The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare. The program is designed to recognize promising industry members who are shaping the next decade in behavioral health, senior housing, skilled nursing, home health and hospice care. To see this year’s future leaders, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/.

Emina Krajina, executive director of Friendship Village, has been named Future Leader 2024 by Senior Housing News.

To become a future leader, a person is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be a high-performing employee aged 40 or younger, a passionate worker who knows how to put his vision into action, an advocate for seniors and committed professionals who ensure their well-being.

Krajina spoke with Senior Housing News about her early interest and training in senior living and the lessons she’s learned since joining there, among other topics.

What attracted you to this industry?

As a teenager, I was introduced to the care of a geriatric person, my mother, and this was the beginning of my curiosity and education about older adults and how to provide the best care possible in their homes. My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia very early in life and I became her caregiver. Not having adequate resources and not knowing where to turn for help was exhausting. My goal was to find a way to impact caregivers and patients at home by providing different disciplines and resources to make their lives a little easier.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned since you started working in this industry?

I have learned so much over the last few years in aged care and I continue to learn, but one of the biggest lessons learned in this industry is that you need to continually evaluate your agency to make sure you are up to date with federal and state standards. rules and regulations. Continue to educate yourself so you can train your staff and pass this knowledge on to our patients/caregivers and providers.

If you could change one thing when thinking about the future of senior living, what would it be?

If I could change one thing for the future of senior housing, it would be to eliminate managed care visitation restrictions. Every patient is different with different acuity and a set number of visits at low reimbursement is not enough for an agency to have a huge impact on a patient. Contracts and visits should be approved based on patient acuity and needs.

What do you think will be different in the senior housing sector by 2025?

Honestly, I worry about the future of aged care. We are seeing a shift in the number of patients switching to Medicare replacement plans that are strictly managed, making it even more difficult for home health agencies to meet the needs of their patients and maintain low reimbursement rates. for the agency.

In one word, how would you describe the future of senior housing?

Unpredictable.

If you could give yourself one piece of advice looking back on your first day in the industry, what would it be and why?

It’s natural for humans to take on a new role and look for ways to impress their new employer. Looking back on my first day in the industry, I jumped straight into it, but if I could go back, I would spend those first few days simply observing and evaluating the environment: talking to employees, managers, reviewing finances, compliance books, etc. . be able to understand the company and its challenges.