Assisted Living

Culture is hard to define. But there is no doubt that every organization – no matter how large or small – has its own unique environment that either enhances or impedes people’s ability to perform. Culture establishes the norms, traditions, values and beliefs that govern day-to-day life. The goal of this session is to help leaders define their role in creating culture and offer ideas about how to create a culture in which people love to work.

Bullying can happen in any number of places, contexts or locations. Studies suggest that most senior-to-senior aggression in long-term care settings is verbal abuse, and that men and women are equally likely to be the victim as well as the aggressor. With the range and seriousness of diagnoses of which residents are now being admitted into our facilities, we are seeing an increase in more aggressive bullying and altercations between and among residents. So, what do we do? In this session, discussion will focus on the typical traits of bullies, causal and risk factors, guidance regarding developing a culture for a positive living environment and recommendations for responding to incidents.

High turnover, caregiver shortages and more competition for talent have put employees in the driver’s seat. It’s critical for providers to focus on employee engagement to retain staff. And why not? An engaged workforce has proven to boost profitability, quality and performance. This session will provide simple steps to improve communication, strengthen manager and staff relationships and modern methods to measure staff satisfaction and gather actionable feedback.

What happens when resident choices and decisions, family desires and directives, professional staff protocol and even personal staff feelings, collide and conflict? What happens when emotions and policies are confronted with very real, human situations? Do you make the right choice or decision? This session will provide an overview of ethics and values for a long-term care professional in the provision of aging services. It will provide professionals with a framework for making ethical decisions. Participants will be provided with actual resident scenarios/facility situations and divided into small groups to evaluate and discuss the problematic area, determine the best course of action and the appropriate established ethic standard that will support their decision.

Assisted living communities have an opportunity to build relationships with outside agencies, such as home health and hospice, to provide supportive services to tenants. This session will discuss how such relationships could benefit tenants and the facility. In addition, we will explore short-term assisted living stays and how your assisted living community could be a bridge between hospitals and home.

Human resource practices in a health care environment are vital for arranging tasks, responsibilities and performance of employees to successfully drive the quality of care delivered. This session will provide a review of the policies and practices used in health care settings to build and maintain an effective workforce. Topics include human resource planning, job analysis, recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, compensation and labor relations. Participants will receive a broad overview of the field of health care human resources management and an opportunity to acquire the common knowledge, skills and competencies for effectively managing people in the health care arena.

This training session will review best practices for infection control measures for assisted living. Participants will be provided with the policies and procedures needed to provide surveillance, use infection control and containment practices and adopt a proactive approach to preventing the spread of infections in an assisted living community. Discussion will focus on a comprehensive approach to a facility-based infection prevention program, including numerous practical tips and clinical advice for successful implementation.

Massive workforce issues in senior care are challenging providers now more than ever before. While there’s no silver bullet to overcoming today’s crisis, there are a multitude of bright spots that can serve as a blueprint to improving the way we attract, hire, engage and retain employees. This session will dive into key strategies and practical solutions that can be adopted in senior care environments to facilitate a consistent and engaged workforce. Participants will walk away with new ideas and solutions for recruiting, hiring, engaging, developing and retaining staff. Participants will have a greater understanding of how to take the solutions to a practical level and apply them within their organization as next steps.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed areas in the financial reporting systems of all types of businesses. This presentation will focus on key planning items to consider before, during and after a disaster. Long-term care providers have unique systems for revenue generation, collection, bill payment, payroll processing and financial reporting. In addition to traditional financial reporting systems, long-term care providers have specific regulatory reporting requirements for financial results, statistics and other operating items. This session will address a variety of planning considerations surrounding financial transaction processing, financial reporting and delegation of responsibilities. Additional topics will include system management, continuity and security, and alternative or back-up processes.

The Iowa Legislature passed several new bills that will impact some of the regulation requirements for assisted living facilities. The Department of Inspections and Appeals will start surveying on these new regulations starting in August 2020. These regulation updates include changes to dependent adult abuse, resident assessments, medication management, staffing requirements, staff training, breaking up the fee structure to access title XIX and the Medicaid Elderly Waiver. This session will review the new regulation changes and provide best practice recommendations on implementing systems and strategies to meet the new regulation requirements.

Skilled nursing and assisted living centers have been in a terrible situation. Unfounded negative portrayals, along with daunting work to fight the pandemic, have left many centers with the need to secure new starts on relationship development and revenue growth. This presentation will detail the critical team actions necessary to produce immediate positive image enhancements for your center, secure new referrals, grow census and Medicare/managed care, refresh hospital partnerships and gain referrals, create referral partnerships with key individuals and organizations, and utilize a team-based process to become more efficient and effective.

Dining in assisted living isn’t just about food anymore. Through the rise of “foodie” culture and a shift in the population toward senior living residents who are much choosier than in previous generations, communities are being challenged to do more and more in the way of dining. The top providers are setting themselves apart through their approaches, and they are turning a creative eye to menus, nutrition, presentation, marketing and more. Learn how to use food and nutrition as a marketable tool through exploring healthy options, signature dishes and memorable dining experiences.

The pressure to continually achieve and maintain high occupancy rates in the context of a very competitive and highly regulated industry is a recipe for burnout for many people working in assisted living and skilled nursing settings. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a proven method that would allow organizations to attract and retain more residents? There is! Based on the best of social science research, business case studies and industry experience, this insightful presentation will outline the steps you can take to develop the kind of organization customers will line up to support.

The challenges facing nursing facility and assisted living administrators today seems daunting. Every day seems to bring change in current operations and the need to respond. This session will focus on the current issues that providers should be looking to address, as well as those that will likely be the most important in the coming year. Tips will also be provided on prioritizing emerging issues and how to find assistance from IHCA.

Attendees will hear the challenges faced by patients, families and the hospital when inappropriate transfers and/or involuntary discharges occur. Learn how to help your staff, residents, tenants, patients and families make better transfer decisions and how your organization can better prepare for often inevitable changes in conditions or emergencies that precipitate the need to be seen in emergency services. There will also be a discussion about the Iowa Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (IPOST) law, including specific emphasis on what distinguishes it from advanced directives and surrogate decision-making. Attention will be paid to the “Comfort Only” designation, how it is distinguished from “DNR” and how this should direct care for patients.