OHCA Spring/Summer 2016

24 / 30

The Oregon Caregiver Spring/Summer 2016 24
PROFILE
Terri Waldroff has over 20 years of
experience in the healthcare and
long-term care profession. She
currently provides consulting services
through Terri Waldroff & Associates,
LLC, and is a co-owner of Benicia
Senior Living, which manages the
day to day operations of seven senior
housing and care communities
including a skilled nursing facility.
Tell me a about your history in
the long-term care profession and
how you progressed to where you
are now.
I started in the acute hospital
care arena as an RN, then moved
into home healthcare and then
assisted living. I got my start as
an owner/operator in the mid-90’s
when I opened a long-term care
community that had just been built
in Tualatin, and it grew from there.
I’ve had my current company for five
years and we have seven facilities.
Are there any specific
challenges you’ve faced as
a female executive in this
profession?
I faced the same challenges that every
female faces in an executive position in
any business across the country. Women
have to be smarter and better than men
still, and I don’t think that’s going to
change anytime soon. You have to prove
yourself.
How did you overcome these
roadblocks?
I ignore roadblocks, and I think most
women would say the same thing. You
just have to determine what you goal is
and what your future is and go for it. I’ve
had failed business relationships, I’ve
had failed projects, I’ve had all of those
things, and you just have a different
vision for your future and you work to
change all that.
You’ve been in the profession for
a while, what are some of the changes
you’ve seen since you began your
career in long-term care?
I think most people would say
that there is an increasing amount of
regulation, and I’d say that’s true for
every aspect of our profession, be that
independent living, assisted living,
memory care, or nursing homes. There
is always an ever changing landscape
of consumer needs, regulations, and
reimbursements.
What are some of the biggest
challenges you think long-term
care executives will face as the
profession continues to grow?
Lenders have come and gone;
that’s always a challenge for owner/
operators. It makes it very difficult
to refinance buildings, develop
new buildings, and acquire new
buildings. Investors come and go.
Right now, investors think senior
housing is the place to be, so people
want to invest in this profession. But
that's not always true.
What types of innovative
approaches to patient care do
your communities practice?
We have a brand new nurse call
system on an iPod. It's a wireless
system, and it's very interactive and
instantaneous. If someone pulls a
pull-cord, a response from staff is
immediate. And it's all recorded
on a computer so response times
are determined. It really changes
the dynamic of how quickly staff
interact with residents.
We've also gone with electronic
medical records everywhere. That
revolutionizes things. I believe in the
long run it reduces your risk because
everything is recorded. We also use
electronic medical records for our
pharmacy, which helps tremendously
with tracking and recordkeeping. I
think everyone will eventually move
toward this.
Are there any other technologies
that you think would be a game
changer for the profession?
I think the last step in electronic
medical records is interfacing with the
hospitals records for the same resident
that you cared for. It’s not here yet, but it
will come at some point. 
Terri Waldroff Co-owner of Benicia Senior Living
LEADER