Managing a team is difficult, although building a high performing team is even harder. One key skill that high performing teams have in common is that they hold themselves accountable, both as individuals and as a team. Great managers should know how to build a culture of accountability. Here are eight team accountability exercises to start now:
Set clear expectations, and document them
Make everyone responsible for team meeting agendas
Assign tasks to individuals
Follow up
Adopt an “embrace mistakes” mantra– own mistakes and move on
Make sure to articulate the consequences when something doesn’t get done
Chaplain Taylor Phillips from Westminster Oaks shares how he captures the stories of residents as part of our Mission, in this “Mission Moment.” From these interviews, he creates books that have become an integral part of their ministry in the community, sharing the history of its residents. Learn more in this “Mission Moment.”
Serving as chaplain at Westminster Oaks, I collect stories from the lives of our residents. So far, our stories have included account from:
A survivor of hand-to-hand combat at the Battle of Iwo Jima
An escapee from the Japanese-American internment camps
Several escapees from Nazi Germany
A president of Florida State University during the protest era
A national champion water-skier
A governor and first lady of Florida
A Holocaust survivor
A pilot who disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle
An engineer who worked on NASA’s moon landings
A lady who forged passports for the French Resistance
A Nobel Prize-winning physicist
Several career CIA and other intelligence agents
And many more!
I bring our residents out to speak at local high schools and invite student groups to come and listen to their stories. Students have created projects for the Florida History Fair competitions that have won district, state, national and international honors and awards. The stories about these amazing individuals have been published throughout Florida, the U.S. and the world. One standout interview was with one of our residents, Valerie, who shared her story of surviving the Luftwaffe bombing of England. This was at a recording session at the downtown library by National Public Radio as part of their StoryCorps project.
To accompany these stories, I ask residents and their families to send me photos and their personal accounts. Each October, following the church tradition of the Service of Remembrance, we share photos and anecdotes from the lives of the residents who have passed away since the prior October. Afterwards we create a printed book, which we add to our collection in the reading area. With this we are archiving not only the moments with historical significance, but also preserving memories from each unique journey. These form a broad range of stories from across the political, cultural and intellectual spectrums, that led to a happy retirement.
Residents tell me about each other’s stories, and families say that they appreciate my interest in them. On one occasion, while out in public some one said to me, “I know you. My aunt was a Rosie the Riveter, and you thought that was really neat.” Twenty years on, these conversations happen at the grocery store and the coffee shop more and more frequently.
Often, when I am out in the community, I hear of people’s happy memories of Westminster Oaks, often from adult children recalling their last moments with their parents.
I am thankful for the opportunity to share these incredible stories and spread our mission here at Westminster Oaks and in the larger community.
Moving to assisted living in Florida is an exciting time. Assisted living offers a new way of life that is less stressful and more convenient. The transition can be a big one, so you should prepare for the move carefully. There are several checklist items that can help ensure you are prepared for the big day.
Talk to Assisted Living Staff
Assisted living staff are in the best position to help you understand what to expect before, during, and after you move. Make sure to have one or more conversations with them so that you know what you need to do on moving day and what you can expect when you arrive.
Plan Your New Space
Your space in assisted living will be different than your space at home, and you should plan accordingly. Depending on your community, it’s possible that not all of your furniture will fit, or you may need new furniture that is more functional in the space.
Having a plan for all of your belongings will save a lot of time and stress when it is time to move.
Downsize
In assisted living, the services and amenities available often mean that you don’t need many of the items you once had in your home. Transitioning to assisted living is the perfect time to take inventory of your belongings and sell or give away what you no longer need.
Downsizing will not only make your move easier, but it will also set you up for a clean and clutter-free space in your new home.
Find Movers
Even if you are only moving a short distance, finding a moving company to help is the best way to go. Moving companies carefully pack all of your belongings and safely transport them to your new residence.
