Education News
Education is the Key to Success – in Business and in Life
The Mass-ALA education calendar has filled up quickly for 2023; however, there’s room for more! Education is truly the key to realizing success in many aspects of life, and my hope is to lay the foundation for success for all Mass-ALA members by offering quality educational opportunities.
Webinars
While the calendar has been set for the educational events planned for the year, there is still available space for new webinars. These educational nuggets truly offer valuable information for a relatively small investment of both time and money. Important information about infection control, employee recruitment/retention, falls prevention, and much more, has been shared with Mass-ALA members in recent months. We’ve offered successful hour-long webinars that were packed full of valuable tools that could be immediately implemented for the betterment of residents in assisted living across the state. At present, there are openings for several more webinars to be added to our 2023 educational offerings and I’m inviting you to submit your ideas for trainings, topics, and presenters. If there is a particular topic that you feel would enhance your ability to provide better quality care to your residents or to create a more successful work environment for your staff, please reach out to me with those ideas at lcashman@mass-ala.org. Mass-ALA is here for YOU and your communities! Please visit our website to register for the next webinar, Leading the Way in Telehealth, to be offered on March 29th.
Business Partner Opportunity
An opportunity that was developed last year has been well-received by our members and Business Partners alike. Business Partners provide valuable services to the assisted living industry and many of them have significant contributions to make to the industry in the form of education. The opportunity for Business Partners to provide educational webinars was met with enthusiasm last year and highlighted some interesting features that benefited residents, staff, and management companies. We extend the invitation to Business Partners once again to submit proposals for educational webinars by reaching out to me at lcashman@mass-ala.org to discuss the options available.
QA/QI Training Program
For the first time, we will offer the full QA/QI Training Program in quarterly sessions throughout the calendar year. Last year, we updated the Mass-ALA Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement Tool and the subsequently developed and launched the accompanying training program on September 13th. All four modules of the program are being offered this year, beginning with Module 1 on March 16th. Please see below for details on the training program, which will be offered virtually. This training, along with the implementation of quality assurance measures, can be an effective tool to help assisted living residences to prepare for recertification surveys by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs.
-Module 1: March 16th, 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Requirements of the Full Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement Program
-Module 2: June 6th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Plant Operations and Maintenance in Assisted Living
-Module 3: September 7th, 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Dining in Assisted Living
-Module 4: December 12th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Medication Management in Assisted Living: SAMM and LMA
Boot Camp
As you consider registering for one – or all – of the QA/QI modules, I’d like to suggest that you attend Boot Camp as a precursor. Taking Boot Camp prior to the QA/QI Training will enable participants to have a basic understanding of the operations of an assisted living community and will provide a framework upon which to build the details of QA/QI. Where Boot Camp leaves off in providing an extensive overview of important operational information, the Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement Training Program will pick up and provide the details in a systematic approach that will be relevant, easy to follow, and immediately applicable to the operation of an assisted living residence. Our first Boot Camp of 2023 was held in February, and we had a full house. We have three more of these popular virtual trainings scheduled for the dates listed below.
Education Committee
The Mass-ALA Education Committee has played a critical role in the development of educational programs being offered in 2023. The Committee is comprised of Mass-ALA members with varied experience, backgrounds, and training. It is responsible for advising and assisting with the development of the educational strategies for services and products to members, non-members, and the general public. We invite Mass-ALA members to consider joining this committee as we aim to develop educational content for trainings, focused on providing high-quality learning opportunities for management and staff working in assisted living. This committee has six meetings per year, with each meeting lasting approximately 90 minutes. If you’re interested in becoming a committee member and contributing your ideas about education in the assisted living industry, please contact me at lcashman@mass-ala.org
As always, I invite you to reach out with any suggestions you might have on educational topics you’d like to see offered by Mass-ALA. It is our pleasure to partner with you as we work to provide the highest quality care for our assisted living residents. Thank you for all you do for your residents, communities, staff, and the entire assisted living community.
Warmest regards,
Laurie
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