Welcome to the April 26-29 Convocation

BY JOSEPH CERQUONE, ACHCA DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

As Mary Tellis-Nayak, ACHCA president and CEO, explains, “Like any field, long-term care needs new ideas, new energy, new blood, if it is going to not only continue, but also advance. Thus, we committed ourselves to framing our upcoming Convocation as a truly exciting educational resource, with the capacity to renew not only the long-term care profession in general, but also each Convocation attendee. I’m particularly excited by what we have planned for students. It’s imperative that we use every opportunity to include, attract, and groom them to take over tomorrow, especially now, when so many of our peers are leaving the long-term care profession.”

An impressive lineup of speakers will head the Convocation’s general sessions. The Saturday, April 26, session will feature one of the world’s experts on aging, Thomas Perls, MD, MPH. For the past seven years, Dr. Perls has directed the New England Centenarian Study, the largest genetic and social study of centenarians and their families in the world. Widely published and covered and quoted by media across the globe, Dr. Perls is expected to share his many findings and insights about the scientific, social, and environmental factors that contribute to aging well-information that should be useful and interesting to anyone who cares for the elderly.

On Sunday, April 27, William L. Keane of The Mather Institute on Aging, Mather LifeWays, will talk about culture change in long-term care. A charter Pioneer Network board member and award-winning expert, Keane coordinates Mather’s initiatives in comprehensive dementia services for home, community, and residential settings. In that role, he draws upon the considerable experience he’s gained from dealing with local, national, and international organizations on dementia care and policy.

Finally, on Monday, April 28, the embodiment of one of the leading forces for change in long-term care-William Thomas, MD, founder/president of the Eden Alternative-will update the general session audience on that initiative. Always thought-provoking and challenging, Dr. Thomas promotes a philosophy that contends that loneliness, helplessness, and boredom account for most of the suffering among elders; promotes elder-centered communities, where residents have close and continuing contact with plants, animals, and children; and, favors putting as much decision-making authority as possible into the hands of the elderly or those closest to them.

When an ACHCA publication interviewed Dr. Thomas at the end of 2001, he expressed great faith in the ACHCA membership as an agent of progress-and, in so doing, articulated why it’s especially fitting that they attend the upcoming Convocation in Charleston. “[They] represent the best and brightest in long-term care administration,” he said at the time. “Furthermore, it’s where the administrators of tomorrow will come from. Indeed, people join ACHCA because they want to develop themselves into leaders in long-term care-they want to go beyond what they know today and they’re interested in trying to better themselves. It’s the kind of organization from which a generation of progressive leaders can come.”

Aside from Dr. Thomas’ address, there will be several Eden Alternative offerings among the Convocation’s wide array of concurrent educational sessions. They will not be the only ones focusing on “culture change,” however. Sessions featuring speakers from the Pioneer Network will be available, too. For example, Rose Marie Fagan, executive director of the Pioneer Network, will lead a session on managing resistance to change. It will examine the causes of resistance; how to overcome barriers put up by staff, residents, and families; and how to account for, understand, and appreciate many points of view, yet forge a unified approach to care.

Altogether, Convocation attendees will be able to earn up to 16 CEUs and as many as 28 contact hours. Moreover, professional development will be possible through several preconference offerings, including Expert Witness Training, perennially a highly rated resource. There will also be a two-day program on risk management and resident safety (with attendees receiving a complimentary CD-ROM of the Risk Management Tool Kit from the LTC Alliance, LLC); certificate programs in OBRA timing and scheduling for the MDS 2.0; billing and the MDS 2.0 for clinicians; and a two-day workshop offering six of the seven Amer-ican Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators core courses on the essential elements of the RAI/MDS process and the Medicare PPS.

Although culture change will be a prominent focus, “Quality First” will also be highlighted. A motto originally adopted in mid-2002 by national long-term care leaders in proposing a provider covenant for healthy, affordable, and ethical aging services, “Quality First” calls for several outcomes by 2006, including continued improvement in compliance with federal regulations, and demonstrable progress in promoting financial integrity; preventing occurrences of fraud, confirmed abuse, and neglect; and advancing high-quality clinical outcomes. William L. Minnix, Jr., president and CEO of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, a covenant signatory, will speak at the Awards Banquet. For the first time in years, the Banquet will occur during the middle (Sunday, April 27) of the Convocation, not at the end-a change which should make it easier and more convenient to attend. Meanwhile, Nursing Homes/Long Term Care Management, long an ACHCA sponsor, will present a panel highlighting its OPTIMA Award, a juried honor that recognizes long-term care facilities for innovation.

When attendees aren’t taking advantage of Convocation educational offerings, professional resources, and product exhibition, they will be able to enjoy the beauty and charm of Charleston, one of the most desirable travel locations in the world. Several special tours and activities are planned for attendees who wish to participate; otherwise, they will be free to explore a city that has been named a “Top Ten” destination by CondT Nast Traveler magazine nine years in a row.

As of the end of 2002, Ross Products Division, Abbott Laboratories; Aventis Pharmaceuticals; Cornell Communications; Direct Supply; AIG American General & Innovative Consumers Insurance; Virtual Care Provider; Healthcare Services Group; and ACHCA’s New York Chapter had agreed to sponsor the Convocation, while expressions of interest were pending from several other potential sponsors. Meantime, with slots for 100 exhibitors at the Charleston Convention Center, the exposition component of the Convocation continued to draw strong interest. Given that the exhibitor evaluations from the last ACHCA Convocation were very positive, it is expected that this year’s event will once again be a worthwhile investment for vendors and their visitors. NH