Category: Executive Team

“Sometimes you can’t see yourself clearly until you see yourself through the eyes of others.” — Ellen DeGeneres

Spring has arrived…and not a moment too soon! After a long cold winter, I welcome the warmth of the sun, the melting snow and tiny bits of green grass peeking through the brown.

At Bethany, spring signals the end of our fiscal year and a time to look back at what has happened. Within all levels of the organization, we are completing our reviews and receiving assessments on our performance for the past year. While some of the comments will be positive and some will be constructive, there is often uneasiness felt on both sides, giving and receiving. One of the keys to success both personally and professionally, is to be receptive to feedback. So how do we receive feedback graciously and what should we do with it?

Here are some suggestions:

• Be approachable. Keep an open mind and emotions in check. We want to continue to receive feedback in order to help achieve one’s full potential. My mom often says that if she has stopped giving me feedback, I should be concerned because she has given up on me.
• Seek understanding. If necessary, ask questions to get clarity on your evaluation. Request for specific examples and tips on how to improve.
• Restate the points made to your supervisor and confirm that you have correctly interpreted their comments.
• Reflect on the feedback. Take an honest look at yourself and consider if changes need to be made. This is often the most difficult and humbling part of the process.
• Take action. Lay out steps to initiate change and follow through.

“The past is to prove that no one is perfect and the future is to prove that everyone can change.” — A. Loan

The new fiscal year signifies an opportunity for new beginnings and the use of feedback for improvement and growth. Thank you for taking the time to read this message and feel free to reach me with your comments or questions at Doreen.Lee@Bethanyseniors.com.

— Doreen

I am writing today with my last message to you as a member of the Bethany Executive Leadership Team. My plan is to end my full-time work at the end of this month and continue, on a part-time basis, to complete some projects I have been working on for some time.

Yes, I have reached that time in my life to step away and do some of the things that I have wanted to do but have never felt I had the time. It seems that I’ve been contemplating this move for a long time — it was well over a year ago when I informed Jennifer that I was thinking of retirement — and now is the right time to make it a reality.

When I think back over my career and to my time at Bethany, there are a few things that stand out as highlights:

• I’ve spent the majority of my career working in or for not-for-profit organizations. I relate to and appreciate the caring attitudes and motives of my colleagues.
• I’ve always enjoyed working, especially learning and making improvements, year over year.
• I’ve loved meeting new colleagues and building relationships with them over the years. Some of my best friends today are colleagues I worked with decades ago.
• I’ve sat with hundreds of People of Bethany at lunch enjoying the stories of the day. However, I’ve listened to some stories from staff, especially at Bethany Calgary, that I’d rather not have heard during mealtimes!
• I’ve had four employers, with periods of employment of 16, 3, 10 and 14 years.
• I’ve held substantially the same role at Bethany throughout my tenure, however it has never felt like it was the same — every year brought new opportunities and challenges.
• I’ve worked for only two Presidents, enjoyed learning from the experience and counsel of four Board Chairs, many Board Trustees, Foundation Directors and community volunteers, and working with many colleagues on the Executive Leadership Team.
• I’ve worked continuously (except for some very enjoyable vacations) for the past 43 years — no wonder I feel tired!

I have also met many of you as Bethany has designed and built new care centres; opened, expanded and closed programs; renovated and updated our buildings to meet current standards; expanded our housing portfolio of owned and managed properties; and (unfortunately) helped to re-mediate buildings affected by floods or fire. I have seen employees join Bethany and leave — and have been delighted to see some of them return for a second term of employment.

I will be around Bethany until the end of April “wrapping things up”, and I do hope to share memories with many of you during that time.

Good luck to you all. It has been a pleasure being a part of the large Bethany family and sharing experiences with you.

With best wishes,

— Alasdair

Promoting A Psychologically Safe & Healthy Workplace

As we embark on a new year, I have been reflecting on the common expression “have a happy and healthy new year”. Have you ever wondered what it means to have a healthy workplace at Bethany?

