Seniors Housing Business is the magazine that helps you navigate the evolution of the seniors housing industry.
Issue link: https://seniorshousingbusiness.epubxp.com/i/717426
AS H A 68 2016 ASHA 50 2016 Q: What other research projects has ASHA delved into? Schless: As part of our new strategic plan, we created a University Research Grant program that has provided funding to a couple of significant university-based studies. We started with a blank slate and approached 50 of the top research programs in the United States and Canada through an RFP (request for proposal) process. We selected two studies to fund. Dr. Mindy Fain, co- director of the Arizona Center on Aging at the University of Arizona, is conducting one of the studies we're funding. Dr. Fain's research will focus on developing strategies to facilitate a smooth tran- sition into a communal senior living setting and on helping improve the transition in a way that bolsters the likelihood that their new community will feel like home. We had previously done groundbreaking work on the importance of "feeling at home" with ProMatura Group. We discovered that in some settings there are residents who don't feel at home all the time. The reasons for that are varied. We know, however, that when somebody tells you they feel at home in a senior living community, they have extremely high levels of satisfaction and are extremely likely to rec- ommend the community to a friend. Dr. Fain's work ties directly back to research we did with ProMatura Group. It's work that we believe is enormously important to providing the highest-quality senior living environment, and having it feel like home to as many people all the time as possible. Q: And the other study? Schless: Dr. Karl Pillemer, a well-known gerontologist from Cornell, is conducting the second study. Dr. Pillemer's work in many ways ties directly to work that we did over a couple different studies with adult children. One of the things you hear very frequently from adult children, particularly in assisted living, is how challenging communication with the staff at the commu- nity can be. Dr. Pillemer's work is focused on col- laboration and improving communication between family members and staff. It will be replicable work and incredibly beneficial to the industry in better meeting the needs and desires of adult children. Q: What exactly are the communication problems between the staff and the adult children? Schless: There are a lot of challenges. The staff is busy caring for the resi- dents, and they have other compliance requirements. By the same token, whether someone lives close by or long distance we know that communication is import- ant to the adult child. Finding a way to develop effective, collaborative communications between the family member and the staff within the day-to- day experience of assisted living is really important. Q: When will these studies be completed? Schless: Both studies are underway and will be completed early next year. We are also very pleased that Dr. Pillemer will be a keynote presenter at our 2017 Annual Meeting, Jan. 30–Feb. 1. Q: What was the cost of the studies? Schless: The University Research Grant program considered funding requests up to $250,000. The benefit for us is that we're paying for top-notch research that will be usable by companies that are involved in independent living, assisted living, memory care and life plan communities. While the researchers will have an opportunity to publish the work in academic journals, the University Research Grant program ensures that ASHA's members will receive well-written reports that will be practi- cal and actionable so that it is truly applied research. Tax Policy Front and Center Q: What is new on the advocacy front? Schless: The focus of