The Vision 2025 Initiative Adopts New Name as Senior Living and Higher Education Leaders Gathered to Reshape the Aging Services Workforce

The Vision 2025 Initiative Adopts New Name as Senior Living and Higher Education Leaders Gathered to Reshape the Aging Services Workforce

Eau Claire, WI (June 21, 2022) - The Vision 2025 initiative, which started as a movement aimed at addressing the leadership workforce needs of aging-services organizations, today became the Vision Centre: Leadership Development for Aging Services, a nonprofit helping shape the future for the industry through action. Leaders of the organization announced the new name during its 2022 "Vision 2025 3.0 Symposium" this week, which included more than 80 thought leaders from both the higher education and senior care and service sectors.

The Vision Centre's goal is to create 25 robust university and college programs designed to prepare future generations of leaders for aging-adult service organizations. It also aims to facilitate from these programs 1,000 paid internships among senior housing, care and aging services by 2025. Moreover, Vision Centre aims to help grow these programs with strategic partnerships over time to help expand educational opportunities and create awareness of the workforce development challenge facing the aging-services sector.

The new name is meant to fully encompass the organization's mission to "create impactful pathways for smarter, more successful senior care and senior living administration."

The announcement was made at the opening of Vision Centre: Leadership Development for Aging Services' annual symposium. This year's event took place on June 21 and June 22, and hosted over 30 colleges and university representatives, approximately 50 senior-housing and care companies, as well as prominent trade associations and other strategic partners. This is the third gathering since the organization's founding based on the expertise and work of a widely represented steering committee led by Dr. Douglas Olson at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

"The goal of this unique gathering is to ensure the health and continuity of the broader senior living field through the identification, development and support of university and college programs," said Dr. Olson. "The Vision Centre is designed to help bridge the gap between educational institutions and care and service organizations, enabling a more effective educational model. In many ways, this is the secret sauce for these types of programs designed to build a much-needed, healthier track for future senior living leaders for this noble profession."

The opening of the symposium announcing the new name was led by Vision Centre Board Members Steve Chies, Chair of Vision Centre's Board of Trustees and Program Director of the Long-Term Care Administration program at St. Joseph's College in Standish, Maine, and Sean Kelly, Vice Chair of Vision Centre's Board of Trustees and CEO of The Kendal Corporation, a Quaker-based senior living organization with 12 affiliate communities across the country.

Chies opened the symposium with thoughts on why this organization is needed now.

"Boomers will have a major impact on how care and services will be provided," said Chies. "They have changed how other systems have functioned and we can expect them to profoundly impact senior care. Our current care and service system is not prepared for 2026."

Kelly followed up on Chies remarks to explain how Vision Centre, under its new name, will address these concerns.

"The Vision Centre will be of all of our making and will be the driver of the evolution that we seek," said Kelly. "It will be a place that brings about the continued professionalization in our field and where our colleagues will meet, learn, inspire and be inspired."

The symposium continued with discussions on how to expand field experiences, develop relationships and best practices for building partnerships, as well as networking opportunities and closing remarks from Kelly and Chies.

To learn more about Vision Centre: Leadership Development for Aging Services, visit https://vision2025initiative.com/.

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About Vision Centre: Leadership Development for Aging Services

Vision Centre: Leadership Development for Aging Services is focused on creating impactful pathways for smarter, more successful senior care and senior living administration. The endeavor of the organizers is a proactive one - acting upon a strategic plan that empowers universities, senior care and aging service providers, support associations, and key business partners to work collectively toward a common and crucial set of goals. The collaboration aims to inspire the next generation of senior living leaders and address the challenges of tomorrow, today.

Vision Centre: Leadership Development for Aging Services is being sponsored by NIC, American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA), American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), American Senior Housing Association (ASHA), Argentum, LeadingAge, the National Association of Long-Term Care Administrator Boards Foundation (NAB Foundation), National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and Ziegler.