Did you know that on June 1, 2018 there were changes to Alberta’s Occupational Health & Safety Act and Code that now include expectations that require all workplaces to implement policies and procedures that help protect not just the physical safety of workers but their psychological and social well-being as well? As a result of these important changes, Bethany has updated all relevant policies and procedures in alignment with the new requirements and has created a new policy called Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace which addresses harassment, bullying and violence in the workplace. In particular, it provides guidance on what is and what is not harassment and bullying, and helps all Bethany employees understand their rights and responsibilities in supporting a psychologically safe and healthy workplace.

Safety is a core value for the organization and our Code of Conduct sets out Bethany’s expectations, built upon our mission, vision and values, and our unwavering commitment to the highest standard of ethics, care and service for residents, tenants and clients. The Code of Conduct states that every person who works at a Bethany workplace is entitled to be treated with respect and that every known instance of violence, harassment or bullying will be investigated and appropriately dealt with.

To support all Bethany employees, you will be asked to read the new policy on PolicyTech and complete a short quiz. Your leaders will also be meeting with you over the next month or so to ensure you understand how to: Recognize, Respond and Report harassment, bullying and violence in the workplace.

All of us are entitled to be treated with respect by everyone we interact with during our work day, and treating each other with care and respect are core values that we should model every day.

Look out for each other and do your part to promote a psychologically safe and healthy workplace for everyone.

If you have any questions or would simply like to share your ideas, please contact me directly at lisa.watson@bethanyseniors.com.

Kind regards,

— Lisa

Kindness in the Workplace

I’ve been doing some reading lately on employee engagement and organizational culture and one of the common themes in the literature around improving engagement centers around kindness. Research by social scientists, business school professors and other experts on compassion all argue more kindness will improve employee engagement.

Kindness is generally defined as the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate. When one considers these traits, it seems obvious that these are “ways of being” that should be inherent in our workplace. However, this is not the always the case.

In our fast-paced world, it is often easy to get caught up with day-to-day tasks and forget to “look up” and engage with others. Yet, the literature tells us, that by being kind we see a healthier workplace, less sick time, lower staff turnover and higher productivity. Simple acts of kindness in the workplace can go a long way and can lead to a happier workforce, better ideas and an improved culture.

If we all were to take a kinder approach in our day to day conversations and interactions, there are a number of positive outcomes that could be achieved:

1. Kindness can lead to a more positive workplace. Positive employees and leaders build teams and places where people want to work and create something employees want to be a part of.
2. Kindness “feels good” and can be contagious. One act of kindness can start a ripple effect as others embrace the positivity produced and share kindness themselves.
3. Kindness can increase productivity – research has shown that acts of kindness will have profound implications on the level of energy, emotional engagement and performance of teams.
4. Kindness can bring stability to the workplace. A kinder workplace means treating the wellbeing of employees as a key part of productivity and sustainability.

There are many ways, large and small, to demonstrate kindness in the workplace.  Kindness can begin with a smile, saying “thank you” in person, holding the door open for the person behind you and asking someone how they are and really listening to their answer. As the Dalai Lama once said “Be kind whenever possible.  It is always possible”.  Meaningful acts of kindness will shift attitudes and will lead to more engaged and connected team members.

As always, I welcome any ideas or suggestions you may have.  Please send them to me at nancy.hughes@bethanyseniors.com.

Regards,
— Nancy

New Year…New Opportunities

Some of us take New Year’s resolutions very seriously. Others refuse to make them. For those that make resolutions, things like eat better, drink more water, exercise and save money are often at the top of the list. As I write this on January 4, I’m just doing ‘so-so’ on every one of these!

Whether you’re a resolution-maker or not, just about all of us take some time to reflect on our life as each old year closes and the new one begins. Just the turning of the clock to midnight on December 31 creates a psychological ‘fresh page’ to write the story of our life on.

What do you want for yourself in 2019?

