Category Archive

Another way to ensure that long-term care financing reform is included in the platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties is to contact the members of the parties’ respective platform committees.

The members of both committees are listed below. If you are connected to these individuals, please consider sharing your version of the AAHSA platform statements with them by Aug. 1. If you’re affiliated with a not-for-profit organization, it’s important to identify yourself as an individual and not a representative of the organization that you serve.

Republican Platform Committee:

• Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan
• Committee Chair U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy
• Committee Co-Chair U.S. Senator Richard Burr

Democratic Platform Drafting Committee:

• U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin
• State Representative Dan Blue of North Carolina
• Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brown
• Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman
• U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro
• DNC Secretary Alice Germond
• Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm
• Donna Harris-Aiken, a National Education Association Policy Advisor
• Platform Policy Advisor Heather Higginbottom
• Platform Policy Advisor Chris Jennings
• Florida Tallahassee Commissioner Allan Katz
• AFL-CIO Policy Director Thea Lee
• UFCW Local 1428 President Connie Leyva
• U.S. Representative Patrick Murphy
• Speaker Emeritus of the California State Assembly Fabian Nunez
• Obama for America Foreign Policy Advisor Susan Rice
• U.S. Representative Linda Sanchez
• Youth Representative Giancarlo Sopo of Florida
• Ron His Horse is Thunder, Chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North Dakota.

Democratic Platform Standing Committee:

Chairs

• Patricia Madrid
• Judith McHale
• Deval Patrick, Governor

Members

• Danny Abraham
• Elizabeth Frawley Bagley
• Tom Buffenbarger
• Rev. Tony Campolo
• John Chiang, State Controller
• Ingrid Duran
• Maria Elena Durazo
• Peter Groff, State Senator
• Kamala Harris, District Attorney
• Marjorie Hill
• Voncille Trotter Hines
• Joseph P. Hoar, General, USMC, Ret.
• Chuck Hoskin, State Representative
• Nancy Keenan
• Denise King
• Mark Macarro
• Edward McElroy
• Chris Owens
• Douglas Palmer, Mayor
• Diego Sanchez
• Ricardo Sanchez, General, USA, Ret.
• Smita Shah
• Lillian Tamayo
• Patricia Todd, State Representative
• Reginald Weaver

Over the next two weeks, the Democratic and Republican parties will be forming their platforms. It’s essential that long-term care financing reform is included in their platforms. That’s why we need your help.

AAHSA recently developed platform statements to share with both parties on the Long-Term Care Solution. Please share you own versions of the following platform statements by July 25.

Whatever your political affiliation, please consider submitting information to both parties.

Democratic Party

• Visit My Barack Obama.
• Enter your zip code under “Find a Listening to America Event Near You” (It’s best to check this site as soon as possible. Many of these events are happening within the next few days).
• Select an event to attend and share your own version of the following platform statement:

AAHSA’s Platform:

Any initiative to reform health care must also include long-term care financing reform to address the need of seniors and persons with disabilities for supportive services. The responsibility of care giving will only increase as the baby boom generation ages and the number of people who need services multiply. A fiscally sound, long-term care financing strategy, based on a national insurance model like the CLASS Act, must be developed to provide cash benefits that maximize choice, dignity and independence for seniors and those with disabilities, regardless of income. The plan should support those who need services and those who provide them, without a bias toward institutional care.

Republican Party

• Visit GOP Platform 2008.
• Click “create platform account.”
• Create an account.
• Click on “submit text entry” and enter your own version of the following platform statement:

AAHSA’s Platform:

Any effort at health care reform must also include long-term care financing reform. The responsibility of care giving will only increase as the baby boom generation ages and needs additional services. America needs a fiscally responsible approach for long-term care financing based on the principles developed in the successful state-based Cash & Counseling programs. These principles, including a cash benefit, offer the maximum choice, independence, and personal responsibility for seniors and persons with disabilities, while ensuring fiscal integrity.

Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

So, when we embarked on the mission to create a sustainable funding model for aging services through public insurance instead of government imposed welfare, we soberly asked ourselves, “What can AAHSA — with our 5,800 members and $3 million dollars in funding — do to change the world of long-term care?”

A year into this transformational agenda we now call the “Long-Term Care Solution” made possible by members like you — we offer this report of our efforts:

Presidential Campaign Awareness

Both Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) now recognize that long-term care must be included in health reform, as evidenced by position statements on their Web sites. This is a major achievement, as the previous prevailing wisdom (or lack thereof) was that the country needs to “fix” health care first. We constantly hammer the proposition that “health care” and “long-term care” are inextricably intertwined.

