Caregivers Corner � May 2003
PA's 1st Statewide Culture Change Conference is on the Horizon

On a national level, the Pioneer Network has become synonymous with changing the culture of care and aging.  Building momentum and support since the late 1990s, the Pioneer Network has now held three major national conferences.  These conferences have been dedicated to spreading word of culture change values and principles, and informing and educating people about the growing number of successful approaches to transforming the culture of caring for our elders.

To this end, one of the goals of the Pioneer Network has been to encourage the formation of state and community coalitions, and to encourage these coalitions to sponsor their own regional culture change conferences.  This summer the Pennsylvania Culture Change Coalition will host its first statewide conference.  August will be here before we know it, and everyone who has been involved in organizing the Pennsylvania�s conference is very excited for it to begin. The theme is �Lighting the Path to Quality Care,� and each session is designed to help organizations develop, and share ideas about advancing culture change in their homes and communities.

Some of the specific topics that will be presented by professionals in the field over the conference�s two-day span are Pennsylvania's Peer Project which will be discussed by Laurie Sisak and Carolyn Tenaglia. Sara Joffe from Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute will be speaking about creating a culture of retention. The Rouse Home and Presbyterian SeniorCare will be discussing their personal experiences with culture change. This is just a small sampling of the many professionals who will be sharing their ideas at the conference.

August is fast approaching and excitement for the conference continues to build.  The full conference agenda and registration booklet will be distributed in June. The conference is August 20 and 21^st in Harrisburg. This first statewide conference is sure to be a great opportunity for nursing home professionals and others in Pennsylvania to learn, share and network about culture change.