Mitchell Elliott
As Chief Development Officer, Elliott serves on the Executive Leadership Team for Vetter Health Services (www.vetterhealthservices.com). He oversees planning, design, construction, and facilities management in 33 senior living campuses in the Midwest. Elliott is currently Vice President of the SAGE Federation and serves on the AHCA Life Safety Committee. He has served as a juror for the Long-Term Living DESIGN competition.
High-tech, high-touch connectivity
While attending the LeadingAge Conference in Denver last month, I had the opportunity to converse with Conrad, a well-spoken 80-year-old who was representing his CCRC board at this conference. What impacted me most about my chat with Conrad was his desire to be connected and to be heard. Read More » Taking a stand on seating in long-term care
Many of our LTC residents are eating meals while sitting in their wheelchairs. How much do we "institutionalize" our residents by passively convincing them that sitting in the wheelchair in the dining room "is easier for everyone"? Time after time, we realize that our processes and philosophies have to be revisited and reiterated constantly. Read More » Surplus safety
Can too much safety actually cause harm? Dr. Bill Thomas, Judah Ronch, PhD and Margaret Calkins, PhD, posed a combination of thought-provoking statements and questions to attendees at the Environments for Aging conference. Read More » Decimals, decibels, lumens—and long-term care
Will our codes and regulations inhibit or enable providers to meet the demands of an up and coming Baby Boomer generation of healthcare consumers? We may not have to wait long to find out. Read More » Abandon ‘the help’ and recognize your staff
Beyond verbal communication, I wondered how else we may be devaluing our team members who work so closely with residents. Consider these questions about the design of your environments—and the messages they send to employees. Read More » Foresight vs. hindsight: Interesting perspectives for those in senior living
As an architect and designer, I am encouraged to gather input from clients as we begin the planning and design process. In the senior living world, Read More » Does your facility tell a story? It might have to, if you want to survive
Daniel Pink, in his opening keynote address at the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living’s 62nd Annual Convention & Read More » Lessons from Pioneer 2011: Neighborhood Nurses and obtrusive noise
St. Charles, Missouri, was the site of the 2011 annual convention for the Pioneer Network. This was the fourth Pioneer event I have attended; I had Read More » Life safety = quality of life
Flooding, tornados, hurricanes, fires and terrorism—we live in volatile times in a volatile world. As I traveled last week to the annual National Read More » EFA at a close: Designers have much to accomplish for our aging population
Inspired. Challenged. Conflicted. Convinced. These are just a few of the emotions I have been experiencing here at Environments for Aging this week. Read More » Designing the perfect bathroom for elders and other EFA observances
Three quarters of the way through the first full day and I feel like I am trying to get a drink of water from a high pressure fire hose. The depth, Read More » EFA: From the eyes of a returning attendee
I have had the opportunity to attend Environments for Aging the past five years or so. It is by far the most valuable conference I attend during the Read More » 