We met with Sen. McCain’s top domestic health advisor, who has actually written articles about long-term care financing. We have his attention, but he warns we cannot create an “entitlement.” We agree.

We have been promised a meeting with Sen. Obama’s top person as well. Sen. Obama has endorsed Sen. Edward Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) CLASS Act, which began as a disability benefit and now more closely aligns the principles espoused in the Long-Term Care Solution to embrace both elderly and younger disabled populations. Sen. Kennedy has touted our Moran Report study as evidence of the feasibility of creating a sustainable financing model.

Therefore, we have achieved, at least with verbal commitments, our initial goal of including long-term care in health reform. Our next goal is to get a statement in both party platforms to this effect.

Congressional Interest

The CLASS Act is a potential vehicle for the addressing financing of long-term care. Sen. Kennedy chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. We continue to work with the senator’s staff while he recovers from his illness. Sen. Kennedy is one of the few heirs to the Great Society vision, and he is a stalwart in his commitment to this country successfully addressing the problems you and I see everyday.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) chairs the Senate Finance Committee. The credibility that our Montana members have with Baucus is commendable. We met with Sen. Baucus and he wants to conduct a forum on this issue in Montana. He has also asked his staff to work with us and Sen. Kennedy’s staff to refine our framework around the CLASS Act principles. This is great news. Sen. Baucus believes long-term care must be included in overall health reform, and he was complimentary of the quality and seriousness of our work. Meetings with other senators are being planned, but the combined interests of Sens. Baucus and Kennedy are powerful because health reform inevitably flows through their key committees.

On the House of Representatives side, we are working through several of our members to schedule meetings with key leadership. We have already met with Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Rep. F. Allen Boyd (D-Fla.) with subsequent meetings planned. These are in addition to the over 100 meetings that AAHSA members have had with their members of Congress.

State and National Forums and Speaking Engagements

A major public and political awareness strategy provided for in the money you gave us is the hosting of forums in strategically selected states. The goal is to generate pressure to reform long-term care financing through local consumer understanding and political action. Two forums have been held in Michigan and Minnesota, with forums scheduled in California and New York. Additional forums are being planned in other states. The plan is to conduct between eight and 12 forums in the next year.

The most recent Minnesota forum at the Humphrey Institute was a home run. More than 200 participants listened to three panels of thought leaders, which included AAHSA members Dan Lindh and Kathryn Roberts, Minnesota State Executive Gayle Kvenvold, and AARP. Three state commissioners and elected representatives from both parties participated and there was excellent press coverage. The event did what it was supposed to do: gin up interest to be cultivated. The Minnesota “formula” for a forum holds much promise.

On Friday, July 11, we will participate in a forum on Capitol Hill entitled, “Reforming Long Term Care: Improving Quality and Ensuring Sustainability.” The forum is sponsored by the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution and will be co-chaired by former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who chaired the National Commission on Quality Long-Term Care. The Engelberg Center, which is under the leadership of Dr. Mark McClellan, expects to draw 175 congressional staff members, media and other leaders.

We have now trained more than 80 ambassadors who have made dozens of presentations on our behalf. Jo-Ann Constantino, CEO of The Eddy in Albany, N.Y., was on the panel at the New York Association’s Spring Institute to discuss the initiative. Constantino has also given the presentation to her organization’s board and members of the Health Care Association of New York State. David Bannerman, CEO of The Ohio Masonic Home, has traveled across his state speaking to Masonic lodges.

In addition, Bannerman gave a presentation about the Long-Term Care Solution to Ohio state Senator Steve Austria (R-Beavercreek), who is also candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. Jerry Kuyoth from National Church Residences in Columbus, Ohio, has given presentations on the initiative to the Chillicothe Rotary Club as well as the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs in Waverly, Ohio. Several ambassadors have placed letters to the editor in their local newspapers.

Ambassador training events have taken place in Washington, D.C., Denver, and Atlanta. We have future trainings coming in Seattle, Sacramento and San Diego. More to come!

Focus Groups and Polling

A big question going into this project is whether or not the public is aware of long-term care financing problems and/or whether they would pay for a solution. Political leaders have wondered why there is no public out cry for change. So, we retained two experienced polling groups to discover answers.

