Working Together to Find Our Way to Yes

Moderator:
Penny Cook, President & CEO, Pioneer Network

Panelists:
Carmen Bowman, Regulator Turned Educator, Edu-Catering: Catering Education for Compliance and Culture Change
Maggie Calkins, Ph.D., Board Chair, IDEAS Institute
Kris Hansen, CEO, Western Home Communities
Ryan Myracle, Culture Change Resources Coordinator, Signature HealthCARE
Shelly Williamson, Administrator, Section for Long-Term Care Regulations, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

How many times have you or your team had a great idea about how to do something in your community, and you want to say ‘yes,’ but are stopped short because it might be too risky, or the biggest reason heard, that the regulations say you can’t do it.

Even as we say this, we know that person-centered practices and the regulations are not at odds. Sometimes it’s the interpretation, or more often, it’s not WHAT we do, but HOW we do it that creates the conflict.

Pioneer Network is proud to bring together a dynamic panel of individuals from the field of aging services — all of them risk-takers at heart — to share and discuss ideas on how we can work together to find a way to say yes to the person-centered practices we strive to bring to our communities.

The panel will explore practices such as creating environments that support a neighborhood/household, saying yes to resident choices, even when risk is involved, and supporting opportunities for engagement and connection during these times of physical distancing. They will also address the challenges shared by our attendees during an open question & answer session.

Pioneer Network principles tell us that “all elders are entitled to self-determination wherever they live,” and that “risk taking is a normal part of life.” Join us as we learn together how to bring these principles to life to support quality of life for all those in our communities.

Guide Bios:

Penny Cook, President and CEO of Pioneer Network, is committed to changing the culture of aging and long-term care began early in her professional career as a social worker in Rochester, New York and continued as she moved to Colorado. She strongly believes that the care we provide to elders is directly related to the way we, as a society, view aging. She is passionate about spreading the message that we are in the midst of a revolution about how we age and where we do it. Penny comments that, “no matter whether people live, in nursing homes, assisted living communities or in their family home, we all deserve and should expect respectful and dignified care and support that is centered, directed and tailored to us as individuals.”

Carmen Bowman

Carmen Bowman is a consultant, trainer, author and owner of Edu-Catering: Catering Education for Compliance and Culture Change turning her former role of regulator into educator. Carmen was a Colorado state surveyor for nine years, a policy analyst with CMS Central Office where she taught the national Basic Surveyor Course and surveyor satellite broadcasts on culture change and how to survey for activities. As a contractor to CMS, Carmen co-developed the Artifacts of Culture Change measurement tool and facilitated both Creating Home national symposiums sponsored by CMS and the Pioneer Network. She facilitated the Task Forces that developed the new Dining Practice Standards and Toolkit. She serves on the Pioneer Network Public Policy committee meeting quarterly with CMS Division of Nursing Homes and co-developed the Artifacts 2.0. Carmen has a Master’s degree in Healthcare Systems, a Bachelor’s in Social Work, is a Certified Eden Associate and Eden Mentor, Certified Validation Worker, Group Practitioner and Presenter. She co-founded the Colorado Culture Change Coalition and has authored eight culture change workbooks plus hosts a monthly web culture change talk show Conversations with Carmen.

Maggie Calkins

Dr. Margaret (Maggie) Calkins has been a recognized as a leader in environments for individuals living with dementia since the mid-1980s with the publication of the first comprehensive design on the topic. She is a well-respected researcher and consultant, with over 100 publications in both academic and trade journals. Maggie is a former Pioneer Network Board Member.

Kris Hansen

Kris Hansen serves as CEO of Western Home Services, a life plan community and management company which serves approximately 1,800 clients daily. In addition to growing the organization he leads; Kris has helped other Iowa organizations reposition and expand their campuses around the state and region.

Kris has long been involved with public policy and advocacy, both in Iowa and Washington, D.C. He has also served on various boards and committees for organizations at both state and national levels. Currently, he serves on the Not-for-Profit Council with the American Health Care Association and is chair of Legislative Policy and Reimbursement for IHCA. Kris is a founding member of RedCedar, a public-private partnership of entrepreneurs, private businesses, colleges, cities, and economic development partners with the purpose of helping entrepreneurs and high-growth startups learn faster and accelerate their growth.

Sought out as a thought leader for topics related to healthcare, aging services, technology and innovation, Kris is a frequent speaker and panelist at healthcare and technology summits around the country. He has also provided consult to many aging services organizations and technology companies including Amazon, Apple, CDW, Samsung, etc.

Ryan Myracle

Ryan Myracle, Culture Change Resources Coordinator with Signature HealthCARE in Louisville, KY, is a licensed Nursing Home Administrator and licensed Advance Practice Social Worker in the state of TN and has served in various roles in the skilled and long-term field since 1998. Ryan first learned of culture change in the field of Eldercare while in college. That interest grew stronger as he began working as a Social Worker in skilled and long-term Eldercare settings. In 2003, Ryan became a Certified Eden Associate and in 2008, he became a Certified Eden Educator and Mentor. Since then, he has used his passion for improving the quality of life for Elders and their Care Partners to inspire and change through personal transformation and the blending of roles to better meet Elders’ needs.

Shelly Williamson

Shelly Williamson is the Administrator for the Section for Long Term Care Regulation with the Department of Health and Senior Services. Ms. Williamson began employment with the Section in 1995 as a Facility Surveyor, became the Assistant Administrator in 2011 and the Administrator in 2017. She currently serves as Vice President for the Association of Health Facility Survey Agencies which represents state survey agencies across the country. She is a graduate of the University of Central Missouri with a Master of Science in Social Gerontology.