Former ABHOW CEO David Ferguson passes away

David Ferguson, the long-term leader of American Baptist Homes of the West, died Friday evening. HumanGood President and CEO John Cochrane posted the news on LinkedIn on Sunday.

Cochrane called Ferguson “a literal and figurative giant.”

Ferguson had been with ABHOW for almost 25 years — joining the company in 1992 and becoming CEO in 1995 — when the organization in 2015 announced plans to merge with the be.group, where Cochrane was CEO. At the time, Ferguson told McKnight’s Senior Living that he had approached fellow California nonprofit about a potential affiliation five years earlier.

The merger was completed in 2016, forming a company that served almost 10,000 residents in 84 communities across Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and Washington. As planned, Ferguson transitioned into the role of executive adviser and Cochrane became president and CEO of the combined organization. The company’s name change to HumanGood came in 2017.

“Without Dave Ferguson there would not be the organization that is now HumanGood,” Cochrane said Sunday.

“A giant of a man with a giant heart for helping people age well, Dave was not only an accomplished leader for ABHOW, but he was also a pioneering leader for our field as a whole,” he said, noting that Ferguson had been “instrumental” in the founding of LeadingAge and “a strong and tireless advocate for efforts to attract and develop the best team members dedicated to meeting the needs of an aging population.”

Integral Senior Living names Zachary Butcher regional VP

Zachary Butcher has been named regional vice president of operational services at Carlsbad, CA-based Integral Senior Living. 

Over the past 12 years, Butcher has held several positions in the senior living industry, including community-based positions, as a sales manager and executive director, as well as regional and corporate roles as a vice president of operations for Brookdale Senior Living and chief operating officer for Novellus Living. 

After earning his undergraduate degree at Arizona State University, Butcher went on to obtain his MBA from Western Governors University with a concentration in healthcare management. He also completed Argentum’s Leadership Advancement and Development Program program. 

BHI names Kevin Ward senior operations director

Kevin Ward has been named senior operations director at Indianapolis-based BHI Senior Living. In this newly created role, he will bolster operations initiatives for the company.

After several years of working with children with disabilities, Ward began working in senior living as the director of social services at Wesley Manor in Frankfort, IN, in 2000.  He earned his health facility administrator license in 2004 and became administrator of record.  Following the community’s affiliation with BHI in 2016, he was named executive director of Wesley Manor.

More recently, his work with BHI has included special projects focused on quality initiatives, capital projects and business development in Indiana and Michigan communities. BHI owns and operates nine life plan communities.

Hebrew SeniorLife promotes LuAnn Fitzgerald

LuAnn Fitzgerald has been promoted to senior director of quality, safety and regulatory affairs at Hebrew SeniorLife.

Fitzgerald began her career as a physical therapist in 1984. She earned her undergraduate degree from Boston University and her law degree from Suffolk Law School.

LCB names Jane Kiegel development director

Jane Kiegel has been named development director for The Residence at Bedford, an LCB Senior Living community expected to open this year in Bedford, MA. 

Kiegel has 23 years of experience in combined sales, operations and business management within the senior living industry. Previously, she was the general manager for WayForth in Boston.

Kiegel holds an undergraduate degree in healthcare administration from Stonehill College. She is a licensed real estate agent.

Plunkett Raysich Architects promotes Jedd Heap

Jedd Heap has been promoted to partner at Plunkett Raysich Architects, which has offices in Wisconsin, Florida and Texas. 

Heap is a licensed Florida architect with almost 25 years of experience serving clients. He has been actively involved in more than 80 projects during his first four years at PRA.

Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at lois.bowers@mcknights.com. High-quality color headshots are welcome but not required.

See previous “People in the news” articles here.

“HumanGood is honored to have three of its Philadelphia communities receive this award in its first wave,” Vidhi Anderson, vice president of development at HumanGood, said in a press release. 

The funds were awarded to Jackson Place, Riverside Presbyterian Apartments and Tioga Presbyterian Apartments. Those were the only properties in Pennsylvania among 19 US total properties to receive comprehensive awards from HUD, HumanGood noted.

“We look forward to working with HUD and our development and construction teams to focus on innovative ways to provide resources to our communities and residents while adapting to the ever-changing climate they are in,” Anderson said.

HUD awarded the first wave of GRRP monies last month, with $173.9 million in new loans and grants.

Through the GRRP, funds are available to help Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program and other multifamily housing owners improve energy or water efficiency; enhance indoor air quality or sustainability; and implement the use of zero-emission electricity generation, low-emission building materials and energy storage or building electrification strategies.

Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, previously called the GRRP funding disbursement “a tremendous step forward toward ensuring that low-income older adults are safe and protected as threats from climate change escalate.”