The Mellman Group, a noted Democratic firm, and American Viewpoint, their Republican partner on this project, just concluded their focus group work, which centered on Baltimore, Detroit, and Philadelphia, and included caregivers, non-caregivers and two special groups of 20-30 year olds.

Selected findings thus far:

So, there is significant public awareness because of personal experience, and there is emerging support for change.

Polling comes next. In September, Mark Mellman and Gary Ferguson, our lead pollsters, will be discussing the project and its findings on a conference with all those interested. Stay tuned!

Fund Raising

A total of $2.7 million has been committed by our members toward this 3-4 year campaign. Several member decisions are forthcoming to reach our $3 million goal. The money is being spent boldly yet wisely to get the issue of financing long-term care on the front burner of national reform.

Perspective and What’s Next

Our efforts are creating a buzz and our plan is being referenced in public media and professional publications. A recent example is an article by former Business Week writer Howard Gleckman, who is now with the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Gleckman cites Dr. Barbara Manard’s work and mentions our frameworks throughout his article. Our work is being taken seriously, and the initial hurdle of whether or not long-term care is part of health reform debate has been overcome in many circles.

The next steps are party platform inclusion, search for a legislative vehicle (such as the CLASS Act), continued cultivation of stakeholder interest/support, and the stoking of public and political awareness.

So, why is AAHSA doing this? Well, Ronald Reagan’s quote, paraphrasing the great Rabbi Hillel, comes to mind: “If not us, who? If not now, when?”

David Ferguson, CEO of American Baptist Homes of the West (ABHOW), recently told a small gathering of our colleagues, “I support this effort because I want my association to be thought leaders on major problems and issues that we face in our work.”

If small groups of people change the world, I wonder what we can accomplish with 5,800 members and $3 million. It is us who must transform how long-term care is financed, because if not us, then who?

Since my last post, there have been even more AAHSA members getting letters to the editor published about AAHSA’s Long-term Care Solution as a way to alleviate the high costs of providing long-term care. Check these out:

• Today, the Boston Globe published this letter from Elissa Sherman, executive director of MassAging, about an article regarding rising caregiving costs.
• Jim Leich with the Indiana Association of Homes and Services for the Aging had this letter published in the July 6 edition of the South Bend Tribune.

Have you seen a similar story in your paper? Let us know and we can help you draft a letter of your own.

Our country was born of enduring principles and wrestled into existence through war. There is something flawed in the human condition that creates crucibles for oppression by ruthless people that generates the need for war. A seemingly endless cycle. The Bible says a time will come when the lion and the lamb will lie down together. We all hope for that. In the meantime, there will be wars and rumors of wars until the end of time, also says the Bible.

Children’s stories of the founding of our country make war seem romantic, like Washington crossing the Delaware. And many of the movies today portray war like it is a sporting event at which we can all cheer for the home team as Rambo takes out the base camp of evil terrorists.

The reality is quite a different story. The troops George Washington led had very difficult times under harsh conditions, with split public opinion on the wisdom of becoming independent versus the perceived comfort of being part of the British Empire. Reading first-hand accounts of the conditions soldiers lived with during the Civil War brings sober and somber perspectives to the most challenging era of American History, where principles about equality of race and tensions between federal control and states’ rights were enacted on many bloody battlefields.

Every person who fought had a story - many now untold - from our Revolutionary War to present day conflicts around the world. And let us not forget that stories of war are not intellectual exercises in political strategy. They are, at the core, stories of real people whose individual lives were sacrificed, scarred and changed because of political conclusions that war was necessary. We all know stories of friends and relatives whose lives were forever affected by the sacrifice of battle, allowing the rest of us to have more and better opportunities.

Many of our members are telling the stories of residents and clients who are veterans World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. These stories are hard to tell, yet essential to our collective appreciation for the fact that what we enjoy does not come cheap and should not be trivialized.

In an introduction to a collection of stories compiled by Bobbie West entitled Vicars Remembers, which tells the tales of veterans living at Vicar’s Landing retirement community, Stephen Ambrose reflects: “There is scarcely any way for a veteran to convey…what he experienced while he was away. The rules and the values he had been raised with bear no resemblance to the great killing machine called war…Telling their stories is always difficult and rarely brings them any social satisfaction. Yet, there is always cathartic value in recovering these dormant memories.”

