September Resident Council General Meeting minutes

Resident Council General Meeting Minutes
September 14, 2015 

     The Sept.14, 2015 meeting of the JKV Resident Council was opened by President Jim Ham at 2 p.m. in the Courtyards Community Center. Jim welcomed the full house of residents attending. Five first time attendees were introduced: Katie Stephenson from F Building; Shirley Godsey from B Building; Marie Wilson from Villager West; Margo Aldridge, temporarily from Killarney, as she waits for her new Villa; and Gary Clark, from Villa I. A hearty JKV welcome to all. 
     President Dan Rexroth reminded us to check the flyers from Consolidated Communications regarding new cable plans and to be sure to attend Town Hall meetings in October for more information. Also, there is an JKV Board of Directors Open Board meeting at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29.All residents are encouraged to attend. – or you will miss all the goodies Dan Hall and his staff will provide for an early supper. 
     Connie Wolf, representative from Holleran, was introduced to review the results of the recent resident satisfaction survey. Connie gave an excellent power point presentation of the results. Holleran does aging services research for 575 plus clients in 43 states and Canada. Residents in Independent Living, Residential Care, Assisted Living and the Village Care Center all participated in the survey. Overall, it appears most Village residents are happy with the Village and the services it provides. 
     Only 63.4 percent of residents returned their surveys - well below the industry average of 80.1 percent. 54.6 percent of IL residents rated their overall health status as good, 28.2 percent rated their health status as average and 12.3 percent rated their health as excellent. Most residents do not use a smart phone and only 32 percent have access to a computer. 
     Overall satisfaction with JKV was: excellent – 36 percent, good – 51.6 percent, average – 11.6 percent, poor - 0.7 percent, very poor – 0 percent. The majority of residents consider the Village a good value for the price paid, have confidence in John Knox Village’s future, feel the Village fulfills its mission and would recommend the Village to a friend or relative. 
     The top five highest scoring factors for IL were: timeliness of laundry services; responsiveness of ambulance crew; quality of hospice services; overall ambulance experience and timeliness of trash pick-up. The five lowest scoring factors were Lakeside Grille, Courtyard Cafe, Places Restaurant, visual appeal of Fireside Restaurant and the condition of streets and paved areas. There were 89 pages of comments from IL residents. Here are a few: “Friendly and helpful staff,” “Feeling of security for the future,” “Safety and relaxed life style - friendliness of everyone,” “True community feel, Love it!” “Location is good.” 
     Overall satisfaction with Village Residential Care was mostly excellent or good and most residents would recommend Village Residential Care to a friend or relative. The five highest scoring factors were: friendliness/courtesy of staff; safety and security of buildings and grounds; nursing staff's understanding of your medical care plan; upkeep and repair to buildings and preservation of dignity. Lowest scoring factors were: availability of services outside of normal business hours; variety of menu selections; adequacy of new resident/family orientation to programs and services; accommodation of dietary requests; and quality of billing department. 
     Overall satisfaction with Village Assisted Living was good or excellent and residents would recommend it to friends and relatives. The five highest scoring factors were: safety and security of buildings and grounds; friendliness/courtesy of staff to visitors; appearance of exterior grounds; quality of beauty salon; and preservation of dignity. The five lowest scoring factors were: convenience/availability of visitor parking; adequacy of new resident/family orientation to programs and services; availability of services outside of normal business hours; availability of after-hours/weekend “non emergency” services and accommodation of dietary requests. 
     Satisfaction with the Village Care Center was generally good or excellent. Most would recommend it to a friend or relative and would select the Village Care Center again. The five highest scoring factors were: appearance of exterior grounds; safety and security of buildings and grounds; friendliness/courtesy of staff; design of community for ease and mobility and quality of Village Care Center salons. The five lowest scoring factors were: accessibility of physicians; timely response to maintenance requests; opportunity for privacy; adequacy of new resident orientation and quality of food. 
     The results were shared with management this morning and the next steps will be to identify areas for improvement, develop action plans with measurable goals and share plans for improvements with residents.
     Stay tuned! 

COMMITTEE REPORTS: (The following reports were not given at this meeting. They are taken from the Executive Committee meeting on Aug. 28, 2015.) 
Finance Committee: In the absence of Chair Gerry Wachsmann, Vice Chair Helen Darby gave the report for August 2015. Vice President of Finance Kim Klockenga presented the July Financial Report. The highlights are as follows: 

Net Deposits: 
Entrance Fee: 6 -- 1 below budget 
Lease: 6 – 3 below budget 

Move-ins: 
Entrance Fee: 4 – 1 below budget 
Lease: 6 -1 below budget 

Occupancy at July month- end: 
Independent Living: 752 Village Assisted Living: 170, VCC: 276 
Revenue: $5,449,000 Expenses: $5,482,000 
Change in Net Assets: $930,000 - $589,000 higher than budget 
Entrance Fees Received: $702,000 - $238,000 below budget 

     Following the financial review, Dining Services Manager Todd Hollander presented a very informative video review of the operations of all four Village restaurants. He zeroed in on food costs, purchase methods, and associated difficulties as well as explanations of staffing and hiring challenges. He responded very clearly to the questions committee members asked about food service and changes. Todd stated that statistics showed that approximately 10 percent of dining credits are not redeemed each month. The next meeting will be Wednesday Sept. 30, 2015. 
     Chair Wachsmann's Note: Although this matter did not come up at our meeting, I want to bring to the attention of the Resident Council Executive Committee, that the first quarterly finance report meeting on Aug. 19 was very poorly attended. Kim’s excellent presentation was only attended by seven residents. I would like to see this informative meeting be better publicized and marketed. The next quarterly meeting will be November 18th at 9:30 A.M. Location to be determined. 


