Winter Conference 2023

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Session Description: Determining sexual consent between two residents, particularly residents with cognitive decline, can be tricky.  The careful balance between safety and resident rights warrants close evaluation and excellent communication.  In the event of nonconsensual sexual conduct, prompt and thorough action is expected in order to protect residents.  This session will cover actions the facility should take when residents choose to engage in a consensual relationship, as well as when sexual abuse is alleged or suspected.

Speaker: Vicki McNealley is directly responsible for supporting WHCA member assisted living providers through regulatory clarification, nurse consultation, facility system evaluation, advocacy, and education. Vicki is responsible for developing and implementing WHCA programs to support providers in these areas. As staff liaison for the Assisted Living Quality and Regulatory Executive Advisory Committee, Vicki works with members to promote quality care and services at every level. Vicki spent ten years as the assisted living director for WHCA prior to serving as the Corporate Director of Regulatory Compliance for Village Concepts for over six years. She has extensive experience as a teacher, consultant and provider, and has been involved in assisted living operations and policy work since 1999. Vicki has served as a national award reviewer for the American Health Care Association and worked closely with the American Assisted Living Nurses Association to develop its certification exam. Vicki is a registered nurse with a master’s degree in community health nursing and a doctorate degree in nutrition.

Sponsor: Aging Rules, LLC

Session Description: Understanding is half the battle! This presentation will give everyone a thorough review of the different CMS (Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services) survey protocols/regulations that drive the cares you provide within your care communities, what is trending for CMS regulations and F tags on the national level, as well as what is happening locally during your state surveys. Let’s discuss how best to prepare!

Speaker: Barbara Thomsen, CDM, CFPP, RAC QCP, had a career change after 10+ years in long term care communities, as the MDS Education Coordinator/Trainer for the state of Iowa, before starting her own consulting business, Aging Rules. Previously, Barbara received her degree as a Certified Dietary Manager/Certified Food Protection Professional, Resident Assessment Coordinator, and QAPI Certified Professional. She is the current spokesperson of the Iowa Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals, National ANFP Legislative Chair, and currently consults with care communities for ANFP as their Education/Regulatory Consultant and an Education Collaborator with the University of North Dakota. Barbara is a respected trainer/educational partner for various health care associations, ANFP chapters, as well as a National ANFP speaker and Pioneer Network presenter. Barbara continues to be active with CMS as a past member of the IMPACT Act TEP (Technical Expert Panel) and is the Program Coordinator/Adjunct Instructor for Des Moines Area Community Colleges Certified Dietary Manager Course. Her life’s mantra is Aging Rules with quality over quantity, live it up!

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Session Description:

No one likes correction. No one likes to be told they are a toxic influence. No one likes to change. Feedback is all the above and then some. Many are on a short fuse, feel disengaged, and re-evaluating their life priorities.  Managers, supervisors, and employees must use utmost caution in offering feedback. One wrong word choice is all it takes for someone to get triggered. Like a soft burrito, feedback is best wrapped with sensitivity, gentleness, and sometimes with firmness for maximum effect. Praise in public, criticize in private. Feedback, when it is positive, is pleasant and easy to give and to receive. It’s when there is correction, when something is not going right, that feedback can be hard to give and receive.

During this presentation, attendees will learn how to offer feedback in a motivating manner rather than in a demoralizing manner, recognize when feedback is going nowhere, and that it is time to switch gears and learn the right communication method to use to offer feedback; should it be face-to face or through a Zoom call? Attendees will also learn the art of “HALT” (Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired) and its effect on feedback giving.

Speaker: Preethi Fernando is an author of 12 books, a keynote speaker, and the winner of Stephen King’s Haven Foundation Award, given to one author each year. Preethi is also the recipient of the Carnegie Fund for Authors in New York. Preethi does workshops, training, and seminars on emotional intelligence, mindfulness, mental health, and more. Originally from the lovely island of Sri Lanka, Preethi now calls colorful Colorado her home. Visit www.preethifernando.com.

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Session Description: Attendees will learn what the State Fire Marshal’s Office is looking for during emergency preparation and their walk-through, how to be best prepared, and what documentation is required.

Speaker: Kimberly Bloor is a Deputy State Fire Marshal with the Washington State Patrol State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO). Kimberly has been with the SFMO for over nine years and is responsible for a variety of fire and life safety inspections and quality assurance for all healthcare fire and life safety inspections.