Take Care of Logistical Details
Finally, don’t forget the logistical details that come along with moving. You’ll need to:
Set up address forwarding
Notify friends and family of your address change
Disconnect utilities
Disconnect cable and internet services
If you are selling your home to move to assisted living, it may be a good idea to work with a professional to ensure everything is closed out before your move.
Look Forward to Your Move to Florida Assisted Living Facilities
There are a lot of elements to manage for seniors moving to Florida assisted living facilities. Adhering to this checklist will ensure that the transition goes smoothly and is as low-stress as possible.
It’s time for us to turn the page on another year. At Westminster Communities of Florida, we’re thankful that 2022 was another amazing year! We enjoyed exciting new developments all across the state, plus great news to share, and a variety of other top news about the active lifestyle our residents and team members enjoy every day. Here are some of the most extraordinary moments we have shared this year, in the style of David Letterman’s Top 10 lists:
10. Our Foundation Resident Art Show
In July, Westminster Woods on Julington Creek was pleased to host the Westminster Communities Foundation’s Resident Art Show. The show was also available for all of our residents, team members and their families to enjoy virtually, no matter where they live.
You can enjoy some of the amazing and award-winning work from the 2022 Resident Art Show for yourself! View our Virtual Art Show.
9. We Won Gold at The National Mature Media Awards
This summer, we were thrilled to announce that our Creative Team, part of our Community Support Services team, won a Gold Award and three Merit Awards in this year’s National Mature Media Awards. The Gold-winning campaign, “Happy To Be Here,” was a multi-channel campaign featuring direct mail pieces, advertisements, events, resident testimonials, buttons, referral program and so much more. In addition, the Merit Awards were given to our “Sweet and Savory” event, “100% Satisfaction Guarantee” campaign, and “Candid Conversation” campaign. We are so proud of all the team members who worked on these amazing entries!
8. The Westminster Towers-Westminster Winter Park Putting Tournament
The semi-annual putting tournament put on by the residents of Westminster Towers and Westminster Winter Park is highly competitive — and one of our most highly engaged posts throughout the entire year. The event is a favorite for both communities as residents enjoy getting together, engaging in some friendly competition and savoring a delicious lunch with friends. Westminster Towers started the tournament with a prayer from Chaplain Brenda and at the end of the day, Team Towers won with a 30-point lead.
7. Establishing A Gift to Support Team Members of Westminster St. Augustine
6. Technology Makes Dining More Exciting at Westminster Point Pleasant
Westminster Point Pleasant’s new Market opened as a tech café in May. This new concept for the dining room in the River Room features ordering to-go items through a kiosk and offers sit-down service as items are served by a robot. So far, the response has been great — residents love this innovative way we’re making life more interesting.
5. We Honored Our Team Members of the Year and Volunteers of the Year
We were delighted to celebrate our incredible Team Members of the Year and Volunteers of the Year for 2021 this summer. We held three recognition banquets – in Orlando, St. Petersburg and Tallahassee – to recognize them for their contributions to making life more interesting at our communities every day. You can learn all about these amazing individuals now!
4. Westminster Oaks’ New Memory Care Neighborhood Wins Eagle Award for Excellence in Construction
Westminster Oaks and Westminster Communities of Florida were delighted to announce that the new Memory Care neighborhood in the Life Plan Community in Tallahassee has been recognized by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of North Florida with its Eagle Award for Excellence in Construction. Congratulations to our construction team members, including Director of Construction Bill Andersen and Construction Manager Rob Clerici, and contractors Cook Brothers, Inc., of Tallahassee!
3. How Afghan Refugees Are Building New Lives as Westminster Team Members
This year, we were delighted to sponsor several families of State Department-approved refugees from Afghanistan and to help them resettle and find work in our communities. We have helped these families find housing, start work, and enroll their children in school, thanks to the support of residents, team members and community organizations throughout Tampa Bay. We saw an outpouring of generosity, with contributions ranging from clothes and home furnishings, to bicycles and even English lessons provided by residents.
