This year Carmen Bowman will be hosting and presenting the Proactive Practices to Prevent Falls series.

Action Pact has exhausted the same old list of “interventions.” Replace old, institutional “interventions” with individualized approaches and proactive practices. Learn how to create a proactive fall reduction culture by all. Teach everyone they have the SUPERPOWER to help prevent falls.

January 28, 2022: Moving from the same old “interventions” to Proactive Practices to Prevent Falls
February 18, 2022: Proactive Practice to Prevent Falls: Anticipating Needs, particularly bathroom needs, by all
March 18, 2022: Proactive Practice to Prevent Falls: Proactively checking in with residents by all

November 16, 2021: Recharge with a Nature Fix
Speaker: Tammy Marshall, Biophiliac & Longevity Expert and Founder & CEO of Biophilia Pharma

Join Pioneer Network for the last of the 2021 Share the Vision webinars, where speaker, Tammy Marshall, Biophiliac & Longevity Expert and Founder & CEO of Biophilia Pharma, will share with attendees the power of nature in supporting health and well-being – not only the residents you support, but for you!

Tammy will explain the value of nature as a health equity and the science behind nature immersion (Yes, spending all those hours outdoors engaging with nature has value beyond just the fact that you like it and it is fun!) She will share tips on how you can find yourself a nature fix, how it is all about knowing thyself.

In Tammy’s work, she has seen how supporting residents so that they can enjoy the outdoors is often very challenging for care communities, and as we approach the winter months, that challenge can become greater, and so Tammy will also be sharing ways to bring the outdoors in.

November 19, 2021: Creating Connectedness
Presenter and Host: Carmen Bowman

LTC communities face daunting challenges when it comes to the difficulties of staffing right now. Employees have increased expectations of their leaders and managers than in the past. For organizations to thrive during rapid change, they need a mindset shift from traditional problem solving to an increased emphasis on the needs of the employee and the vital roles they hold. Learn to identify the top reasons why employees leave, and ideas for a culture that honors and includes employees like never before.

October 15, 2021: Why Employees Leave and Ideas for Honoring, Retaining and Recruiting Them
Guest: Linda Shell, RN, PhD; with Host Carmen Bowman

LTC communities face daunting challenges when it comes to the difficulties of staffing right now. Employees have increased expectations of their leaders and managers than in the past. For organizations to thrive during rapid change, they need a mindset shift from traditional problem solving to an increased emphasis on the needs of the employee and the vital roles they hold. Learn to identify the top reasons why employees leave, and ideas for a culture that honors and includes employees like never before.

November 19, 2021: Creating Connectedness
Presenter and Host: Carmen Bowman

LTC communities face daunting challenges when it comes to the difficulties of staffing right now. Employees have increased expectations of their leaders and managers than in the past. For organizations to thrive during rapid change, they need a mindset shift from traditional problem solving to an increased emphasis on the needs of the employee and the vital roles they hold. Learn to identify the top reasons why employees leave, and ideas for a culture that honors and includes employees like never before.

August 26, 2021: Empowering Elder Well-Being with Supportive Technology

Today’s elders have more ways than ever to stay connected with their loved ones, but tech support at Life Plan Communities and other senior living campuses isn’t always geared toward them – and common resources online may not include solutions unique to their needs.

Even though the strict lockdowns at nursing homes and other communal settings have eased considerably, the pandemic revealed the very real need for elders to master technology in order to combat loneliness, provide entertainment, and even stay on top of their health through apps and wearables.

On August 26 at 3 p.m. ET, Join GroovyTek, The Green House Project, and the Pioneer Network for a can’t-miss discussion on empowering elders with technology.

Using the International Council on Active Aging’s Seven Dimensions of Wellness as a guide, we’ll:

• Explore the current state of older adults’ relationship with technology,
• Discuss strategies to overcome barriers to adopting common tech tools,
• Discover how tech can promote elders’ independence, wellbeing, and health,
• Hear directly from an elder about her personal experience with tech,
• And much more.

September 22, 2021: Envisioning the Future: Finding Meaning & Purpose

Pioneer Network is proud to present the third in its series of four Symposia for 2021, each based on the theme, Envisioning the Future. In this symposium, the focus is on Finding Meaning & Purpose. Speakers include residents and innovators in the field who will draw on their experiences, including the collective experiences encountered as we all lived through the pandemic. They will explore how to find meaning and purpose for those who live and work in senior living communities as well as how we can move forward in a way that assures that isolation becomes a thing of the past, acknowledging that wherever we may reside, life is lived best in community.

