“I no longer get old. I work with people 80, 90, 100 years old that are young at heart. It teaches you that you can have a vibrant and young perspective no matter what your age.”
— Jennifer Rannestad, Executive Director, Life Care Services, Essex Meadows, CT
“I always let my managers manage operations. I love fund-raising. Almost all CEOs have grown up through operations. But I’ve given it up to focus on fund-raising and strategies. I’ve got good people and let them work and do their thing.”
— Scott Swanson, President/CEO, The Danish Home of Chicago, Chicago
“I’ve stopped using institutional-sounding words related to long-term care, e.g., life center vs. nursing home, care center vs. facility, resident vs. patient, experience director vs. administrator, guest vs. prospect, restaurant vs. dining room.”
— Mary Leary, CEO and President, Mather Lifeways, Evanston, IL
“I’ve stopped thinking that life after a certain age ends. After seeing the residents of the Hebrew Home do so much in their 80s, 90s and 100s, continuing to learn and grow as they age, I have gained an appreciation`that vitality has no age limit.”
— George Eley, Manager of Special
Programs, Hebrew Home at Riverdale, Riverdale, NY
“I’m eating more healthy foods, have eliminated smoking and become more active physically. I’ve also communicated my choice of how I want my end of life handled with my family. Basically, because I’m single with no children, I wanted to clear up who would represent me.”
— Shelley Acus, RN, Director of Nursing, Maple Knoll Village, Cincinnati
“I’m not jumping the gun to purchase equipment without going back to understand the needs of the users. And not falling for mere marketing materials.”
— Bianca Stern, MSc, BSc OT, OT Reg., Executive Director, Culture, Arts & Innovation, Baycrest, Toronto
“I learned the value of leadership and big-picture thinking. There’s real value to it. I went to Benedictine [University] and got my MBA at age 52. My second son and I were students at the same time.”
— John J. Hurley, Executive Director, Lutheran Life Communities, Chicago
“I’ve stopped thinking that just because you’re getting older there are limits to what you can do. I’ve seen amazing things. I’ve seen a man 103 years old dream up how to water his plants or do some other needed things. He was always dreaming up things. He never stopped being an engineer.”
— Tim Jackson, Friends Homes at Guilford, Greensboro, NC
From the February 01, 2016 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