Learn all about the experiences of Noman Raoufi and Mohebullah Zyarmal as they acclimated to living in Bradenton and Orlando, as well as becoming successful new Westminster team members!
2. LeadingAge Florida’s Trustee Of The Year Award Given To Marjorie Phillips, Former Westminster Board Chair
In July, LeadingAge Florida honored former Westminster Communities of Florida Board of Directors chairwoman Marjorie Phillips for her extraordinary contributions to the residents and team members of Westminster Communities of Florida.
Phillips has served in nearly every position on the boards of directors and regional committees of the organization. This includes tenure as chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Presbyterian Retirement Communities, Westminster’s parent organization, as well as the Board of Directors of Westminster Retirement Communities, which is Westminster’s division of affordable Rental Retirement Communities serving older adults with low to moderate incomes.
“I am so appreciative of the nomination by Westminster and somewhat stunned that I would be given an award for doing something I so loved doing,” Phillips said, after receiving the award. “Serving at Westminster was one of the great blessings in my life.”
1. New Memory Care Center Opens at Westminster Woods on Julington Creek
In September, the new Memory Care Center at Westminster Woods on Julington Creek opened. Residents’ Association President Dr. Joan Hodges said, “This building with all that it holds, carries the visions, hopes and dreams of those who have gone before us, those who will currently live here and those who will come here far into the future.”
Learn about how your family member or loved one can benefit from Memory Care at Westminster Woods on Julington Creek on our website today!
Anne Snyder lived for more than 24 years at Westminster Oaks, which made her friends and our team members into her extended family. As a final gift to the community she so loved, she provided a generous $158,000 bequest to support her fellow Westminster Oaks residents.
Anne’s donation to the Benevolent Assistance program will help residents who have outlived their resources, through no fault of their own, to continue living at Westminster Oaks. Executive Director Shannon Sauls said, “The residents who receive financial assistance are extremely grateful, and their families are too.”
Anne, who lived to be 105, was a key part of the Tallahassee community and was known widely as a person who helped others in need. She was a charter member of both Covenant Presbyterian Church and Fellowship Presbyterian Church, where she was much-loved for her personal charm, leadership and work ethic.
Ken and Anne Snyder met at The Ohio State University and were married in 1940. Both served in civil service after World War II. Anne retired after 15 years as the secretary to Judge Harold Carswell, the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, and then moved to Westminster Oaks in 1997. She gained a wonderful community of friends who joined her in reading, gardening and strolling the neighborhood.
The recipient of Anne’s significant bequest, the Westminster Communities Foundation, was founded with a Mission to enhance the lives of Westminster residents and team members. The Foundation provides approximately $1.9 million each year in Benevolent Assistance for residents who have outlived their resources. Currently, sixty-eight Westminster residents benefit from benevolent assistance support. Jeff Coates, Vice President of Philanthropy, said that “being able to help our neighbors and friends continue to live in their communities, regardless of their resources, would not be possible without the enduring support of caring, generous people like Anne. Our community owes a debt of gratitude to her for the generous legacy in support of others that she left behind.”
Since 1974, Benevolent Assistance at Westminster Communities of Florida has been 100% funded by donors to the Westminster Communities Foundation.
The holidays are in full swing, and that means many people are spending time with their friends and family.
Families who live far apart may be wondering how they can celebrate together with so much distance between them. You may feel like it’s difficult to have holiday traditions with certain relatives, but it’s still possible to make special memories from farther away. Here are three fun holiday traditions for families that live far apart.
1. Regular Video Chats
With continual advancements in smartphone technology, video chats have become a popular way to keep in touch with long-distance family members. If you want to establish a new tradition with a faraway family member, consider scheduling regular video chats throughout the holidays.
Try sharing a meal over Facetime or opening presents virtually on Christmas morning. Doing so will help you feel close, even when you can’t be physically.
