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Brian Grandbouche, Operations Services Leader for Kisco
Senior Living
, says he has learned from many talented
executive directors who are the real experts in managing
community renovations. According to him, Kisco can have up
to five renovations going on at once. “It's something that Kisco
does—we reinvest in our portfolio quite regularly. So it's not
unusual for us to have several projects going on at once.”
A former executive director for Kisco, Grandbouche says the
organization has a very detailed approach to renovations. The
first step is to find out what residents want and need. Then, the
development team will try to incorporate residents’ requests
into the final plan. This helps them to feel like a part of the
process and gets them excited for the final result.
The key to any successful renovation is an executive director
who makes sure to communicate early and often with residents,
their families, and staff. “Your staff needs to know exactly what's
going on because it really impacts them. It affects everything
from where they park their car to their whole workflow.”
In order to make sure everyone is on the same page, Kisco
organizes meetings with the executive director, the contractor,
residents, community associates, and families. “We call it a
kick-off meeting. We explain the entire scope of the renovation
to them and we usually have renderings and drawings to get
everyone excited and informed.”
However, he says, not everyone will be excited about the
changes. “Some residents say things like ‘I like it the way it is.
Why are you changing it?’” He says, in instances like this, an
executive director shouldn’t try to actively convince them. “Just
listen. Get them asking questions and listen to their concerns.
Remind them about how they did renovations in their previous
homes, and tell them you will continue to communicate with
them every step of the way.”
Renovate
with
RESIDENTS
in Mind
Imagine you’re renovating your home. Your daily schedule will likely be altered, you will be
accommodating contractors and equipment, and some areas of your home may be unusable
for a time. Now imagine you’re doing that in a home with 10, 50, 100 residents or more. How
can you make sure that renovations go smoothly while also making sure that your residents
continue to feel at home in a community going though changes?
By Katie Cappello, Director of Communications
C L I F O N I A A S S I S T E D L I V I N G A S S O C I A T I O N
