October 30, 2024 • 35 mins
Join us as we explore the inspiring world of senior living with Cecilia Hitzke, executive director at Creekside Senior Living. Originally on a path to become a hospital administrator, Cecilia’s passion shifted to senior living after her impactful experiences as a hospice volunteer. Her journey from activity assistant to executive director has been fueled by her dedication and creative background in music, which brings an extra layer of joy and innovation to her leadership style.
In this episode, Cecilia shares how she’s boosting staff morale, creating a positive work environment, and championing meaningful resident engagement through initiatives like resident ambassador groups and cultural events. As a board member of the Utah Assisted Living Association, Cecilia also discusses her advocacy for affordable senior care and the importance of education in the field.
We touch on empowering seniors to stay socially engaged and the surprising ways they’re adapting to technology through online classes. Cecilia also offers valuable insights for anyone considering a career in senior living, highlighting the deep fulfillment that comes from building connections. Plus, we end with a piece of advice from a Creekside resident that reminds us all: making one meaningful connection each day can make a world of difference.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to today's episode, where we are joined by
Cecilia Hitzke, a licensedhealth facility administrator
and the executive director atCreekside Senior Living, part of
Stellar Senior Living.
If you remember, we had AdamBenton on a few weeks ago.
Having held various leadershippositions across several senior
(00:25):
living communities, with astrong educational background
from Minnesota State Universityand a passion for enhancing the
lives of seniors, cece is adedicated leader in her field.
She also serves on the UALAboard as the PR and marketing
chair and has a really funbackground as a former rock and
roller with the Q5 band inMoorhead.
Cece, welcome, I'm excited tochat with you for a little bit.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Thank you, I'm happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
The first question I have is what inspired you
originally to pursue a career insenior living, in that
long-term care space?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So I initially had gone to college to be a hospital
administrator but I ended uptalking to a hospice company.
So I started off as a hospicevolunteer and just seeing
everything that they had offeredwith that end of life process I
realized from moving fromhospital to long-term care this
is where my passion was and whatI wanted to help with.
So I moved from there to anactivity assistant and that was
(01:18):
such a fun role.
Especially with having a musicbackground.
You have fun all day withresidents.
It is one of the most fun jobs.
So I moved from activityassistant to activity
coordinator and then I ended upmoving here to Utah and I was a
business office manager and thenmoving up to my role of
executive director from there.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
That's awesome.
So what a lot of the times thething that gets you into the
field but it's common, you know,you hear that you you care
about seniors and you kind ofsaw this is amazing, it's fun,
hanging out with them gets youinto it.
And then the day to day can bekind of brutal sometimes.
So what has kept you in it aslong as you've been in it,
(01:55):
especially as you kind of haveprogressed as like a activity,
activity, uh, assistant andactivity coordinator, especially
on, like, the pay side, the gapis different versus as you
moved up.
So what's kept you in it?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
For me, there's a lot of day-to-day things that
happen.
There's always one good thingthat I remind myself on my drive
home of.
This is why I'm still in and dowhat I do.
One of the things that happenedlast week is I had a resident
just write a very nice letterjust explaining the benefit of
living at Creekside, how ourstaff have been providing good
care for him, and just hearingthat feedback of how we're
(02:29):
impacting his life.
If I have something like thatevery day, it keeps motivating
me, even though it is stressful.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Love that Really fast .
I'm going to put a timerNormally iPhones.
I can see how long we're goingfor.
I want to make sure we don't gocrazy, so I'm going to set a
30-minute timer in my pocket.
Perfect, I should have.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Oh, you're good.
Cut Edit.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Okay, that's amazing and I think that those, like you
said, those daily activitiesand those daily little golden
nuggets is like, oh, that's whyI'm here.
Um, for me, starting was withmy grandparents and the
experiences that I had with them.
Same thing you get into it andyou kind of have to find those
(03:18):
golden nuggets with everybody,every resident that you're
helping.
Um, I am curious as far as youtouched on your journey shortly,
but your career as youprogressed, what motivates you
to keep on moving up as far asleadership within the community,
from activities coordinator,which is a lot of fun, versus an
(03:42):
executive director, which canbe a lot of stress?
What motivates you to keepgoing?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
I versus an executive director, which can be a lot of
stress.
What motivated you to keepgoing?
I had an executive directorthat I worked under and just
seeing how he managed thebuilding and the impact just one
person can make in the building, I wanted to be that one person
and help make sure that I canhelp any of the departments as
best as I could.
So just from his leadership andeveryone else supporting me in
those roles, I thought you knowwhat I'm'm gonna try and do it,
so I just went for it and I'veenjoyed it, since it just
(04:09):
depends on the team you have too, but it really is an enjoyable
position.
So it was just seeing goodleadership that I was under I
love that.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Um, with your background in music and fun
things like that, how do youfeel like that's inflow or
influenced the way that youapproach running the day-to-day
there?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
I think it's just having fun because, like you
said, it is a different rolemoving to executive director
from activity coordinator.
But if I can still havesomething fun to bring to the
staff and residents, that'ssomething that I can help
provide.
So with a music background too,I'm involved with some of the
activities myself.
So with a music background too,I'm involved with some of the
activities myself, so I can playpiano during lunch or I can
provide some of those servicesfor my background and still be
(04:50):
there to have fun with theresidents and again with the
staff.
It's a really hard job being aCNA and being a housekeeper and
being a server for this type ofpopulation.
So if I can do something funfor all staff meetings or if I
can do something fun our shiftreports just to help re-motivate
everyone during their shifts, Ithink that background from
activities and most people thatare in activities are pretty
(05:12):
outgoing, so I bring a littlebit of crazy fun to each day
that.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
I'm there, that's awesome and I think that is a
unique perspective A lot ofexecutive directors if they're
coming more from the businessside of operations because
ultimately, as far as thesuccess of the community goes
financially, it's like executivedirector on that level.
But having the activity side tomake it fun and that's what
makes people want to stickaround is when because it can be
(05:37):
brutal on the day-to-day or notbrutal but difficult, and so
having something fun even withinthe staff is and in the end,
that does help your financialsright, because turnover is very
expensive, Finding new people isexpensive, recruiting is
expensive and it also affectsyour care if you're constantly
having turnover.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
So if you are able to bring something that people
want to stay and continue towork for you, in the end it does
help your bottom line, which iswhat I'm there for.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
That's really unique insight.
I think people worry a lotabout the bottom line and then
because of that, they pushharder and harder on the front
line staff, which ultimatelyleads to so many indirect costs
that it's just better to make ita positive environment.
That's one of the keychallenges.
I think that's in the industryis the staff turnover, because
it can be difficult.
Are there other challengeswithin senior living more
(06:33):
broadly, but also like assistedliving and memory care, that you
think people or maybe youdidn't expect when you got into
it originally?
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I think right now there is still a stigma
specifically for memory care.
It is a beautiful environmentwith having memory care
facilities because it just ithelps the residents so much
having that routine and having aspecial environment when you're
going through a cognitivedecline like that.
So part of it is helping withthat stigma of families
(07:02):
realizing this is a very safeand nurturing environment for my
family member to be in and it'snot the memory care community
that I'm expecting in my head,where they're going to be locked
in their room and they can'tcome out and there's behaviors
and it's completely different.
So for me, one of thechallenges is helping families
(07:22):
see the benefit that a memorycare can provide.
Challenges is helping familiessee the benefit that a memory
care can provide and a lot oftimes after a tour they go oh,
this isn't at all what Iexpected this to be.
But I think that's one of thebiggest challenges is knowing
this is where your parent isgoing to have, or your loved one
is going to have, the best care.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
We had it's not released yet, but we had Teepa
Snow on and it was really cool,almost role playing, because I
was like, how do you handle andhow do you make the best
experience for people withcognitive decline?
And she's like, well, let's dothis.
And she's just like, on it.
And even you know, I'm not incognitive decline.
I guess you can argue thateverybody sort of is on a long
(08:00):
enough time horizon, but, um,how I felt really heard and like
it went from something that wasdifficult or confused um into
something that was an awesomeinteraction in that, that role
play.