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Session Description: In the fall of 2022, CMS released the draft version of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) version 1.18.11. The updated MDS will be used for both SNF PPS and OBRA assessments and are scheduled to be effective October 1, 2023. This session will cover the significant changes and the impact for facilities.

During this presentation, attendees will review the new and revised MDS items, such as patient demographic and social determinants of health items that will be utilized for standardizing information from all post-acute care settings. Attendees will also gain an understanding of the impact of the elimination of Section G function items and the use of Section GG for all OBRA assessments and learn what changes may need to be made in the facility for proper completion of the MDS.

Speakers: Deb Emerson specializes in reimbursement and assurance services for senior living facilities, home health and hospice agencies, and hospitals. Deb also has extensive experience handling the distinctive issues facing health care organizations in today’s challenging payment-reform environment and providing leadership related to the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) for skilled nursing facilities. This includes various training sessions and webinars related to the different topics related to PDPM. Deb works with organizations to perform operational pre-assessments, identify opportunities for improvements, and to determine financial impact at both the organization and individual patient levels.

Jillian Martin was a Director of Nursing Services for a 100-bed skilled nursing facility. Jillian also served as a Regional Director of Reimbursement for a system with 15 skilled nursing facilities. Jillian is a Reimbursement and Compliance Consultant specializing in operational assessments, survey readiness and preparation, plan of correction guidance, reimbursement best practice and education for individual and multi-site organizations. Jillian has extensive experience in MDS, including being an MDS Master Teacher.

Session Description:

This year, the Washington Legislature can invest in quality of life and quality of care for our state’s Medicaid clients. The 2023-25 operating budget will determine skilled nursing and assisted living Medicaid rates for July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025. The outcome of this budget work will be central to addressing a workforce shortage that is now a crisis that jeopardizes access to care and services at every level–from hospitals to long-term care settings. At the same time, there will be proposed policy initiatives that will affect care and services delivery. Some will be favorable, and some will not. This session is intended to update Winter Conference participants about the status of our work in Olympia five weeks into the 105-day session. Plan to leave this session with solid information that will help you advocate and engage with your legislators in support of your workforce and your patients and residents.

Speakers: Carma Matti-Jackson, Lauri St Ours and Jeff Gombosky

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Session Description: Your marketing efforts are bringing in a ton of new leads each month, but the sales team is struggling to convert them to move-ins. What gives? The answer may not lie with your sales team. After surveying over 400 senior living leaders across the country, our agency identified two major gaps: misconceptions surrounding the definition of differentiation and the misuse of content marketing to nurture leads down the funnel. Brand differentiation and content marketing remain buzzwords in the industry, yet very few senior living organizations have a strategy backed by real data to stand apart from the competition and nurture leads into becoming intentional. By surveying both current residents and your ideal target audience, you can gather the data and insights you need to provide the highest value to your prospective residents and families, amplify the power of your brand by truly understanding how your communities have changed lives, reduce sales team burnout by serving up qualified, move-in-ready leads and reach your organization’s most ambitious goals.

Speaker: Melinda Gisbert has consulted with senior living organizations nationwide to optimize marketing strategies for best results. Melinda received her master’s degree in Strategic Leadership in Healthcare from the University of Denver in 2017, where she focused her studies on how best to care for older adults over the next few decades as the population increases while providing recommendations on resource allocation for affordable mental health services. Melinda is Affiliate Faculty for the Master of Health Administration program at Metropolitan State University of Denver, educating students on the importance and value of marketing in the healthcare industry.

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Session Description: Attendees will learn what the State Fire Marshal’s Office is looking for during emergency preparation and their walk-through, how to be best prepared, and what documentation is required.

Speaker: Kimberly Bloor is a Deputy State Fire Marshal with the Washington State Patrol State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO). Kimberly has been with the SFMO for over nine years and is responsible for a variety of fire and life safety inspections and quality assurance for all healthcare fire and life safety inspections.

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Session Description: The Behavioral Health Support team will be presenting on how to safely improve resident quality of life. First, we will learn about the behavioral health support team. We will then focus on increasing understanding of what quality of life means: recognizing the importance of things like food and décor; exploring the differences between reasonable and unreasonable requests; develop a “no idea is too crazy” mindset when considering ways to improve a residents’ quality of life; and learning how to creatively find the balance between resident safety and resident desire when planning for activities. We will then determine how regulations apply to quality-of-life issues and expand awareness of community resources.