Another book, by John C. Scharfen of Falcons’ Landing, is entitled On Falcons’ Wings. Like the Vicars book, Colonel Scharfen collected great stories among the residents of one of our many military members. Stories like an officer who landed a damaged plane backwards or a resident like Bill Oller, who had to create an integrated system of petroleum supply for our armed services. Imagine the experience he could share with some of us as we seek to organize our work.

Rear Admiral Kathy Martin, CEO of Vinson Hall, another of our military members, was responsible for organizing America’s response to the tsunami in Asia. Kathy is now part of AAHSA’s Leadership Circle. She has much to teach us about organization through her experience.

Robert Waite Arnold is a resident of Culpepper Gardens, a HUD financed member. A Vietnam War veteran, Bob has been a construction engineer, a combat artist and a diplomat. He threatened to call the President of the United States about the behavior of a general, successfully argued for strong relations with Taiwan when political dynamics were swinging in another direction, and captured the photographic image of a mother duck with ducklings crossing a road in a combat fire fight in Vietnam. Bob’s art is now widely displayed.

And our colleagues at Westminster Canterbury have just published War Stories - Residents’ Military History. It offers a half-page profile of each of their veterans and tells in-depth stories of people like Edward Reeves Adams, who evaluated and tested torpedoes, and Navy Commander Carmelia Carswell Serota, who was a legal officer on the West Coast during World War II and assigned the duty of controlling liquor supply.

Christian Living Campuses in Denver has provided training classes to American soldiers about the values of loyalty, courage and commitment under fire to soldiers on their way to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lutheran Homes of Michigan raised money and chartered planes and buses to bring their World War II vets to Washington, D.C., so they could see the World War II memorial. Most were nursing home residents, so there was great risk involved with no incident. At a reception, a retired Army nurse came up to me and said her job was caring for the wounded and dying in the wake of the Battle of the Bulge. As she began to tell me about herself, she teared up, stopped herself and said, “Like the others, we still can’t talk about it.”

The story of Lutheran Homes’ trip inspired other AAHSA members to give their veterans the same opportunity. Pines Village Retirement Community in Valparaiso, Ind., raised more than $155,000 to sponsor its “Tour of Duty” trip to Washington, D.C., for nearly 40 veterans. A local newspaper reporter and photographer traveled with the group to document their journey of remembrance (watch the video).

Like these members, we must create cultures and programs to collect these stories. War stories. There would be no backyard barbecues in this land of opportunity called America without war stories. These are stories about real people who sacrificed immeasurably for the benefit of all of us in present and future generations. This is the great American story. It is what Independence Day is all about. Let us never forget the people that made it possible.

AAHSA’s Long-term Care Solution is gaining ground, state by state. The first state on the “LTCS” tour is Minnnesota. On Wednesday, AAHSA partnered with our Minnesota state association, AARP and several of our members, including Ecumen, hosted a forum about the topic. I found a great summary on Ecumen’s Changing Aging blog about it to share. Hopefully, our forum in California next week will be as successful.  

Financing Long Term Care in America: There’s Common Ground in Aging

When the GAO says something, people listen. That’s why it’s no surprise that their latest report on nursing home quality improvement made the The New York Times.  The reports features a variety of suggestions to make sure America’s nursing homes improve. But there’s one important suggestion missing: tracking staffing. After all, they are the best proxy to quality we have. That’s why AAHSA CEO Larry Minnix wrote a letter to Times in response:

To the Editor:

Sure, hiring a new worker or instituting a training program won’t solve this problem, but it could make the life of a vulnerable person a little better. And that’s what it’s all about.

Our CEO’s communications to AAHSA members, known better as “Larry Letters,” are the most popular publication we produce. Why? I think it’s because Larry’s got a knack for telling stories that inspire us to make a difference.

Take a look at his latest letter. It starts with a simple story, but by the end, you’ll be ready to contact your member of Congress with a simple message: make it easier, and more affordable, to care.
May 7, 2008
Recently, I was invited to teach a class at George Mason University’s masters in public administration program. The regular faculty member is Frank Shafroth, my good neighbor and chief of staff of our Congressman Moran (D-Va.).

Frank represents the best of public service. A distinguished career in the Peace Corps, House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, National Governors Association and county government. Frank is a lawyer by training and a teacher-gardener by constitution.

Frank is intrigued by AAHSA’s Long-term Care Solution, so he invited me to teach his class one evening and share the framework with his students. There were 11 students, ages 20-something to 60-something. Mixed backgrounds, employed in a variety of businesses from government intelligence to the funeral industry.

