Aging services involve caring for elderly people in society. This could also include aged people who are disabled too. In this facility, there are usually homes that take care of adult people. Housing is a very important factor to the elderly, and according to research, these groups of people always use almost thirty percent of their income in paying for housing facilities. The American Association for Homes and Services for Aging is an organization that cares for such elderly people. They even include baby boomers. These are people born between 1946 and 1963 in United States, Canada, or Australia. (Burney, 1999)
This occurred after World War II, when birth rates were above normal. Surveys carried out in the United States show that there is a need that is not being met, especially for baby boomers who are about to retire. Research shows that elderly people are living longer, and there is a dire need to take care of them.
It is very important to provide affordable housing for the aged people in society. The staff and development project strives to meet the core tenets of AAHSA. This includes commitment. This project there is ensuring that the staffs are committed to caring for elderly people. There are different types of homes that are provided to this group of people (Senge, 1999).
There are adult family homes where the project manager ensures that the staff working therein reports on a daily basis. In this project, time management is very important. There are also nursing homes that take care of disabled and aged people in society. Such people need care for twenty-four hours. In this project, the manager ensures that staffs are a good number such that they can take care of the disabled for twenty-four hours without strain. In this case, the staffs assume responsibility for the well-being of adults and safety too.
This project fulfills community involvement in various ways. One of them is where community members are allowed to volunteer their services in the boarding homes for the elderly. This is where assisted living for elderly people in such homes. This project has made it open for community members to volunteer their services to these homes. Such services include washing clothes for the elderly or general laundry work. Community members also help in preparing meals for elderly people since most of them are too old to do it by themselves. In the case of disabled, elderly people, they are fed and also washed by community members. There is the provision of nursing care through community members volunteering.
This also includes giving elderly people with mental health some specialized care. Through this, the project meets community involvement as one of AAHSA’s quality elements (Senge, 1999).
One of the elements of AAHSA includes research findings and education. This is quite essential in any aging service. This project ensures that this element is incorporated. There is a team that is responsible for research in this project. The team carries out research concerning any issue affecting the aged people in the society. This includes matters concerning housing for baby boomers and their general care. This also includes disabled people in society, especially the aged (Burney, 1999).
Human resource development is an area that is critical in any organization. It has got a big impact on the success of an organization. This normally involves human resource managers in an organization going through learning and training. In this project, this is carried out both formally and informally. It is carried out formally whereby the human resource managers go for professional studies on how to run projects. In this, they are taught various courses relevant to management. This includes leadership and control measures that are really essential. A critical evaluation shows that this has been effective, as managers have become more equipped with knowledge that is essential in aging services. This is a core element of AAHSA and has been implemented, leading to better results in this organization or project. This has been proved that knowledge is power (Burney, 1999).
Staff development is also essential and the workplace. This is very evident in this project as employees are given proper tools for accomplishing their tasks; hence effectiveness is enhanced. In providing services for the aged, relationship building is essential yet hard to accomplish. This is because one deals with people from various cultures. In such a scenario, effective communication helps in building relationships. In the long run, employees are empowered as effective leaders since they are well aligned with the mission statement of this institution. This is the long run empowers disabled and elderly residents such that they are able to live life to the fullest. This helps them get necessities that help them be active in life (Senge, 1999).
Governance and accountability are also some of the ten elements of quality in AAHSA. This project fulfills this element in various ways. Accountability is fulfilled by this project through report writing by each staff concerning assigned duties. These reports are later on analyzed by the human resource managers. Auditing is always carried out, and this greatly influences accountability. Governance is fulfilled in this project through implementing management practices like controlling, leading, planning, and organizing (Senge, 1999).
Affordable housing for the elderly is essential in society today. Aging services aid elderly people to easily access affordable housing. Research shows that baby boomer that is about to retire have various needs that need to be considered by aging services. This staff development project meets the core tenets of leadership AAHSA. This includes commitment which is fulfilled through proper management. There is community involvement which is fulfilled through volunteering of community members. Research is very important in this field of providing aging services. This project has fulfilled this by incorporating a research team of professionals that carry out research on various issues affecting the aged in society. This has really influenced the success of this project.
References
- Burney D. (1999): Leading in a culture of change; Good to Great; New York; Prentice Hall.
- Senge, P. (1999): The Dance of Change; New York; Macmillan Press.