather, the results will help us continue to shape our strategic plans for the campus and the staff.  One takeaway from the last survey was that staff really appreciate a benefits plan that is comprehensive and affordable and it is the most important benefit to those that responded earlier this year.  That feedback led the campus to select new medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, and life insurance carriers that all provided reduced premiums to staff this year – that’s quite a great outcome!  So again, please take a few minutes to complete the survey at your desk or in the computer lab.  We are looking for 70% participation or better to make sure we have a strong read on the wishes and feelings of the staff.

Third, I know many of you have been wondering when we are going to do annual evaluations again and I’m excited to tell you that October 2016 is the month!  Your HR department has worked diligently over the last year researching new methods of dialoguing and engaging both staff and managers in a process that benefits staff and managers.  Something that is future focused on growth and development, rather than an inaccurate look in the rearview mirror of how someone has been performing recently and applying that to the entire lookback period.  More details and training will be rolled out to managers in late September and then the new evaluation tool will be launched early next month.  Our goal is to do a follow up evaluation with all staff in April 2017 to see the growth towards goals that are set in October – both personal and professional ones.  After that time, we’d love to hear from staff on their thoughts around the new evaluation process so that it can be tweaked for the following year.

Finally, I would like to let you know that your senior leadership has been working with me for the last year on a new five year strategic plan.  This is will become a living, breathing document that will guide our work together over the next five years.  It includes goals and plans around all the pillars that make our community amazing now and also sustainable for the future.  It includes plans for – enhancing resident programs and amenities, further developing our staff, increasing our reach through home and community based services, getting a new phase of redevelopment finally underway, and making sure we are not only financially strong, but sustainable for another 51 years.

Thank you again for your great work each and every day here at the campus.  I know it isn’t easy (and often it isn’t fun) being green, running to the next resident call, or watching the pennies, but just know, without you, none of the above would be possible.

My best,

Michelle

P.S. I would love to hear your feedback.  Please leave me a comment below!