What do you want for your loved ones?

What do you want for your work colleagues?

When it comes to our work together at Bethany, every day is an opportunity to show up ready to do great work and practice everyday excellence. As 2019 begins, that can look like trying new ways to stay on top of our To Do list or our email inbox. It can look like taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It can look like eating broccoli instead of eating a bag of chips for lunch (sigh).

Perhaps most importantly, it can mean a fresh start on our relationships with each other, recognizing that we’re all on the same journey. We’re all trying to do the right things in the right way for the people we serve, with integrity and caring – for our residents, for our tenants, for our Bethany families and for each other.

Will 2019 be a great year? I think so, especially when I consider how much of the answer to that question lives on the ‘fresh page’ that we have the opportunity to create every day.

Happy New Year!
— Gail

Christmas is Upon Us!

There are many traditions in my family that have been part of Christmas since I was a child. Every year, I look forward to unpacking familiar tree ornaments, hanging our stockings and baking my mom’s shortbread cookies. My family also likes to watch Christmas movies and TV shows and play games. These simple activities allow us all to pause for a few moments, reflect on memories made over the years and simply enjoy our time together.

At this time of year, I also take the time to be grateful for the many blessings in my life.

I want to thank each of you for your commitment to everyday excellence at Bethany. Every day, you enrich the lives of those we serve by showing compassion and doing the extras that mean so much.

May you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and an abundance of happiness and joy in 2019.

— Jennifer

As always, I welcome your feedback at: jennifer.mccue@bethanyseniors.com

New partnership agreement serves as an avenue to promote excellence in the health leadership field 

Bethany Care Society has entered into a strategic alliance with the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL) to increase the leadership capabilities of health care managers in Canada.

Through this agreement, Bethany and the CCHL will work together to encourage managers in the health care field to obtain their Certified Health Executive (CHE) designation, the only certification program for Canadian health leaders. This program offers individual leaders several benefits including support for lifelong learning in health services leadership; assistance with career advancement; peer recognition and also serves as an essential career designation.

“We are truly delighted to have signed this agreement with Bethany,” said Ray Racette, CHE, President and CEO of the CCHL. “Our partnership acknowledges that there is a commitment to ongoing professional development for health leaders at Bethany and recognizes how important it is for health leaders to become certified, and to earn the CHE designation.”

For employers like Bethany, trained leaders gain enhanced knowledge to support the organization’s operations and have the ability to contribute to strategic growth. Employers also have the ability to use the CHE as an industry-wide benchmark when evaluating employee performance.

“Bethany is proud and committed to the profession of leadership and management in the health services field, and recognizes the CHE designation as a preferred credential for its leadership team,” says Jennifer McCue, President and CEO of Bethany Care Society. “Our partnership with the CCHL supports our corporate commitment to promoting excellence at Bethany.”

This collaboration will also allow for both organizations to better address the constantly evolving needs of health leaders and align themselves with the LEADS in a Caring Environment framework. This framework is a foundation for Canadian health leadership development and defines the knowledge, skills and attitudes a leader must have to positively contribute to the Canadian health care system.

“As the CHE designation continues to gain ground as the preferred designation for health care leaders and is recognized as an industry-wide benchmark for evaluating employee performance, partnerships, such as this one with the Bethany Care Society, take a front seat in the ever changing health care field.  The value of investing in our leaders’ lifelong learning is essential and I am extremely pleased with the forming of this new alliance.” Says Sylvie Deliencourt, College Director, Certification, Leadership Development and Chapter Support.

During the year it is very easy to be so busy with our own departments and our own tasks. I find that the holiday season gifts us the opportunity to truly reflect back on all we have accomplished over the past year…and to contemplate all the successes yet to come in the year ahead.

The momentum underway with our corporate strategic plan – Vision 2020 – is beyond extraordinary! It shows us what can happen when true collaboration, creativity, determination, passion and plain old hard work prevail.

