Comments for Eldercare Issues Discussion Group

Comment on Meeting Notice – Update by Richmond Shreve

Richmond Shreve — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:53:33 +0000

The Zoom link for the meeting is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83497318670?pwd=1JRPGYXr3EYNrjBs5KdLOTbbVTxGxl.1

Meeting ID: 834 9731 8670

Passcode: 098369

When it’s time to join the meeting, browse to the link above. Wait for the host to admit you. See you then!

Comment on Help Using Zoom Meetings by Richmond Shreve

Richmond Shreve — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 20:46:08 +0000

A note about the OWL.
The owl camera for Zoom meetings is remarkable. It “hears” where voices are coming from in the room and focuses one of its cameras on the voice. The images are displayed as a 360 degree panorama across the top, with cameos of the speaker(s) below. Working with Zoom’s echo cancellation, the mics reduce the echo for Zoom listeners.
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Unfortunately, when we use the PA system in the Blue Room, the OWL can’t tell where the voice is coming from so the video doesn’t track the person speaking unless they talk very loud. Nevertheless, the sound quality for virtual attendees is good.

Comment on Conflict Transformation by Richmond Shreve

Richmond Shreve — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 03:37:12 +0000

Hugh Mall – Conflict Transformation
[Source ChatGPT 4o]

Conflict Transformation is a concept and practice within the broader field of peace and conflict studies. It goes beyond merely resolving conflicts or managing them to transform the underlying social structures, relationships, and attitudes that contribute to the conflict. The goal is not just to stop the immediate violence or dispute but to create lasting peace by addressing root causes and transforming the relationships between the conflicting parties.
Key aspects of Conflict Transformation include:
1. Understanding Root Causes: Instead of focusing solely on the symptoms of conflict, this approach seeks to understand and address the underlying causes, such as social inequalities, injustice, and historical grievances.
2. Holistic Approach: Conflict Transformation is comprehensive, involving multiple levels of society, including individuals, communities, and institutions. It encompasses political, social, economic, and cultural dimensions.
3. Sustainable Peace: The aim is to build long-term, sustainable peace by transforming the relationships between the conflicting parties, often through dialogue, reconciliation, and mutual understanding.
4. Empowerment: Conflict Transformation emphasizes empowering local communities and marginalized groups to participate actively in the peace process, ensuring that solutions are inclusive and equitable.
5. Dynamic Process: It is not a one-time event but an ongoing process that requires continuous engagement, adaptation, and evolution as the conflict and its context change.
Hugh Miall is a prominent scholar in the field of peace and conflict studies, particularly known for his contributions to Conflict Transformation. His work often emphasizes the need to go beyond traditional conflict resolution methods, advocating for approaches that address the deeper social and structural issues that lead to conflict.
Miall has co-authored several influential texts on the subject, including “Contemporary Conflict Resolution,” which he co-wrote with Oliver Ramsbotham and Tom Woodhouse. This book is widely regarded as a foundational text in the field, offering both theoretical and practical insights into conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and conflict transformation.
Miall’s work often explores how conflicts can be transformed through processes that involve all stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity, dialogue, and long-term engagement. He advocates for peace processes that are not merely about reaching a settlement but about transforming the conditions that give rise to conflict, thus ensuring that peace is sustainable.

Comment on Appreciative Inquiry by Richmond Shreve

Richmond Shreve — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 04:41:59 +0000

Before such a process is initiated, the participants must sincerely embrace it. If there is ill will and an unwillingness to collaborate, there is the likelihood of deepening the rift between groups that have different cultures or agendas. Are any of the factions reticent about listening to the others? Is there basic trust? Is there an undercurrent of Destructive Entitlement where one group sees itself as superior, or another feels its rights and traditions have been disregarded? Is there an imbalance of power that engenders fear (Stockholm Syndrome)?

It may be that we need to mutually understand and enumerate the issues that foster the divide. For example, Dan Murray’s lecture alluded to grievances that he has concerning the behavior of certain unnamed residents. Rumors of a bonus that didn’t happen. Rumors that PV isn’t financially healthy, also unfounded. Dan didn’t mention them, but we discussed rumors that a group of residents was out to get Dan Murray fired. When Marguerite and I presented on strategic planning after the PVRA and the corporation agreed to Eldercare’s request to launch the process, some residents rose to speak as if we had attacked Murray. Chuch Eisenberg made a passionate defense of Dan Murray. Elane Daniels echoed his theme. Nothing in the presentation was critical of Dan Murray, so what prompted those individuals to rise and defend him? Did the negative rumors start before Eldercare called for a new strategic plan? (You can judge for yourself, the video of the presentation is available on this site, search for “strategic.”)

My point is that the community must make the hidden issues visible and we must agree on the facts of our situation. The Eldercare group has striven to make its agenda clear, and its processes fully transparent. This website contains abundant documentation supporting this fact. Our discussions at meetings have often included remarks where individuals spouted off, expressing frustration, questioning motives, and expressing doubts. These discussions were public and above board. Those who vented were not anonymous.

Others may grumble and gossip, and some may practice destructive entitlement. If so, this needs to be made visible to the community before any healing process can succeed. This clean-up process is widely known as “truth and reconciliation.”

Comment on The Importance of Mission by Richmond Shreve

Richmond Shreve — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 16:08:32 +0000

In addition to the importance of a clear mission, this article reveals the issues and trends that concern business interests as distinct from residents. Businesses are interested in positive margins—the bigger, the better. Positive operating margins are key to sustainability, but in a non-profit, the mission creates tension when serving the mission is less profitable than changing it.

Comment on Serving our Community by Richmond Shreve

Richmond Shreve — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 02:32:12 +0000

The calligraphy was done by my late friend Roy Parker, a Benedictine Monk, who lived in community most of his adult life. You can imagine that he well knew the profound implications of this simple dictum.

Comment on The Wrong Process by Dan Seeger

Dan Seeger — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 17:53:10 +0000

Many thanks to Richmond for this thoughtful piece.

I have now had 2 1/2 experiences with strategic planning in CCRC contexts: one at my parents' community (Medford Leas) around the year 2004; one here at Pennswood Village about eight years ago; and the current effort here at Pennswood Village, which is only partially completed.

I think it is completely fair to report that the first two of these were unsuccessful, even disastrous.

1) Medford Leas, since its founding, had promoted itself as an "arboretum." And indeed, the campus is striking for the beautiful groves of trees which can be viewed from the residences. Naturally enough, the resident enrollment includes many nature lovers, particularly lovers of trees. A strategic planning process was undertaken, with surveys of residents and focus groups. In the end, a plan was unveiled which would have required chopping down most of the trees and which would have involved a borrowing program which was frightening to many of the residents. The residents were, of course, quite shocked and upset, in spite of management protestations that this plan was what the residents themselves wanted. The plan was ultimately killed as a result of resident agitation, but it was striking that there was no normal procedural remedy for the situation, nor did residents have any legal right to reject the plan.

2) Some years later, here at Pennswood Village, a similar strategic planning process was inaugurated, with similar surveys and focus groups. The plan which was unveiled, with architectural graphics posted outside the administration office, would have resulted in the demolition of two existing residential buildings and the construction of an enormous new health center. Although there was no budget associated with the plan, a simple calculation of the square footage of the new wing revealed that there was no way it could be realized without incurring enormous debt. There was no announced plan for how or where the residents in the demolished buildings would be relocated. Once again, there was no normal procedural remedy which residents could employ if they opposed the plan, nor did they have any legal right to reject it. That the plan was not carried out was the result of resident agitation and objections; such agitation activity is not what residents expected to do with their retirement years.

3) The current planning process here at Pennswood Village got off to a good start. Residents met with Olivia Mastry in three plenary sessions which, although noisy, permitted everyone to hear everyone else's thoughts and contributions. Unlike the two previous experiences, residents were not "silo-ed" from each other, allowing the hope that the outcome would truly express some shared aspirations. However, the written material growing out of the meetings contained many ideas which were not expressed in the meetings but arose from a "mysterious somewhere else." These new and strange ideas are described elsewhere on this website and need not be recapitulated here. One does not want to rush to the judgment that these surprise ideas are illegitimate. But it is reasonable to expect them to be discussed and explained to the entire community, which has not happened. In addition, the written material included a proposed mission statement which was totally inadequate. Again, an analysis of this is posted elsewhere in this website.

Now residents have been given planning questions to respond to individually. Some residents, perhaps many residents, have tried to respond fully and conscientiously. But the idea that these answers will be "processed" in a small committee without being shared with the community as a whole risks the same sort of unhappy result cited in examples 1) and 2) above. Richmond's description of an authentic planning process captures precisely what is needed to produce a truly useful result.

I believe in the CCRC system for aging in place; that is why I am here at Pennswood Village. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be here; I wish the Type A contract system were open to a much wider swath of American society. But one can be grateful and still recognize the institutional shortcomings in the arrangement. It is very strange that the residents who, with their families, provide essentially all the funds which make the operation possible, have no formal, legal voice in the management of a CCRC's affairs, but only so much of a voice as the management decides to allow. In essence, the operation which is completely paid for by residents is treated as though it is owned by a board and by hired managers which have made no financial investment in it. This needs to change if the CCRC system is to remain viable in the long run.

Dan Seeger August 9, 2024

Comment on The Wrong Process by Richmond Shreve

Richmond Shreve — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 17:19:40 +0000

Those who attended our presentation on CCRC Strategic Planning two years ago may recall the handout Marguerite and I wrote. It’s available here (Search keyword: “Strategic”).

https://pv-eldercare.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CCRC-Strategic-Planning-Practices-V5-2-full-size-1.pdf

Comment on The Wrong Process by Marguerite Chandler

Marguerite Chandler — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 16:50:49 +0000

Well said! The PROCESS is as important as the content and MORE important in engaging hearts and minds. None of us has all wisdom, and all of us can learn from the wisdom of others. I’m hopeful that Dan Murray will share all the comments he’s received, not just a distilled version of the comments, or that there will be an opportunity for a presentation and a public conversation.

Comment on Master Plan for Aging by Richmond Shreve

Richmond Shreve — Thu, 23 May 2024 14:00:46 +0000

Here is the web link for the article:
https://states.aarp.org/pennsylvania/gov-josh-shapiro-on-states-master-plan-for-aging