January 24, 2025
At the core of our business, we have built our reputation by providing high-quality, affordable housing to older Americans. We have done so by prioritizing continuous education and a commitment to industry-leading standards. This process ensures our residents enjoy safe, enriching and vibrant communities. Recent milestones, such as team members presenting at the prestigious LeadingAge Annual Conference, being represented at the leading American Association for Service Coordinators Conference, and hosting our own comprehensive internal training programs, demonstrate our dedication to staying at the forefront of senior living excellence.
Last October, we had an opportunity to showcase our expertise and leadership at the LeadingAge Annual Conference. Sandra Dzankovic, Director of Operations for Independent Living, and Jennifer Parks, Director of Service Coordination, represented AHEPA Senior Living by sharing insights and lessons learned with their industry peers. The topic of their discussion was “Enhancing Quality through Teamwork in Affordable Housing,” where they shared their secret for improving teamwork between housing community property management teams and service coordination teams. As a result, residents benefit from AHEPA Senior Living’s approach to teamwork. The panel featured a resident from our LaVergne, Tennessee community who shared this perspective, which was well-received by the audience.
Sandra’s contribution emphasized the crucial role of streamlining operations to help with maintaining high-quality living environments. Jennifer’s focused approach to service coordination highlights the importance of addressing the diverse needs of residents, from mental health to community engagement. Their presence at the conference both showcased AHEPA’s forward-thinking ethos and reinforced our standing as a trend setter in senior living.
Next, we held a Service Coordinators Internal Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, where we discussed the industry’s leading topics on older adult services, with an emphasis on mental health, to our service coordinator teams as well as others from the industry who signed up. This event ensured our service coordinators had the latest knowledge and tools to address the changing needs of our residents. Key topics covered include mental health awareness, with a focus on men and veterans; cognitive awareness and decline, safety procedures, understanding caretakers, and best practices for delivering consistent, high-quality services. These topics are key when creating a supportive and enriching environment for all our residents.
“We hold our conference annually to ensure that service coordinators gain knowledge, broaden their minds, and receive quality in-person training,” Quality Assurance Manager Bridgette Carter said. “It also provides opportunities for service coordinators to connect, recap their learning, and enhance their skills and abilities.”
Moreover, we held our annual Property Managers Conference in Fishers, Indiana. This annual training helps seasoned property managers stay up to date with essential regulations and current processes. Here, we addressed several critical areas such as compliance, fair housing laws, safety protocols and emergency preparedness thanks to presentations given by experts in these industry spaces. These topics are crucial for maintaining our communities with integrity and safety in mind, and by discussing these best practices, we ensure our communities are both compliant with legal standards and aim to exceed expectations for comfort and peace of mind for our residents. The conference also provides a forum for our property managers to engage with the executive officers of our board of directors, facilitating a two-way avenue of communication.
New property managers are also immersed in training. These four-day sessions are focused in the classroom with workstations set up to allow property managers to complete all workflows as required by their positions. For example, they are led through the processes of guest registration, all the way to qualifying prospective residents according to HUD guidelines and moving qualified residents into their properties.
“This was an intensive training that enabled property managers to network, learn, and ‘put the pieces together’ in their individual placements,” stated Maria Gray-Gerhart, the Director of Training. “We had a great time and build rapport that will enable me to support trainees and these new property managers to support one another in the future.”
Our approach to excellence is established through consistent training, a focus on best practices, and the drive from the leaders within our organization. This sets us apart from others in the senior living industry. Whether through engaging presentations at national conferences or internal training programs, we demonstrate our commitment to creating vibrant, supportive communities for residents through excellence. By prioritizing continuous improvement, we have and will continue to remain a trusted leader in senior living today and in the future.