Visiting Copeland Oaks and Crandall Medical Center highlighted how their dedicated team, natural beauty, and debt-free model create a strong community, but workforce challenges persist.
My favorite thing: member visits. I cannot overstate how valuable it is to be out in member communities, asking questions, learning their histories and harvesting stories. Last week, I spent the morning in tiny Sebring, Ohio, walking the grounds of Copeland Oaks and CRANDALL MEDICAL CENTER. Highlights included: ?? Meeting a number of multi-decade team members, (including one 50+ year career!) "It is like a family," said more than one team member. ??Views of nature everywhere. Founded in the 1960s with 250 acres, every window shows trees, water, even a few fountains. Nettie (pictured with CEO Dave Mannion ) told me her favorite thing about working here (apart from "the residents" which is always the first answer I hear), is the way the cherry trees snow blossoms in the springtime. ??The security of moving into a community with no debt service. Not only do residents know that there is no bank to come knocking, but there is no debt service passed on to residents. This means that Copeland Oaks is comparatively affordable and also is able to provide a sliding fee for some residents, and has taken waiver-eligible individuals, even before rates were recently raised. Their challenge? ????????????Workforce. This community still has whole hallways that are shut down, despite also having a waiting list for admissions. The chief challenge is their location in rural Mahoning County. #leadingagedifference #seniorliving #workforce