Congratulations to our own Pat McBride, RN, BSN, MSN – our Vice-President of Clinical and Compliance – on her recent graduation from the LeadingAge Leadership Academy as a Leadership Academy Fellow. The Academy is a year-long commitment by leaders from around the nation to improving their skills and elevating the senior-living experience.

Each fellow must complete an impactful project. Pat chose The Empathy Experience: A Leadership Sleepover. Each of our leaders spent a night in one of three care settings: short-term rehabilitation, long-term skilled nursing care or assisted living. Each leader went through the admissions process, lived as a resident would, with several medical diagnoses and experienced what life is like for residents at our Denver-based communities. None of the leaders could come out of character and help out or make any suggestions. Each journaled about their experience. Some documented how they felt in a video diary, Segments from those were edited together and presented at the National LeadingAge Conference at the end of October 2018. This experience was impactful for all by producing a deeper understanding of the resident experience and increasing appreciation for the amazing, compassionate care that team members provide every day.

Watch the video below.