Um, once you get a memoryterror resident in their
families on board, they did thetour there.
(08:21):
They see that the facility canprovide that support.
How do you, on an ongoing basis, um kind of share like micro
wins and happy things with thefamily, so that way they're
constantly getting um, what'sthe word I'm thinking of?
they're getting validation oftheir decision yeah, this is the
(08:42):
best thing for mom or dad.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
It's all about communication.
So even if it's just a picturesaying, hey, your mom was in
painting class today, Look ather smile, she made an amazing
watercolor portrait.
Or we went outside and had icecream and enjoyed the sun, it's
all about just communicatingwith that family and going.
This is the benefit of whatyour mom is providing here.
And they can also see thebenefits from care too, because
a lot of times the common thingswe do when we start going
(09:07):
through the dementia process weno longer do, such as showering
or brushing our teeth.
So they start noticing oh, momlooks better and she smells
better and she's getting thecare that she needs.
So they can see it too.
But I think communication isthe biggest key for that.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Just showing this is an interesting.
So I have a two and a half yearold and we were had a really
hard time.
It's not the same, but it'skind of.
As far as the communicationaspect, there was a daycare.
We were trying to find a place.
Where are we going to?
You know, it's the same whereit's somebody that we care about
so much.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Yeah, it's a stressful decision.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Yeah, and the one that we ended up deciding on.
We loved it because they sentthose updates throughout the day
of like hey, wes is doingso-and-so, or this or that, and
pictures, and I think thatthat's something that gets
overlooked, because you get soin the weeds, day-to-day that
it's like just sending thefamily a quick text or like a
picture or like an update,saying this is what we did today
(09:59):
.
Your mom loved it.
It makes a huge difference.
It really does.
Mom loved it.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
It makes a huge difference.
It really does, and just toknow that they remember, that
you know and that you careenough to send them an update
and go.
I know that you're worried andI want to help ease any of those
worries that you have, yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
And it's also a different guest that we had on
is pretty affluent person.
His mom is going throughcognitive decline and he feeling
that he mentioned is like guilt.
He's like I know that she'sdoing good but like I can't give
her that support and I feelreally guilty.
And um, where she's living atshe gets updates and a lot of
(10:35):
times he calls and she's like Ican't talk right now.
I'm I'm going to do xyzactivity.
That's going on and it justlike helps alleviate that guilt.
Is that things are, things arehappening yes, exactly um, how
do you incorporate eachresident's personal interest,
whether it's music or, um, maybea veteran who really enjoys
hunting?
(10:55):
How do you incorporate thatinto their care plans and into
the, the daily life?
Speaker 2 (11:01):
it's just getting to know the person.
I mean, it's all aboutindividualized care.
So if we do the first initialinterview before they move in
and go, so what are yourinterests and what are your
hobbies?
But then it's also stillcontinuing to get to know them
as they reside in your communityfortunate enough to have a
(11:21):
little pond there with fishingpoles and they can go fishing.
So it's just knowing theirinterests.
Or if they want to go to thetheater, we can do an outing to
the theater, or we can alwaysincorporate those things and
we're always updating ouractivity agenda for the people
that we have in the communitybecause their interests change
as we get new people livingthere.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Yeah, have you found any success?
Say that you have a prospectiveresident that's looking into it
and you find interest as far astrying to help the family feel
the most comfortable and and theresident.
Any success maybe finding adifferent resident in the
community and kind of matchingthem and saying, hey, this is
sally, sally, this is susan.
They you both really enjoy.
(12:01):
You both went to eisenhowerJunior High 50 years ago.
I think it'd be really fun totalk or something like that, yes
, we do have a.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
it's called a resident ambassador group that
we have and they will go to theapartment of new residents and
do just that, just so they know.
Hey, I was in your shoes.
This can be overwhelmingbecause you're now going from
your home you've lived in for 60years to a place with 100 new
people.
It can be extremelyoverwhelming.
So they go.
I've been in your shoes.
This is what I did to helpmyself.
This is how I can help you,being a resident here and
(12:30):
knowing how the day to dayroutines go.
So we have the residentambassador group put together,
but especially during meal times, that's one of the biggest
times for people to socialize.
So we had two gentlemen thathad served a mission in
Jerusalem, for instance, and sowe had paired them for lunch and
they had a great lunch togetherjust discussing their items
together.
So again, just knowing yourpeople and then kind of helping
(12:52):
with those relationships whilethey're there, make the
interactions happen.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
I love that.
There's something that you'vedone before that, I'm curious,
is like incorporating theirinterest into their world.
I'd love if you could sharemore about the mini musicale
programs that you put on and theimpact that that had for the
residents of the community.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
So the last one we had.
It was a mini musicale.
Like you said, it was put on bya resident.
He's actually been doing thatfor about 20, over 20 years.
He's had a group of just localtalent come together and they
just perform and he resides here.
So he said you know, I wouldlove to put this together.
He did the whole thing, heplanned it.
We just said we will have thespace, we will have the cookies
(13:36):
and we will have the chairs, andhe put everything else together
and from the other residents,seeing that he was able to bring
his passion into the community,they said it was one of the
best events that we've heldthere because they could see how
much it meant to this gentleman.
Yeah, I love that, so back onestep as far as finding the
(14:00):
resident ambassador, how do youidentify those within your
community?
Speaker 1 (14:04):
And as far as resident ambassadors, over the
years, what have you found aresome of the best or the key
attributes of the ambassadorsthat make the best impact for
residents moving in?
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Someone who wants to do it, I mean that's a good
start.
Someone who is outgoing and canhelp with any type of
personality Because, again,there's over a hundred people,
you're going to have a lot ofdifferent personalities coming
in.
But if it's someone who ispatient and understanding and
willing to work with that personand their personality, those
are kind of the best people thatwe try to look for.
But again, a lot of times wejust have people volunteer and
(14:36):
go.
I would love to help so and sowhen they move in, or I would
love to be a part of this andjust make sure they feel
comfortable.
So most of the time we justhave volunteer residents be a
part of that group.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
And so, as far as an ambassadorship goes in the
community, is it like you haveone or two, or is it if they
make a connection?
They're like I want to be thatperson's ambassador specifically
, or is it more general than?
Speaker 2 (14:59):
that it's more general.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
I think we have a group of six right now that are
kind of our welcoming president,ambassador, committee go, get
them and make everybody feelwelcomed and, yes, that's a
great group yeah, um thesomething else that I'd love to
jump into is talking about yourrole on the UALA board as a PR
(15:20):
and marketing chair.
What does that look like andhow is being on the UALA board
impacted your day to day as anexecutive director?
As you kind of, I think as anexecutive director you're
working on a community, but asthe board you kind of have to
zoom out and look at assistedliving more holistically maybe.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
There's definitely.
For me, there was a greatbenefit of seeing the backside
of everything that's happeningto help the assisted living
communities.
Uala is definitely trying toprovide a lot more education for
the communities.
Consistent education is alwayssomething that is going to help
with the care that we provide.
So, with all of the educationclasses that we've been
providing, that's a huge part ofwhat we're doing, but also
(16:02):
seeing how the UAL board ishelping on the legislative side
with.
Right now, our big focus is NewChoice Waiver, which is going to
affect everyone, especially nowwith this silver tsunami coming
in.
Coming in, there's going to bea lot of places that aren't
accepting new choice waiver, buta lot of people that are not
having the funds to live in anassisted living community but
(16:22):
need to live there.
So we're running into this bigproblem that's going to be
happening where people are notgoing to have a place to live.
So our big advocacy right nowis trying to increase the
reimbursement rate for newchoice waiver.
And just seeing the backgroundand everyone on the board that
is so dedicated to making surethis happens so that people have
(16:42):
the best place to live at theend of their life, it's amazing.
It really is just seeing thebackside of all of that.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
It is incredible to have associations like the Utah
Assisted Living Association thatgoes and goes to fight for
legislative rights for executivedirectors.