Less than three years ago, we embraced – and began implementing – Bethany’s vision for the future. At our annual leadership forum this past October, we learned that the results to date have surpassed even our own expectations. Now, fuelled by our successes and with a renewed sense of purpose, we are ready to embrace and celebrate this next year to come!

As we embark on the projects slated for the year ahead, we are especially excited about two major projects: the spring groundbreaking of the first phase of construction for Bethany Cochrane’s redevelopment, and the fall grand opening of the purpose-built Bethany Riverview. Once completed, Bethany Riverview will be the centre of excellence for dementia care in southern Alberta.

2018 will see us continue to steward the exceptional work underway at Bethany Calgary’s recently unveiled Alternative Level of Care Unit. I take pride in this being the first ALC Unit in the Calgary Zone for Alberta Health Services.

The coming year will see us complete the organization-wide rollout of KRONOS and the Automated Shift Callout system. We have adopted these tools to help our managers spend less time on administrative duties and more time on the needs of our residents and staff.

In the coming year we will continue to work diligently to improve the quality of life for our residents through Bethany’s many innovative programs occurring across our care homes.

Our Service Excellence Program has taken significant steps forward this past year. 2017 has seen some immediate big results, like defining our Standards for Service Excellence and sharing them in the ongoing Huddles with management and front-line staff, the WAVE Recognition Boards now mounted across Bethany, investing in Leadership Development (LEADS) and the implementation of a very robust Performance Management Program. I am very excited to see this important initiative continue to evolve in 2018.

On behalf of the entire leadership team, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for all your hard work and dedication this year. Because of you – our People of Bethany, we are able to live out our mission of creating caring communities.

Thank you for being part of the Bethany family, and for walking each day with our residents and their families through their journey of aging.

I wish you all a safe, festive and very Merry Christmas!

– Jennifer

Opening Minds Through Art – The Benefits of Sensory Stimulation in Caring for Residents with Dementia

Providing appropriate sensory stimulation to those with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia has been shown to be very beneficial in many ways. Sensory stimulation includes anything that stimulates one of our five senses and includes such things as music therapy, pet therapy and art therapy. Studies have shown that these therapies can decrease agitation and restlessness, improve sleep and generally improve quality of life for the individual as well as for caregivers.

Bethany is working on an overall sensory strategy for the organization as part of our commitment to best practice in dementia care. At present, there are a number of initiatives underway across our sites and this week I would like to highlight the “Opening Minds Through Art” (OMA) program that has been implemented at Bethany Cochrane.

OMA is an award-winning, evidence-based, intergenerational art program for people with dementia. It was developed about 10 years ago at Miami University’s Scripps Gerontology Centre in Oxford, Ohio and is grounded in person centered care principles. Each resident is paired with a trained volunteer who provides guidance during the art making process but who makes no aesthetic decisions for the artist. The sessions culminate in a gallery exhibition celebrating the artist’s accomplishments while educating the public about the creative capacities of people with dementia.

The OMA program was introduced at Bethany Cochrane in the spring of 2017. Given the intergenerational nature of the program, student volunteers were recruited from the University of Calgary and Cochrane High and together with regular volunteers, worked with residents over the course of six weeks. A total of 12 residents participated in the program and the response was very positive. New friendships were forged and residents were able to leverage their creativity to create very unique art pieces.

The gallery exhibition was held on November 28 and I had the privilege of attending. The event showcased the artwork created by the residents and the pieces were part of a silent auction intended to raise funds for the program so that it can continue running year round. I had the opportunity to speak with some volunteers and family members in attendance and all were very moved by the program and the positive changes they saw in the residents. I was particularly struck by a comment made by one of the residents who, when asked how she felt said, “like an artist!”

I am excited about this work and the other initiatives we have underway that provide sensory stimulation programs for our residents with dementia!

As always, I welcome any ideas or suggestions you may have. Please send them to me at nancy.hughes@bethanyseniors.com.

Regards,

– Nancy