Senior leaders from over 30 national aging and long-term care organizations gathered in Chicago June 16-17 for a landmark summit to forge personal relationships and create a shared positive vision of elder care in the year 2020. The spirited meeting was designed to foster a "community of collaboration" among stakeholders and to develop strategies for spreading the diffusion of person-directed care far and wide.

From the outset it was agreed that a solid foundation of personal relationships is necessary for such diffusion to take place. As one participant observed, "culture eats strategy for lunch everyday." Culture change at the highest levels of organizational collaboration is needed if person-directed care is to become a day-to-day reality within and across the long-term care spectrum (and beyond).

The summit was facilitated by consultants Rich Fitzpatrick and Lynn Spragens, and the emergent values and themes were rendered visually in real time by artist Keith McCandless.


The meeting opened with an exercise to encourage the sharing of personal stories about aging and long-term care. Barry Barkan described his own journey and spoke of "my story, your story, our story" -- challenging those present to listen to their hearts as well as their minds in our collaborative efforts. Small groups of five or six then met to exchange personal stories and later the "common threads that bind us" emerged in a full group discussion.

One shared realization was that real change will be possible only if pursued with elders as active contributors. Another common thread concerned the power of hope in making possible a self-directed life for elders. The fundamental need for leaders to make a transformation in their professional and personal approach to aging was also explored. Finally, a shared sentiment emerged that home must be the focal point in any dicussion of person-directed care or culture change -- that individuals have a basic claim to home and all the rights and privilages the word implies.


After an evening of fun performance vignettes in which participants acted out impromptu scenes of an idealized aging in the year 2020, the leaders gathered the following day to review the "leading edges" of the current state and identify the specific attributes of our intended future in the year 2020.

Those specific attributes were then organized into core areas and individuals self-selected into small groups to develop goals and action steps for each. The areas covered regulatory policy, leadership development, involving the voices of elders, reimbursement policy and expanding models of person-directed care across the long-term care spectrum. Individual leaders volunteered to collaborate on action steps for each.


At the close of the Summit the participants made a committment to build a community of collaboration and to do all that is necessary to speak with one voice about the culture change imperative in long-term care. Rose Marie Fagan and Charlene Boyd ended the session by speaking for all in attendance and thanking the Commonwealth Fund for the generous support that made the Summit possible.

Leaders and their organizations included: