Category: Blog

What can we learn from each other in the field of senior living? Recently some of Westminster Communities of Florida’s leadership team attended the LeadingAge Annual Meeting in Nashville, to present, learn and discuss with our peers from around the country.

We asked five of our leaders to reflect on their three key takeaways from their experiences at LeadingAge, and advice they have for other leaders and future Annual Meeting attendees.

Three were also presenters who shared about our own experiences providing for the residents we serve: Alex Mookerjee, Executive Director of Housing; Brian Parks, Assistant Executive Director at Westminster Bradenton; and Jackie Sahhar, Health Services Administrator at Westminster Palms. These leaders presented on a panel alongside Jennifer Goodpaster from the Center of Excellence for Mental Health, to discuss overcoming mental health challenges in long term care communities.

Alex Mookerjee, Executive Director of Housing, Westminster Communities of Florida

1. Fellowship: It was wonderful to network with other providers and have casual conversations, which often led to a discussion of our practices and challenges we have faced. We can rely on each other to empathize with us and truly understand the issues we are facing, as well as give both parties the opportunity to share solutions and innovative best practices.
2. The importance of stepping away from my day-to-day: I can stay in my field and keep doing what I love. But at a conference, I get to step away from the daily grind of my job. This departure from the day-to-day gives me an opportunity to see new ideas, resources, challenges and solutions to problems.
3. A refreshed and renewed sense of purpose: The work that we are doing is so important, and even more so when you realize that conferences like these are the ways we spread a sense of what we do and our message. We give people affordable housing and shelter but it goes so far beyond that in long term care. We are giving people opportunities for spiritual and intellectual stimulation, connection with medical support, human connection, and a sense of community. What we do is important and we need to be out in the field spreading our message and purpose to anyone who will listen.

Brian Parks, Assistant Executive Director, Westminster Bradenton

1. The extensive collaboration that takes place: I always leave inspired. You really get to see how much good work is being done across the nation, cultures and geographies. You are constantly learning during these conferences but you are also a teacher. There is a lot of informal communication which is just wonderful and is quite inspiring for us to keep up the fight to provide the best care.
2. Joy that we were able to share our best practices by presenting to a room full of eager ears: Our presentation and panel discussion surrounded overcoming mental health challenges across long term care. Even if our audience took away two of the 15 things we’ve said, we have made a positive impact. We are all trying to keep our residents safe and provide the best care possible so we should ensure that we share as much information as possible to help other organizations.
3. Learning, learning, learning: This conference held some amazing sessions and always attracts the best presenters, covering a range of topics from Human Resources to compliance and merging of communities. There was an incredibly diverse audience of nurses, C-suite level managers, and board members, all of whom had some unique insight to add to the challenges we must overcome.

Jackie Sahhar, Health Services Administrator, Westminster Palms

1. Networking and collaborations: LeadingAge’s Annual Meeting provided me with a unique opportunity to connect with a diverse network of senior living professionals.
2. Peer support for shared challenges: I was fortunate to have the opportunity to engage with like-minded leaders, sharing some of our common challenges in the senior living environment like workforce challenges and regulatory changes. It can be so reassuring to discuss these topics and exchange strategies and solutions that others have tried or have proven to be effective at other organizations.
3. Innovation: The sessions offered insights into the latest trends and best practices in senior living. I feel motivated to bring back some of these best practices to drive a positive change in my community.

Jeff Coates, Vice President of Development, Westminster Communities of Florida

1. Learning through networking: I appreciated having the many networking engagements with peer foundation executives to share best practices and gain new ideas.
2. Working more effectively through data: We gained further insights into our key constituent demographics and engagement techniques in order to maximize our efforts.
3. Healthy aging: Much of the learning from the sessions I attended addressed new innovations and practices around healthy aging and its applications to senior living communities and organizations.

Laurie McKay, Vice President of Accounting, Westminster Communities of Florida

1. Networking: I was able to learn so much from my peers throughout the entire country about the practices of accounting and finance in senior living communities.
2. New opportunities to work smarter: We were able to meet with vendors and learn about what products are new in the market that will help us do our job more efficiently
3. Learning about managed care: The future of healthcare services increasingly focuses on a managed care model. How can we adapt to the future and ensure that we’re continuing to serve the residents and our mission?

The Leadership Academy at LeadingAge Southeast is a premier program designed to develop transformative leaders in aging services. This year-long initiative not only builds critical leadership skills but also provides a rich and collaborative learning experience with a focus on self-reflection. It draws participants from various roles within LeadingAge Southeast member organizations, emphasizing potential over position.

