Happy New Year from KSLA!

Happy New Year!

Please accept our sincere gratitude for all you do, each and every day, for our senior adults! There is no doubt in our minds that the lives you impact are healthier and happier because of the love, compassion, and dedication that you pour into the population we serve.

We’re pleased to share that we closed 2023 with 132 provider members, and a diverse mix of 40 companies included in our membership as associate members. We appreciate the trust that each of you place in KSLA and look forward to serving seniors with you for a long, long time!

Our 2023 Annual Conference was held on May 17-18 in Louisville. Our events included ten excellent education sessions, two informative general sessions, and an amazing awards luncheon with 26 nominees, including our six winners. Each nomination was inspiring and gave indisputable evidence of the dedicated, compassionate, and amazing heroes who serve our seniors every day! We received a dynamite keynote address given by Kim Becking that included strategies for shifting our mindset from a place of burnout and stress to putting intentionality behind how we show up every single day. Kim had our attendees on their feet, shouting, and rocking out to Guns & Roses! My favorite takeaway from her talk was that we need to resign as the “General Manager of the Universe,” and she wasn’t wrong!

We held regional workshops on the new ALC regulations, in four areas of the Commonwealth, in July and August. In total, 166 providers attended these all-day workshops, which were led by Mark Lee, Paragon Development Group and Sheila Carter, Heartsong Memory Care. We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the workshops, and extend special thanks to our leaders, Mark & Sheila, for their willingness to plan and lead those important sessions for us.

The work to modernize Kentucky Assisted Living that began in 2019 continued throughout 2023. As of this date, we’re waiting for the enforcement of the ALC regulations, and anticipate that to begin sometime in Q1, 2024. We’re awaiting final approval of the Kentucky Board of Nursing regulations regarding the training and credentialing of Certified Medication Aides I & II, and our work to resolve occupancy use code issues with existing AL buildings is ongoing. There was a proposed amendment to the Personal Care regulations, filed on December 6, 2023, that we don’t expect to affect KSLA providers, as it isn’t expected to go into effect until after the new ALC regulations are being enforced. As always, we’ll keep you informed as things develop.

Looking ahead to 2024, mark your calendars for our KSLA Advocacy Day in Frankfort on January 31, 2024. We expect this to be a significant opportunity for us to visit with lawmakers and ask for their support on matters that are vital to senior living; specifically, the occupancy use code issue for current assisted living providers who intend to license as an ALC-BH or ALC-DC community. There is no better way to effect change than through grassroots efforts! Make sure you know who your senators and state representatives are, and plan to join us in January at the Capitol! More information to come …

Also, please mark your calendars for KSLA’s Annual Conference & Exhibition March 13-14, 2024. Another “first” for us is that the 2024 Conference will be somewhere other than Louisville. This year, we’ll explore a new venue, The Campbell House in Lexington! Planning has already begun for this event, and we hope you’ll join us at this beautiful boutique hotel. Our keynote speaker will be “The Iron Jen,” an Ironman triathlete, winner of two U.S. Olympic Festival Medals, a Minnesota Hall of Fame inductee, and a fire service captain, safety office, firefighter and first responder, with over 20 years in hospital administration. Jen has a deep appreciation for those working in high stress environments and we can’t wait to hear the message she brings to this year’s conference! Watch your eBlasts in January for more information. Our conference dates were selected with the anticipated enforcement date of the ALC regulations in mind, so there will be a quick turnround on registration, and be ready to submit your nominations for our awards program and the KSLA Board of Directors in January and early February!

We hope you’ve been receiving eBlasts from us. These emails include information relevant to our members and the senior living industry in Kentucky and we hope you’re finding them useful. If you’re not receiving these regular communications, please contact Rebecca at Rebecca@KentuckySeniorLiving.org and she’ll make sure your contact information is current and that you begin receiving them as soon as possible.

And finally …

You should have received the invoice for your annual membership dues investment for 2024 yesterday via email. As in the past, your dues investment provides you access to KSLA benefits such as advocacy support, regulatory updates, opportunities to serve on leadership committees, timely communications, educational opportunities, consumer referrals, and more. Attached to yesterday's email was a copy of KSLA's W-9 for 2024 as well as this letter, and a new policy regarding the establishment of rates for, and payment of, membership dues, conference & workshop registrations for 2024. You can access copies of the W-9 and the policy by clicking the buttons below.

On behalf of KSLA’s elected leadership and fellow members, thank you for the trust you place in us, and for your continued membership and support. We pledge to serve you well in 2024!

All the best,

Susan Matherly, President & Rebecca Pfalzgraf, Executive Director