GRRP is the first HUD program that simultaneously invests in energy and water efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, clean-energy generation and climate resilience strategies in multifamily housing, according to HUD. 

“I am deeply proud of our HUD team for getting hundreds of millions of dollars from the president’s Inflation Reduction Act on the street through the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program. Together, we are directing these funds to the people we serve, and ensuring thousands of American families can live in more resilient, efficient and affordable communities,” HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge stated.

HumanGood names Phil Chuang SVP of healthcare services

Phil Chuang has been named senior vice president of healthcare services at HumanGood. 

Before joining HumanGood, Chuang was SVP of clinical services for the Northern California region of Kaiser Permanente. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. He currently is ACHE regent, Northern and Central California, and on the board of directors for the California Association of Healthcare Leaders.

Chuang earned an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles; both were in molecular biology. He also holds an MBA, with a focus in medical management, from University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Isakson Living names Greg Heath VP of healthcare 

Greg Heath has been named vice president of healthcare for Isakson Living. 

Heath has 30 years of leadership experience in healthcare and long-term care. Most recently, he was responsible for the overall operations and quality of care of an Atlanta-area long-term care community with more than 200 employees.

He was named Administrator of the Year by the Georgia Health Care Association in 2022.

Heath holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Mississippi. He is a certified Eden associate and is an active board member of the GHCA, where he recently was elected Metro Council president.

Retirement Unlimited Inc. names Destanee Batts regional HR director

Destanee Batts has been named regional director of human resources at Retirement Unlimited Inc.

Batts has worked in the field of HR for the past 6 years, holding titles such as HR consultant, HR manager and assistant executive director for a memory care community. In her most recent role as an HR consultant, she oversaw HR operations at multiple health clinics across 15 different states.

Batts received her undergraduate degree in HR and business management from Trevecca Nazarene University.

The Springs Living announces 2 regional directors of operations

Ole Lindbo has been named regional director of operations for the northern Oregon region, and Tim Minks will become regional director of operations for the Montana region, for The Springs Living. 

With more than 15 years of experience leading senior living communities, Lindbo comes to The Springs Living from his previous role as regional operations director at Sapphire Health Services in Oregon. Previously, he led various communities in Oregon, California and Washington as executive director. Lindbo has a licensed practical nursing degree from Skagit Valley College.

Minks has served as the executive director of The Springs at Lake Oswego and previously served in the same role at The Springs at Wilsonville, both in Oregon. He has an undergraduate degree in community health education from Western Oregon University.

The Providence welcomes 2 sales directors

Nikita Mutter and Michelle Morgan have joined The Providence, a Silverstone Senior Living assisted living and memory care community in Fairfax, VA, as sales directors.

Mutter previously was a sales director for Sunrise Senior Living and a director of community relations at Brandywine Living.

Morgan previously served in roles such as community sales director at Brightview Senior Living and regional director of sales at Greater Palm Springs CVB. She brings more than 20 years of experience in tourism and hospitality to The Providence.

Send your personnel news to Lois Bowers at lois.bowers@mcknights.com. High-quality color headshots are welcome but not required.

National Senior Communities in Washington, DC, retained its top spot for the eighth consecutive year on the 2023 LeadingAge Ziegler 200 list of largest not-for-profit multi-site senior living and care organizations, based on number of units. The 20th anniversary report was released Thursday.

NSC, formerly National Senior Campuses, is the supporting organization to the continuing care retirement communities developed and managed by Erickson Senior Living.

The LZ 200 list counts total units, including independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing. In the past 10 years, the average annual growth rate in total units was 2.2%, with independent living and assisted living growth each year but declines in the number of nursing care beds, according to LeadingAge and Ziegler. Memory care also is becoming increasingly important, with 60% of organizations on the list now offering specialized memory care units, the report noted.

The 2023 LZ 200 saw some movement among the top 10 overall providers. The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society (No. 2), Ascension Living (No. 5), Trinity Health Senior Communities (No. 9) and Benedictine (No. 10) all retained their spots from the 2022 list.

Acts Retirement–Life Communities (No. 4), swapped places with Presbyterian Homes & Services (No. 3) this year. Lifespace Communities jumped from No. 8 last year to No. 6 this year, and HumanGood dropped to No. 7 this year compared with its No. 6 spot last year.

The 200 organizations represented a total of 300,000 market-rate units and almost 1,600 market-rate communities, based on data as of Dec. 31. Almont 30% of the total number of units for all long-term care systems in the LZ 200 are represented by the 10 largest providers. They are:

1. National Senior Communities, Springfield, VA
2. The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, Sioux Falls, SD
3. Presbyterian Homes & Services, Roseville, MN
4. Acts Retirement-Life Communities, Fort Washington, PA
5. Ascension Living, St. Louis
6. Lifespace Communities Inc., Iowa
7. HumanGood, Pleasanton, CA
8. Covenant Living Communities & Services, Skokie, IL
9. Trinity Health Senior Communities, Livonia, MI
10. Benedictine, Duluth, MN

Companies with the overall biggest changes in the number of units from 2022 to 2023 were BHI Senior Living in Indiana, which gained 1,103 units since last year, and Retirement Housing Foundation in California, which shed 1,563 units. 