2. Sharing Special Cards
Sending cards is a beloved holiday custom for many. If you have family living far away, consider sending them a special holiday card with a handwritten message inside.
You can include recent photographs of yourself, your spouse, your kids or pets, or your other family members. To make it more personal, craft your own card instead of buying a premade one from the store.
This is an especially nice idea for residents of Florida assisted living facilities, who often can’t be with their loved ones for the holidays.
3. Sending Handmade Gifts
If you’re thinking about sending gifts to a long-distance family member this holiday season, you can make your gift stand out by making it by hand. Whether it’s a crafting project, a scrapbook, a collection of original poems, or a one-of-a-kind piece of art, your recipient will no doubt love getting something you took the time to create.
Who knows? Your creativity may even kick-start a new tradition among other family members who want to give more personalized gifts.
Celebrating the Holidays While Assisted Living in Florida
If you have a loved one in assisted living in Florida, you can still find ways to make the season bright, even if you can’t be together.
If you’re unable to visit them in person, try holding regular video chats, sending them a handmade card, or hand-making unique gifts for them to enjoy. In this way, you and your faraway family members can establish fun new traditions for future holidays.
For years, Westminster Towers was blessed to have Sandy Davey among its family. Sandy was known by many residents as a sweet and thoughtful person with a vibrant sense of humor. He felt the team members where like family to him.
Sandy spent most of his adult life in Orlando, where he was best-known as the longtime general manager of the WKMG-Channel 6 television station. Prior to embarking on his career in television, Sandy earned an economics degree from the University of Virginia and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
His passing was a cause for sadness, but his memory will be further enhanced by a gift he made to his beloved Westminster community. Sandy left a generous bequest of nearly $132,000 to support the education of Westminster Towers team members and their families who are seeking to further their professional skills and education.
“Sandy’s bequest to Westminster is the ultimate act of generosity,” said Jeff Coates, Westminster Communities Foundation’s Vice President of Philanthropy. “His legacy will be known as a caring soul whose generosity will affect the lives of others through education.”
Sandy’s gift will impact team members and their children like Mia Concha, the daughter of Westminster Towers team member Andrea Montesanti. Mia, who received a 2022 scholarship, is a graduate of Seminole State College and is furthering her education by studying psychology at the University of Central Florida. Andrea said that the financial assistance provided to her daughter is making a difference: “I am grateful that, because of the scholarship Mia received, she was able to purchase the supplies and books she needed for all her classes at UCF.”
At Thanksgiving we pause to acknowledge our many blessings and to express our gratitude. We give our thanks for gathering with family and friends, as well as for many cherished memories. As Westminster team members, we also give thanks for each other and for our strong family of service.
Each year, I write to share my gratitude with you. We have responded to a pandemic, catastrophic hurricanes, economic challenges and concerns about war and unrest throughout the world. Even so, we have much to be thankful for. Above all, I am thankful for you.
I reflect on our Mission and see how you bring it to life within our communities. Through your love, dedication and courage you have served residents, their families, and each other. We have been tried as Americans, as team members and as an organization, yet we continue to live the Mission of service.
As we acknowledge the challenging few years we have experienced, we do so knowing that the individual blessings for which we give thanks may have changed – but our gratitude to God and our commitment to our Mission of serving others remain constant. I remain inspired by how you serve the residents each day and feel more grateful than ever for each of you.
On behalf of the entire Leadership Team, we want you to know how thankful we are that you choose to be a member of the Westminster team.
With Halloween quickly approaching, you’re likely making plans for how your family is going to celebrate. While Halloween parties and trick-or-treating are common ways to celebrate Halloween, you may be wondering how to include your loved one in assisted living in the festivities.
Many older adults in assisted living facilities are unable to leave their residences, but they still want to participate in the holiday. Fortunately, there are simple ways to bring Halloween to them! Check out three great ways to celebrate Halloween with loved ones in assisted living in Florida.
