Transcript – Corey Vaillant- Executive Director, DaySpring Senior Living
[00:00:00] Michael Mahoney: Hi Corey. I am so happy to talk with you.
[00:00:04] Corey Vaillant: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
[00:00:04] Michael Mahoney: I have heard from others sing your praises at the ASHA conference in Scottsdale recently. And I overheard a conversation about DaySpring Senior Living and about you and some of the work that you’re doing.
[00:00:21] Michael Mahoney: And that’s why, you know, of course I reached out to you to learn a bit more and asked you to come on the show and share your story. So, can you give us an overview of DaySpring Senior Living?
[00:00:37] Corey Vaillant: Absolutely. DaySpring Senior Living is a ministry of St. Church here in Plano, Texas. We are comprised of 60 apartments, 42 of those are designated as assisted living apartments.
[00:00:50] Corey Vaillant: And then we have 18 memory care apartments that are in a secure memory care area. We’ve been here since 1998, and yes, so we’re a faith-based community here in Plano, and we’ve been around since the beginning of pretty much what assisted living became, and we’ve never been sold to or managed by anyone.
[00:01:15] Corey Vaillant: And we have just been here as a single community, with no sister community. So here we are.
[00:01:23] Michael Mahoney: And that’s unique, and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to have you on to talk about this. So, you know, of course, on this show, we really focus on branding and how communities are using brands to differentiate themselves, right?
[00:01:41] Michael Mahoney: Your brand is around Christ-centered care. What does it mean to you to say that to offer Christ-centered care?
[00:01:52] Corey Vaillant: So Christ-centered care is the way that we care for and nurture our residents, their families, for our team members, physically, mentally, spiritually, and all around, how we care for them.
[00:02:09] Corey Vaillant: And we do that by using our core values to kind of guide us through. different things throughout the day or different situations, different scenarios, or just basic care, really. And those four values are to be thoughtful, considerate of others, mindful of others, empathetic so that we’re sensitive and empathetic toward other people’s situations, accountable so that we can hold ourselves accountable as professionals and to demonstrate a positive attitude as well as to be a team player, and then committed because we’re dedicated to providing the highest quality care, and then honorable because we want to behave in a way that is honest and of good character.
[00:02:56] Michael Mahoney: Those are all very important core values, and I appreciate you articulating them. How might a resident of your community experience Christ-centered care or the values that you’ve just shared with us?
[00:03:15] Corey Vaillant: Well, we do our very best to get to know as much as we can about the person before they come in. So interviewing family members, interviewing a rehab, if they’re transitioning from rehab talking with whoever we can collect information from to really get to know that person.
[00:03:31] Corey Vaillant: And the reason that we do that is so that when they get here, we already have an idea of how to accommodate their preferences, to keep their routine the same, to allow them to have as much control as possible, really in the day-to-day things because typically they’re not in a situation where they’re really looking forward to making this move.
[00:03:52] Corey Vaillant: And so and much of that has to do with the fact that they are losing control over different things in their life and losing their independence, and that’s a really hard thing for someone to lose, especially if they have other things happening with their health or whatever else is going on at the same time. So by being sensitive to and trying to accommodate those preferences, and really, you know, by treating the individual as a unique person and caring for them in that way.
[00:04:25] Corey Vaillant: That’s how we incorporate that, and that’s what Christ-centered care means to us.
[00:04:31] Michael Mahoney: Okay. So you’re basically just living out your values, right?
[00:04:32] Corey Vaillant: Exactly.
[00:04:51] Michael Mahoney: And that guides how you’re treating residents and what they’ll experience. Okay. How do you think that your brand promise and these values help you to differentiate yourself within the marketplace?
[00:04:54] Corey Vaillant: Well, so far, DaySpring, having been here for almost 25 years now, has really earned and maintained a very good reputation in the community. I believe that that’s a reflection of the real passion that our team members have for the work that they do. They’re all very dedicated to serving God through caring for his people here, and our team members really put service above self.
[00:05:19] Corey Vaillant: This all kind of incorporates and creates a warm joy. Sort of loving, very family-like atmosphere and environment for our residents.
[00:05:31] Michael Mahoney: Okay. Right. Yeah, because it’s a small, you know, smaller community. So this makes sense. It does feel like a family. You’re spending so much time together.
[00:05:39] Michael Mahoney: You have how many employees there?
[00:05:45] Corey Vaillant: We have about 47.
