LTSS Center sessions at the LeadingAge Leadership Summit will explore leadership diversity in aging services and ways to recruit and retain a quality workforce.
The LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston will participate in four educational sessions during the LeadingAge Leadership Summit, which takes place April 17-19 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. Visit the Leadership Summit website to learn more and to register.
LTSS Center team members will lead the following sessions:
SUPPORTING LEADERSHIP DIVERSITY IN AGING SERVICES
Inequities within the long-term services and supports (LTSS) workforce—and a lack of diversity among mid-level managers and senior leaders of LTSS organizations—have existed for many years. Session 8-B will highlight LeadingAge efforts to change this reality.
Through the HBCUs-LTSS Careers Initiative, LeadingAge is collaborating with UNCF to engage historically Black colleges and universities, other minority-serving institutions, and providers of aging services in partnerships to improve racial and ethnic diversity in mid- and upper-level positions at LTSS organizations. Another initiative, called the Leaders of Color Network, facilitates career advancement for emerging leaders of color in aging services. Presenters Natasha Bryant and Adrienne Ruffin will share details about these two initiatives and describe activities, planned for 2023, that are designed to support leadership diversity in our sector.
The session takes place on Tuesday, April 18 at 9 a.m.
METHODS FOR EXPANDING YOUR WORKFORCE PIPELINE
Recent estimates suggest that the field of aging services will need an additional 1.2 million caregivers within the next 10 years to provide the services and supports that a growing older population will need. Given demographic shifts and the impact of COVID-19 on team members, providers of aging services have no choice but to explore every avenue possible to bolster their workforces.
Session 14-C will explore a variety of methods for building the workforce pipeline, such as recruiting students and refugees, establishing and nurturing community partnerships, and implementing innovative staffing models. Presenters Jenna Kellerman and Christy Kramer will review recruitment messaging for each audience, identify key influencers who can deliver those messages, and offer tips on the best way to talk to potential employees.
The session takes place on Tuesday, April 18 at 1:45 p.m.
OPENING DOORS TO THE AGING SERVICES WORKFORCE
If you’re leading an aging services organization in 2023, chances are your top priority is recruiting team members to help your organization provide high-quality programs and services to a growing older population. To support this priority, LeadingAge conducted national market research to learn how prospective employees view the field of aging services and to determine how providers of aging services might send effective messages to this audience about the benefits of working in our field.
Session 18-D will explore research-backed strategies for crafting communications that send positive and effective messages about working in the aging services field, framing those messages so they appeal to prospective employees, and developing recruitment materials that align with research conducted through LeadingAge’s Opening Doors initiative.
Jenna Kellerman of the LTSS Center and Gwen Fitzgerald of LeadingAge will lead the session on Tuesday, April 18 at 3:45 p.m.
CREATING AN ENGAGEMENT CULTURE THROUGH RELATIONSHIP-CENTERED TEAMS
Relationships matter in most aspects of our lives, including the workplace. Research shows that empowered direct care professionals have better attitudes, performance, and efficiency—and that nurses working with these caregivers are happier and more likely to remain employed.
Using lessons learned from culture change and person-directed care models, Jenna Kellerman will show you how to create a healthy, relationship-centered culture in your workplace. Learn about changes and policies that can help your organization create a staff-led model where team members at all levels are supported, engaged, and thriving. Hear case studies and get tips to help your organization transition from a traditional hierarchical workplace to a healthy relationship-centered culture.
Session 28-F takes place Wednesday, April 19, at 11 a.m.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit the Leadership Summit website to learn more and to register.