July 16, 2021: Lots of Ideas for Getting Outdoors – An Artifact of Culture Change
Guest: Maggie Calkins, PhD, EDAC, Ideas Institute

Join us to grow your list of possibilities for getting people outdoors. We all know it is important but consider during this conversation taking a step into making it a priority for your culture. Getting outside benefits all of us. Do you ensure getting outdoors is on each person’s care plan?

This is a new Artifact of Culture Change along with the already existing artifacts of raised gardens and a walking/wheeling path. Don’t let your expensive courtyards or your vast grass lawns become wasted space. We’ve also learned we are all at lower risk of infection when spending time outdoors. Dine outside and hold meetings and other events in the great outdoors. Hear some of the insights from Dr. Calkins’ new white paper “Designing Gardens to Attract Activity: A primer for elder care communities.”

July 15, 2021: Giving and Receiving: Creating a Culture of Relationship with Persons Living with Dementia
Speakers: Anna Ortigara, RN, MS and Chris Mulrooney, MPS, PhD

Direct care workers face many challenges every day. Leaders also face many challenges if we are to be in right relationship with direct care workers. Do we understand, and are we sensitive to the needs of the direct care workforce? Do we provide education and support to help staff to be their best selves? Do care staff believe in us?

Anna and Chris will begin this webinar by discussing these and similar questions to assess where we are from an “organizational relationship” perspective post-pandemic. They will then explore the components of outstanding person-directed and relationship-based care, as well as identify what is different or added to these components for those who work with individuals living with dementia.

Attendees will gain an understanding of theories and applications they can draw on. These will include the work of Tom Kitwood, as well as Chris’ own research on the characteristics that distinguish outstanding caregivers, such as service orientation and empathy.

If you are looking for practical tools to help you create a culture of relationship, you won’t be disappointed.

August 12, 2021: Innovative Intergenerational Arts Programming in Response to the Pandemic: Five Programs in Three Countries
Speakers: Elizabeth “Like” Lokon, MGS, PhD, Founder/Director of Opening Minds through Art (OMA), Scripps Gerontology Center; Cindy Paulin, Executive Director for Art for the Journey (AFJ); Amy Skeels, third-year medical student at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MUCOM); Kathryn Bender, Recreationist, Trinity Village Care Centre in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; Chloé Bradwell, Drama Practitioner, PhD Candidate at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom; and Meghan Young, MGS, Associate Director of Opening Minds through Art (OMA), Scripps Gerontology Center

Five organizations responded to the challenge created by the pandemic: How to maintain intergenerational connections around the arts when in-person visits are not possible? Three programs went virtual and two programs did not. All five programs are rooted in person-centered philosophy, yet distinct from one another. They address the older adults’ needs for social and creative engagement while providing students with opportunities to develop communication skills and to build relationships with older adults, with and without dementia, outside their own families.

Presenters include faculty members, a recreationist, a visual artist, and students, representing universities, a non-profit arts organization, and retirement communities in three countries, the USA, Canada, and the UK.

The goal of this workshop is to inspire attendees to think outside the box and consider limitations imposed by the pandemic as opportunities to diversify offerings. Videos, example artistic creations, research findings, and tools for replication will be shared.

May 6, 2021: Spring Forward: Three Person Centered Care Strategies to Change the Trajectory for Residents in Senior Living
Speakers: Rosemary Laird, M.D.,M.H.S.A; Deanna Vigliotta, National Sales Manager, TZMO USA, Inc; and Penny Cook, President & CEO, Pioneer Network

Join us for a discussion on some Hot Topics, including the importance of a person-centered approach to care; how now may be the perfect time for senior living communities to reevaluate their outdoor space for residents; how rethinking a community’s indoor space may help to increase social engagement for residents; and how revisiting current policies related to continence care may lead to better outcomes and costs savings. Three strategies will be explored in hopes that through education and understanding, together we can change lives.

May 21, 2021: Artifacts of Culture Change (ACC) 2.0 and ACC – Assisted Living: Part 3
Presenters: Host Carmen Bowman and her Guest Karen Schoeneman

An Artifacts 2.0 version for nursing homes, and a first-ever Artifacts for Assisted Living are now available, thanks to the Pioneer Network. The ACC is an internal self-assessment tool — inspirational and educational, reflecting concrete practices that change institutional culture or “artifacts” of culture change. Walk through each of the over-130 items with the developers Karen Schoeneman and Carmen Bowman in three sessions (March 19, April 23 and May 21) and be inspired to learn culture change practices you may have not considered – to shift the focus from institutional to individual, and institution to home.

