My Favorie Time of Year

With cooler nights and crisp sunny days, the calendar on the refrigerator is turned to a pretty autumn picture and you can smell it in the air. The anticipation is both chilling and exciting. The talking and the planning is over, its time to "take center stage". Everyone has an opinion, everyone has a favorite, but only one will make it to the very end. The journey is long, the stakes are high, but the reward is priceless. It's a lot of hard work, but I love the ride. It doesn't matter if you watch from the sidelines or bury yourself in the experience, nothing is better.

I love this time of year.................

By now you are probably wondering just what I'm all pumped up about. Those who know me best, have already figured it out. Others may have an idea, but will need to read on to be sure. Truth of the matter, there are several possibilities. So which do you think it could be?

Could it be the upcoming Seniorsfirst Gala............Things are beginning to come together at breakneck speed. Table sponsorships are coming in and we have several new participants joining us this year. The board "prize committee" is busy assembling an array of great packages to raffle off with your casino winnings. How would you like to win tickets to watch the Bills play Miami in Toronto, or take a helicopter ride over the City? Maybe you'd like a round of golf at Oak Hill or Locust Country Club. Perhaps a weekend get-a-way is more to your liking. One thing is for sure, the October 25th Gala will be a fun filled evening as we dine on fine cuisine, present the premier showing of our Seniorsfirst video, unveil our design vision for the future Kirkhaven and recognize our Community Visionary and Ancora Imparo award winners. All of this followed by casino games, fun and fellowship. You don't want to miss it!

Could it be the start of budget season...................As a former CFO, I still love the number crunching. Budget time is a time to re-organize, compile the facts and create a plan that will serve as the organization's fiscal road map for the year ahead. It is always a huge challenge to balance the numbers along with the objectives, but the "hunt" is as good as the "kill". Occupancy hurdles at Valley Manor, State budget issues at Kirkhaven, a weak economy and higher costs will give us plenty to grapple with, but you have to love this work. Staff is already taking it on and the months ahead should be filled with the aroma of "fiscal fever" in the air!

Could it be the start of Major League baseball playoffs and World Series........................Get real, baseball is lame, although I do enjoy those baseball pools that always show up when the World Series begins!

Could it be the start of the NFL....................................Well it's definitely better than baseball and the annual Seniorsfirst Football pool is under way. Did I mention I have won this pool twice over my long career. Football pools are a fun way for all our staff to have fun and enjoy a friendly competition among one and other. We poke fun at each other's picks and crow about our winnings. Where else can the kid in food service or the women in the nursing office ridicule the CEO because they're ahead of him in the pool standings. You gotta love that!

Could it be the recruiting of new board members to join our team........................We have as many as 5 board seats turning over this year and I have been working with the Governance Committee to identify and recruit new talent to join our dedicated team of board volunteers. I meet with each prospect and engage them in a comprehensive review of our organization and the role of the board. I enjoy the opportunity to meet many wonderful people and to help spread the good word about Seniorsfirst. It is very time consuming, but a critical role of the Governance Committee and CEO to ensure that our governing board is an effective mix of diverse talent and commitment to our mission and vision. I look forward to helping develop the Class of 20011!

Could it be our "Pathways to Culture Change" journey.................................As you know by now, this initiative is a journey not just a destination. We have been "on the road" for several years now and have come a long way. You don't change nursing home care overnight, but at Kirkhaven we have certainly changed it. The Pathways journey has brought many new philosophies and approaches to how things are done at Kirkhaven and the journey is now beginning to spread throughout the organization. It is an exciting journey and the benefits to our residents, families and staff are amazing. I am in awe of the passion and results that I witness every day from everyone involved. Keep up the great work, your rewards are the smiles and touches of every resident we serve!

Could it be the "Operation Occupancy" strategies underway at Valley Manor..................I just made that name up, but I like the passion it evokes. It parallels the passion and innovation I see in the creation of strategies to address both the challenges and opportunities related to increasing our occupancy at Valley Manor. From novel marketing/sales approaches to apartment modifications, the challenge is on and staff is taking it on. Our board and residents agree, we have a very unique and marketable product that we intend to continue to invest and believe in. I really look forward to initiating these strategies and watching our occupancy climb!