There's a community that wework with, um, and they are a
hundred percent new choicewaiver, which is very like, not
common at all right and it's thepeople there are.
(17:11):
You know, they've gone throughreally hard things, um, so they
or they maybe don't have familysupport, so they aren't able to
get, they aren't able to pay forthese nicer communities and
it's sad to see that thiscommunity that's trying to help
so many New Choices waiver, likethe I don't know how to say
this in the best way possible.
(17:31):
The caliber of staff sometimesbecause they don't have the
budget, because thereimbursement rate is so much
lower than what you get fromprivate pay.
That's like staff and then thestaff to resident ratio, just so
many things that make itdifficult to building to keep it
up.
It's like as far as cleaningand just maintenance, it's it's
(17:53):
hard to see.
So it's cool that you all isgoing to bat for, for assisted
livings across the state to tryto improve that.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Thank you, yeah, there really is.
I mean just with, like youmentioned, the payroll alone is
one of your biggest expenses ofrunning an assisted living.
So the more resources you have,especially from private pay,
the more you can pay your CNAs,the more that they're going to
stay Again.
It all ties into that biggerpicture, so it's definitely
going to be a concern movingforward.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Yeah, there's the upward and downward spiral of
being able to charge.
More is when you can chargemore you can do.
Get better staff who canprovide better care to makes a
better experience, and it keepsgoing up and it's kind of the
same downward.
So I think once that changehappens it'll be awesome.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Yes, we'll be all of the positive, we're fighting for
it.
But again, just seeing theadvocacy on the side of other
board members that are goinginto legislation, they're going
into the Capitol, they're doingall these things and pushing,
it's very motivating to see thepassion they have for helping
the people that aren't even inour communities yet.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
But preparing for those people, yeah, that aren't
even in our communities yet, butpreparing for those people,
yeah, touching back on theeducation aspect of what you all
is putting out for people, whatkind of education is it like,
caregiver?
Speaker 2 (19:09):
trainings.
Is it like what?
Yeah, what education is broad,yes.
So every year we do a bigconference which has a bunch of
different educational pieces toit.
The last two years we did haveTipa Snow who was our guest
speaker, and she came out anddid a wonderful training for
everyone.
But throughout the year we alsodo have different roundtable
groups as well.
So, especially for executivedirectors, there's been a new
(19:30):
inspection process in place.
So for us to make sure thatwe're doing what we need to as a
community, the regulations andthat inspection process have
changed a little bit.
So for us to make sure theexecutive directors are
performing the best that they,can we provide that education,
saying, okay, these are thechanges.
What are you guys doing in yourcommunity?
Who has the best practice inthis?
(19:50):
Who has the best practice inthis?
How can we combine minds andmake sure that we're all
providing the best care?
Because, especially in thisindustry, of course we're
competitors sure that we're allproviding the best care, because
, especially in this industry,of course we're competitors,
yeah but we're all on the samepage of wanting to provide the
best care for our seniors.
So we have a great camaraderiewith the people that are in the
area as well and making surethat we are providing that care
across the entire state.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Yeah, I heard.
I can't remember who I wastalking to, but he said in the
space, your competitors.
But really your competitionisn't the community across the
street, it's trying to, it's theeducating a senior that moving
out of their home is a betteroption sometimes, yes, so it's a
lot less about you know thisresident.
(20:33):
If it goes to that, if theymove in there, we're losing
somebody, it's like no we're,that was a win for both
communities, even though they'recompetitors.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yes, exactly, and we always want it to be the right
fit.
Like Creekside is differentthan a different building down
the road, so it's up to whatthat resident thinks is going to
be the best choice for them,because we want them to have
that quality of life and enjoythe place that they live.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
So it's a different fit for everyone.
Yeah, and ultimately, as longas every senior living is
providing the better care, it'sa win long-term, five, 10 years
from now as, like I said, thesilver tsunami is coming in with
their misguided, maybe tainted,understanding of what senior
living looks like from theseventies.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Right.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
That if somebody moves in somewhere and they have
a good experience five yearsfrom now, that'll elevate what
assisted living means as far ason the UALA board.
As the PR and marketingdirector specifically, what does
that kind of entail?
Is that your job is to try tomake sure that everybody's
attending that awesomeconference, or what does that
(21:36):
look like?
Speaker 2 (21:37):
Right now it's also just promoting the word of UALA,
just making sure that buildingsknow who we are and how we can
help support them.
Sometimes, especially withsmaller buildings, you may not
have the resources that biggerbuildings do, but we're here to
help serve all of the buildingsin Utah.
So if you're trying to look for, like I mentioned, what is the
new inspection process or howcan I ask this question when I
(21:58):
don't have someone directlyabove me, or how do I get the
resource for this, we helpprovide a lot of those resources
.
One of the resources that youall have put out a few years ago
was like a mock survey so youcould go through your building
and go am I in compliance withthese things?
And it was available to thecommunities.
So it's us just making sure,and me as the PR and marketing
(22:18):
who are we and what are we doingis pretty much my role.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
That's awesome and it's the cool thing is that you,
what you're teaching people andthe brand that you're building
for you all is like we're justhere to help.
That's about all there is.
So it's a good brand to be ableto build.
That's about all there is.
So it's a good brand to be ableto build.
Yeah, you have a lot going onin your world.
Executive director, the UALAboard.
(22:42):
We've had other executivedirectors that I've talked to
that they hadn't had a weekendvacation in the Christmas
holiday for eight years.
How are you balancing and forthe professionals out there that
are kind of feeling that itmakes it difficult to stay in
(23:03):
the industry, how do you balancepersonal demands with also the
demanding roles of what?
Speaker 2 (23:06):
you're doing on a day-to-day.
It's different for everyone andI think I have the same answer
a lot of people do, but for meand my role as executive
director, it's trusting thepeople that are managing with me
, so I make sure I have theright people in the right place.
I know that my dining directoris taking care of this.
I know that my nurse is takingcare of this, so if I need to
have a day off or if I need tobalance that work-life balance,
(23:29):
my team has got it.
I'm just there to support them.
So they're the experts in theirfield too.
So that is the biggest piecethat you can have is knowing you
have those competent people inplace.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
That's going to help people step into the role and
that leadership in their area ofexpertise is because it's like
(24:03):
I trust that you are themarketing director here, I trust
that you're the activitiesdirector, I trust that you're
the lead caregiver, the leadnurse, Um, and you know they
might make a mistake and youhave to reel it, not reel a
trust back in, but reel in thecommunications.
But it ultimately just makes abetter work experience.
And then also, like I said,that personal life just not
(24:25):
taking every single issue ontoyour own shoulders is the way to
make it just a good experience.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
Yeah, and it just makes a difference when you feel
that trust too.
Like I feel that as well in myrole.
So if they are able to feelthat you just perform better.
But I know a lot of buildingsand even when I first started as
an executive director, it'shard if you have to make some of
those changes because you gowell, now I'm going to have to
take on that role, so we mightas well just leave that person
in.
So it's sometimes hard,especially with turnover, but
(24:54):
sometimes it's better to getthrough that hard time and then
you find that person that'sperfect for that role and you go
this makes a world ofdifference.
So it's it's just, yeah,finding your team.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Yeah, I love that.
Um, a lot of people in theworld um have kind of a negative
outlook on aging.
Um, there's there's a lot ofpeeves that I have of like
that's just what you do when youget old and it's like what are
you talking about?
How has your career in seniorliving impacted your perspective
(25:24):
on aging and caregiving andjust everything?
Speaker 2 (25:30):
My biggest thing, I think, with seeing people in
that generation is and this isthe advice I get all the time is
if you want to do something oryou have the inkling of going
somewhere or doing something ortraveling, just do it, because
pretty soon you're going to be90 and you're not going to be
able to do it.
So, the biggest advice I'vealways gotten is just live your
life the best you can, and Iknow it sounds cliche, but I
(25:51):
really take that to heart fromeveryone I've talked to.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Yeah, that's a cool perspective because I imagine a
lot of the residents that youtalk to when maybe talking about
their life, they probably talkabout those experiences when
they traveled or the experiencewhen they did the scary thing
that holds people back andthat's like when they get into
their 80s and 90s and that'swhat they care about and it's a
lot less about.
