This winter’s 13th annual Quality Care Community (QCC) conference was appropriately called, “Healing After the Storm: Rebuilding Community”, in recognition of the struggle and courage shown by those who suffered the wrath of Hurricane Sandy in late October. Held in New York City, the annual conference, sponsored by the 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds/Labor Management Project, is an opportunity for nursing home workers and management to come together, share and learn about current trends in care giving and the healthcare industry.

This was the first conference for Judith Patterson-Djalo, a 26-year veteran at Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation in Woodbury, NY. A Program Aide in Adult Day Care, Judith said, “I learned so much, there were so many workshops to choose from and I just wanted to keep learning.”

Plenary sessions addressed broad policy issues, with a focus on new public policies regarding long term managed care. “Things are changing fast and if we are not up to date with what is happening in the industry, it is going to take us by surprise when practices change at our nursing homes,” Patterson-Djalo said. “We have to be prepared for the sake of our residents and our jobs.”

Of the dozen-plus workshops. Patterson-Djalo said, “I wish I could have gone to all of them, but I chose the one about creating community for residents with mental illness, because I work with people who have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder every day. I came out with a new understanding of what is going on in the minds of these individuals and how I can best care for them. The workshop was invaluable to me and I’ve been discussing it with my co-workers ever since.”

Other workshops addressed cultural differences, stress management, accountability, effective communication and person-centered care through art and music.

For Patterson-Djalo, one of the most touching moments of the conference was when workers from a Coney Island nursing home hit hard by Hurricane Sandy told stories about singing to and with the residents during the worst of the storm.

The conference offered special recognition with “a very special thank you to the many conscientious, hard-working nursing home staff who maintained a professional manner, persevered in the face of discouragement and sacrificed countless hours in response to Hurricane Sandy, to ensure the safety and well-being of their residents.”