Could it be the political elections............................I do enjoy the debates and could Saturday Night Live be any funnier. I don't make a point of talking about or expressing my political views as I believe my conservative, republican slant on politics is no one's business but my own. Whoops, sorry that just slipped out. I will say, I have not totally made up my mind yet this year as there is a lot to consider on both sides of the ticket. Either way it should be an interesting race and new political era either way!

Okay, you have been very patient and it is time to reveal my "favorite" time of year. The truth is that all these things are near and dear to me. I am very fortunate to have so much to be encouraged and excited about. But when the work day is over and it's time to come home, what pumps me up this time of year is.................................

Hockey, HOCKEY, HOCKEY!

That's right, it's hockey time again. Growing up in Massena, New York along the Canadian border it was all about hockey. In the words of Sarah Palin, "I could see Canada from my house", so of course I grew up on hockey. Back then I was a Montreal Canadian fan, but now I'm a Buffalo Sabres fan. I love everything about hockey and look forward to this season and a return to the playoffs for the Sabres. I analyze the stats, I second guess strategy, I listen to the hype, I talk people's ears off about my opinions. In short, I'm a hockey fanatic and love this time of year!

Thanks for visiting my Blog this week. In closing here is a picture of me performing last week for the residents at Kirkhaven with fun, spooky songs. Don't I look scary!

Have a great week and visit my Blog again next week for more inside news on Seniorsfirst.

Farewell Doctor Jurik

On Tuesday, September 30th, we said goodbye to Doctor John Jurik who has led our medical services team since Kirkhaven's inception back in 1984.

John, along with his partners Doctor Kurnath and Doctor Algase, have given nearly 25 years of dedicated, professional and caring services to our residents. Staff has enjoyed the working relationship with John and his team. They have been an integral part of our Kirkhaven family and we will miss them on both a professional and personal level.

Doctor Jurik is semi-retiring from the hectic and demanding pace required of his current Medical Director role and physician practice. After dedicating his life to this field and pace, he is moving to a part-time "9 to 5" physician position with another medical group where he can begin to enjoy more free time while continuing, in a limited fashion, his passion for physician services. His partners will dedicate their limited time to maintaining their physician practice outside of Kirkhaven.

A farewell party was held in John's honor and he was presented with a plaque commemorating his years of service. We wish Doctor Jurik well in his new endeavor and his transition into semi-retirement. We thank him and his partners for all they have provided us.

Farewell John.......... stay out of the Casinos, keep drinking those caffeinated cokes and enjoy life to the fullest!

As we end one leg in our Kirkhaven journey, we embark on yet another. After several discussions and preparation meetings, we are pleased to have teamed up with the Rochester General Hospital Geriatrics Group, who will provide our Medical Director and physician service needs under a short-term transition plan until a more permanent long-term plan is developed. This partnership is a natural extension of Kirkhaven's long-standing relationship with RGH, that was first established via the Genessee Hospital, prior to its closing nearly 10 years ago.

Thanks to an invitation from Board member Tom Lockwood, I attended a Rochester Economic Development luncheon this past week at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. The attendees read like a "Who's Who of Rochester" as all the big names were there to hear the current state and future plans for our grand City. Sitting right beside me at the table next to ours was Mr. Big himself, Tom Golisano (and no I didn't have the nerve to strike up a conversation with him about his Buffalo Sabres team).

Continuing my week with the "rich and famous", I also attended a reception for Assembly Woman Susan John held Wednesday evening at Tastings in Pittsford. I was somewhat out of my element among the many hospital and corporate CEO's who were also present to share "face time" with Ms. John and work their agenda into the conversation. I'm not a very political person, but I do understand the importance of "friends in high places" if you need something done in Albany. In addition to my role as Seniorsfirst CEO, I am also Chairman of the Rochester Area Association of Homes & Services for the Aging, which gives me heightened status and leverage when needed.

On Tuesday evening, Scott Maar (CFO) and I spent the afternoon and evening with our auditors reviewing our fiscal progress and planning the future audit engagement. The fiscal operations of a senior care community is actually quite complex with the nuances of government and other third-party reimbursement programs and the ever increasing complications of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Our meeting was very productive and was capped off with a working dinner at Virtu's in Cobbs Hill.

The Governance Committee met this week to continue their work on developing a slate of board members and officers to present to the Board in November. We expect to have as many as 5 new seats open up for next year and are busy soliciting potential new talent and passion to join our board. The Committee is also evaluating our board structure and time commitments in an effort to create both effectiveness and efficiency that is mindful of our members valuable and limited time.

