PUBLIC POLICY
it gets its name, and the Charlottesville, Va., area where it has its headquarters. But like its landscape, which ranges from Appalachia to a major seaside port to urban centers surrounding the nation’s capital, Virginia’s people and their needs vary widely. VALA has been instrumental in several
legislative successes, including this year’s law allowing an assisted living residence to operate under the supervision of an acting administrator two times during any two-year period. This keeps care quality consistent while giving suffi cient room for an adminis- trator requiring health or family leave. With more people aging, more people
will be seeking senior living—and this has an eff ect on policy and legislation. “There are a lot of issues that come along with that—the number of beds, the aff ordability of beds,” Corbeil says. “Sometimes people don’t re- alize that there’s a workforce issue, and a growing one within the senior living space.” Education on topics such as how senior
living diff ers from nursing homes is vital to get ahead of these changes: “As many pro- viders as possible need to put their hands up and do this,” Corbeil says. Senior living communities shouldn’t hes-
itate to invite legislators. “It’s a little intimi- dating, but people forget that we voted them in, and they work for us,” he says.
Making a diff erence Here are some tips and lessons learned from Corbeil and from Argentum.
Timing is important: First of all, it’s an election year. “Now is a great time to reach out and invite lawmakers.” But it’s also useful to know the legislative calendar, to know when the lawmaker you want to invite is in the capital or closer to home.
Get support: Corbeil caught the advocacy spirit at an Argentum Public Policy Institute & Fly-In, where members learn about policy issues and have a chance to meet and advocate with U.S. senators and representatives. It’s a good way to get started. Argentum off ers a Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit and is ready to answer questions and provide advocacy help.
Do some prep work: Visit preparation would start by talking to individual community managers and making sure they were enthusiastic about a visit (they were). Communities and executive directors are
used to hosting guests such as physicians, entertainment, or resident families, but a political fi gure can be a little diff erent. “I tell them: You are the expert in the room, remember that,” Corbeil says. “They’re here seeking to learn from you.”
Prep your side, too: For Commonwealth, the lobbying fi rm helped prepare an information sheet on each community, with information about the building, when it opened, what the community is like, and what team members they’d be meeting, so the visitors wouldn’t walk in with a blank slate.
Let your teams speak but provide backup: Before the visit, Commonwealth would provide a short list of overall talking points as well as some specifi c to their markets. One of the most important things was to talk about the company’s core values. Headquarters representation couldn’t
come to every visit, and that was OK. “Our teams do a great job of representing
their communities,” he says. They would explain signature programs and show the dining venues and options. They would also talk about workplace and turnover issues, and how senior living creates jobs. In addition, the company doesn’t refer to
“taking a tour”—they call it the “community experience.” This brings out the interactive elements of the visit.
Give time for questions: “At the end of each visit, we’d have a Q-and-A with residents and associates,” Corbeil says. “Residents love it,” he says. “We have pretty vibrant activities calendar. It gives them a chance to see their issues are still important, still being talked about and worked on.”
Keep trying: “One big lesson learned is don’t stop,” Corbeil says. “We want them to be aware of what happens in a community on a daily basis, so they have awareness of what their impact could be.”
REGISTER TODAY
2020 Argentum Public Policy Institute & Fly-In
The annual Argentum Public Policy Institute & Fly-In allows for industry professionals to discuss issues and solutions to the most important legislative and regulatory challenges at the state and federal levels, and advocate for critical senior living issues on Capitol Hill.
JOIN US IN WASHINGTON, DC | MARCH 17-18, 2020
Learn more at
argentum.org/ppi This event is a complimentary benefi t of membership.
50 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 MEET THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Jim VandeHei Co-founder & CEO of Axios Co-founder & former CEO of POLITICO
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
