50 Concurrent Sessions

The Pioneer Network conference is unique amongst educational opportunities available to individuals involved in long-term care—all 50 concurrent sessions are dedicated to deepening your culture change journey.

This year’s conference features a wide range of new topics and speakers, as well as some speakers returning by popular demand. The following is a sampling of topics that respond to frequently asked questions from Pioneers in the field:
 

Our organization has been working toward culture change for several years now. We have made a lot of changes, and aren’t too sure where to head next. Can you help us so we don’t get stalled?

Definitely! At least half of the sessions will be for more experienced Pioneers. Check out a variety of speakers from organizations that have not previously presented including John George -- the nursing home administrator featured in the Almost Home PBS documentary. This year we are pleased to have new tools available including policies, procedures, books, and DVDs that will help you determine how deep your change process has grown, as well as how to take the change deeper.

 

We know deep in our soul that cultural transformation is the right thing to do, but our business is struggling financially.  How can we embark on culture change given the current fiscal reality we are facing?

The Pioneer Network understands the complexity of the business climate surrounding long term care. Jeff Jerebker, President and CEO of Piñon Management in Colorado will lead a discussion of the business case for culture change. Since he founded Piñon in 1979, his unique vision of developing facilities that offer quality of life and profitable financial returns has made Piñon the largest independently-owned management company in Colorado. Jeff will be joined by Beth Irtz, their chief life enhancement officer who is a registered nurse and nursing home administrator.

Conference Features

 

 

I am so proud of the person-directed environment we have created for our residents, now we need to focus our attention on extending the same values to our staff. How can we create a person-centered culture for workers too?


Let Freedom Ring follows on the heels of our first-ever direct care worker celebration held in Florida in 2005. This conference will feature many sessions about creating a supportive workplace culture for all who work in long-term care. From building leadership, to working in a household, to federally funded apprenticeship programs for home health aides and certified nursing assistants, a full range of options are available.

 

I am a nurse that has worked in nursing homes for over 20 years. My organization has made the decision to change its culture, and it seems that change is going on all around me, but not with me --  I don’t know how to be involved.  What is the role of the nurse in the new culture? How can I support the change?


Be sure to attend Anna Ortigara and Joanne Rader’s two-part session on the role of the nurse in culture change.  Part One will illustrate how culture change frees nurses to practice the true art and science of nursing. Part Two will highlight specific clinical practices demonstrating how direct care and the role of the nurse are enhanced. In addition, the conference will feature sessions on changing the medication pass, person directed care planning and moving about freely.

 

Everyone I know that works in long term care is putting everything they have into it. Fatigue and stress are high -- Will you have any sessions that will help us renew our energy to carry on this work?


We are offering a variety of sessions designed specifically to nurture the spirit of Pioneers. For the first time at our conference, author Leann Thieman will offer an inspirational message based on her book, Chicken Soup for Care Givers. Back by Pioneer request is Mary Pebley, a humorist who understands that we cannot take care of others if we don’t take care of ourselves.  In addition, each attendee will participate in a small group workshop after the opening plenary that will generate dialogue, share personal experiences, and build supportive relationships.

 

I want to make some pretty radical changes, and I am really worried about the impact on our survey. What suggestions do you have for maintaining compliance and avoiding penalties for making changes surveyors may not be familiar with?


Karen Schoeneman of CMS and Carmen Bowman, a consultant to CMS, will present how to transform traditional activities in support of the newly revised OBRA regulation. We will feature examples from an innovative pilot initiative in Oregon where organizations are working with state surveyors on leadership team planning. In addition, Rosalie Kane will share her research about state regulations that support and/or hinder culture change efforts.

 

Can you help us bring technology into our organization in a way that brings staff and residents together?


Yes, our Philadelphia meeting will feature a “Moments of Invention” technology room with elders, children and staff members using technology to interact in fun and creative ways.  We will also have sessions involving organizations using services like Jack York’s “It’s Never 2 Late” to enhance meaningful person-directed care planning and elder life-story telling.

 

I really believe that cultural transformation in long-term care requires change outside my organization as well as inside. How are stakeholders organizing at the state level to support person directed care, and what is the federal government doing to promote culture change?

 

There has been a lot of exciting work happening at both the state and federal levels. We will feature a sampling of these initiatives, including the new voluntary special licensure program in North Carolina designed to enhance person-directed training of direct care workers in home care, adult care homes, and nursing facilities, and the new pay-for-performance program involving PEAK homes in Kansas. Cynthia Rudder will also share more about how some states have used civil money penalties to advance culture change efforts.

 

We are still struggling to get culture change going in our organization, how should we get it started?

We are pleased to welcome Mary Tess Crotty, Vice President of Quality Improvement for Genesis Health Care to guide participants in the early phases of culture change. Mary Tess is spearheading a far reaching change process in this multi-facility organization’s New England Region. We are also pleased to welcome a team from the Jewish Home and Hospital Life Care System in New York City to share their unique experience with getting culture change started in three large, urban nursing homes.

 

Is your conference just for nursing homes, or will you have sessions for home health and other settings as well?

The Pioneer Network seeks to create a culture of aging that is life affirming, satisfying, humane and meaningful regardless of where the elder lives. As such, Let Freedom Ring will feature sessions that span the full spectrum of long term care, including new culture change initiatives by Area Agencies on Aging and innovative person-directed dementia care management techniques in California assisted living settings.

 

I work in an organization that has not yet embraced culture change, what can I do to bring this to my workplace?


The key to any successful culture change journey is leadership commitment, and we are pleased to offer in depth workshops on leadership development by numerous national experts, including Nancy Fox, Steve Shields, LaVrene Norton, Bill Keane, Wendy Lustbader, and Carol Tschop. The meeting will also feature assistance with specific training processes by Megan Hannan and Marguerite McLoughlin to help you take your newfound knowledge back to others in your home organization.

 

My Board of Directors is interested in hearing more about research and the evidence base for culture change. Will there be new material for me to bring back to them?

Yes, compelling results from the Better Jobs Better Care research projects will be shared, along with examples of how organizations participating in the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) initiative have made measurement and research a part of their transformational change process.

 

We are struggling with how to communicate about our culture change journey with family members and others in the community. Will there be time for sharing experiences in this area?

 

The conference will include a model community meeting where the topic of the day will be how to enhance family involvement. Family members and others active in family councils will be present to contribute their insights about this critical issue.

 

It seems to me the best way to understand person directed thinking is to learn about it directly from a consumer, but there are rarely “clients” who speak at conferences. Will you have any such presenters in Philadelphia?


Joining us in Philadelphia will be Dr. Richard Taylor, a gentleman who was diagnosed with dementia, probably of the Alzheimer’s type, four years ago. His observations and reactions to how others respond to people living with Alzheimer’s are based on his own experiences and his interactions with hundreds of other individuals living with the disease. He is practical, sensitive, and straightforward.  We are thrilled he will share his experience with us in Philadelphia.