Westminster Communities of Florida is celebrating the achievements of two team members who completed the 2023-2024 Leadership Academy, with another currently participating. Ariana Pallotta, Administrator at College Arms Towers in DeLand, and Rocco Voglio, Director of Dining Services at Westminster St. Augustine, both just completed the program. In addition, Justin Yelken, Health Services Administrator at the Baldwin Park neighborhood of Westminster Winter Park, is engaged in this year’s program.

Each year, the program hosts just 15-20 participants who are future leaders in the field of senior living and commit 10-15 hours monthly to the program. To enter, candidates must submit an application, commitment statement, reference letter, resume and leadership essay for consideration and acceptance. They meet quarterly and makea visit to Tallahassee to engage with state legislators on industry trends, plus attend smaller groups meetings and site visits.

Emphasizing Personal Development in Leadership Training

The personal development aspect of the program is a critical component, as highlighted by Ariana. She reflects on her experience, noting, “It is about leadership but there’s so much personal growth and self-awareness and just being present and vulnerable.”

Similarly, Rocco, who leads the Dining Services team at his community, joined the program to broaden his knowledge and enhance his leadership skills. He shares, “What I got out of it was a self-awareness of being a better leader, things to look for and how I can improve myself and my team around me.”Justin’s motivation for joining the 2024-2025 Leadership Academy stems from the high praise and positive feedback from colleagues at Westminster Communities of Florida and other organizations who have benefited from the program. He explains, “I think it gave every person a different perspective on leadership, and the ability to network and connect with colleagues outside of Westminster in developing best practices.”

Through these experiences, the Leadership Academy nurtures a culture of growth and excellence, equipping its participants with the skills to lead successfully in the senior living field.

Balancing the Pace of Leadership with Presence

Ariana shared how the Academy profoundly enhanced her leadership approach. “The Academy really deepened my understanding of the importance of empathy and inclusivity and collaboration within my leadership style. It has inspired me to lead with more compassion and focus on the well-being of my team and the organization,” she noted.

Justin highlighted the program’s focus on mindfulness. “They’re big on making sure that we’re present, which is something I think all leaders can benefit from. Sometimes we just need to slow down to be the best leaders,” he said.

Rocco agreed that since completing the leadership program, he inserts intentional pauses throughout his workday. He describes how taking a few seconds to think before responding, and incorporating brief periods of rest, significantly aids in regaining mental composure, especially during high-stress situations like a busy dinner service, and guides his team to do the same to refocus.

Ariana, Justin, and Rocco’s experiences highlight the transformative impact of the program’s focus on self-reflection to enhance leadership effectiveness and improve workplace dynamics.

Positive Impact on Team Members and Residents

Ariana’s experience at the leadership academy was profoundly shaped by her action learning plan, a pivotal project that participants present to senior living industry leaders from across LeadingAge Southeast’s region. The presentation focused on her goal to foster greater community engagement, specifically, developing a partnership between College Arms Towers and nearby Stetson University in DeLand.

Ariana, who has been dedicated to forming the partnership since finishing the leadership academy, explained, “We want to create a partnership so that we can provide more activities, learning opportunities and events for the residents. I put in the time and dedication and it’s really nice to see that come to fruition.”

Similarly, Rocco’s project aimed at improving the quality of life for residents, with a particular focus on dining services. “I did my action learning project on enhancing dining services through artificial intelligence,” Rocco shared.

He described how his project outlined the use of AI to optimize dining operations, illustrating how the technology enhances efficiency, streamlines processes and benefits both residents and team members.

Enhancing Skills for Broader Impact in the Senior Living Industry

Reflecting on her experience in the academy, Ariana shared, “It’s about you as a leader and as a person. I went in thinking that it was more about leadership and how to manage people. Although it touches on that, it’s not about that. It’s about self-growth, committing to the personal growth and self-awareness and being present and intentional.”

Rocco discussed how the academy expanded his view beyond food service in the senior living sector, emphasizing a team-oriented approach to achieving goals. “It’s more a matter of ‘how we can accomplish a goal?’ Instead of ‘what can I do to drive the outcome?’ it’s ‘what can we do to drive the outcome?’”

Similarly, Justin highlighted his goal of using the academy to enhance his skills for a broader impact. “For me, it’s just furthering my skills so that I can provide the greatest and largest impact for the industry,” he said. “I want to make a positive impact here with Westminster, not only for our organization or on my community campus. A lot of the other fellows look to make an imprint and an impact outside of just our communities.”

If you are interested in making an impact on the lives of older adults and tapping into exceptional leadership growth opportunities, discover the career paths available at our website and consider joining the team at Westminster Communities of Florida today!