By Robyn Stone
Robyn Stone is counting the reasons she’s delighted about a new project to strengthen the affordable senior housing workforce.
I’m thrilled about a new LeadingAge Maryland project that will prepare maintenance staff and property managers to better support the well-being of residents living in affordable senior housing communities.
Let me count the reasons for my delight:
First, I love it when a LeadingAge state partner wholeheartedly embraces a cause and runs with it. Hats off to LeadingAge Maryland and Allison Ciborowski, its president & CEO, for working so hard to expand access to high-quality affordable housing and services. That work began through the Maryland Affordable Senior Housing Workgroup and continues through this first-of-a-kind staff training initiative, Scaling What Works: Connecting and Equipping Staff Teams Within Affordable Housing for Older Adults.
Second, the goal of this project is spot on. Maintenance staff and property managers spend more time engaging with residents than anyone else in affordable senior housing communities. They know residents’ preferences and needs better than anyone. When visiting apartments, they are in a great position to notice if the environment is safe and free of fall hazards, ascertain how a living space might better accommodate the needs of residents with cognitive impairment, or chit-chat with residents to find out how they’re doing and what’s going on in their lives. It makes perfect sense to give these team members new knowledge and skills—about the aging process, person-centered care, communication, and other relevant topics—so they can do their best work.
Third, I celebrate Enterprise Community Partners’ Thome Aging Well Program and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation for their willingness to support the affordable housing workforce. These funders clearly understand that maintenance staff and property managers are integral members of housing-based teams. I’m impressed that the importance of training these team members has been recognized with this $300,000 investment.
Fourth, I’m pleased that affordable housing providers now have an opportunity to build the skills of a workforce that doesn’t often get the attention it deserves. This program acknowledges that maintenance staff and property managers have a critical role to play in improving the lives of older adults. This is a powerful and empowering message to send to all housing staff.
Fifth, I’m excited that the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston will evaluate this program’s success. I look forward to finding out whether formal training helps maintenance staff and property managers better understand the needs, challenges, and strengths of older residents, whether it encourages these team members to work more closely with the housing community’s service coordinator and, ultimately, whether initiatives like this will build the strength of older adults and help them age successfully in their communities.
Rest assured, we’ll share the lessons learned during this intervention so other housing providers nationwide can implement similar training initiatives. In the meantime, please read our article about the Scaling What Works project and stay tuned for project updates in the coming months.
Robyn I. Stone, DrPH, is senior vice president of research at LeadingAge, and co-director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston. Her widely published work addresses long-term care policy and quality, chronic care for people with disabilities, the aging services workforce, affordable senior housing, and family caregiving.