I took a year off in 2004, to do some travel, remodel aspects of my 85 year old mother's home in West Los Angeles, and pay more attention to my middle age health. Bouyant and re-charged, I returned to the job market, and was immediately hired by another corporation's "flagship property". As Dietary Director, I was still charged with a similar mission, "do whatever it takes to keep the residents satisfied". Only this time, my company was for profit; the first senior corporation I worked for was not for profit.
In eighteen months, I improved the resident satisfaction from 50%, when I began my tenure, to 94% as of September 2007. My residents knew that I was not just a chef, but a nutritionist, focused on improving resident wellness. They had no prior knowledge of quinoa, wheat berries, eating for antioxidant protection: but I took the responsibility seriously, for improving their understanding of nutrition and it's straight line correlation to their current state of wellness. My mission was to educate.
To their credit, some retirement corporations are genuinely interested in positively influencing the way in which their residents age. Sadly, most programming, in my experience, in the six dimensions of wellness programming are all grossly underfunded.
The two corporations from which I draw my experience, and these conclusions, seemed to more of an interest in maintaining full occupancy, than in promoting wellness for the residents . My corporate supervisor actually instructed me to use commercial high sodium meatballs, because they were "cheaper" than scratch; the same fellow instructed me when I first arrived, that I should not cater to special diets: "we do not cater to special diets". Nutrition was not a primary concern, but it should be. Malnutrition is one of the primary reasons that adult children seek to move their parents into a community. Malnutrition amongst the senior population is staggering, and omnipresent, even when adjusted for economic factors.
Commitment to wellness, and staffing expertise should be a common denominator for communities committed to housing seniors . But it is not a common denominator. In one community, I personally raised $20,000 from the residents to build a wellness and balance room, and the corporation matched these funds to help realize the goal of promoting active aging. This community was very interested to walking the talk.
The other community had excellent equipment, but had a Wellness Director with no experience or certifications in senior fitness.
Most of these retirement communities struggle with occupancy, because people come in with some serious challenges, and while in residency, usually go quickly downhill. So the corporations that profit from occupancy, spend alot of money on marketing, but much less money on regular programming that benefits existing residents. This is my greatest concern. Marketing is very important, but everyday programming for residents that actively promotes and fosters wellness and active aging shows a greater sense of corporate responsibility.
My last employer made $11 million dollars in profit from 23 retirement communities; they spent $2.40 per resident per meal, based on two meals per day. Dining services had, by far, the largest budget for all the properties within the corporation: that will tell you how little is actually spent on housekeeping, wellness, environmental services, capital expenses. In September of 2007, the management team of my property had to discourage the corporate leadership from spending $250,000 renovating the front of the building for aesthetic reasons(stamped concrete, palms, glamorous entrance, walkways,lighting), when the residents were screaming about the level of noise in their dining room, and the discomfort of their upholstered chairs.
If you care about the way that your parent ages, there are many other alternatives to these glossy retirement communities. At the very least, you should understand that the data supports the conclusion that people moving into retirement communities, actually decline faster than they would if they were at home with caregivers.
My last employer made $11 million dollars in profit from 23 retirement communities; they spent $2.40 per resident per meal, based on two meals per day. Dining services had, by far, the largest budget for all the properties within the corporation: that will tell you how little is actually spent on housekeeping, wellness, environmental services, capital expenses. In September of 2007, the management team of my property had to discourage the corporate leadership from spending $250,000 renovating the front of the building for aesthetic reasons(stamped concrete, palms, glamorous entrance, walkways,lighting), when the residents were screaming about the level of noise in their dining room, and the discomfort of their upholstered chairs.
If you care about the way that your parent ages, there are many other alternatives to these glossy retirement communities. At the very least, you should understand that the data supports the conclusion that people moving into retirement communities, actually decline faster than they would if they were at home with caregivers.
Retirement Community corporations must exercise more corporate responsibility toward active aging programming and creating more socially responsible environments. Wellness, and activity programs must be properly funded. It is time for these corporations to properly commit funding for recycling, greening the dietary operations, and minimizing campus generated waste. A funded commitment to wellness does not stop at the fitness room.
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