Speaker: Krystle Dykstra has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and over 15 years of experience in the mental health field. Her areas of expertise include dialectical behavior therapy, program management, working with individuals with sex offenses, working with juvenile offenders, and service planning for high-risk individuals with mental illness. Krystle’s professional experiences have also afforded her the opportunity to provide services to individuals affected by development delays and chemical dependency, as well as implementing interventions for “At Risk” youth and adults. Krystle started her career with DSHS at Echo Glen Children’s Center in 2006. From there, Krystle went on to become the Program Manager of the Transition Unit for juvenile males from 2011-2016. In 2016, she took a position as the Sex Offender Treatment Coordinator for the Pierce County Parole Office for Youth. Then in 2017, she took on the Program Director position at Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island. While working at SCC, Krystle managed the high management units for sexually violent predators. In November 2019, Krystle transitioned to ALTSA as the Behavioral Health Provider Trainer and Best Practice Specialist for Residential Care Services. Ms. Dykstra has provided training for several years, including Prison Rape Elimination ACT (PREA), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Advanced Crisis Intervention Training (ACIT), and various behavioral health topics to long term care providers across the state of Washington.

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Session Description: For the thousands of Americans who work in the long term care industry, sexual harassment and inappropriate sexual behavior can be a daily occupational risk from the patients or residents in their care. Currently, 9 out of 10 long term care employees are women. Long term care workers across all occupations have reported patient behaviors ranging from inappropriate sexual comments to physical and sexual assault. Caregivers who are experiencing harassment in the workplace are not only being subjected to workplace violence, but are also more likely to leave their jobs due to the stress or their mental health. Thus, the long term care industry has a significant economic and ethical stake in addressing this persistent challenge. We also recognize that a significant proportion of long term care residents have diagnosed dementia or other mild cognitive impairments. For patients with dementia, the part of the brain that generally governs overt sexual behavior is impaired and thus frequent inappropriate, sexually related behaviors are directed at the female caregivers. Sexual harassment while at work, whether from a coworker or a patient, is traumatic and has profound emotional and psychological effects. The long term care industry has the obligation to comprehensively train staff of all levels to recognize when patient behaviors necessitate intervention, including sexual harassment. This training will provide a high-level overview of some of strategies and best practices for identifying and mitigating both sexual harassment and inappropriate sexual behavior with long term care residents, as well as how to communicate plans with care staff and families. We will also engage in a case study and a short question and answer session at the end of the presentation.

Speaker: Chandler Lewis (he/him) is the Director of Equity and Inclusion for The Cross Cultural Health Program and brings with him over 13 years’ experience in childhood and adult education, start-ups, non-profit management, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and management consulting. He has a long history of working with organizations and institutions that serve under-represented communities, specifically with work that focuses on social impact innovation and mental health. Chandler has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Washington and a Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in public safety leadership from The Johns Hopkins University. Chandler has previously served as the Outreach and Advocacy Manager and Executive Board Member for the National Youth Advisory Board for The National Domestic Violence Hotline and Loveisrespect, as well as a CASA/GAL for King County Dependency CASA Program. He continues to be a leader in the community through his involvement as the Founder and Managing Director of 360 Social Impact Studios, a nonprofit social innovation startup studio based in Seattle, Washington, with over 20 startups and 50 entrepreneurs. Chandler also works extensively with the University of Washington and has served as an Adjunct Instructor for the UW CoMotion/National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program. He also serves as a Faculty Mentor and Advisor for several notable programs including: The Tombolo Institute at Bellevue College, Washington State University and SP3NW’s Flexible Infrastructure for Resilient Entrepreneurship (FIRE) program, UW CoMotion Advisory Services, UW CoMotion Labs, UW School of Nursing, and the Master of Science in Entrepreneurship Program at the Foster School of Business.

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Session Description: People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care. In connecting in a disconnected assisted living and healthcare work environment where turnover is high, people are burned out, and many have silently quit on their jobs, Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the difference maker. Telehealth, AI, call centers, and automation have dampened the one-on-one connection in all settings and EI boils down to how we are made to feel. For example, word choice can be the difference maker in building up or tearing down an employee – “What’s wrong with you?” vs “What’s troubling you?” can have two very different effects on an emotionally fragile employee.