[00:05:47] Michael Mahoney: 47. Okay. Right. Mm-hmm. . Okay. And can you share about how you go about integrating your brand into your culture, both with employees and residents?
[00:06:03] Corey Vaillant: Sure, sure. So first and foremost, I would say that with prayer, our environment is one in which prayer can happen at any time with anyone.
[00:06:12] Corey Vaillant: It’s never forced on anyone, but, mm-hmm, it’s just made known. It’s okay. And, in a work environment, in the corporate world, not just in senior living but in any of it, just in the world in general, that’s not always accepted. So that makes us kind of special and unique and helps us integrate what we’re doing with our brand.
[00:06:33] Corey Vaillant: Also, just caring—I mean, for our residents. Our team members have very, very good listening skills. So they’re hearing what a person has to say, which is also very key in caring for someone. And we try to care for every individual in a unique and tailored way that’s specific to that person and their preferences.
[00:06:58] Corey Vaillant: This type of mindset also helps us to keep from becoming task-oriented and remember that we’re caring for human beings here. And it’s not just about completing a task but rather nurturing a soul. With our employees, our goal is to provide honest feedback. We like to be generous with our praise.
[00:07:17] Corey Vaillant: We’re very caring with correction. And then we like to show appreciation, provide recognition, and get to know them as people, because they too are part of the family here, and we want to know their stories as well as the resident stories, and we want to know who they are as people.
[00:07:37] Michael Mahoney: Right. Okay. And Dayspring. Senior Living is a nonprofit organization. Correct. What are some of the unique challenges of operating as a nonprofit care provider?
[00:07:53] Corey Vaillant: I would say nonprofit, in addition to also being a standalone community. Mm-hmm. One of the challenges is to really have that power to get your name out there.
[00:08:04] Corey Vaillant: That has been a challenge where a larger chain of communities may have the ability to spend more on advertising, and just because they’re around in different areas, their name gets known much more easily. So there’s that. And then there’s just trying to balance expenses with the cost of living while still being able to provide quality care, which is a constant juggling act.
[00:08:32] Corey Vaillant: Also, I think COVID was a good example of this challenge, which would be, when things are changing on a sometimes daily basis from a regulatory standpoint. If there’s someone who’s delegating or designating policy and procedure to put into place, it’s much easier to have that already filtered through.
[00:08:56] Corey Vaillant: But for us, I was trying, management was helping me, but I was trying to keep up with the changes and implement the regulations that had to be implemented—and it was a constantly evolving and ever-changing world at that time, which thank goodness we all went through. But those kinds of things, just to give you an example of what I would say would be the biggest challenges,
[00:09:19] Michael Mahoney: And that makes sense. I want to circle back to the first one you mentioned: the challenges of just being, you know, a single community and spreading the message and generating awareness of organizations. How do you go about tackling that challenge? And I ask because, you know, many listeners are single-location, you know, communities, and they deal with the same challenge.
[00:09:43] Michael Mahoney: How do you go about doing that?
[00:09:46] Corey Vaillant: Well, a lot of what we’ve done has just been dependent on word of mouth, our reputation, and the satisfaction of the families we’ve served. Families come back to us with other family members down the line. In fact, just recently this week, we had that situation happen, or multiple referrals within the same family, which is always a great thing.
[00:10:07] Corey Vaillant: But those aren’t really things that we have control over. We can’t help; we can’t make it to the point where someone has someone to refer to us. So, we’re just doing what we can to get our brand out there, whether it be, you know, on a marketing giveaway or a t-shirt or what have you, using whatever tool, we can.
[00:10:29] Corey Vaillant: And I definitely would love to hear input and feedback from other standalone communities about how best to
[00:10:36] Michael Mahoney: Well, how does it play out with your occupancy? That’s the bottom line. Right? How are you doing?
[00:10:42] Corey Vaillant: We’re doing great right now. We are at 92% today and have two more apartments that have been leased.
[00:10:49] Corey Vaillant: And so, if we maintain the residence we have now, we will be close to full soon. So we are blessed in that regard, and we are thankful. It’s been an ever-changing and very different world these last few years.
[00:11:01] Michael Mahoney: So, well, those results speak for themselves, so thank you. You’re doing it right.
[00:11:06] Michael Mahoney: Good for you! So can you share a story, if you know one or have one, about maybe how your brand promise has positively impacted either a resident or an employee, or perhaps your decision-making?
