I mentioned my grandmother briefly in my last post and I would love to share more about her!  Her name was Mildred and this year she would have celebrated her 101st year around the sun.  She was was the pillar of our family and barrel of fun!  I can see her infectious smile now, dancing in the kitchen singing "If I'd known you were coming, I would've baked you a cake"!  Most of my memories of grandmama Mildred involve her journey living with dementia.  She taught our family so much in the 8+ years she lived with dementia.  Her sense of humor never ceased and was a critical piece in allowing grace to shine bright through it all.  And boy did we need grace - we didn't always get it right.  That's life.  

Many Aging Services leaders are working tirelessly to maintain and even rebuild a positive culture within their care communities.  The question is whether this is possible to do during a lingering pandemic?  A McKnight's Long-Term Care News article opined that it is possible, in spite of a pandemic.  

I just returned from spending two days in Columbus, OH at the Ohio Healthcare Association Conference with my AGE-u-cate colleague V'Ann Guiffre.   I now realize how much I have missed interacting in person with "my people."  There is just something about people that work in Aging Services!  I won't do justice in explaining what I mean, but you know, there is just something there.   

In a recent article published by McKnight's Senior Living, a survey of caregivers in Texas showed that while pay was an important factor in staying in the senior services field, it wasn't the only driver of satisfaction.  This is contrary to what most managers believe.  The study listed feeling respected, job flexibility and pride in the physical workplace as important to staff connected to their work.  So, how can the industry make small, but impactful shifts to improving retention among caregivers and other roles?  Here are a few simple ideas to get your wheels turning: 

The delta COVID-19 variant seems to be ushering in an understandable second round of pandemic-induced anxiety.  Aging Services providers, and those that serve them, are still traumatized from the first go-around.  Enough time has not passed to allow for a psychological re-set to cope with a do-over.  So, what are we to do?

There will be a wonderful gathering of Aging Services professionals on Saturday, August 21 in Chicago to celebrate the life of our friend, colleague, and passionate advocate for dementia capable care, William Keane.  Bill is one of the many mentors who shaped my philosophies and personal mission in eldercare, and I am honored to be one who will share how Bill continued to teach me, even in the later stages of dementia. In Bill's honor, I would like to share a snippet, because it is a reminder to all of us that wisdom still lives inside a person with dementia.