September Resident Council General meeting minutes

Resident Council General Meeting

Minutes for Sept. 12, 2016

President Jim Ham opened the Sept. 12, 2016 meeting of the John Knox Village Resident Council General Meeting at 2:05 p.m. in the Courtyard Community Center. First time attendees were Carol Bolin, Shirley Transmeier and Larry Mangels, new residents of D Building; and Luz Maria Perryman of Lindbergh. Welcome to each of you.

June Dewsberry, secretary of Resident Council, asked Jim to convey her sincere thanks and appreciation to the many people who have been so helpful during a difficult time. The offers of assistance have been overwhelming and she is so grateful to all. June was celebrating her birthday and was in an accident.

Maria Timberlake, vice president of senior living, spoke in the absence of Dan Rexroth,

president and CEO of John Knox Village. The village is a member of LeadingAge, a national association representing senior services providers, as well as LeadingAge Missouri, the state affiliate. Dan, Rodney McBride and others were in St. Louis attending the annual LeadingAge

Missouri Conference. This year, three representatives of the Village are being honored with

awards including resident Jean New for Volunteer of the Year; long-time Fireside associate

Susie England for employee of the year; and former Foundation and Premier Life board

member Gene Wilson for Trustee of the Year. We are proud of their accomplishments and

contributions and certainly have many other Village volunteers, associates and board

members worthy of the honor as well.

Maria gave an update to The Coffee Shoppe remodel. Due to the Courtyard Commons coming in

under budget, additional funds became available to The Coffee Shoppe. Enhancements

over the original plan have been made which required additional architect drawings, thus

the delay. The architect’s drawings are in the hands of Paric and construction should start

soon.

Kelli Snell, director of Resident Life, announced that village residents and associates will

be participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Sunday, October 2 at Corporate Woods

in Overland Park, Kan.. Kelli encouraged everyone to participate in some way. Here’s how

you can get involved: Join the Walk team; Stop by the Bake Sale at 9 a.m. each Friday in

September at the Village Care Center; Make some treats to donate to the sale or buy some

treats. Or, get a t-Shirt. For additional information contact Kelli’s office or visit the

Courtyard Commons Concierge at 347-2405.

Resident Council Committee Reports:

Resident Services Committee – Vice Chair Fran Baker reported the committee did not

meet in August. The September meeting was Sept. 12 (today) and the report is not

yet available. The next meeting will be Oct. 10.

Finance Committee – Chair Jerry Wachsmann reported on the August meeting. Kim

Klockenga, vice president of finance, presented the financials as of July 31, 2016. Entry Fee and Lease deposits and move-ins were below budget. Occupancy at the end of July: Independent Living – 752; Village Assisted Living – 170; Village Care Center – 276. Overall July performance showed a decrease in net assets for the current fiscal year, primarily due to reduced operating revenues. The next meeting will be Sept. 28.

Health Services Committee – Chair Helen Darby reported on the August meeting.

Rodney McBride, vice president of health and community services, shared the report of VCC State Survey in May 2016. Rodney explained the system of rating seriousness of a deficiency

within a nursing home. The surveyor determines the level of harm to residents for each

deficiency. An alphabetical scope and severity value, A through L, is assigned – A being the

least serious and L the most serious. The VCC received five federal deficiencies – two with

“D” and three with “E” ratings. There were also four life safety code violations, all with an “E”

designation. All deficiencies were properly corrected, and the VCC is now under full

compliance. In old business, Rodney addressed the question regarding the Kansas Home

Health Agency, and why the Village continues a presence there. The Kansas facility is a feeder to the Missouri office. The Kansas office does not lose money, but does not always make

budget. Actual figures are difficult to determine. The University of Kansas Medical Center has a list of eight facilities listed as preferred providers, which includes John Knox Village health services. They intend to reduce this to three; it is not known at this time if the Village will remain on the list.

The Village has a grant of $10,000 for an eye balance machine, and we are waiting on its arrival. A doctor’s order will be needed to use this machine. Applicants did not fit the requirements for VCC Administrator, so the process has started again with the help of a search firm. In the

meantime, Rodney will be the interim Director. In new business, the Village is exploring the

possibility of expanding the Assisted Living space with an additional 40-50 apartments.

We are consulting with an architect to determine where on the campus there is space. We

will need letters of support from our committee when the time comes. There will be an

article and sample of the ICE program in the September Village Voice Mid-Month. The next meeting will be Sept. 14.

Sales, Marketing and Communications Committee: Chair Marjie Stowell, reported on

the August meeting. Karen Burec, manager of marketing and communications and

Stephanie Zeilstra, marketing and communications specialist, reported on the results of

the recent Village communications Survey. There were 191 surveys returned (about a 20%

response). The response was a good cross-section of the Village. Of all the communication

devices owned and used, television was the most with a little more than 99%. The use of

personal computers 69%; smartphones 34%; and tablets, 27%. The publication of the

Voice (both first of the month and mid-month) was the most popular response for

communication. A discussion followed concerning items that can and cannot be published

because of the HIPAA laws and risk management. The Daily E-Blast was the second in

popularity. Other sources of communication are: Town Halls, Resident Council, JKtV, and

Village Voice Online. Because Village Voice Online is used very seldom or never (according

to the survey), Marybeth Roberts, director of sales, marketing and communications, suggested that possibly a workshop be planned to help educate those interested in becoming more familiar with its use, as well as the use of other electronic devices. Marybeth distributed the statistical reports for FY17 Sales thru July 2016. The next meeting will be Thursday, Sept. 15.

Nominating Committee: This committee did not meeting in August or September. The

next meeting will be Oct. 6.

Program:

The speaker was Marybeth Roberts, director of sales, marketing and communications.

Marybeth has worked at the Village for more than 17 years. Her presentation today was “Marketing and Inventory.” Why a discussion of Marketing and Inventory? Inventory is the key to sales.

The kind of inventory from the early days of the Village worked for the client of that era. Today’s prospective client desires larger units, open floor plans, newer kitchens, etc. Marketing’s

strategy is dependent on the mix of inventory. To remain competitive in the growing industry of Life Plan Communities and plan for these prospective residents it is necessary to create new inventory and improve the desirability of the campus. In 2012 the Village completed a strategic plan. To accomplish the plan meant to change inventory and increase the Independent Living occupancy versus Lease Contracts. There will always be a need for Lease Contracts and those clients will desire modern upgrades also. With the renovation of older units and the redevelopment of the campus with the new D Building and the Meadows project, the total number of units is being decreased with an increase of the total square footage. The ratio of Entry Fees to Lease Fees will be increasing. Higher Entry Fees will ensure financial stability of the Village. The retirement industry is competitive with more retirees seeking programs to serve the aged. The Village’s future depends on successfully competing within this growing industry.

Before adjourning the meeting, Jim mentioned that one of our residents has worked with

the Missouri State Legislature for 12 years and finally legislation was passed. As of Aug. 29,

2016, any adoptee born in Missouri before 1941 would be able to obtain their birth certificate. On Jan. 2, 2018, any adoptee of legal age born after 1940 would be able to obtain their birth certificate.

The next General Meeting will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, in the Courtyard Community Center. The speaker will be Rodney McBride, vice president of health and community services. The next Executive Committee meeting will be Sept. 30, 2016.

The meeting adjourned at 3:20 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Carol Jennings, Vice President, Resident Council