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More than 500 individuals who work in long-term care and assisted living businesses will enter an exciting revolution of culture change at Mississippi Health Care Association's (MHCA) 2007 annual convention and trade show.

MHCA president Tripp Francis promises that June 12-14 conventioneers aim to continue "improving the quality of life for our residents and staff" through meeting participation.

"This year, we expect some 350 people who work in nursing homes and assisted living centers to come 'Back to the Beau' Rivage in Biloxi for an unprecedented learning experience," Francis said. "With everybody focused on 'The Kaleidoscope of Change,' our members will emphasize their progressive and innovative campaign to make our industry better."

Association executive director Vanessa Phipps Henderson describes the culture change that's already well underway statewide: "Long-term care facilities and assisted living centers resemble nothing remotely conceived 30, 20, even 10 years ago. The staffs are different — representing a wider array of health specialists, including social workers, activity therapists, and chaplains — and better trained than ever before. Nurses and certified nursing assistants, particularly, are much better educated and bring more skills to the work place."
Residents are very different too, added Henderson, whose knowledge base includes two decades' experience in health facilities licensure and certification, having retired as director of that office, Mississippi State Department of Health, to take the MHCA post in 2002.

"Today's long-term care resident requires skilled nursing care," she said. "The residents do not live in nursing homes because their families need a place to 'park' them. They're usually older and more frail than we saw years ago. At the same time, their desires for dignity, choice, and comfort have driven their service providers to change the way they conduct business. Facility owners and staff want their residents to be safe, optimally healthy, and happy."

Convention speakers Elizabeth A. Bartlett and Anna Ortigara will guide conventioneers to work smarter to achieve their goals.

Bartlett brings more than 20 years experience in organizational dynamics, culture and ethnicity, and strategic marketing; she's addressed the United States Senate and numerous other organizations on the "changing senior markets" and the importance of culture, ethnicity and spirituality. Bartlett previously directed KPMG's Senior Living Services Practice in Harrisburg, Penn.

"My presentation focuses on the changing dynamics within the aging field — the fact that aging is not a linear process, and most organizations are ill equipped to transform themselves because they fail to recognize that culture will eat any great strategy for lunch," Bartlett said. "At the heart of transformation or change are people, most of whom define themselves by what they do or the 'feelings' they derive from their work.

"We must know, though, that change is a journey, not a process. As a society, we espouse the word 'change' and its supposed concept frequently. But most of us hate it, do everything we can to avoid it. With an aging workforce and aging society, we're all more resistant than ever to true change. That's why this convention and opportunity to talk about these concepts can be such an awakening for MHCA."

Ortigara, a master's level RN and fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, is an associate editor of Alzheimer's Care Quarterly and primary author of LEAP for the 21st Century Long-Term Care Workforce. For the past 26 years, she has focused her practice in gerontology and Alzheimer's disease.

Beyond the education sessions, MHCA conventioneers will hear from Mississippi House of Representatives Public Health and Human Services committee chairman Steve Holland.

Candidates for the statewide offices of governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general will speak at a luncheon on June 14, Flag Day.

Registered nurses, nursing home administrators, and social workers can earn continuing education credit, and all attendees will be eligible for cash drawings during the trade show.

Concurrently, the Mississippi Health Care Foundation will sponsor a silent auction, a fundraiser for buying medical and personal needs for nursing home residents, fulfilling lifelong dreams through the Make a Memory program, awarding scholarships for nursing home staff to continue their education in long-term care, and promoting positive community awareness about the profession.
Convention registration and auction donation information is available online at www.mshca.com, by telephone to 601-956-3472, or by contacting MHCA at 114 Marketridge Drive, Ridgeland 39157.


May 2007

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