I asked the class how many had experiences in their lives as caregivers. Seven of eleven hands went up. I asked who would mind sharing their situation. One young woman had experience early in life as a kid. An older Caucasian man had been a long-distance caregiver for his mother. An African-American woman said her family tradition is that the caregiving falls to her because her mother says that caregiving is a daughter’s responsibility (her two brothers agree). There were multiple ethnic backgrounds represented in this small class - and there seemed to be ethnic traditions that differ quite a bit when it comes to expectations about caregiving.

One woman’s story caught my attention. She is 32, a newlywed of three months. She and her husband agreed to move her 97-year-old great-grandmother into their two-bedroom townhouse. They love her a lot. She and new hubby became the caregivers because the grandparents can no longer do the job due to health problems of their own. Her mother and aunt now have responsibility for grandparents and great aunt. I asked her about the “burdens” of caregiving. “My great-grandmother isn’t a burden. It’s just what you do as a family,” she said. “Finding the community resources to help us see about her during the day while my husband and I work is the real burden.” She’s also worried about her parents, so she pays for long-term care insurance for them.

Several in the group could identify with the maze of what I call “yellow pages” assistance with confusing options and no guidance to help make good choices. Several could identify with the hospital discharge crisis of not knowing where to turn when an older person has their Medicare coverage terminated. Getting help in another state with programs that differ from state to state is a common theme. No one to help make choices, make decisions and pursue options. Transferring assets, what’s covered by Medicare or Medicaid or long term care insurance - a mish-mash of financial issues.

Recently, a former member of Congress was referred to me by a Congressional staff member. Her mother almost died a few months back from an infection. The mother suffers from a neurological disease, may also be depressed, can’t go home but may not need the nursing home she’s in and she’s bounced around the acute and long-term care system in a large city.

I asked the former Congresswoman if her mother had received a comprehensive geriatric assessment. “No,” she said, “I didn’t know a comprehensive assessment was even an option.” So, we offered to help her set that up. The Congresswoman loves her parents very much. She just doesn’t know what to do.

The class at George Mason and the former Congresswoman are among 34 million families today that need our help beyond the boundaries of our traditional services. And policy leaders offer few answers. One state seems to believe heavy fines for nursing homes should be a priority in long-term care. Others believe almost everybody can be cared for at home, so let’s close down the nursing homes. Still others are slow to support home-and community-based services because people will come out of the woodwork to take advantage of government programs. Many believe we can regulate good care and services. Others believe the marketplace will sort all of this out, whatever that means. Some think tax breaks are the financial answer while others believe a universal plan is in order. Others even say that long-term care is such an overwhelming issue that we can’t address it politically.

It is my belief that few policy makers really know what they are talking about because they don’t connect their own families’ caregiving experiences with an opportunity to change policies or a chance to win voters’ hearts. I heard of one member of Congress with a “graying” district who wants to avoid the aging agenda because of appearances to his constituents. Perhaps he’s denying his own aging.

I’d like to ask each and every one of you to convene a community forum that helps people understand and access community resources and brings to light why we must demand that policy makers create a better system that empowers consumers instead of burdening them. We can help you structure the forum and ask the right questions.

Real people are willing to take responsibility for their elders, but they often find the current system a nightmare to navigate. Even people who make laws don’t know the options. Let’s get the really good public servants like Frank Shafroth to help create the policy story that addresses the critical policy problems that make it difficult to care.

If AAHSA members don’t help families make connections and don’t help policy makers make connections to get the help they need, and if we don’t help policy makers create policy and programs based on the needs of real people, then who will?

Caring for our loved ones and friends is our personal responsibility. Making it not a burden is ours. Hopefully, we will all live long enough to be somebody’s great-grandparent, and hopefully, a great-grandchild is there to care. Let’s make it easier.

William L. Minnix, Jr.
AAHSA President & CEO

In honor of Earth Day, this week’s residents of the week are the members of the Green Council at the Whitney Center in Hamden, Connecticut. According to their Web site, www.grayisgreen.org, the council’s mission is to “seek to repair the damage (of their generation) and to leave the world a more habitable and greener place.”

The council members participate in a variety of activities to acheive this goal. They established resident and management “green teams” to help conserve energy, recycle plastic and reduce water runoff in their community. 