It is things that people youknow keeping up with the Joneses
(26:19):
I you know I bought the betterboat than I doubt.
You hear that very often I havea nicer boat than my neighbor
when I was 42.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
But I'm seeing a lot more of that too, where people
are they're very proud of thelife they lived, which is really
nice to see too.
So it's just creating the lifethat you're proud of I.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
One of my like personal life missions is, um,
what I truly believe is thatevery, every person is leading
an amazing life, and a lot ofthe times, um, when they get
into their later years, theydon't feel that way.
Maybe they don't their kidsaren't as around, or they they
did the thing, like you said,they like they just lived life.
Um, they had experiences, theydid some cool stuff.
(27:01):
They also worked for 40 yearslike everybody else.
And then they get there andthey feel like they're looking
back on life and like, oh, Ididn't, I wasn't famous or
something, and so they don'tfeel valued.
But it's cool to have seniorsthat are proud of their life,
and then our job, I feel, aspeople that interact with
seniors, is to try to highlightthe life that they've lived.
(27:24):
Every chance we can Like justbringing up the experiences
they've had, asking about youknow, what did you do in your
what, what sport did you like inhigh school, and just like
makes them remember oh, wow, Iwas a cool person.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Yeah, and sometimes they get forgotten or like your
life was valued and you made adifference in a lot of other
people's lives.
That's the biggest thing peoplewant to feel while they're going
through that end of life is Icreated value in someone else's
life.
So the biggest thing, the onlyregret I've ever heard from
someone like you said, isn't oh,I didn't buy that boat or I
didn't do this.
The only regret I've heard fromsomeone would be I didn't spend
enough time with my family.
That would be the only one I'veheard.
(27:58):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
I think that's powerful, as people listening to
this trying to chase whateverthey might be chasing, to a
financial end or just knowingthat that's the regret.
When people are looking back on80 years lived, that's what
they care most about.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Yeah, it's a good perspective to have.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Yeah, that's something that so many people
miss out on because they think,oh, when you get old, old people
are so like it's so annoyingand you want to keep climbing
the ladder which is good too,yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
But that that is the most important thing that they
reflect back on.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Yeah, love that.
As we're getting closer to theend of this episode, I'm curious
what trends you see shaping thefuture of senior living, what
things you're excited about,maybe in the technology sector
or in the legislative sector.
What trends do you seehappening over the next handful
of years, into maybe the nextdecade?
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Right now, actually, on the technology side, we're
going into the generation nowwhere the residents all have
iPhones, so this is a new trendthat we're also getting used to,
where we no longer have, likethe landline phones and we're
just adjusting to the needs thatthey're doing.
We're moving from thegeneration that was scared of
using QR codes and doing all ofthis stuff on the Internet
(29:09):
because they're going to takeyour information to people that
are like oh yeah, I have aniPhone, I can do that.
Do you have an app for that?
So, it's just adjusting to moreof the accessibility to what
they are having.
Yeah, I think that's going tobe one of the biggest changes
that we're going to see.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
That's awesome.
We have an app called HelperlyConnect and that's just like fun
, interest-based piano classesonline for seniors and we have
analytics on the back end.
You can tell if they join froma tablet, a phone or a desktop
and it's between tablet andphone.
I think it's like 87%.
So I think that's a reallyoutdated.
(29:45):
Like you said, we're gettingnot necessarily outdated.
We're getting to the seniorsthat you know they've had
technology and they've adoptedit and it's like, oh yeah, I've
got an iPad or I've got aniPhone or I've got whatever, and
they're used to it.
And I think that a lot ofcommunities are still, when
they're approached withtechnology, they think, oh, my
residents don't use that, andit's like they probably would.
(30:07):
Or yeah, so yeah, and even itwas a different mindset for me.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
I mean, we still print paper for it's still paper
generation.
But it's just knowing, as we'removing forward, that's going to
be more of their main focus, oftheir main focus.
One of the other things thatwe're noticing too, like you had
mentioned, with having a goodname building for assisted
livings and independent livings.
it's starting to be a youngerpopulation, so tailoring some of
the activities and theamenities that we have in our
(30:31):
buildings to people that arestill driving and still active
and still working, that's one ofthe bigger things we're
tailoring to as well.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
That's awesome and I think that that's a really cool
trend of younger people movingin, more technologically savvy
people moving in.
It just makes it where assistedliving can be.
It's not quite the same as likea college dorm, but it's kind
of fun, like you went throughoutyour life and now you're back
to just like hanging out withyour buddies and just having a
(31:00):
really social life.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
Yeah, it just having a really social life versus like
a care building which we can,we provide the care.
But yeah, it's more of thatsocial aspect, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Which is really cool.
I think that's what seniorswell, that's what everybody
needs is some sort of socialengagement in their life, and
it's cool that that's whatsenior living is becoming.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
I agree.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
What is your goal for Creekside Senior Living in the
coming years?
And then after that, what'syour goal for UALA in the coming
years, as you're obviously havenew choices, waiver, but maybe
beyond that.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
It's continuing to so .
For UALA side, I know just frommy chair role with PR and
marketing.
Specifically it's getting moreof the buildings involved and
showing them the resources thatwe do have available so that we
can all be on the same pagetogether.
I think we're still moving inthe right direction.
A lot more people have joinedand know kind of what's going on
but involving more of thebuildings, more in the South too
(31:52):
.
Like we have a mini conferencein St George coming up.
So some of those buildings to go.
Hey, you know we are still here.
We're an advocate for you aswell.
So making sure that we provideresources for the whole state is
what we're moving toward forour goals with UALA and then for
Creekside specifically.
It's just enhancing the livesof the residents, families and
(32:12):
staff that we have there everyday.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
That's awesome.
I like on the education aspectof UALA, really fast, I went to
the.
I've gone to the U all theconference the last two years um
, and it's cool to see that it'snot just like executive
directors, but you have like thewhole array of staff that are
there getting educated on highlevel.
Like this is what the industryis.
This is where we're going, thisis what we're fighting about.
(32:35):
Fighting for sorry um, and justaligns the entire staff of the
community.
That's supporting the seniorrather than being just for
executive directors or themanagement.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
Um and moving forward to one thing we're trying to
put together, um, as the wallaboard is more of that education
, like you mentioned, for thefrontline staff, because we have
the train the trainer kind ofprogram right now, but if we can
directly train the staff thatare helping with these cares,
that's more of our focus movingforward as well.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
That's awesome Wrapping up.
What advice would you give tosomeone considering a career in
senior living or any sort ofkind of long-term care
management?
Do it, it's fun.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
That's fun, I mean it's a crazy whirlwind of a
career, but every day isfulfilling and there are hard
times.
But if this is something you'reinterested in, the first step
is to just do it, just apply andhave resources available.
We have the UALA website.
If you want more support onthat too, you can join a
committee.
I mean, there's a lot of waysyou can get involved.
(33:41):
But I say, just do it.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Awesome.
Could you share like a finalthought or piece of advice for
listeners?
Maybe they're going through ahard day and they haven't had
that golden nugget from aresident.
When days like that happen, andmaybe they're listening to this
episode what would you say tothem?
Speaker 2 (34:02):
What I would say.
One of the residents that Italked to and she gives me daily
motivational advice.
She says human connection isthe greatest power we have.
So, whatever we have going onthroughout the day, if you make
one connection, one humanconnection, and you make
someone's day, that's the bestthing that we can do.
So make someone's day today.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Awesome, that's an awesome invitation Just go.
If you're having a hard day,don't wait for somebody to make
your day.
Try to make theirs, and it'll,in turn, make your day.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
Come back to you Exactly.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Yeah, you mentioned youalacom.
As far as people that want tojoin youala, is it just
youalacom, and then who to joinyouala?
And that's where we'll wrap up.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Yeah, absolutely so.
