Category: Education

FSLA Establishes Justin Paul Brown Memorial Scholarship for Senior Living

Apply for the 2022 Scholarship!

Justin Paul Brown, a long-serving board member of the Florida Senior Living Association, spent his career serving seniors and fostering growth of those who shared his passion and served alongside him in senior living.  Justin dedicated 16 years to the growth and development of front line associates and department leaders, working to create opportunities for advancement.

Justin also had a strong passion for ensuring the communities under his leadership could provide competent and compassionate care and service.  One of his greatest attributes was bringing joy to those around him, most often putting others before himself.  Justin received promotions several times during his career and identified the value of career pathways for front line associates and department leaders.  He also saw the power of networking in the industry to create streamlined processes and engagement programs to benefit both residents and associates.

At the age of 45, Justin contracted COVID and although he fought valiantly, he passed away in late September 2020.  To honor his legacy, FSLA is creating the Justin Paul Brown Memorial Scholarship for Senior Living to fund professional development opportunities for other leaders in senior living. This scholarship recognizes Justin’s leadership, passion and courage, and his commitment to empowering and educating the next generation of senior living leaders will live on in his memory.

Description:  The Justin Paul Brown scholarship awards a senior living community department leader with full tuition to attend the Florida Senior Living Association Senior Living Annual Conference.  The leader will have access to cutting edge educational materials and invaluable networking opportunities to meet leaders and experience new technologies.

Eligibility:  Applicant must be a department coordinator, supervisor or director within a Florida senior living community which is part of the Florida Senior Living Association.

Requirements: Those interested in applying for the Senior Living Scholarship must submit an application packet (coming soon), a one-page personal essay about where the applicant desires to be in three years as well as how they will use the content at the conference to pay it forward, and at least one letter of recommendation.       

Where to Apply: Florida Senior Living Association Website (coming soon)

Deadline: June 10, 2022

Donations to the Justin Paul Brown Memorial Scholarship for Senior Living may be made by contacting the Florida Senior Living Association.

Release: Florida Senior Living Approved Caregiver Certification Program Will Drive Industry Awareness & Get Floridians Back To Work

Tallahassee, Fla. – The Florida Senior Living Association (FSLA) and myCNAjobs, the nation’s largest career network for front-line healthcare workers, today announced a partnership to drive senior living career awareness and help Floridians get back to work via a Caregiver Certification and job placement program.

Florida has one of the highest elderly populations in the nation, and its senior living communities struggled to recruit CNAs and other front-line care roles pre-COVID. Unfortunately, the pandemic has not only compounded those issues but has also presented new challenges, including fear of the unknown when it comes to working in a community that serves such a vulnerable population.

“COVID-19 has certainly created many challenges for our profession, but it also has offered us a unique opportunity,” said Gail Matillo, President of FSLA. “We need to capitalize on this moment to invest in a stronger, healthier workforce. That starts with ensuring people understand what the profession is and helping them developing the right skills to succeed in their jobs.”

According to numbers released in mid-August by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, statewide unemployment rose from 10.3% to 11.3%, which translates to 1.13 million out-of-work Floridians.

The Caregiver Certification course, built by FSLA industry partner myCNAjobs and Rush University Professor of Nursing Beth Ann Christopher, is a 4-hour mobile-friendly training program that includes both the fundamentals of a job in care and how to approach a career in the senior living industry. Individuals who complete the course can immediately be scheduled for interviews and matched with local employers.

“This is a multi-faceted strategy that involves not only bringing more awareness to careers in aging, but also bringing together the association and over 400 senior living executives to have an important conversation on the needs of frontline workers to coach up a vulnerable population and ensure there’s a true career path,” said Brandi Kurtyka, CEO of Tampa-based myCNAjobs.com. “Immediately, we can drive awareness to get Floridians back to work while setting the stage for a dialogue on ensuring senior living is a profession people want to pursue longer-term.”

To learn more, visit https://floridaseniorliving.org/ or view the Caregiver Certification course here.

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About Florida Senior Living Association: The Florida Senior Living Association is the preeminent association representing companies that operate professionally managed senior living communities offering independent, assisted living and memory care services throughout the state of Florida.

About myCNAjobs: myCNAjobs is the nation’s largest career network for caregivers, certified nursing assistants and home health aides, representing 70 percent of America’s direct care workers. For companies, myCNAjobs offers a suite of recruitment tools to more efficiently hire and onboard. To learn more visit, myCNAjobs.