Residents from 17 communities participated in the May 10 Zoom conversation: Atrium at Navesink, Cadbury, Cedar Crest, Crane’s Mill, Crestwood Manor, The Evergreens, Friends Village, Harrogate, House of Good Shepherd, Laurel Circle, Lions Gate, Masonic Village, Medford Leas, Monroe Village, Seabrook, Oaks at Denville, Wiley Mission, Winchester Gardens.
Thanks again to Andy Kleppe for preparing the recap.
Maggie Heineman, Communications Chair, May 16, 2023.
RECAP BY ANDY:
- Barbara Trought called the meeting to order at 10:00 AM remarking that this meeting is being recorded and will be available on an “as needed” basis to participants as well as those who were unable to attend or had to leave early. Check with Maggie for access. Closed Captions are available by selecting the icon at the bottom of your screen. Barbara reminded all that the next ORANJ Plenary Meeting will be on October 18, 2023, at Monroe Village.
- Attached to the email invitation to attend this Zoom conversation was a copy of Section 16 of the Resident Organization Rights Bill which was passed in 2007 because of the work of ORANJ. Please follow this link to read the history of this legislation along with the following brief summary of what it provides.
- Residents’ right to free self-organization.
- Quarterly meetings between Board of Directors (or their designated representative who shall not be the CEO or staff member of the CCRC) and residents (or their elected representatives) to discuss subjects that may include income, expenditures and financial matters as they apply to the facility and proposed changes in policies, programs and services.
- Inclusion by the Board of Trustees or other local governing body of the facility of at least one resident as a full voting member of that body. Resident members shall be nominated by the elected representatives of residents and selected by the Board of Trustees or other local governing body.
- Consultation and discussion by the Board with representatives of residents of any proposed action that might significantly affect the wellbeing of the residents or the financial stability of the facility BEFORE taking any such action.
- The balance of the meeting was information from the attendees as to whether or how its facility’s Administration and Governing Body was following the provision for quarterly meetings with residents. The meetings as prescribed by law are not happening. Resident associations have a variety of ways in which communication with administrators occurs. In a few CCRCs there is some communication between residents and members of the governing board.
- It was noted that most of the 26 members of ORANJ are wholly owned subsidiaries of Parent Organizations such as Springpoint (7), Fellowship Life (4), Erickson (3), Acts, Premier, and LCS (Life Care Services). The 2007 law, which makes sense for stand-alone CCRCs, doesn’t work when the CCRC is a subsidiary of an umbrella corporation. In the case of Springpoint, each CCRC has its own Board of Directors but it’s mostly the same persons for each of the Springpoint CCRCs except for the Resident Trustee required by law.
- A reminder that that the 2023 Fall Plenary Meeting of ORANJ is scheduled for 9am Wednesday October 18, 2023, at Monroe Village. ORANJ reps have been meeting with the Monroe Village residents involved with the October 18th, 2023, meeting to review details.
- The Next ORANJ Zoom Conversation will be on Wednesday June 14, 2023, at 10am.
- There being no further discussions the meeting was adjourned at 10:55am.