If you just Google the Utahassisted living association,
there is a committee form on thedropdown box that you can also
kind of browse through and seeif you're interested in joining
a committee.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
PR, marketing committee.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Sorry, but that's a good way to also get involved
and see what we're working on,and then you can be involved in
our calls and see what impactyou can make as well.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Awesome.
Yeah, you all is doing amazingthings.
You're doing amazing things.
Career has been awesome, so Ireally appreciate you taking
some time today and I think thiswill impact a lot of people in
the space.
Awesome, thank you so much.
Thanks, cece.
Welcome to today's episode, where we are joined by
Cecilia Hitzke, a licensedhealth facility administrator
and the executive director atCreekside Senior Living, part of
Stellar Senior Living.
If you remember, we had AdamBenton on a few weeks ago.
Having held various leadershippositions across several senior
(00:25):
living communities, with astrong educational background
from Minnesota State Universityand a passion for enhancing the
lives of seniors, cece is adedicated leader in her field.
She also serves on the UALAboard as the PR and marketing
chair and has a really funbackground as a former rock and
roller with the Q5 band inMoorhead.
Cece, welcome, I'm excited tochat with you for a little bit.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Thank you, I'm happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
The first question I have is what inspired you
originally to pursue a career insenior living, in that
long-term care space?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So I initially had gone to college to be a hospital
administrator but I ended uptalking to a hospice company.
So I started off as a hospicevolunteer and just seeing
everything that they had offeredwith that end of life process I
realized from moving fromhospital to long-term care this
is where my passion was and whatI wanted to help with.
So I moved from there to anactivity assistant and that was
(01:18):
such a fun role.
Especially with having a musicbackground.
You have fun all day withresidents.
It is one of the most fun jobs.
So I moved from activityassistant to activity
coordinator and then I ended upmoving here to Utah and I was a
business office manager and thenmoving up to my role of
executive director from there.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
That's awesome.
So what a lot of the times thething that gets you into the
field but it's common, you know,you hear that you you care
about seniors and you kind ofsaw this is amazing, it's fun,
hanging out with them gets youinto it.
And then the day to day can bekind of brutal sometimes.
So what has kept you in it aslong as you've been in it,
(01:55):
especially as you kind of haveprogressed as like a activity,
activity, uh, assistant andactivity coordinator, especially
on, like, the pay side, the gapis different versus as you
moved up.
So what's kept you in it?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
For me, there's a lot of day-to-day things that
happen.
There's always one good thingthat I remind myself on my drive
home of.
This is why I'm still in and dowhat I do.
One of the things that happenedlast week is I had a resident
just write a very nice letterjust explaining the benefit of
living at Creekside, how ourstaff have been providing good
care for him, and just hearingthat feedback of how we're
(02:29):
impacting his life.
If I have something like thatevery day, it keeps motivating
me, even though it is stressful.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Love that Really fast .
I'm going to put a timerNormally iPhones.
I can see how long we're goingfor.
I want to make sure we don't gocrazy, so I'm going to set a
30-minute timer in my pocket.
Perfect, I should have.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Oh, you're good.
Cut Edit.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Okay, that's amazing and I think that those, like you
said, those daily activitiesand those daily little golden
nuggets is like, oh, that's whyI'm here.
Um, for me, starting was withmy grandparents and the
experiences that I had with them.
Same thing you get into it andyou kind of have to find those
(03:18):
golden nuggets with everybody,every resident that you're
helping.
Um, I am curious as far as youtouched on your journey shortly,
but your career as youprogressed, what motivates you
to keep on moving up as far asleadership within the community,
from activities coordinator,which is a lot of fun, versus an
(03:42):
executive director, which canbe a lot of stress?
What motivates you to keepgoing?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
I versus an executive director, which can be a lot of
stress.
What motivated you to keepgoing?
I had an executive directorthat I worked under and just
seeing how he managed thebuilding and the impact just one
person can make in the building, I wanted to be that one person
and help make sure that I canhelp any of the departments as
best as I could.
So just from his leadership andeveryone else supporting me in
those roles, I thought you knowwhat I'm'm gonna try and do it,
so I just went for it and I'veenjoyed it, since it just
(04:09):
depends on the team you have too, but it really is an enjoyable
position.
So it was just seeing goodleadership that I was under I
love that.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Um, with your background in music and fun
things like that, how do youfeel like that's inflow or
influenced the way that youapproach running the day-to-day
there?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
I think it's just having fun because, like you
said, it is a different rolemoving to executive director
from activity coordinator.
But if I can still havesomething fun to bring to the
staff and residents, that'ssomething that I can help
provide.
So with a music background too,I'm involved with some of the
activities myself.
So with a music background too,I'm involved with some of the
activities myself, so I can playpiano during lunch or I can
provide some of those servicesfor my background and still be
(04:50):
there to have fun with theresidents and again with the
staff.
It's a really hard job being aCNA and being a housekeeper and
being a server for this type ofpopulation.
So if I can do something funfor all staff meetings or if I
can do something fun our shiftreports just to help re-motivate
everyone during their shifts, Ithink that background from
activities and most people thatare in activities are pretty
(05:12):
outgoing, so I bring a littlebit of crazy fun to each day
that.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
I'm there, that's awesome and I think that is a
unique perspective A lot ofexecutive directors if they're
coming more from the businessside of operations because
ultimately, as far as thesuccess of the community goes
financially, it's like executivedirector on that level.
But having the activity side tomake it fun and that's what
makes people want to stickaround is when because it can be
(05:37):
brutal on the day-to-day or notbrutal but difficult, and so
having something fun even withinthe staff is and in the end,
that does help your financialsright, because turnover is very
expensive, Finding new people isexpensive, recruiting is
expensive and it also affectsyour care if you're constantly
having turnover.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
So if you are able to bring something that people
want to stay and continue towork for you, in the end it does
help your bottom line, which iswhat I'm there for.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
That's really unique insight.
I think people worry a lotabout the bottom line and then
because of that, they pushharder and harder on the front
line staff, which ultimatelyleads to so many indirect costs
that it's just better to make ita positive environment.
That's one of the keychallenges.
I think that's in the industryis the staff turnover, because
it can be difficult.
Are there other challengeswithin senior living more
(06:33):
broadly, but also like assistedliving and memory care, that you
think people or maybe youdidn't expect when you got into
it originally?
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I think right now there is still a stigma
specifically for memory care.
It is a beautiful environmentwith having memory care
facilities because it just ithelps the residents so much
having that routine and having aspecial environment when you're
going through a cognitivedecline like that.
So part of it is helping withthat stigma of families
(07:02):
realizing this is a very safeand nurturing environment for my
family member to be in and it'snot the memory care community
that I'm expecting in my head,where they're going to be locked
in their room and they can'tcome out and there's behaviors
and it's completely different.
So for me, one of thechallenges is helping families
(07:22):
see the benefit that a memorycare can provide.
Challenges is helping familiessee the benefit that a memory
care can provide and a lot oftimes after a tour they go oh,
this isn't at all what Iexpected this to be.
But I think that's one of thebiggest challenges is knowing
this is where your parent isgoing to have, or your loved one
is going to have, the best care.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
We had it's not released yet, but we had Teepa
Snow on and it was really cool,almost role playing, because I
was like, how do you handle andhow do you make the best
experience for people withcognitive decline?
And she's like, well, let's dothis.
And she's just like, on it.
And even you know, I'm not incognitive decline.
I guess you can argue thateverybody sort of is on a long
(08:00):
enough time horizon, but, um,how I felt really heard and like
it went from something that wasdifficult or confused um into
something that was an awesomeinteraction in that, that role
play.
Um, once you get a memoryterror resident in their
families on board, they did thetour there.
(08:21):
They see that the facility canprovide that support.
How do you, on an ongoing basis, um kind of share like micro
wins and happy things with thefamily, so that way they're
constantly getting um, what'sthe word I'm thinking of?
they're getting validation oftheir decision yeah, this is the
(08:42):
best thing for mom or dad.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
It's all about communication.