Celebrating Halloween in Assisted Living in Florida
Is your parent or other loved one currently in assisted living? Check out three ways you can bring Halloween to them and help them celebrate the occasion.
1. Watching Spooky Movies
If your loved one doesn’t scare easily, a great way to get in the Halloween spirit is by watching spooky movies with them. You can pick some of their old favorites or new ones they might enjoy. Bring along some friends or family members to add to the audience and make it a group activity. Make sure you don’t forget the popcorn and candy to snack on!
2. Carving Pumpkins
Another fun way to celebrate Halloween with your loved ones in assisted living is by carving some pumpkins. This will be especially fun if you bring along any grandchildren or other family members.
Make sure to bring along several small pumpkins that are easy to lift and carving tools that are safe to use for those with limited motor skills. Your senior loved one will be able to partake in a Halloween tradition and make a special memory with family members.
If carving pumpkins is not an option, there are other creative alternatives that can be Halloween-themed. Many Florida assisted living facilities have arts and crafts centers where you can join your loved one for some Halloween painting or drawing!
3. Wearing Fun Costumes
There’s no age limit when it comes to dressing up for Halloween! To celebrate the holiday with your loved one in assisted living, you can dress up in fun costumes. Dress up as a funny character, and bring some costumes and accessories that your loved one may want to wear. This will help them get in the Halloween spirit and remember all the fun they had dressing up in their younger years.
Westminster Pharmacy Services now has two additional registered pharmacy technicians among its team members! Congratulations to pharmacy billers Michelle Burris and Mayra Lucas de Gomez on their recent certification.
Burris and Lucas de Gomez completed a six-month program offered by the Florida Department of Health and passed the State of Florida Pharmacy Technician exam, making them licensed to perform and assist at Westminster Pharmacy Services as pharmacy technicians.
“The certification has opened up a lot more things I can do,” Burris said. From data entry and packing medications for pharmacists to review, to preparing deliveries to residents at all our communities, the certification licenses both team members to become more versatile and contribute to many other parts of our Mission of service to older adults. That’s on top of their responsibilities for billing and coordinating with insurance companies in their current roles.
The team at Westminster Pharmacy Services acquired the certification program to develop additional pharmacy technicians coming out of the global pandemic.
“Staffing is challenging for all areas right now, pharmacy included,” said Phil Layman, RPh, CPh, Director of Pharmacy Operations and preceptor for the certification program. “We became registered with the state of Florida to become a certification site and be able to do on-site training partly for that need. Our own team members are some of the best candidates that we could have.”
“Finding good, dedicated individuals is hard, especially after the pandemic,” said Dominick DeSarro, Vice President of Pharmacy Services. “What this opportunity allowed us to do is utilize the talent that we have within and refresh their experience and educational base with this new component.”
Burris and Lucas de Gomez are already familiar with many medication names, dates of supply and directions for prescriptions, on top of knowing the ins and outs of the billing process. The online training course covered areas they were not already experienced with, such as drug classification, data entry, drug calculations and how to complete fillings.
The long-term benefit is not only to the team member and pharmacy services team, but to the residents they serve.
“It’s important to know more to help the clients and residents more,” Lucas de Gomez said. The pharmacy technician certification has empowered her to better assist residents with their medication, and avoid transferring their calls to another team member to complete. “This is really important for us, and important for me personally. It allows me to help my community and help me do my job.”
The 25 team members at Westminster Pharmacy Services have been serving residents in Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care and Nursing Care, providing consulting, nurse liaison, and pharmacy services to residents at all Westminster communities for 15 years, a milestone they celebrate this month.
“One of the things that we’re extremely proud of is that, as part of the family of Westminster Communities of Florida, our margin goes back to the communities, so it’s continuously feeding and supporting the communities that we serve,” DeSarro said. “We serve them twice. That’s truly our Mission.”
Congratulations to Michelle and Mayra on their certification and to the team members at Westminster Pharmacy Services for 15 years of dedicated service to our residents.