During this presentation, attendees will learn how to correct employees by using encouragement and validation, rather than fault finding and condemnation; how to practice simplicity, presence of mind, and common sense in handling people problems at work, thus avoiding escalating simple situations into a HR legalistic approach; and how to give feedback in a motivating manner rather than in a demoralizing manner, as well as how to handle tears at work. Every attendee will receive a free download of Preethi’s book, Emotional Intelligence in Business.

Speaker: Preethi Fernando is an author of 12 books, a keynote speaker, and the winner of Stephen King’s Haven Foundation Award, given to one author each year. Preethi is also the recipient of the Carnegie Fund for Authors in New York. Preethi does workshops, training, and seminars on emotional intelligence, mindfulness, mental health, and more. Originally from the lovely island of Sri Lanka, Preethi now calls colorful Colorado her home. Visit www.preethifernando.com.

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Session Description: Dementia can be scary. How are you trained to deal with dementia and the potential “episodes” that may arise? Gain Dementia 101 knowledge and grasp what it is that WE often do that is the creator of the situations, the confusion, and ultimately the depression and despair. Those frustrations apply to both the person living with dementia and the care partners interacting with them. There is HOPE! Toni will reveal to you how to master the positive actions that YOU can take to reduce, prevent, and redirect those negative feelings and behaviors. By changing ourselves, we can help others along the way.

Speaker: Toni Fisk, CMDCP, CDP, CDM CFPP has been engaged in the food and hospitality industry for over 35 years, her professional career beginning at Walt Disney World/EPCOT Center and Marriott Hotels before transitioning to Healthcare and Senior Living. Toni’s daily operational engagement at Senior Living Communities across the United States stoked a concern regarding the care, training and tools that were accessible to all the pillars of support services who were caring for our Elders, particularly those living with dementia. Toni Fisk is the published author of 2021 Amazon #1 Bestseller “#dinewithdignity Unlocking the Mystery of Dementia and Dining,” in addition to several professional publications. Toni is a sought-out public speaker, with multiple dementia certifications as educator and trainer, working with professional care partners and family members. She is also skilled as a Teepa Snow PAC® Certified Independent Trainer as well as a Virtual Dementia Tour® Certified Trainer. As a Certified Dietary Manager and vetted senior living dining operations consultant, Toni follows her deep commitment towards education and enlightenment in the care of persons living with dementia.

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Session Description: It is estimated that 10-15% of nurses may be diagnosed with a substance use disorder. Undiagnosed and untreated, substance use disorder can result in legal issues, license suspension, patient/public harm and even death. Fortunately, substance use disorder is treatable and health professionals achieve high rates of recovery when engaged in a structured monitoring program.

Washington Health Professional Services (WHPS) is the state’s alternative to discipline substance use monitoring program. WHPS supports recovery and protects the public by providing early identification, referral for treatment, and structured monitoring services. When engaged in treatment and monitoring, the nurse is no longer impaired and may safely return to practice.

This presentation will discuss the prevalence and risks of substance misuse among health professionals, with a focus on the nursing profession. Identification, intervention strategies, and regulatory reporting responsibilities will be highlighted along with the WHPS voluntary participation track. Right now, maintaining a healthy and engaged workforce is more important than ever. Learn how WHPS and the nursing commission work towards this goal

Speaker: Dr. John Furman currently works with Washington State Health Professional Services (WHPS) as a consultant and community liaison. He has worked for the state of Washington for 40 years, primarily in the areas of behavioral and occupational health, and infection control. Dr. Furman’s educational background includes undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing, doctorate in health administration, and certification as an occupational health nurse specialist. Dr. Furman has been involved in the promotion of healthcare safety for many years, developing state regulation while working at the Department of Labor & Industries, and serving as the president of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Association of Occupational Health Professionals (AOHP), vice-president of the Puget Sound Chapter of the Association of Professionals in Infection Control, and vice-president of the Washington Healthcare Safety Council (WHCSC). He currently serves on the National Organization of Alternative Programs Executive Committee, and the Washington State Public Health Association Board.

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Session Description: During this session, attendees will get a preview of the new nursing assistant common curriculum framework, learn how they can use the curriculum framework in their own training program, and get the latest updates on nursing assistant testing (certification exam). There will also be time to have questions answered.

Speaker: Kathy Moisio