WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Tomorrow’s Leaders Get First-Hand T
he University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire’s Center for Health Admin- istration and Aging Services Excel-
lence (CHAASE) was founded at the start of the millennium to address a concern that has been growing since then: a demograph- ic leadership gap. Its program “integrates health care with
business content” and requires a year-long internship in a senior living community or similar setting. Students complete several leadership projects of their own creation; some past projects have focused on improv- ing resident orientation, increasing staff recruitment, and exploring the impacts of exercise on dementia. Professor Jennifer Johs-Artisensi, Ph.D.,
is one of those fulfi lling the founding goal: to “provide guidance and support to the ed- ucation of tomorrow’s leaders.” Here, she discusses the eff ect of a challenging semes- ter and the future of senior living leadership education.
Q. How do you think the current situation is aff ecting students now? A. We have done our best to connect this year’s students with industry resources and other online networking and professional development activities. We have 59 students who have been on their year-long practicum experiences in senior communities since last summer, and they have been really benefi cial in helping their care communi- ties prepare for and weather the onset of COVID-19. They are all graduating next month, and
they have certainly gotten a learning expe- rience of a lifetime. I think they will be the best prepared “Crisis Leaders” ever to grad- uate, and ought to be highly employable! We are so incredibly proud of all of them.
40 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE MAY/JUNE 2020
Q. Will the pandemic and changed practices infl uence senior living’s future? A. I’ve tried to focus on what some of the silver linings are that might come out of this pandemic, once we are on the other side. I certainly hope that there is a collective and renewed sense of relationships being im- portant to people, including remembering and connecting with our own senior family members, as well as a renewed appreciation for those who work in aging services. The general media has been a mixed bag
in terms of both vilifying and applauding senior care providers. I like to believe that in the long run, those positive, heartwarming stories will be the ones people carry for- ward. I hope that it brings a sense of pride associated with aging service careers. We have already worked to incorporate
and address as many of these contemporary changes into our curriculum as we can yet this semester, and I’m sure these and other lessons that are yet to be learned from this will infl uence our educational curriculum for years to come.
Q. What are the top three skills, capabilities, or ways of thinking that aging services students today will need to thrive in the coming decade? A. If anything, being a leader in the middle of a pandemic has been teaching people the importance of being nimble, being innova- tive, and being calm. I think the Center for Medicare and
Medicaid Services has come out with some- thing like a dozen changes in regulations and guidelines for people working in senior care over the past month alone. A person has to fi rst be engaged, in order to keep up with what those are; and second, be able
Thought Leader Profi le
Jennifer
Johs-Artisensi, PhD
Professor and CHAASE Associate Director University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
to continue to quickly change and adapt policies, protocols, and procedures. I’ve seen people be so innovative in
fi nding ways to keep this virus out of their communities physically as well as using unique and creative ways to help residents and staff stay connected and sane in the face of physical restrictions. Finally, I’ve seen senior care leaders pres-
ent a calm, confi dent, teamwork-oriented approach to facing this challenge. I know they have probably had plenty of worried, sleepless nights, but calm, controlled, confi - dent leadership sets the tone for the whole culture, and I have seen people accomplish amazing things with that kind of leadership presence and style. Once our current fearless leaders have
adjusted to this “new normal” and have made it through the most chaotic times, I hope we all take the time to learn from them, so that moving forward all leaders can be as prepared as possible to handle whatever challenges senior care may face in the future.
Lessons in Facing Challenging Times By Sara Wildberger
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