Business View Magazine - March 2016

92 Business View Magazine - April 2016 Business View Magazine - April 2016 93 ent appointment, he served as the head of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration’s (AHCA) As- sisted Living Unit, responsible for the licensure of as- sisted living facilities throughout the Sunshine State. “So I had knowledge about what assisted living is, and what it will be in the future, as well as a lot of knowl- edge about the regulations that were affecting them, currently,” he says. Haston had also served AHCA as a prosecutor against non-compliant assisted living facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, clinical laboratories, and home health agen- cies. “The licensee is required to adhere to certain statutes and regulations. And if you’re not providing certain services or you’re falling below minimum stan- dards for those services, the Agency issues adminis- trative complaints and takes legal action to impose fines and penalties that can include a suspension, moratorium, or revocation of the license.” Although these tools were used, the Agency’s chief goal is regu- latory compliance. According to Haston, FALA’s mission, since its begin- ning, has always been the same, “which is promoting excellence, in education, advocacy, standards, and consumer awareness.” He does, however, have one cavil concerning the Association’s less than perfect adherence to its mission statement. “I think over the years, we fell behind on consumer awareness,” he ad- mits. “And since I’ve come on board, that has been one of my goals: to increase consumer awareness about what assisted living is, what assisted living is not, and how to locate the most appropriate assisted living for a person’s loved ones.” Haston laments what he believes to be the general consumer’s misunderstanding of the difference be- tween assisted living and a nursing home. “I think a lot of families still have that old mentality of ‘Mom’s going to be in a wheelchair in a corner,’ when, in my opinion Mom will live longer or Dad will live longer in an active and vibrant facility with people of the same age participating in activities, daily. As humans, we tend to want fellowship; to be around others and to not be secluded, especially when a life-long partner dies, and the senior survivor is alone at home. You see that quite often. In an assisted living facility they form new friendships, new relationships, and the social being is recreated. This truly helps seniors to move forward in their golden years.” In addition to the many meetings, events, trade shows, and health fairs that FALA holds or participates in around the state in order to help educate people about the assisted living sector, a new program called “Lunch on the Lawn,” was recently launched. The free event invites consumers to tour select Assisted Living Communities, while enjoying lunch, entertainment, and educational talks and exhibits. The Association keeps in touch with its members through chapter meetings across the state - 48 were held, last year. “We also do mini-seminars; we commu- nicate four times a year with a magazine called Aspire; we send out E-Newsletters; and we send out alerts,” Haston says, adding that the personal touch is also a weekly ritual. “I spend one hour, each Friday, calling members, asking them what they need help with. Are there any issues or concerns that I may address? And then I spend another hour doing the same thing with associate members.” Today, FALA’s membership is comprised of nearly 500 assisted living facilities and adult family care homes and 200 associate members who provide products and services to the assisted living sector. But with over 3,000 assisted living facilities currently operating in Florida, the percentage of membership is relatively low. Haston explains that one reason for the shortfall