Lastly, I continue to work with Jean Boyle (Development Director) and the rest of our team on preparations for our annual Community Gala on Friday evening, October 25th. There are many, many details and coordination needs to ensure a successful event. With the help of many, the Gala is coming together very nicely. Invitations went out a few weeks ago, so don't delay in returning your reservation form. The Gala is a wonderful evening of fellowship, networking and fun. This year we are again featuring our casino games for fabulous prizes (Buffalo Bills tickets to Miami game in Toronto, Helicopter tour-ride over Rochester, Golf packages, Weekend Get-aways and more). We will also be presenting our new Seniorsfirst Video and preliminary drawings of the Kirkhaven Replacement Project design. Special Gala ticket prices in effect for staff, so see Jean Boyle for more details.

I guess that gets you caught up for now. Check back with my Blog next week for more of the latest news at Seniorsfirst, directly from the perspective of the CEO. Thanks for visiting and have a great week..........................Jim.

Seniorsfirst Communities Update

We held our routine board of director's meetings at both Valley Manor and Kirkhaven this past week so I thought I'd share some highlights from the reports made.

Our Occupancy at Valley Manor Apartments is at 86%, which is lower than the 92% we budgeted. Of the 19 vacant apartments, 14 continue to be the smaller one-bedrooms, which have proven to be less desirable. Our prospects continue to want the larger apartments. We have only one apartment and one studio suite vacant in the Assisted Living facility. Our average number of clients attending the adult day program increased 20% last month to 19.5 per day. The break even point is closer to 24 clients/day, so we need further growth.

Cheryl Smith (Executive Director) and Jim Payne (VP of Marketing & Community Services) presented a series of proposed strategies designed to improve our Valley Manor occupancy. These strategies include pricing modifications, marketing tactics and facility modifications. All of which spring from the evaluation and recommendations from the Greystone strategic analysis project.

In the quality assurance arena, we recently completed our annual resident satisfaction survey at Valley Manor and with 62% of our residents responding, our average score was 1.3 on a scale of 1 (Exceptional) to 4 (Unsatisfactory). Our score in 2006 was also an impressive 1.6. We're obviously doing things right and our residents are noticing and appreciative.

At Kirkhaven, occupancy stands at 94.4% versus our budget objective of 96.3%. The good news is that we continue to do a remarkable job with our Medicare and HMO utilization, which is the highest paying source of revenue. The education and training of our clinical team has resulted in significant maximization of both our Medicare utilization and rates. Keep up the great work!

We have worked out an interim agreement with ViaHealth's "RGH Geriatrics"for physician services at Kirkhaven. This interim agreement will run from October 1 through December 31 while we work out the details of a longer term agreement. We are delighted to be working with the RGH Geriatrics team, which will now include our current Physician Assistant, Lynn Wengender, who will continue to provide services for Kirkhaven.

Amanda Brown (Kirkhaven Administrator) continues to lead her senior leadership team along our Pathway's journey for culture change. Her team is beginning to take the Pathway's philosophy and teachings to all staff with a video presentation and learning circles. A key concept of our Pathway journey is that the "new Kirkhaven" is not just about a new building, but a new person-centered philosophy of care. We have come a long way on this journey!

Speaking of the "new Kirkhaven", we met with our architects last week and reviewed the latest design concepts based on all our previous input and discussion. The design looks awesome and it is so neat to watch our vision start to come "alive" right before our eyes. Its only on paper, but it is starting to feel so real! We are starting the process of dealing with the local planning board and due diligence requirements associated with the property in Brighton which we are interested in for the new Kirkhaven project. This will likely be a long and exhausting process as planning boards have intense demands and desires, which they impose on all prospective land developers. Should be interesting!

We are in the midst of our annual Employee Opinion Survey process, which enables staff to provide confidential input and feedback on many aspects of their satisfaction level working at Seniorsfirst. Our independent consultants will compile the results and share them with us in the near future. This is a great tool for us all to better understand what we do well and what we need to improve on in our goal to be an employer of choice. I encourage all staff to participate in this opportunity to voice your opinions.

That's a quick update for now. Check back next week for another progress report and to learn what's new from the perspective of the CEO. Thanks for visiting my Blog and have a great week!

The Bisque is Back

As Summer fades, kids go back to school and Fall is in the air, it is also time for the annual Lobster Bisque Fund-Raiser to help raise funds to support the Alzheimer's programs at Seniorsfirst.

For those who don't know the history, several years ago we purchased the building that formerly was the Dicken's Restaurant and was famous for its home-made lobster bisque. Today, our Assisted Living and Adult Day & Respite facility sit where the Dicken's once was. When we purchased the property, we also got the secret recipe to the bisque. Once a year, we sell the bisque at various drive-thru locations across the Rochester area and every year the folks come out to "get their bisque fix" and support the Seniorsfirst mission.

Here I am hawking a sale to a happy customer at our new site out at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Greece.

Additionally, we had teams out at Perinton Presbyterian Church on the East side, Gates Presbyterian Church on the West Side and of course our main distribution site at Valley Manor Apartments in the City.

The most fun (besides raising money for a good cause) is hearing all the great stories about people's memories of the bisque lunches at the old Dicken's restaurant. They also like to share their favorite bisque recipes and special occasion dinner events when they bring out the bisque.


We won't have a final count on sales until next week, but the early indication is that the weak economy had a definite impact on what was an otherwise perfect day for our event. Sales were down nearly 40% at all sites, but we still sold over 1600 cans of soup!

The good news is we will continue to sell the bisque on the web (www.seniorsfirstonline.com) on a mail-order basis until we sell out. They make great Christmas gifts and a perfect start to your next special dinner party. It's a great soup for a great cause!

In other news, the Strategic Planning and Executive Committees of the Board each held regular meetings recently. The primary agenda was a review of the progress and continuing plans related to our major initiatives at Kirkhaven and Valley Manor. Nothing new to report, other than our continued quest with all our projects and the boards full support and assistance.

We have held additional meetings and evaluations with respect to our search for a replacement physician group to serve our upcoming needs at Kirkhaven. We have made significant progress with this and expect to have a formal announcement soon. We have also been working with our new pharmacy on a plan of correction to improve performance related to the start-up and transition of this critical service. We are optimistic about their responsiveness to our concerns and desire to meet our expectations.

This week we have both our Valley Manor and Kirkhaven board meetings. I will share any pertinent information from those meetings in my next blog update.

I'll be walking in the ALS Walk this weekend in support of that worthwhile cause. Thank you so much to the many people who responded so positively to my previous blog posting (Bob's Story). Your support is greatly appreciated. I will continue to accept contributions payable to ALS in sponsorship of my walking until the end of the week.

Have a great week and thanks for visiting my blog. (p.s.- I think blogspot is in the pacific coast time zone and thus my often morning blog posts get recorded as 4 hours earlier. Didn't want you to think I was up that early blogging away.)

"Bob's Story"

Bob is my father-in-law. A man I first met as a kid when he built a camp for his family next door to our family camp on Indian Lake in the Adirondacks. He always took a shine to what those DeVoe boys were doing next door and never said no to our constant requests to borrow something or ask for his help.

Bob was a family man who loved to socialize, cook out on the grill, smoke a pipe and enjoy life to the fullest. He was also a fly fisherman who
liked to tie his own flies, find a piece of God's land somewhere and bond with nature and life.

Truth be told, I don't know if he was a great fisherman, but I know when he put on his waders and toted his rod and creel to a secluded mountain lake, he was in heaven.

Bob was also a school superintendent in northeastern New York. He was known for his dedication and support to the students, families, faculty and school board.

Bob passed away at a relatively young age (64) in 1994 when he was stricken with ALS (Lou Gehrig Disease). He is missed by all his family and friends, but we know he has found an eternal "fishing hole" in God's kingdom and is at peace with the world.

On Saturday, September 27, I will be joining the rest of his family and walking in the ALS Walk as "Bob's Bandits" to help raise funds and awareness towards ALS. If you would like to help support us in this cause, I would greatly appreciate you sponsoring me at any level you can. You can send me a check payable to ALS and direct it to me at Kirkhaven.

When I think of Bob, perhaps my own greatest disappointment is that he passed away before he knew that the last thing this DeVoe boy "asked" of him, was for his daughter's hand in marriage. But then again, I think he knows..............................................

Back to Business

With Labor Day behind us and cooler weather before us, thus starts the unofficial end of Summer. Time to re-focus our minds on the business at hand. Not that the last few months have not had their fill of work and accomplishments, but vacations do make it difficult to get everyone together or to initiate team-driven projects.

The next few months will include the following major corporate initiatives:

• Engineering & other inspections, zoning investigation and approvals associated with the proposed new site for Kirkhaven.


• Final design strategies, cost estimates & financial analysis associated with the Kirkhaven Replacement Project.


• Action plans & financial analysis for the Valley Manor Repositioning Project associated with the Greystone recommendations.


• Governance Committee board member recruitment & board structure evaluation.


• Annual Lobster Bisque fund-raiser (September 19).


• Annual Seniorsfirst Gala fund-raiser (October 25).


• Development of marketing, sales and fund-raiser video productions.


• Upgrade & modifications to websites.


• Employee Opinion (satisfaction) survey.


• Physician group/Medical Director recruitment for Kirkhaven.


• 2009 operating budget preparation.


• Medicaid rate audit settlement.


• Major Capital Campaign strategy & planning to support Kirkhaven Replacement Project.


• Peer Review (dispute resolution) program development.


• Compensation system review.


• Pathways (culture change) soil warming at Kirkhaven.


• Leadership & conversity training.

This is an impressive "to-do list" and will certainly keep us all active and focused on our organizational goals and objectives.

In other news................we did reach a final agreement on the purchase and sale agreement for the land on South Clinton Avenue targeted for the Kirkhaven Replacement Project. We have nearly two years built into the purchase offer contingencies to accomplish the many inspections, details, approvals and financing requirements necessary for this project.

...........we still await specifics on the newly adopted State Budget revisions. As usual, we were spared many of the devastating proposed cuts but did take a "hit" with other cuts that were passed. Ironically, the State is currently finalizing Medicaid rate add-ons that represent the initial phase-in of the promised new nursing home reimbursement (re-basing) methodology which will release over 300 million in long-awaited funds for 2007 and 2008 reimbursement. It will be interesting to see the net result when the cuts and add-ons are both factored into the new rates. I'm guessing that in the final analysis it will be a case of "a promise made is a promise not kept".

So hold on tight as we enter into this hectic, yet exciting, phase of 2008. Our goals are lofty and the challenges are stiff, but the rewards are priceless from the perspective of the mission we serve.

Be sure to visit my Blog each week for updates on the progress of these initiatives and anything new that comes along. Thanks for visiting!

(picture 1- ripening grapes on our arbor as Fall approaches)

(picture 2- Fall flowers blooming in our gardens)

Return from Vacation

I'm back from my week at camp up in the Adirondacks. I had a great time and the weather was superb (which is a rarity late in August). The days were sunny and hot and we only had one evening of rain. The nights were cool and a few days started out in the 40's, but went up into the 70's and even 80's by mid-day.

My primary goal was to stain the camp which I started on Sunday and finished by Wednesday. 3o hours of painting, but I actually enjoyed it. It was just me and my dog Jessi hanging out together. She would just sit for hours and wait patiently while I worked until I stopped to take a break. Then we would take a hike, go for a swim or her favorite- take the boat out for a spin.

Here are a couple of pictures of my finished work. It turned out great and I even had time to take another day to prune out the trees and branches to let the sun shine in and keep our waterfront view nice and clear.

On Wednesday evening, Jennifer came up to camp and we went out to dinner at our favorite little spot in Mountain View only a mile away. Thursday was our wedding anniversary so we drove to Lake Placid for a round of golf, shopping and a nice dinner. The rest of the week and weekend was for playing and relaxing which I was very good at.

A well deserved afternoon nap

Not sure why, but one morning I got the urge to swim across the Lake, which is something I have wanted to try since I was a kid. With my niece in the kayak by my side, I set out on my journey. 40 minutes later I reached the other side and accomplished my goal. Must have been all the Olympic competition I had been watching that inspired me to "go for the gold"!
Hanging out on the front deck of Jennifer's camp next door.

While I was away, our State legislature passed a mid-year State budget reduction plan that will have a negative impact on our Kirkhaven revenue. It will be a few days before we know the details of the budget cuts and what, if any, action we may have to take in response. What a nice welcome back and way to get back into the swing of work. Should be an interesting next couple of weeks, so check back with my Blog for updates and follow-up.