So even if it's just a picturesaying, hey, your mom was in
painting class today, Look ather smile, she made an amazing
watercolor portrait.
Or we went outside and had icecream and enjoyed the sun, it's
all about just communicatingwith that family and going.
This is the benefit of whatyour mom is providing here.
And they can also see thebenefits from care too, because
a lot of times the common thingswe do when we start going
(09:07):
through the dementia process weno longer do, such as showering
or brushing our teeth.
So they start noticing oh, momlooks better and she smells
better and she's getting thecare that she needs.
So they can see it too.
But I think communication isthe biggest key for that.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Just showing this is an interesting.
So I have a two and a half yearold and we were had a really
hard time.
It's not the same, but it'skind of.
As far as the communicationaspect, there was a daycare.
We were trying to find a place.
Where are we going to?
You know, it's the same whereit's somebody that we care about
so much.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Yeah, it's a stressful decision.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Yeah, and the one that we ended up deciding on.
We loved it because they sentthose updates throughout the day
of like hey, wes is doingso-and-so, or this or that, and
pictures, and I think thatthat's something that gets
overlooked, because you get soin the weeds, day-to-day that
it's like just sending thefamily a quick text or like a
picture or like an update,saying this is what we did today
(09:59):
.
Your mom loved it.
It makes a huge difference.
It really does.
Mom loved it.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
It makes a huge difference.
It really does, and just toknow that they remember, that
you know and that you careenough to send them an update
and go.
I know that you're worried andI want to help ease any of those
worries that you have, yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
And it's also a different guest that we had on
is pretty affluent person.
His mom is going throughcognitive decline and he feeling
that he mentioned is like guilt.
He's like I know that she'sdoing good but like I can't give
her that support and I feelreally guilty.
And um, where she's living atshe gets updates and a lot of
(10:35):
times he calls and she's like Ican't talk right now.
I'm I'm going to do xyzactivity.
That's going on and it justlike helps alleviate that guilt.
Is that things are, things arehappening yes, exactly um, how
do you incorporate eachresident's personal interest,
whether it's music or, um, maybea veteran who really enjoys
hunting?
(10:55):
How do you incorporate thatinto their care plans and into
the, the daily life?
Speaker 2 (11:01):
it's just getting to know the person.
I mean, it's all aboutindividualized care.
So if we do the first initialinterview before they move in
and go, so what are yourinterests and what are your
hobbies?
But then it's also stillcontinuing to get to know them
as they reside in your communityfortunate enough to have a
(11:21):
little pond there with fishingpoles and they can go fishing.
So it's just knowing theirinterests.
Or if they want to go to thetheater, we can do an outing to
the theater, or we can alwaysincorporate those things and
we're always updating ouractivity agenda for the people
that we have in the communitybecause their interests change
as we get new people livingthere.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Yeah, have you found any success?
Say that you have a prospectiveresident that's looking into it
and you find interest as far astrying to help the family feel
the most comfortable and and theresident.
Any success maybe finding adifferent resident in the
community and kind of matchingthem and saying, hey, this is
sally, sally, this is susan.
They you both really enjoy.
(12:01):
You both went to eisenhowerJunior High 50 years ago.
I think it'd be really fun totalk or something like that, yes
, we do have a.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
it's called a resident ambassador group that
we have and they will go to theapartment of new residents and
do just that, just so they know.
Hey, I was in your shoes.
This can be overwhelmingbecause you're now going from
your home you've lived in for 60years to a place with 100 new
people.
It can be extremelyoverwhelming.
So they go.
I've been in your shoes.
This is what I did to helpmyself.
This is how I can help you,being a resident here and
(12:30):
knowing how the day to dayroutines go.
So we have the residentambassador group put together,
but especially during meal times, that's one of the biggest
times for people to socialize.
So we had two gentlemen thathad served a mission in
Jerusalem, for instance, and sowe had paired them for lunch and
they had a great lunch togetherjust discussing their items
together.
So again, just knowing yourpeople and then kind of helping
(12:52):
with those relationships whilethey're there, make the
interactions happen.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
I love that.
There's something that you'vedone before that, I'm curious,
is like incorporating theirinterest into their world.
I'd love if you could sharemore about the mini musicale
programs that you put on and theimpact that that had for the
residents of the community.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
So the last one we had.
It was a mini musicale.
Like you said, it was put on bya resident.
He's actually been doing thatfor about 20, over 20 years.
He's had a group of just localtalent come together and they
just perform and he resides here.
So he said you know, I wouldlove to put this together.
He did the whole thing, heplanned it.
We just said we will have thespace, we will have the cookies
(13:36):
and we will have the chairs, andhe put everything else together
and from the other residents,seeing that he was able to bring
his passion into the community,they said it was one of the
best events that we've heldthere because they could see how
much it meant to this gentleman.
Yeah, I love that, so back onestep as far as finding the
(14:00):
resident ambassador, how do youidentify those within your
community?
Speaker 1 (14:04):
And as far as resident ambassadors, over the
years, what have you found aresome of the best or the key
attributes of the ambassadorsthat make the best impact for
residents moving in?
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Someone who wants to do it, I mean that's a good
start.
Someone who is outgoing and canhelp with any type of
personality Because, again,there's over a hundred people,
you're going to have a lot ofdifferent personalities coming
in.
But if it's someone who ispatient and understanding and
willing to work with that personand their personality, those
are kind of the best people thatwe try to look for.
But again, a lot of times wejust have people volunteer and
(14:36):
go.
I would love to help so and sowhen they move in, or I would
love to be a part of this andjust make sure they feel
comfortable.
So most of the time we justhave volunteer residents be a
part of that group.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
And so, as far as an ambassadorship goes in the
community, is it like you haveone or two, or is it if they
make a connection?
They're like I want to be thatperson's ambassador specifically
, or is it more general than?
Speaker 2 (14:59):
that it's more general.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
I think we have a group of six right now that are
kind of our welcoming president,ambassador, committee go, get
them and make everybody feelwelcomed and, yes, that's a
great group yeah, um thesomething else that I'd love to
jump into is talking about yourrole on the UALA board as a PR
(15:20):
and marketing chair.
What does that look like andhow is being on the UALA board
impacted your day to day as anexecutive director?
As you kind of, I think as anexecutive director you're
working on a community, but asthe board you kind of have to
zoom out and look at assistedliving more holistically maybe.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
There's definitely.
For me, there was a greatbenefit of seeing the backside
of everything that's happeningto help the assisted living
communities.
Uala is definitely trying toprovide a lot more education for
the communities.
Consistent education is alwayssomething that is going to help
with the care that we provide.
So, with all of the educationclasses that we've been
providing, that's a huge part ofwhat we're doing, but also
(16:02):
seeing how the UAL board ishelping on the legislative side
with.
Right now, our big focus is NewChoice Waiver, which is going to
affect everyone, especially nowwith this silver tsunami coming
in.
Coming in, there's going to bea lot of places that aren't
accepting new choice waiver, buta lot of people that are not
having the funds to live in anassisted living community but
(16:22):
need to live there.
So we're running into this bigproblem that's going to be
happening where people are notgoing to have a place to live.
So our big advocacy right nowis trying to increase the
reimbursement rate for newchoice waiver.
And just seeing the backgroundand everyone on the board that
is so dedicated to making surethis happens so that people have
(16:42):
the best place to live at theend of their life, it's amazing.
It really is just seeing thebackside of all of that.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
It is incredible to have associations like the Utah
Assisted Living Association thatgoes and goes to fight for
legislative rights for executivedirectors.
There's a community that wework with, um, and they are a
hundred percent new choicewaiver, which is very like, not
common at all right and it's thepeople there are.
(17:11):
You know, they've gone throughreally hard things, um, so they
or they maybe don't have familysupport, so they aren't able to
get, they aren't able to pay forthese nicer communities and
it's sad to see that thiscommunity that's trying to help
so many New Choices waiver, likethe I don't know how to say
this in the best way possible.
(17:31):
The caliber of staff sometimesbecause they don't have the
budget, because thereimbursement rate is so much
lower than what you get fromprivate pay.
