I want to thank everyone for their support, it is a privilege to serve this honorable organization as President. As Peter Drucker said, "Management people can do things right; leadership is doing the right things." As healthcare professionals we choose to do the right thing for patients each and every day. We support families while they make difficult decisions in trying to do the right thing for their beloved family member. In this, we are all leaders.
Maya Angelou said - “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Feeling good is what we all strive for. We want this feeling for our patients as well as ourselves. But feeling good is defined differently by every individual- sometimes, it means happy, joyful, fun experiences. Other times it is gratitude and acceptance of yourself and others. As healthcare professionals, we help others to feel good but often we don’t take care of ourselves.
Our mental health needs to be preserved such that we can take care of others. Our ability to achieve resilience from stress, balancing home and work life and being able to redirect negative into positive thoughts is what leads to that good feeling. The pandemic has challenged that resilience. It has impacted our patients, the incredible staff that cares for them and ourselves.
I would like to focus my presidency on helping assure that all of us and our patients have full and effective access to professional mental health care. The mindfulness exercises at this conference and our Wellness Committee’s upcoming book club and other activities will help each of us to stop, breathe and enjoy having a good feeling.
CALTCM’s many committees will continue their incredible work. The Clinical Practice Committee has launched an online certificate program for Infection Preventionists and will continue to launch new certificate programs with potentially COVID-19 webinar updates on a quarterly basis. The Public Policy Committee continues to be actively involved with advocacy and collaboration with other organizations to reach our mission to: “promote quality patient care across the long-term care continuum through medical leadership and education.” We are the respected medical voice of Long-term care in California. We all must continue to work together to bring about real change to long term care.
Studies show that geriatrics ranks among the most satisfying health professions. In fact, one study reported that geriatricians had the highest job satisfaction of physicians practicing in any subspecialty. Geriatrics healthcare professionals cite their encounters with inspirational older adults, the deep and meaningful relationships they develop, and the typically steady work hours as significant factors adding to their job satisfaction. (https://www.americangeriatrics.org/geriatrics-profession/why-geriatrics/geriatrics-for-you)
It is your choice to participate in our organization and I gratefully thank you for being engaged with CALTCM, taking education back to your patients and facility, developing/improving your leadership skills and by promoting the ethical delivery of care and respecting the rights of older adults.
I ask you to be a bigger part of our organization. Any amount of time you can contribute helps us with collaborative teamwork to achieve our goals. Volunteerism feels good. Select a committee, in order to contribute your passion for geriatrics, your time, and your heart to help advocate for quality of care amongst this most vulnerable segment of the population.
As Dolly Parton once said, “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”
Let’s all work together to lead our industry into a bright future.