2020 Holiday Message from George

Well, what can you say about 2020? It has been a challenging year for everyone. From a politically divided county, to racial unrest, to hurricanes, wildfires and many more challenges – all taking a backseat to the global COVID-19 pandemic. And this pandemic has arguably affected senior living in a more devastating fashion than any other field.

70+% of deaths in the US have been in ages 65+ and nearly 40% of deaths have been inside nursing homes or assisted living communities. The toll it has taken on our members is profound. Not only did members have to deal with well over 300 different pieces of guidance from the federal government (not including Texas or local government entities), they also had to deal with a lot of unknowns particularly in the early months of the year.

Yet, when I think of our members – one word comes to mind. That word is “resilience.” Throughout the entirety of the year, our members literally fought tooth and nail for PPE supplies, testing supplies, visitation policies, better staff pay and morale, reducing regulatory barriers, and much more – all while providing the best possible care to their residents. Housing members also had to adapt and provide safety and comfort to their residents, many of whom need that personal contact for their well-being.

Our members adapted to this new world of increased PPE, regular testing, virtual meetings, virtual religious experiences, meal delivery, flexible scheduling, and more things than I can think of to mention.

We are now hopefully entering a new phase of the pandemic. It is still a waiting game, but it is encouraging that our residents and staff will be amongst the first to receive the vaccine. We will still have to adhere to strict infection control guidelines for some time, but there is hope that life can get back to some sense of normalcy later in 2021.

The association has had to adapt as well; our annual conference, meetings, and educational programs all turned virtual. We expect this emphasis on virtual experiences to continue at least for the first half of 2021. Looking forward, we are excited to come together in person later in the year.

All that being said, we are still blessed to have each other as support. I don’t know if I have ever witnessed as much sharing of information and resources as this past year. The value each and every one of you has brought to others has been profound. Never has the concept of an association been stronger!

We must build on that strength of our association into the new year. With an intense legislative session ahead of us, continued challenges with COVID-19, and other “regular” ordeals to deal with, we can do much better with each other’s support along the way.

On behalf of the board and staff, we wish you all a very safe and healthy holiday season. May 2021 bring us more positivity!