by Jeannee Parker Martin, President and CEO, LeadingAge California Finally, the NEXT NORMAL is here. From a year bound by COVID-19, we are coming out of a dense coastal fog – one where masks were ubiquitous, and gatherings and short visits to see loved ones are prohibited. Our conversation has moved to “are you vaccinated?” Read More…
Engage Magazine
The Power of Belonging
by Melanie Ripley, Vice President of Membership, LeadingAge California We begin life with the most crucial of needs: attachment to a caregiver, the desire to be loved, and the need to find our place in society. The fundamental desire to survive, by feeling safe in a bond with responsive adults, is an aspect of the taxonomy Read More…
Associations and Career Development
by Joanne Handy, Immediate Past President and CEO of LeadingAge California Early in my career as a provider, my boss sent me to a Policy Committee of the state provider association. I had a clinical background and was in my first supervisory position, so I had no idea why she wanted me to go to Read More…
The More Things Change…
by Anne Burns-Johnson, former CEO of LeadingAge California, 2001-2009 As my mother-in-law descended into dementia, her strategic stock phrase, used in many situations, was “It is the same, but different.” So on this occasion of LeadingAge California celebrating its 60th anniversary, I feel I can repeat that comment. “It is the same, but different.” Sixty years ago, there Read More…
Advocating for LGBTQ+ Older Adults
by Jerry W. Brown, Senior Director, Covia Affordable Communities – a Front Porch Partner I have a great passion for the work we all do serving aging adults in the many settings available to them through our LeadingAge California association. On a more personal level, as a gay man, I have a greater passion for Read More…
A Look to the Past and a Vision for the Future
For this anniversary issue, we connected with some of our long-time members to learn how the industry has changed since the founding of LeadingAge California in 1961. Laverne Joseph, President and CEO (retired), Retirement Housing Foundation (RHF) My involvement with the association goes back to when I came from Chicago to Long Beach in 1987. Read More…