Sales Marketing & Communications Committee: Chair Marjie Stowell reported on the August meeting. The program for the day was "The Trail of The Sales Lead - from first contact to the assignment of a counselor". Tracey Wenson, sales manager, introduced the senior living consultants on board at they Village. They are Joe McCabe, Kim Simmons, Christine Say, Tony DeMarco and Jeri Park. Each consultant told a little about themselves and their interest in their jobs. Tracey emphasized that there are no cold calls. They all use the warm approach with appointments made with each client. At this time they are introduced to Village and to what is available, including independent living, assisted living, the skilled nursing facility and hospice. One of the first things they do is to find out the clients circumstances and desires. Clients are encouraged to come back after thinking about what they have learned. It all takes time. JoeMcCabe: Next they go to the presentation room and are given a deeper history of the Village, including the financial condition, types of units and amenities. Finally the discussion can turn to "what does it cost?" A planning work sheet is introduced to help determine costs. This gives the clients more time to think about it and they can make a deposit to reserve a home. Maintenance free living is discussed and families are encouraged to be a part of the process. The consultants may even talk to the client’s financial advisor if necessary. Kim Simmons: The next step is to narrow down what is important to them. A tour by vehicle and walking is then taken. The discussion may focus on new buildings and changes that are occurring. A tour around campus is done so they can see as much as possible. Tony DeMarco: Next comes the discussion of contract options, which is based upon the floor plans they want or need. Pricing is introduced for one or two people and a unit can be placed on hold for three days. Then a $5,000 deposit is required. The counselor attempts to get all the information needed for a wise decision. The moving assistance program is then introduced. Christine Say: Usually contracts are not discussed or written on the first visit. Clients are invited to an event and introduced to campus residents. Mailings are sent and phone calls are made during this period. Tracey emphasized the importance of referrals from residents. They would like to increase the number of referrals. Residents can receive a monetary reward if referrals move in. Tracey talked about the data base that is in place for people who are interested in the Village. Phone calls go out on a regular basis as indicated by the data base and the consultants. Marybeth Roberts, director of sales, marketing and communication, distributed and discussed statistics for July 2015 sales. We are moving in the right direction! Marybeth told us of the newly improved web site www.jkv.org. The next meeting will be on Thursday, Sept. 17 in Village Inn - Room 155. 


Nominating Committee: Chair June Dewsberry indicated the last meeting was in April, and the committee has been in hiatus since that time. The latest meeting was held Sept. 3. 


Resident Services Committee: Chair Martha Wood reported on the August meeting. The monthly volunteer hours sheet was circulated and members were encouraged to keep track of their volunteer hours. Maria Timberlake, vice president of senior living, spoke about current construction issues and an upcoming meeting with the Lee’s Summit City Council where tax abatement 353, which could affect JKV property taxes, will be discussed. (Editors Note: The tax abatement was passed, much to the benefit of JKV.) The speaker was Bob Mitchell, the new manager of landscaping services. He spoke about his background and though he had only been at John Knox Village a couple of weeks, he was enthusiastic about his plans and priorities for making the campus attractive and colorful. He welcomed and listened closely to committee member’s concerns and suggestions. The next meeting was held on Sept. 14. 


Health Services Committee: Chair Helen Darby reported on the Aug.12 meeting. The speaker was Lori Qualls, onboarding manager. Lori updated us on the Certified Nursing Assistant program and stated that in May of this year there were 30 open CNA positions at the Village Care Center. In June, the Village partnered with Metropolitan Community College to begin a CNA training program on-site at the Village Care Center. At the same time, a new budget was approved for salary increases for CNA positions and Lori’s position as an onboarding manager was established to improve how new employees are oriented. As of August, there are now only 9 remaining open CNA positions and there are nine students in the nursing assistant program eager to fill those positions. Lori reported that the program is going very well and at the time of her report, the students were about to finish their classroom work and begin hands on patient care under the direction of an instructor. The class finished on Sept. 11 and the test is on Sept. 19. A second class is scheduled to begin in September. In addition to this initiative, an eight- month mentor program for RNs and LPNs will be offered in partnership with the Saint Luke’s Employee Assistance Program. The funding for this program is coming through a grant (Federal Employment Council). Members were encouraged to talk with other residents who may be interested in joining the committee. The next meeting was held on Sept. 9. 

The next General Meeting will be on Monday, Oct. 5 and the speaker will be Tami Hoversten, director of nursing at the Village Care Center. Tami will bring us interesting information on changes at the Village Care Center. 

Respectfully submitted, 

June Dewsberry, Secretary, Resident Council