These detailed and in-depth sessions build on the overview provided during the Pioneer Network’s webinar (Feb. 18, 2021) introducing the Artifacts.

SPECIAL COVID PRICING STILL IN EFFECT!

April 22, 2021: Compassionate Leadership in Action

A characteristic we look for in leaders is compassion, but what does it look like in practice? How do leaders support a culture of compassion in their organization? What characteristics do they share?

Our panelists are leaders at organizations known for their compassionate cultures. Donna Moore, serves as COO at Isakson Living, Deke Cateau, is the CEO, at A.G. Rhodes, and Jill Vitale-Aussem, who through most of the pandemic served as CEO of The Eden Alternative and is now CEO of Christian Living Communities. Each will share the beliefs and values that guide their leadership philosophies and discuss how they have put them into action to grow and support a culture of compassion in their organizations. They will also provide tangible ideas you can take away as you work to support and grow a culture of compassion in your organization.

As a Thank-You to our Coalition Partners, use code PNCoalition2021 for a 15% Discount

April 23, 2021: Artifacts of Culture Change (ACC) 2.0 and ACC for Assisted Living
Presenters: the developers of the Artifacts, our Host Carmen Bowman and her guest Karen Schoeneman

An Artifacts 2.0 version for nursing homes, and a first-ever Artifacts for Assisted Living are now available, thanks to the Pioneer Network. The ACC is an internal self-assessment tool — inspirational and educational, reflecting concrete practices that change institutional culture or “artifacts” of culture change. Walk through each of the over-130 items with the developers Karen Schoeneman and Carmen Bowman in three sessions (March 19, April 23 and May 21) and be inspired to learn culture change practices you may have not considered – to shift the focus from institutional to individual, and institution to home.

These detailed and in-depth sessions build on the overview provided during the Pioneer Network’s webinar (Feb. 18, 2021) introducing the Artifacts. (The recording of that webinar will soon be offered for free on the Pioneer website.)

March 12, 2021: Aging in a Changing Environment

Communities nationwide are tasked with accommodating our growing older adult population while simultaneously adapting to our changing climate. Modifying environmental factors that pose challenges and opportunities for older adult health and well-being may mitigate older adults’ vulnerability to extreme weather events. Identifying environmental factors that cultivate individual and social resiliency can guide public and institutional policies in the effort to adapt, cope and recover from extreme climate events.

March 24, 2021: Envisioning the Future: Exploring Lessons Learned

Pioneer Network is offering a one-day symposium. This virtual event is designed to provide valuable learning within a 6-hour window through four general sessions, followed by an opportunity to gather together to join one of four interactive forums hosted by the general session speakers, designed to explore the topics more deeply.

January 21, 2021: Working Together to Find Our Way to Yes

How many times have you or your team had a great idea about how to do something in your community, and you want to say ‘yes’, but are stopped short because it might be too risky, or the biggest reason heard, that the regulations say you can’t do it.

Even as we say this, we know that person-centered practices and the regulations are not at odds. Sometimes it’s the interpretation, or more often, it’s not WHAT we do, but HOW we do it that creates the conflict.

Pioneer Network is proud to bring together a dynamic panel of individuals from the field of aging services – all of them risk-takers at heart – to share and discuss ideas on how we can work together to find a way to say yes to the person-centered practices we strive to bring to our communities.

September 1-3, 2020: Envisioning the Future

Join Pioneer Network for three days of networking, education, and discussion with some fun as we Envision the Future of senior living and the world of aging services.

Envisioning the Future: 2020 and Beyond won’t be your typical, sit in front of the computer and watch a screen type of event. Instead, you’ll be part of the action. Each day will start with an opportunity for attendees to gather together to kick off the day. Mid-day, we will again come together for the daily keynote session. In between, there will be concurrent sessions addressing the hottest topics of the day, And at the end of each day, there will be an opportunity to gather around virtual tables with fellow pioneers, sharing information and envisioning the future together.

August 21, 2020: Meaningfully Engage Individuals – In their Rooms – Especially Those Living with Dementia
Presenters: Carmen Bowman, with Guest Host Megan Hannan

Join us for oodles of ideas to meaningfully engage individuals with their surroundings, especially those living with dementia. Perhaps we are in our biggest challenge ever, to provide meaningful engagement to persons alone in their rooms. What a great opportunity to be creative! Institutionalized, isolated people need the gift of our intentionality to be able to engage naturally with their surroundings, even when there is not a pandemic. We can help to overcome boredom. Get a long list of ideas, contribute to it, and allow it to inform your work into the future.