Community LIFE’s Dementia Care program that helps older adults live at home safely was recently featured in Guide To Good Health. The article includes interviews from Lisa Jenkins, Behavioral Health Coordinator, and Tina Opina, Dementia Care Coordinator. They discuss the benefits of the program for both participants and their families, Community LIFE’s philosophy for patient-centered care through teamwork, and their unique Operation STOP elopement risk management program.
Learn more about this compassionate program in the article here.
Established in 1963, Older Americans Month (OAM) is celebrated every May. Led by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), OAM is a time for us to acknowledge the contributions and achievements of older Americans, highlight important trends, and strengthen our commitment to honoring our older citizens.
This year’s theme, Aging Unbound, offers an opportunity to explore a wide range of aging experiences and to promote the importance of enjoying independence and fulfillment by paving our own paths as we age.
This May, join us as we recognize the 60th anniversary of OAM and challenge the narrative on aging. Here are some ways we can all participate in Aging Unbound:
- Embrace the opportunity to change. Find a new passion, go on an adventure, and push boundaries by not letting age define your limits. Invite creativity and purpose into your life by trying new activities in your community to bring in more growth, joy, and energy.
- Explore the rewards of growing older. With age comes knowledge, which provides insight and confidence to understand and experience the world more deeply. Continue to grow that knowledge through reading, listening, classes, and creative activities.
- Stay engaged in your community. Everyone benefits when everyone is connected and involved. Stay active by volunteering, working, mentoring, participating in social clubs, and taking part in activities at your local senior center or elsewhere in the community.
- Form relationships. As an essential ingredient of well-being, relationships can enhance your quality of life by introducing new ideas and unique perspectives. Invest time with people to discover deeper connections with family, friends, and community members.
For more information, visit the official OAM website, follow ACL on Twitter and Facebook, and join the conversation using #OlderAmericansMonth.
Community LIFE’s Operation STOP, an elopement management initiative, won the UPMC Senior Services and CPS Quality Fair Clinical Quality Improvement Award.
Community LIFE is committed to ensuring our participants are receiving the best quality care and are safe while living independently in the community.
Congratulations to the project leads Lisa Jenkins, Tina Opina, Amy Chaffo and Terri Averi for being the catalyst of an intervention that has yielded positive outcomes for our participants.
Community LIFE announced today that Richard DiTommaso, the organization’s president, will be retiring after more than 20 years of service. Fatemeh Hashtroudi, current director, Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Community LIFE, has been chosen to succeed DiTommaso effective August 1, 2022.
DiTommaso joined Community LIFE in 2001 as the director of operations. Throughout his tenure, DiTommaso has been integral to the organization’s ongoing development, growth, and strategy. Today, largely as a result of his commitment and leadership, there are eight Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) centers in six counties throughout the region.
Hashtroudi, DiTommaso’s successor, joined Community LIFE in May 2012, bringing more than 20 years of hospital and long-term care management experience. She grew the quality program by embedding Perfecting Patient Care®/LEAN, motivational interviewing, and rounding into the organizational culture. Hashtroudi has chaired Community LIFE’s emergency operations planning committee since its inception and been a key collaborator and leader of the infection control program and implementation of Electronic Health Records. She’s also served for many years as co-chair of the National PACE Association Quality Committee. DiTommaso will work with Hashtroudi to facilitate a seamless transition into her new role.