Check out their newest resource, Handbook for Consveration in Retirement Retirements. It features great tips individuals young and old can use to reduce their impact on the environment.

Looking for resources on going green in aging services? Visit the Environmental Stewardship section of the AAHSA Quality First Web site.  

For infants and their parents, it’s Dr. Spock.  For future financiers it’s Donald Trump or Suze Orman.  Now, there’s a whole list of another type of experts: the leaders and experts who are changing the way Americans age.

Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal published this list of the 12 people who are “changing aging.”

It’s no surprise that three of these famous faces have AAHSA roots. Eric Dishman is the chairman of our Center for Aging Services Technologies.  John Erickson is an AAHSA member, a former AAHSA board member and works with AAHSA CEO Larry Minnix on his Erickson School of Aging Studies at the University of Maryland.

Many AAHSA members have worked with their fellow member and colleague Dr. Bill Thomas to transform the culture in their organizations.

 We know that these people can do great things. Now it’s time for them to take our “graying nation” by storm!

Football season may be months away, but all the talk around here is about homecoming. Why? Because AAHSA is hosting our first annual homecoming celebration.

Want to host an event? The site also features program ideas and more information how you can showcase how your organization makes your community a better place to live.

Want to attend an event? I’ll update the blog with the latest list of events from across the nation. I may even get the chance to blog live from an event in my hometown: Groveport, Ohio (home Apple Butter Day and the horse that inspired the book and movie Seabiscuit…who knew!?!?)

Forget football. Homecoming is coming soon to your community…and it’s time to celebrate!

There’s a reason Steve Dickie, CEO of Oklahoma Methodist Manor, won our storytelling contest last year: he’s committed to sharing his staff members’ commitment to the people they serve. And that includes Tulsa World columnist Jay Cronley.

Cronley recently wrote an editorial entitled “Holding Out for Hero” . In it, he lamented that nobody could was out their saving the city from the impact of a recent winter storm. 

Steve knew that wasn’t the case. That’s why  was quick to write Jay back and make sure he knew about the city’s unsung heroes: the men and women who serve Tulsa’s older adults, whatever the weather forecast.  Here’s what he wrote to him:

The way our country pays for long-term care needs to be transformed. It’s not news to us, but folks around AAHSA are certainly glad that a reporter from the Chicago Tribune decided readers needed know that fact and about our plan to make it happen.

The article from yesterday’s paper starts out with a question many people have: “Who’s going to pay for the care I may need when I age?”

Then, it goes into an even more pressing question: “How can I make sure get the care I’m paying for is what I want?”

 To find out the answers, the reporter consulted the experts. Including AAHSA CEO Larry Minnix. His response showcased why our solution offers sustainablility for Medicaid budgets, sensibility to policy makers and most important, security for consumers and those who care for them.

And to us, that’s news that needs to be shared with everyone.

Sometimes,  all it takes is something happening to a famous person to make more of us wonder: “What would I do?”

That’s just what happened when the media reported on Sandra Day O’Connor’s husband and his “girlfriend” at a nursing home here in Washington. Millions of Americans and their families are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease, and many are facing similar situations. Yet, this Supreme Court Justice’s sitution presented an opportunity for the media to highlight this issue and more important, how people can handle it in their own families.

Check out this article from the Sunday Chicago Tribune.  It starts out talking about Sandra and her story, but quickly turns to the “What would I do?” question with expert insights and personal ancedotes. Maybe you’ll find the answer you are looking for.

I’ve been watching with interest TIAA-CREF’s new advertising campaign, the powerof.org.  TIAA-CREF is leveraging its status as a not-for-profit provider of financial services to draw a distinction for customers.  Their point is that because they are a .org, people should trust their motives and mission.  I think this is an excellent model for aging services providers to embrace.  Over the last couple of months, I have asked several AAHSA members how they use their not-for-profit status in their marketing, and the answer often comes back that they just haven’t figured out how to do so.  Some who have done market research find that potential residents and clients like the values that being not-for-profit convey, like being focused on people over profits, dedicated to staff, and stable for the long-term.  Do you accentuate your not-for-profit status in your marketing materials?  If so, I’d love to hear about it.  I’m leading a session at our Annual Meeting on this topic and would be delighted to feature your efforts.

 Check out TIAA-CREF’s Web site at www.powerof.org. 