That's like staff and then thestaff to resident ratio, just so
many things that make itdifficult to building to keep it
up.
It's like as far as cleaningand just maintenance, it's it's
(17:53):
hard to see.
So it's cool that you all isgoing to bat for, for assisted
livings across the state to tryto improve that.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Thank you, yeah, there really is.
I mean just with, like youmentioned, the payroll alone is
one of your biggest expenses ofrunning an assisted living.
So the more resources you have,especially from private pay,
the more you can pay your CNAs,the more that they're going to
stay Again.
It all ties into that biggerpicture, so it's definitely
going to be a concern movingforward.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Yeah, there's the upward and downward spiral of
being able to charge.
More is when you can chargemore you can do.
Get better staff who canprovide better care to makes a
better experience, and it keepsgoing up and it's kind of the
same downward.
So I think once that changehappens it'll be awesome.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Yes, we'll be all of the positive, we're fighting for
it.
But again, just seeing theadvocacy on the side of other
board members that are goinginto legislation, they're going
into the Capitol, they're doingall these things and pushing,
it's very motivating to see thepassion they have for helping
the people that aren't even inour communities yet.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
But preparing for those people, yeah, that aren't
even in our communities yet, butpreparing for those people,
yeah, touching back on theeducation aspect of what you all
is putting out for people, whatkind of education is it like,
caregiver?
Speaker 2 (19:09):
trainings.
Is it like what?
Yeah, what education is broad,yes.
So every year we do a bigconference which has a bunch of
different educational pieces toit.
The last two years we did haveTipa Snow who was our guest
speaker, and she came out anddid a wonderful training for
everyone.
But throughout the year we alsodo have different roundtable
groups as well.
So, especially for executivedirectors, there's been a new
(19:30):
inspection process in place.
So for us to make sure thatwe're doing what we need to as a
community, the regulations andthat inspection process have
changed a little bit.
So for us to make sure theexecutive directors are
performing the best that they,can we provide that education,
saying, okay, these are thechanges.
What are you guys doing in yourcommunity?
Who has the best practice inthis?
(19:50):
Who has the best practice inthis?
How can we combine minds andmake sure that we're all
providing the best care?
Because, especially in thisindustry, of course we're
competitors sure that we're allproviding the best care, because
, especially in this industry,of course we're competitors,
yeah but we're all on the samepage of wanting to provide the
best care for our seniors.
So we have a great camaraderiewith the people that are in the
area as well and making surethat we are providing that care
across the entire state.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Yeah, I heard.
I can't remember who I wastalking to, but he said in the
space, your competitors.
But really your competitionisn't the community across the
street, it's trying to, it's theeducating a senior that moving
out of their home is a betteroption sometimes, yes, so it's a
lot less about you know thisresident.
(20:33):
If it goes to that, if theymove in there, we're losing
somebody, it's like no we're,that was a win for both
communities, even though they'recompetitors.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yes, exactly, and we always want it to be the right
fit.
Like Creekside is differentthan a different building down
the road, so it's up to whatthat resident thinks is going to
be the best choice for them,because we want them to have
that quality of life and enjoythe place that they live.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
So it's a different fit for everyone.
Yeah, and ultimately, as longas every senior living is
providing the better care, it'sa win long-term, five, 10 years
from now as, like I said, thesilver tsunami is coming in with
their misguided, maybe tainted,understanding of what senior
living looks like from theseventies.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Right.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
That if somebody moves in somewhere and they have
a good experience five yearsfrom now, that'll elevate what
assisted living means as far ason the UALA board.
As the PR and marketingdirector specifically, what does
that kind of entail?
Is that your job is to try tomake sure that everybody's
attending that awesomeconference, or what does that
(21:36):
look like?
Speaker 2 (21:37):
Right now it's also just promoting the word of UALA,
just making sure that buildingsknow who we are and how we can
help support them.
Sometimes, especially withsmaller buildings, you may not
have the resources that biggerbuildings do, but we're here to
help serve all of the buildingsin Utah.
So if you're trying to look for, like I mentioned, what is the
new inspection process or howcan I ask this question when I
(21:58):
don't have someone directlyabove me, or how do I get the
resource for this, we helpprovide a lot of those resources
.
One of the resources that youall have put out a few years ago
was like a mock survey so youcould go through your building
and go am I in compliance withthese things?
And it was available to thecommunities.
So it's us just making sure,and me as the PR and marketing
(22:18):
who are we and what are we doingis pretty much my role.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
That's awesome and it's the cool thing is that you,
what you're teaching people andthe brand that you're building
for you all is like we're justhere to help.
That's about all there is.
So it's a good brand to be ableto build.
That's about all there is.
So it's a good brand to be ableto build.
Yeah, you have a lot going onin your world.
Executive director, the UALAboard.
(22:42):
We've had other executivedirectors that I've talked to
that they hadn't had a weekendvacation in the Christmas
holiday for eight years.
How are you balancing and forthe professionals out there that
are kind of feeling that itmakes it difficult to stay in
(23:03):
the industry, how do you balancepersonal demands with also the
demanding roles of what?
Speaker 2 (23:06):
you're doing on a day-to-day.
It's different for everyone andI think I have the same answer
a lot of people do, but for meand my role as executive
director, it's trusting thepeople that are managing with me
, so I make sure I have theright people in the right place.
I know that my dining directoris taking care of this.
I know that my nurse is takingcare of this, so if I need to
have a day off or if I need tobalance that work-life balance,
(23:29):
my team has got it.
I'm just there to support them.
So they're the experts in theirfield too.
So that is the biggest piecethat you can have is knowing you
have those competent people inplace.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
That's going to help people step into the role and
that leadership in their area ofexpertise is because it's like
(24:03):
I trust that you are themarketing director here, I trust
that you're the activitiesdirector, I trust that you're
the lead caregiver, the leadnurse, Um, and you know they
might make a mistake and youhave to reel it, not reel a
trust back in, but reel in thecommunications.
But it ultimately just makes abetter work experience.
And then also, like I said,that personal life just not
(24:25):
taking every single issue ontoyour own shoulders is the way to
make it just a good experience.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
Yeah, and it just makes a difference when you feel
that trust too.
Like I feel that as well in myrole.
So if they are able to feelthat you just perform better.
But I know a lot of buildingsand even when I first started as
an executive director, it'shard if you have to make some of
those changes because you gowell, now I'm going to have to
take on that role, so we mightas well just leave that person
in.
So it's sometimes hard,especially with turnover, but
(24:54):
sometimes it's better to getthrough that hard time and then
you find that person that'sperfect for that role and you go
this makes a world ofdifference.
So it's it's just, yeah,finding your team.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Yeah, I love that.
Um, a lot of people in theworld um have kind of a negative
outlook on aging.
Um, there's there's a lot ofpeeves that I have of like
that's just what you do when youget old and it's like what are
you talking about?
How has your career in seniorliving impacted your perspective
(25:24):
on aging and caregiving andjust everything?
Speaker 2 (25:30):
My biggest thing, I think, with seeing people in
that generation is and this isthe advice I get all the time is
if you want to do something oryou have the inkling of going
somewhere or doing something ortraveling, just do it, because
pretty soon you're going to be90 and you're not going to be
able to do it.
So, the biggest advice I'vealways gotten is just live your
life the best you can, and Iknow it sounds cliche, but I
(25:51):
really take that to heart fromeveryone I've talked to.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Yeah, that's a cool perspective because I imagine a
lot of the residents that youtalk to when maybe talking about
their life, they probably talkabout those experiences when
they traveled or the experiencewhen they did the scary thing
that holds people back andthat's like when they get into
their 80s and 90s and that'swhat they care about and it's a
lot less about.
It is things that people youknow keeping up with the Joneses
(26:19):
I you know I bought the betterboat than I doubt.
You hear that very often I havea nicer boat than my neighbor
when I was 42.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
But I'm seeing a lot more of that too, where people
are they're very proud of thelife they lived, which is really
nice to see too.