The organization offering the greatest number of independent living units was National Senior Communities, with 19,140. Presbyterian Homes & Services was the provider with the greatest number of assisted living units, at 2,867, and Good Samaritan was named the largest provider of skilled nursing, with 8,423 units.

Organizations provide market-rate senior living in 48 states, with Pennsylvania hosting the highest number of system headquarters, at 26, and Minnesota claiming the largest total number of communities, with 212.

An additional list of the country’s largest not-for-profit single-campus organizations was led by Shell Point Retirement Community in Fort Myers, FL, with 1,869 units. National Church Residences led the list of largest multi-site providers with total market-rate and affordable senior living units combined, with 25,063 units. Riderwood Village, a National Senior Communities campus in Silver Spring, MD, led the list of largest individual campuses, with 2,153 market-rate units.

Trends highlighted

This year’s report also includes insights into trends in future growth plans, joint ventures, third-party management, rental life plan communities, technology adoption and home- and community-based services.

Similar to the past several years, today’s not-for-profit providers primarily are growing through unit expansion and affiliation or acquisition activity, according to Ziegler President and CEO Dan Hermann. Approximately 71% of organizations said they intend to expand or reposition an existing campus in 2023 or 2024, about 16% said they intend to grow through construction of new communities, and 12% reported their intent to become bigger through affiliations.

Technology use continues to increase in the sector, with 72% of communities adopting electronic point of care/point of service documentation systems and electronic health/medical records. Other technology categories climbing in use among senior living and care providers included social connectedness/resident engagement (used by 60% of organizations), analytical tools (42%), staff and resident screening (55%), infection control technologies (55%), robotic process automation (30%) and physical robotics (70%). 

Thirty-two percent of the 2023 LZ 200 organizations provide affordable senior housing, up from 31% last year.

The offering of HCBS also is growing through home health, home care, adult care, continuing care at home or Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly programs: 45% of providers on the list offer HCBS services to non-residents, with continuing care at home now offered by more than 10% of LZ 200 organizations.

More than 75% of the LZ 200 organizations have a religious affiliation — predominantly Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist and Catholic — or a fraternal (2.5%) or military (0.5%) affiliation. Lutheran organizations represent the largest presence by number of units, with more than 50,000, followed by Presbyterian affiliations, with more than 41,500 units.

The complete LZ 200 report is available for download on the websites of LeadingAge and Ziegler.

Duarte, CA-based HumanGood is the nation’s sixth-largest not-for-profit provider of multi-site senior housing and services, according to the 2022 LeadingAge Ziegler 200 report. McKnight’s recently honored three of the organization’s employees with 2023 McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards.

Pleasant Spring oversees Springhouse Senior Living Community and the Mount Pleasant Home residential care home, both located in Boston. 

“Mount Pleasant Home and Springhouse have deep community roots and rich histories of proudly serving older adults in Boston, so I am excited for this opportunity to unite and continue to deliver innovative programs and exceptional senior living services in the region,” HumanGood President and CEO John Cochrane said in a statement. 

The deal is pending regulatory and lender approvals. The organizations said that the affiliation will allow Springhouse and Mount Pleasant Home to improve their operational efficiencies, streamline processes and introduce new programming.

“We chose to partner with HumanGood not only for their expertise in overseeing independent living communities like Springhouse and affordable housing communities for older adults, but also because they share our values of creating settings focused on independence, trust, and caring service for seniors,” Pleasant Spring Communities President Michael McConnell said. “The affiliation with HumanGood represents a wonderful opportunity for our organization to grow and thrive, and we are confident that our residents will benefit from an enhanced quality of life and care.”

Faith and spirituality are vitally important for many older adults. As director of spirituality for HumanGood, Sharell Shippen brings a much-needed inclusive approach to promoting a person-centered care philosophy and helping to ensure that residents and family members of all denominations and faiths are provided with services and resources that meet their spirituality needs and allow them to live their best lives. 

Shippen holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from the Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Social Work degree from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Divinity degree from Palmer Theological Seminary.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shippen’s efforts around outreach and support for residents and employees represented an important part of HumanGood’s mission to inspire the best life for everyone served. She was one of the first graduates of the organization’s Good to Grow leadership development program, and her unique ability to unify people through her insights and support was critical to the health of the company’s culture, especially as teams faced unprecedented restrictions and lockdowns. 

