Business View Magazine - September 2015

92 Business View - September 2015 Business View - September 2015 93 for the membership right now and how do they break down? What are the different types of members? RUBIN: There’s a whole continuum from lighter ser- vices to heavier services. We have charities and not- for-profits that provide long-term care, and they often have their origins with cultural and ethnic groups, such as the Mennonites, the Latvians, and the Germans – people who came to Ontario and wanted to care for their seniors. Others have roots in seniors’ clubs and community groups, such as rotary clubs and legions. These members rely very much on volunteer support and the financial benefactors of their communities, along with very much-needed government support. These homes still have their roots in their origins or culture, but they are non-denominational, and now they must take anybody in. We also have municipal homes, because every south- ern municipality in the province must operate a long- term care home. And our membership includes se- niors’ housing and supportive housing – what you may call assisted living -- as well as other support services. For example, we offer adult-day programs for families to bring in their elderly loved ones with dementia to give them some stimulation and programming a few days a week. And we also have other services that reach out to the community, such as meals on wheels. Some of our members deliver thousands of meals per week. And so there are ancillary services that are quite common. BUSINESS VIEW: Have you had any membership trends up or down? Is one segment of the group growing more than the others? RUBIN: The trend will be to keep people in their homes as long as possible and to provide support services to people in congregate living and housing. We recently had a group of members discussing future opportuni- ties, and they were talking about providing not only the standard support services currently available, but also long-term care to people in their own homes, so that they can stay there while receiving the level of care they need. But their care needs are growing, and so we have to turn our minds in the future to a more effective way of providing the care that people require. BUSINESS VIEW: You mentioned the different kinds of membership. Is there one that is more common than others? If you have a typical member, what benefit are they most often looking at or looking for when they align themselves with the organization? RUBIN: Our roots are in long-term care, so that’s the largest component of our membership, but we repre- sent the full continuum of seniors’ care and services. What our members are looking for from us is to repre- sent them politically, to represent their needs and is- sues with political decision-makers, and to make sure we keep our ears to the ground and interpret policy decisions for them and make sure that they are aware of any new changes. BUSINESS VIEW: If you were to label the main value proposition, the main thrust of your productivity on behalf of the members, is it the government advo- cacy or is there another main reason why they would want to be a part of the association? RUBIN: They’re a part of us because they feel that we will represent their needs, and we’re seen as a cred- ible source of information by government because we have no hidden agenda. We’re not into the profit mo- tive, so when we come out and say this needs to be done, it’s for the individual’s benefit, not just for the or- ganization as a provider of care, it makes us a credible source. As well, our members’ hallmark is their trans- parency. They’re open, they’re very willing to share their best practices. It may be a competitive environ- ment, but it’s a very collegial world for our association. Also, the government is used to working with hospitals and other kind of public bodies, but they see our sec- tor as accountable, transparent, and open. Now, this approach doesn’t make everybody a perfect provider -- by all means, everybody wants to improve their qual- ity -- but it does put a different stamp on who they are and how we represent them. BUSINESS VIEW: Are there any kind of uniform is- sues that are affecting a broad base of the mem- bership that you’re getting questions and concerns about? RUBIN: Yes, very much so, and I don’t think they’re unique to our association, or our province, but we have Healthcare Healthcare