So it's just creating the lifethat you're proud of I.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
One of my like personal life missions is, um,
what I truly believe is thatevery, every person is leading
an amazing life, and a lot ofthe times, um, when they get
into their later years, theydon't feel that way.
Maybe they don't their kidsaren't as around, or they they
did the thing, like you said,they like they just lived life.
Um, they had experiences, theydid some cool stuff.
(27:01):
They also worked for 40 yearslike everybody else.
And then they get there andthey feel like they're looking
back on life and like, oh, Ididn't, I wasn't famous or
something, and so they don'tfeel valued.
But it's cool to have seniorsthat are proud of their life,
and then our job, I feel, aspeople that interact with
seniors, is to try to highlightthe life that they've lived.
(27:24):
Every chance we can Like justbringing up the experiences
they've had, asking about youknow, what did you do in your
what, what sport did you like inhigh school, and just like
makes them remember oh, wow, Iwas a cool person.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Yeah, and sometimes they get forgotten or like your
life was valued and you made adifference in a lot of other
people's lives.
That's the biggest thing peoplewant to feel while they're going
through that end of life is Icreated value in someone else's
life.
So the biggest thing, the onlyregret I've ever heard from
someone like you said, isn't oh,I didn't buy that boat or I
didn't do this.
The only regret I've heard fromsomeone would be I didn't spend
enough time with my family.
That would be the only one I'veheard.
(27:58):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
I think that's powerful, as people listening to
this trying to chase whateverthey might be chasing, to a
financial end or just knowingthat that's the regret.
When people are looking back on80 years lived, that's what
they care most about.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Yeah, it's a good perspective to have.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Yeah, that's something that so many people
miss out on because they think,oh, when you get old, old people
are so like it's so annoyingand you want to keep climbing
the ladder which is good too,yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:28):
But that that is the most important thing that they
reflect back on.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Yeah, love that.
As we're getting closer to theend of this episode, I'm curious
what trends you see shaping thefuture of senior living, what
things you're excited about,maybe in the technology sector
or in the legislative sector.
What trends do you seehappening over the next handful
of years, into maybe the nextdecade?
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Right now, actually, on the technology side, we're
going into the generation nowwhere the residents all have
iPhones, so this is a new trendthat we're also getting used to,
where we no longer have, likethe landline phones and we're
just adjusting to the needs thatthey're doing.
We're moving from thegeneration that was scared of
using QR codes and doing all ofthis stuff on the Internet
(29:09):
because they're going to takeyour information to people that
are like oh yeah, I have aniPhone, I can do that.
Do you have an app for that?
So, it's just adjusting to moreof the accessibility to what
they are having.
Yeah, I think that's going tobe one of the biggest changes
that we're going to see.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
That's awesome.
We have an app called HelperlyConnect and that's just like fun
, interest-based piano classesonline for seniors and we have
analytics on the back end.
You can tell if they join froma tablet, a phone or a desktop
and it's between tablet andphone.
I think it's like 87%.
So I think that's a reallyoutdated.
(29:45):
Like you said, we're gettingnot necessarily outdated.
We're getting to the seniorsthat you know they've had
technology and they've adoptedit and it's like, oh yeah, I've
got an iPad or I've got aniPhone or I've got whatever, and
they're used to it.
And I think that a lot ofcommunities are still, when
they're approached withtechnology, they think, oh, my
residents don't use that, andit's like they probably would.
(30:07):
Or yeah, so yeah, and even itwas a different mindset for me.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
I mean, we still print paper for it's still paper
generation.
But it's just knowing, as we'removing forward, that's going to
be more of their main focus, oftheir main focus.
One of the other things thatwe're noticing too, like you had
mentioned, with having a goodname building for assisted
livings and independent livings.
it's starting to be a youngerpopulation, so tailoring some of
the activities and theamenities that we have in our
(30:31):
buildings to people that arestill driving and still active
and still working, that's one ofthe bigger things we're
tailoring to as well.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
That's awesome and I think that that's a really cool
trend of younger people movingin, more technologically savvy
people moving in.
It just makes it where assistedliving can be.
It's not quite the same as likea college dorm, but it's kind
of fun, like you went throughoutyour life and now you're back
to just like hanging out withyour buddies and just having a
(31:00):
really social life.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
Yeah, it just having a really social life versus like
a care building which we can,we provide the care.
But yeah, it's more of thatsocial aspect, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Which is really cool.
I think that's what seniorswell, that's what everybody
needs is some sort of socialengagement in their life, and
it's cool that that's whatsenior living is becoming.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
I agree.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
What is your goal for Creekside Senior Living in the
coming years?
And then after that, what'syour goal for UALA in the coming
years, as you're obviously havenew choices, waiver, but maybe
beyond that.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
It's continuing to so .
For UALA side, I know just frommy chair role with PR and
marketing.
Specifically it's getting moreof the buildings involved and
showing them the resources thatwe do have available so that we
can all be on the same pagetogether.
I think we're still moving inthe right direction.
A lot more people have joinedand know kind of what's going on
but involving more of thebuildings, more in the South too
(31:52):
.
Like we have a mini conferencein St George coming up.
So some of those buildings to go.
Hey, you know we are still here.
We're an advocate for you aswell.
So making sure that we provideresources for the whole state is
what we're moving toward forour goals with UALA and then for
Creekside specifically.
It's just enhancing the livesof the residents, families and
(32:12):
staff that we have there everyday.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
That's awesome.
I like on the education aspectof UALA, really fast, I went to
the.
I've gone to the U all theconference the last two years um
, and it's cool to see that it'snot just like executive
directors, but you have like thewhole array of staff that are
there getting educated on highlevel.
Like this is what the industryis.
This is where we're going, thisis what we're fighting about.
(32:35):
Fighting for sorry um, and justaligns the entire staff of the
community.
That's supporting the seniorrather than being just for
executive directors or themanagement.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
Um and moving forward to one thing we're trying to
put together, um, as the wallaboard is more of that education
, like you mentioned, for thefrontline staff, because we have
the train the trainer kind ofprogram right now, but if we can
directly train the staff thatare helping with these cares,
that's more of our focus movingforward as well.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
That's awesome Wrapping up.
What advice would you give tosomeone considering a career in
senior living or any sort ofkind of long-term care
management?
Do it, it's fun.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
That's fun, I mean it's a crazy whirlwind of a
career, but every day isfulfilling and there are hard
times.
But if this is something you'reinterested in, the first step
is to just do it, just apply andhave resources available.
We have the UALA website.
If you want more support onthat too, you can join a
committee.
I mean, there's a lot of waysyou can get involved.
(33:41):
But I say, just do it.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Awesome.
Could you share like a finalthought or piece of advice for
listeners?
Maybe they're going through ahard day and they haven't had
that golden nugget from aresident.
When days like that happen, andmaybe they're listening to this
episode what would you say tothem?
Speaker 2 (34:02):
What I would say.
One of the residents that Italked to and she gives me daily
motivational advice.
She says human connection isthe greatest power we have.
So, whatever we have going onthroughout the day, if you make
one connection, one humanconnection, and you make
someone's day, that's the bestthing that we can do.
So make someone's day today.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Awesome, that's an awesome invitation Just go.
If you're having a hard day,don't wait for somebody to make
your day.
Try to make theirs, and it'll,in turn, make your day.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
Come back to you Exactly.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Yeah, you mentioned youalacom.
As far as people that want tojoin youala, is it just
youalacom, and then who to joinyouala?
And that's where we'll wrap up.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Yeah, absolutely so.
If you just Google the Utahassisted living association,
there is a committee form on thedropdown box that you can also
kind of browse through and seeif you're interested in joining
a committee.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
PR, marketing committee.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Sorry, but that's a good way to also get involved
and see what we're working on,and then you can be involved in
our calls and see what impactyou can make as well.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Awesome.
Yeah, you all is doing amazingthings.
You're doing amazing things.
Career has been awesome, so Ireally appreciate you taking
some time today and I think thiswill impact a lot of people in
the space.
Awesome, thank you so much.
Thanks, cece.
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