Congratulations to Morningside Ministries of San Antonio, for some wonderful media coverage in the San Antonio Express-News about their advances in design for the aging.  Though senior-friendly design and home-like environments are old news to most people working in aging services, we have a ways to go before the media and the public understand  that living in a senior housing community doesn’t mean living in a hospital. Every story like this one helps break down old stereotypes  of what growing old means for where you live and how you think. We like to see all the coverage like this that’s out there.

What are you doing to tell your story through the media?

In my letters to you, I usually tell the stories of how AAHSA members are working hard to create the future of aging services. Today is different. This letter is about how AAHSA member organizations are showing, and telling, their story in a new way.

Eliza Bryant Village began in 1896 as the first nursing home for Cleveland’s African-American seniors. Today, the organizations continueto live that mission under the leadership of their CEO Harvey Shankman. He and his dedicated staff work hard to ensure that residents like Mary Lou Williams can enjoy her daily walk and the “good food” in the dining room. But there I go storytelling again. Watch and hear from Mary Lou herself.

Take seven minutes out of your day and YouTube with Harvey (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ5CQiUOzns).

In our increasingly complex media world, YouTube is a fantastic way for non-profit providers of aging services to tell how you live your story. Let me know if you already have a “YouTube story” of your own to share.

Larry

For the past two years, we’ve been all about storytelling here at AAHSA. Why? Because telling stories turns numbers into names and facts into faces about our members mission-driven work for older adults. And it makes a difference for members like Del Zook. Here’s an e-mail he recently wrote to Larry about a story in our FutureAge magazine he shared with his county’s tax appraiser.

What’s the “bottom line?” That telling your story can mean a happy ending in your community, on the front page of the newsletter, at the statehouse and even on your organization’s tax return.

Dear Larry,
Just an interesting happening to share with you. First, I appreciate so much AAHSA’s emphasis on the “mission” and “not-for-profit” focus. I sense a real connection with AAHSA to our mission where I don’t with other other organizations such as the local Chamber and other organization where I serve on the board.

I have been dealing with the Yamhill County tax appraiser on placing our new care center on the books the last few months. It seems when new appraisers are hired it is a whole new cycle of training about what “not-for-profit” really mean to a community.

Frustated after several visits from a new appraiser around the discussion of a 501-c-3 having “nothing” to do whether the care center is tax exempt, I picked up the July/ August issue of AAHSA’s Future Age. I turned to the short article “Home’s Focus on Community Ensures Public Trust” written about Rock of Ages regarding our fire suppresent system, walkways, and fundraising. I asked him to read the article and walked out of my office to regroup. When I returned in a few minutes it was as if a light had went on. A well paid tax attorney could not have said it better. He seemed far more sympathetic towards what Rock of Ages is all about and that there is a force (AAHSA) bigger than just us working to help communities just like Rock of Ages. The next morning I received a call from the elected Tax Assessor who said I need not worry about his position on the new care center’s tax exempt status. Thanks to Larry and crew for helping with our position. You, or at least I never know how AAHSA and it’s work may help school communities, including appraisers, what a mission focused, not-for-profit, organization can do for community.

Thanks Larry and hats off to the AAHSA staff for all your work and support for us “little guys” out here serving our communities.

Del Zook, CEO
Rock of Ages Mennonite Home

Sharing your story can also win you a trip to AAHSA’s Annual Meeting in Philadelphia! Submit your story online or print out a form to use. We also developed a form that you can share with your residents. Please fax all printed entries to us at (202) 783-2255. All entries from your organization will be entered in a raffle to win either an all-expenses paid trip to AAHSA’s 2008 Annual Meeting & Exposition in Philadelphia or free registration to this event for your entire board of directors. Submissions will be accepted until Sept. 10.

Dec. 19, 2006

Last week, I was privileged to keynote a unique event hosted by the Life Services Network (LSN), AAHSA’s Illinois state partner. Dennis Bozzi is the executive — a creative, devoted leader with passion for members and their mission. The event was called “A Legacy of Quality.” Our members presented “Legislator of the Year Awards” to Illinois policy leaders committed to the elderly. Dozens of our members were also recognized for their advocacy work, and their presence was reinforcing to the elected officials present.

The tone of this event was wonderfully different than you might expect. With politicians and constituents present, you could imagine a back-slapping, flashing of capped-teeth occasion with the faint smell of campaign commitments wafting through the air with a hint of holiday spices. No, far from it…

Instead, the dominant theme was the personal stories of why people — politicians and providers alike — are committed to the cause to which has such a claim on our lives — caring for our elders.

One state senator said she had a passion for the elderly beginning with her youth volunteer work at a member home. Others spoke to similar personal experiences.

In the chit-chat surrounding such occasions, personal “why” stories were prevalent. Judy Amiano of Riverside Senior Living Center in Kankakee, Ill. was a public relations (PR) bundle of energy when her hospital system CEO asked to meet with her a number of years ago. Judy thought a pink slip was in the offing because she had a habit of being outspoken. To the contrary, this wise CEO offered her an executive director position at a new facility under construction. He saw the “why” in her.

At our Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Francisco, we asked members to go online to tell personal stories. The “why” came out. Sandra Fenn of the Good Sheperd Home in Golden, Ill. tells of a Christmas occasion in November for a resident.

“We are a small home (42 beds) and we are in a very small community of 500 people. Staff found out one of our residents did not have long to live. We also found out her favorite holiday was Christmas. So, here it is a warm day in November. Staff had set up a Christmas tree strewn with ornaments and lights. Her room was decorated to the max with Christmas decorations. Staff went to her room and sang Christmas carols. Every department was represented. There were so many they couldn’t all fit in her room so they spilled out into the hallway. After the caroling ended here comes Santa in full attire down the hall to her room bearing a gift. I can tell you when it was over there was not a dry eye in the home. You don’t have to be big to be the best. We don’t have the best nor the most updated equipment. However, we do have the best staff and happy residents. We work from our heart and are known for our quality of care. Thank goodness there are homes like this. I am proud to be the administrator of this small home and have staff like this.”

Sandra’s why is simple: “We work from our heart.”

Barbara Leasure, who teaches new administrators in Westminster, Md., talks of getting into this work “completely by accident.”

You’ve heard the “by accident” story many times — only, I believe it is “providence,” not accidents, that call people like you to this work.

Andrew Larpent, a colleague from the United Kingdom, spent 30 years in the British Army. “Three jobs later,” he writes “I arrived in my present job which is the most satisfying yet. I work with great people, serve great people and am well rewarded for my contribution… Professional life doesn’t get better than this.”

Says Michele Brague of PHI in Camp Hill, Pa., “A long time ago while my grandfather was in a nursing home in our area, I made a promise to him that I would do the very best for all elders in whatever capacity I served in.”

And there’s Ruth Tietz of Baptist Health Nursing & Rehabilitation Center’s (BHNRC) in Scotia, N.Y.’s story: “After a busy, successful 20-year career in broadcast media, I decided it was time to do something a bit more meaningful with my life… Serendipitously, BHNRC was in the process of looking for a PR and Marketing Person and the rest is history! I have a new puppy, Kieran, who I take to work with me everyday. He is a therapy dog in training. I can’t imagine doing anything else!”

Vickie Stotler of Hover Community in Longmont, Colo. says “I chose this field because I know that every single day I touch another life.”

And with a seven-year-old and a busy family life, Laura Garner of Westminster Manor in Austin, Tex. says that the residents she works with “…make me want to be the BEST “me” I can be!”

Barbara Hudson of ACTS Retirement Life Communities in West Point, Pa. says she is “…bridge to connect the hearts, souls and the spirit of residents and employees.”

And Barbara Hopcroft of Boston, Mass. has a saga that is especially touching, though perhaps more common than we know:

“When I was a teenager, my mother became ill with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS). It was before Medicare, Medicaid or OBRA. We were bankrupted trying to care for her and she needed nursing home care as my father needed to continue working. Conditions were so bad that my dad had to cook food for her, put it in the blender so that she could swallow it and stay all night with her so he could suction her. Then he came home, changed his shirt and went to work… I remain committed to providing excellent services to all those who find it difficult to receive the specialized care they need.”

Rich Olson, a seasoned veteran of our field and CEO of Fairview Ministries in Downers Grove, Ill., commented at the “Legacy of Quality” event, “I think most of us are in this field because we can fulfill who we really are!“

Compassionate, caring, competent, committed people… doing what we do because of a deep “why” based on who we really are.

In this season of reflection, the people we serve help remind us of who we really are.

Wishing you blessings in this holiday season and the best “you” you can be in the new year.

LarryWilliam L. Minnix, Jr., D.Min.
President and CEO

Share your “why” story with us.

AAHSA
2519 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington DC 20008