When I get the opportunity to travel to conferences I try to embody the conference theme. So let me tell you how excited I was to embrace this year’s LeadingAge Annual Meeting theme, Redefining Age. Couple that with puppies and Nashville and I was bound to have a great time! (Yup, I said puppies! We had the most adorable puppies join our team.)
So why puppies?
Like many others I had a dog growing up and I remember working on a social studies paper for hours the night before it was due (I was bit of a procrastinator back then). I went to bed exhausted but relieved it was done. That’s not how I woke up. I was terrified and in a panic because there were shreds of paper everywhere. Gizmo got to it and all that work was for nothing! That was over 20 years ago - luckily we have computers now.
But for some reason many providers are still managing their greatest asset, and their largest expense – their workforce – with manual, pen-and-paper schedules. And if you ask me, that’s just not worth the risk.
Luckily I had the opportunity to talk to hundreds of providers that came by our booth. And even though many of them initially came over for a little puppy love (and yes, those cute little pups were adopted!), they stayed to discuss the staffing challenges they were facing and many agreed that they need a better solution :).
My adventure at LeadingAge didn’t end there. I also got to visit the “As I Age …” chalkboard. This was a concept that was adapted from general session speaker, Candy Chang. She is the creator of the “Before I Die” project, where she stenciled the words “Before I Die, I want to _____.” on a chalkboard of an abandoned house in New Orleans, creating a public canvas for people to reflect on their lives and share their personal aspirations.
I stood contemplating my goals and initially came up with things like remaining active, continuing to educate myself, and remaining focused. But those weren’t the one. Then it hit me - a very simple statement that I will try and remember. As I age, I will live in the moment.
And Nashville was the perfect place to live in the moment!
By making a simple request to play Amie by Pure Prairie League at the OnShift/MatrixCare event at Legends Corner, the band asked me to join them. I would never do that!
And after watching the video, there is a valid reason. But with my new motto of living in the moment, I have the memory and photo that I will remember forever.
And in my mind I was a hit, just like this year’s LeadingAge Annual Meeting.