[00:11:20] Corey Vaillant: Sure. So the example that I have kind of ties everything together. weaves it all back in together, if you will.
[00:11:26] Corey Vaillant: I had worked here earlier and returned after a few years of being gone. And when I left, there was a resident who was living here. She had moved in; I believe it was November 2004. When I returned in March of 2011, she was still living here. And so, which was great because I already knew the family, I already knew the resident, everything.
[00:11:51] Corey Vaillant: She lived here for several more years. We celebrated her hundredth birthday here, her hundredth first birthday here. Eventually, her hundredth birthday will be here. She was an amazing woman. She lived here until, I believe, 2016, and she was quite an inspiration. And so her living here and getting the assistance that she needed while allowing her to be as independent as possible for herself to maintain that independence continue to thrive as much as possible on her own. But having support here to help her where needed really, I think, helped extend her life. And then the beautiful thing about that, that still has an impact on our census, is that her family, so her daughter and her daughter, I don’t have the relationship exactly right.
[00:12:43] Corey Vaillant: Daughter-in-laws, someone connected to the daughter. Mm-hmm. Her mother is here; her father was here after this woman passed as well. They were one in memory care and one in assisted living, and he has since passed. But we are still caring for a family member of the woman that I was talking about, who still resides in our assisted living.
[00:13:03] Corey Vaillant: So it’s a beautiful story because I think it’s a testimony to the environment, being able to really give someone full access to a very high quality of life and yet have the support and services that they need to be safe.
[00:13:23] Michael Mahoney: Wow, that’s absolutely beautiful. So looking ahead over the next, you know, five to 10 years, what’s your vision for DaySpring Senior Living?
[00:13:36] Corey Vaillant: Well, we certainly intend to spread the scope of our services in order to remain competitive, especially because we are a single community. I believe the only way to really do that is to keep up with the brand new communities that are being built all around. We need to be able to broaden the services that we offer and open those channels to feed into our community naturally.
[00:14:01] Corey Vaillant: So, we had discussed and had actually even obtained a license during COVID for personal assistance services to do daycare at home. And unfortunately, there was a glitch with how that happened and the insurance coverage. And so things had to come to a halt on that for now. But we also have land that sits out across the street that is right adjacent to the building and that will someday be developed.
[00:14:28] Corey Vaillant: These goals are what I think will be able to keep me challenged and allow me to remain here and continue to grow, but not just me; it’s everybody else who’s dedicated so much of their lives, their careers, to working here as well. And, and our frontline staff too, so that as they, if this is a stepping stone for nursing school, there’s opportunity right here if they like working here.
[00:14:55] Corey Vaillant: That’s, that’s the goal: to be able to grow the people and invest in [00:15:00] them so that they, in turn, stay, are motivated and challenged, and continue to develop as people and in their careers.
[00:15:10] Michael Mahoney: Wow. That’s fantastic. Well, you’ve been there since close to the beginning, right? You opened in 1998. You’ve been there since 2002.
[00:15:17] Michael Mahoney: So this has been quite a journey for you, and you are hopeful. You know there are plenty of good years ahead, God willing, right? So thank you so much for sharing. Corey, this is great. I really appreciate it. I know that our listeners appreciate hearing from you and what you’re doing, and I know how you’re really setting yourself and the organization apart through a Christ-centered approach, living out your core values, and how you work with the residents and recognize employees there.
[00:15:50] Michael Mahoney: And it’s an exciting vision that you have, you know, ahead. Mm-hmm. so. I appreciate it. I wish you a lot of success going forward. If anyone wants to contact you because they’re listening and they want to reach out to you for any reason to hear more, how can they find you?
[00:16:07] Corey Vaillant: The best way is probably by email or whatever. The best way to share that is by saying that’s perfectly fine with me.
[00:16:13] Corey Vaillant: Sure
[00:16:13] Michael Mahoney: If you want to give it to them, they will simply say yes. Or a generic number, or email, or your own, it’s fine.
[00:16:19] Corey Vaillant: Sure. Just to say from spelling the name and everything, you can just do admin@ dayspringal.org
[00:16:29] Michael Mahoney: Okay. Fantastic to me. All right. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. And all the best to you for the rest of the year; hopefully our paths will cross again.
[00:16:37] Corey Vaillant: Thank you so much. It’s an honor to be here.
[00:16:44] Michael Mahoney: Thanks, Corey. Take care.
[00:16:46] Corey Vaillant: Okay, you too.
