ORCA Con 2024 - My first ORCA Conference

2024 marks the first ORCA Conference for Elderado. Daniel created a daily video to recap what happened. ORCA Con was an opportunity to learn, network, and share ideas. It was attended by leaders from retirement homes, commercial partners, and other industry stakeholders. It took place at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ontario from September 10 - 12, 2024.

Today was an easy introduction to my first ORCA Conference with a round of golf at Deerhurst Highlands. I'm here solo, but I hit the jackpot getting paired with Krystal, Arta, and Ashley. Kids might say the vibes were high, but so was our score. I'm looking forward to a full day of keynotes, panels, and information sessions tomorrow.

What do they actually talk about at a retirement home conference? I’m at the Ontario Retirement Communities Association Conference, and these are my top 3 takeaways from today’s education program.

1. 79% of families want transparent pricing and fee info before contacting a retirement home.
2. “We’re actually paying for more expensive care that nobody wants.” Hospital care, and even long-term care is very expensive for tax payers, and rarely is it the care we want.
3. “When we improve life for seniors we improve life for everyone because we all want to be seniors one day.” The Minister of Seniors and Accessibility, Raymond Cho, shared these words during his opening remarks to kick off the day.

Day 3 at ORCA Con focused on staff retention. Staffing shortages are a big problem among frontline staff like PSWs, nurses, and housekeepers. I was impressed by how openly different retirement homes shared the challenges they are facing, and what they tried. (And yes, it wasn't lost on anyone in the room that higher pay is an important factor)