Earlier this year, I had an opportunity to address health administration students at Texas A&M about the field of aging services. These were primarily graduate students who are studying to become future leaders in healthcare. I was asked to speak by a hospital administrator who I've known for over twenty years and who now teaches at the university.
I must say I was somewhat surprised that the language we use in our field was foreign to the students. We sometimes take for granted that people will know what a CCRC is or what a PACE program is - but what struck me was the pretty large disconnect between acute and long-term care. These very bright students hadn't really thought about the field of senior living or long-term care, let alone how care for the elderly is often a mix of both acute and long-term care.
Do these students (and others) realize that the majority of patients in their hospitals are going to be older adults? I know it's been said before - but now more than ever before, we need to tell our story! And we need to build alliances with other healthcare providers.
We also need to build stronger leaders. I'm proud to say we have had good response to our call for nominations to our Leadership Institute. This yearlong program is designed to build leaders within LeadingAge Texas organizations. The caliber of the applicants for this year's class is outstanding.
In our new strategic plan, we have also decided to offer free membership to all AIT students who wish to join LeadingAge Texas. This gives those who are just entering the field the opportunity to interact with leaders from across the state and expose them early to all the innovative programs, projects, and services that our members are undertaking.
We are entering a very exciting era in our field and one which will require more skill sets than ever before. As an association and as individual organizations, it is imperative that we build a strong set of leaders that will guide aging services and senior living organizations into the future.
Sincerely,
George Linial, CAE, CASP
President & CEO, LeadingAge Texas
