PHCA/CALM Annual Convention Kicks Off In King Of Prussia

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. —  The Pennsylvania Health Care Association/Centers for Assisted Living Management (PHCA/CALM) today welcomed more than 600 attendees and 400 exhibitors to its 2015 Annual Convention and Trade Show at Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia.

The three-day convention and trade show, the largest in the association’s history with almost 200 booths, runs through Thursday. It features nearly 60 educational sessions, with close to 100 speakers and several general sessions with knowledgeable and inspirational experts.

“Pennsylvania is home to more than 700 nursing homes that provide essential, around-the-clock quality care to more than 81,000 frail elderly and disabled residents and more than 1,200 assisted living and personal care home providers providing care to more than 45,000 residents daily,” said Stuart H. Shapiro, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association.

“This event is bigger and better than ever, with more classes, more attendees, more presenters, more vendors and more opportunities to network and share information,” Dr. Shapiro said. “We’ve designed this conference as a platform to share best practices and emerging health care trends. And we’ll honor outstanding caregivers who work tirelessly to improve the quality of life of residents and their families.”

The theme of improving care is pervasive throughout the entire three-day event with innumerable sessions focusing on quality, including a panel that explores the importance of compassion in nursing, assisted living and personal care home facilities, and other discussions concerning the importance of quality measurements and the value that tracking resident, family and staff satisfaction has in creating a culture of quality. Pennsylvania’s nursing homes already rank among the best in the nation for quality of care.

Several prominent speakers will present during the convention and officials from the state Department of Human Services, the Department of Health and the Office of Long-Term Living will discuss the long-term care trends for a state that is aging rapidly.

Nursing home, assisted living residence and personal care home administrators can earn up to 16 continuing education units (CEU) during the convention, with exclusive tracks for each area of concentration.

PHCA also will honor eight of the commonwealth’s best caregivers with the 2015 HERO Award for their extraordinary contributions toward the care of the state’s seniors during a special ceremony.

The winners work in long-term and post-acute care centers, including skilled nursing facilities, personal care homes and assisted living residences. They were nominated by their administrators or colleagues, and were chosen by an awards committee from more than 100 nominees.

Activities conclude Thursday with sessions focused on topics such as creating a culture of safety and best practices for hiring and training.

A list of session times and topics is available in the PHCA Annual Convention Program Book available here: https://www.phca.org/docs/2015_PHCA_Convention_Program_Book.pdf.