Shippen consistently made her presence known throughout the organization during the pandemic, offering help to communities’ spiritual directors as they focused on how to best serve residents. She works closely with HumanGood President and CEO John Cochrane on the HumanGood Inclusion Council to drive company culture toward a more welcoming future. 

Outside of HumanGood, Shippen is a member of the Next Generation Leadership Initiative, a leadership development program funded by the United Church of Christ. It strives to equip, energize and empower younger UCC church pastors to build vibrant congregations that change lives. Before joining HumanGood, she was the director of missions for Presby’s Inspired Life. 

She is a volunteer for the Saturday Enrichment Program, which provides academic support and enrichment, social and emotional and life skill lessons for K-12 students.

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Senior Living, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Home Care. PointClickCare is the Diamond sponsor of this year’s program. PharMerica is the Silver sponsor. Additional sponsors include American HealthTech, Healthcare Services Group, Omnicare, Sentrics and ShiftKey.

Visit this web page to see lists of honorees from 2023 and previous years.

Mary Grace Crisostomo, affectionately known as “Mama Grace” by many of her colleagues, came to the United States from the Philippines in the mid-1980s after earning an accounting degree from Assumption College in Manila. 

Her goal upon arrival was to work toward providing older adults with affordable housing options. She now oversees the physical and financial operation of low-income senior and multi-family housing across three states as senior asset manager for HumanGood (Beacon Development Group). Cristostomo has volunteered her time with organizations such as Tri Valley Haven, Society of the Little Flower and the Assumption Mission Schools.

Those efforts began with her work as a community administrator more than 20 years ago, and they continue today as senior asset manager for the Housing and Urban Development HumanGood portfolio across Washington, Oregon and California. In this role, she oversees the ongoing physical and financial assessment of properties in those three states and helps make plans for their continued sustainability.

During her career, Crisostomo has served as administrator for multi-site housing organizations as well as for individual communities that specialize in serving low-income older adults. 

Beyond her professional knowledge and passion, Crisostomo has a reputation as a valuable resource when it comes to professional and personal guidance for the workers and residents she encounters. Her character and work ethic set her apart from others, according to colleagues. Outside of her working hours, Crisostomo volunteers with several charitable and mission-related organizations.

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Senior Living, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Home Care. PointClickCare is the Diamond sponsor of this year’s program. PharMerica is the Silver sponsor. Additional sponsors include American HealthTech, Healthcare Services Group, Omnicare, Sentrics and ShiftKey.

Visit this web page to see lists of honorees from 2023 and previous years.

A neighborhood approach to supporting residents with dementia provides a “human-centered” environment that preserves dignity and individuality, according to one senior living provider.

HumanGood recently opened a new residential memory support neighborhood at The Mansion at Rosemont, a Pennsylvania life plan community. The neighborhood features wide open common spaces, including two outdoor terraces, a dining room, a full kitchen and sitting areas that are meant to reflect a home-like environment. 

“Our goal is not just to go in and provide all the care, but to support each individual only to the amount they need to maintain as much independence as possible,” Memory Support Services Director Angela Champlin told McKnight’s Senior Living of HumanGood’s “immerse” memory support program. “It’s a more dignified approach.”

Champlin said that providing the best life for each resident means immersing oneself in their world, which is how HumanGood approached the design of The Mansion at Rosemont. The provider even hosted a small “housewarming party” rather than a large opening, which could have been disruptive. The party allowed residents to invite their families into their new home.

“We purposefully designed the neighborhood like someone’s comfortable home,” Champlin said. “Therefore, you will never see a rolling dining or medication cart in the hallway.”

To that end, laundry chutes dispense with laundry carts rolling through the community, back entrances that lead into the kitchen detour meal carts from the middle of the residence, and medications are secured in locked cabinets in each resident’s apartment to avoid the use of medication carts.

Based on the principles of the proprietary immerse program, the neighborhood was designed to provide support only where needed, “to protect autonomy, build relationships, offer purposeful programs to engage and promote self-esteem and deliver high-quality service and care via specially trained team members.”

As part of the immerse program, Champlin said, HumanGood is offering support and education for family members to provide consistency when they visit a resident. Champlin also is rolling out new training for all employees, to give an overview of dementia in the brain, the preservation of dignity, human-centric care and other topics. 

“We’re looking at, down the road, to involve family members in the training,” Champlin said, adding that residents in other levels of care and service also will be educated. “To immerse ourselves, everyone has to be on the same page.”

The community also offers welcome kits to new families that contain the book “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living with Alzheimer’s & Other Dementias,” a soup mug, two packets of chicken noodle soup and crackers. Champlin said the kit encourages families to embrace their relationships with their loved ones and care for themselves while HumanGood takes over care of their loved ones living with dementia.