This Organizational Assessment is a tool to help your organization honestly and realistically assess your existing culture and practices and how these contribute to the creation of an age and ability inclusive environment.
deepen your awareness of how ageism and ableism operate at all levels within an organization, including individual interactions to policies, procedures, and strategic plans.
open a dialogue and begin an on-going conversation about ageism and ableism that is the starting point to a longer-term journey for your organization.
celebrate areas where you are making a positive difference regarding ageism and ableism within your organization.
identify practical steps your organization can take to decrease ageism and ableism.
mark your organization’s progress over time in creating an age and ability inclusive culture and environment.
Before getting started:
To assist with scoring and responding to the assessment, you can print out the organizational assessment and follow along.
After completing the assessment, use this customizable action plan template to guide your next steps. We encourage you to add your organizational branding and flair to this template.
Step 1: Create many opportunities for involvement.
It is important to communicate widely about your desire to work towards age and ability inclusion in your senior living community. Explain simply to all key stakeholders (residents/tenants, family members, and staff) why you are engaged in this work and what you hope to accomplish. Invite anyone who is interested to take part in the organizational assessment but respect individuals’ preferences as to whether they contribute or not. Do not assume that those who choose not to contribute are not interested.
People often like to choose the way in which they will be involved in something. You can create many opportunities for involvement, ranging from taking part in the assessment, to helping to prioritize the resulting actions, to receiving feedback about the findings. And remember that many hands make light work!
Step 2: Assemble a diverse assessment team.
It is critical to take a 360 degree view of your organization because there are likely to be different perspectives that you will want to capture. This means involving a diverse group of people in the assessment, including: residents/tenants, family members, staff from different parts and at different levels of your organization, and leaders at the local and parent level if you are part of a larger structure, including regional/national directors and board members. It is important to note that you can still do an organizational assessment at a local level even if your parent company or board chooses not to be involved.
Step 3: Honestly answer the questions.
Remember that your goal is to get the most accurate assessment of where your organization currently stands with regard to what is going well and what can be improved. Aim to be realistic rather than aspirational. In other words, record what actually is, rather than how you would like things to be.
As the perspectives of the different groups involved are likely to vary, you may want to ask individuals to complete the assessment separately and then compare the results as a group where they can be discussed. There is a place on the form to record any notes or thoughts about your organization’s response to the question that will help you develop a robust action plan.
Step 4: Review the results together.
This is your opportunity to evaluate the range of perspectives that are likely to result from having a diverse group of people complete the organizational assessment. Note the areas of common ground, where there seems to be a consensus. Also note the areas where there is disagreement or a difference of opinions. It is important to explore these with an attitude of curiosity and a desire to understand. The goal should be for the group to deepen its awareness and understanding at this point, rather than coming to firm conclusions.
Step 5: Develop an action plan together.
Use the Action Plan Toolkit to develop and implement your action plan. It is important to identify the things you can change (in other words, the things you have control over) and then to decide which ones should be tackled first. This process needs to again involve a diverse range of people, including residents/tenants, family members, and staff from different parts and levels of your organization. Remember that progress motivates people. It can be helpful to identify areas where minor adjustments can be made relatively easily and in the short term. These “quick wins” can help everyone to stay motivated while working towards some of the larger and more challenging goals.
Step 6: Review progress together.
Once you have implemented your action plan, you will want to go back and check how things are progressing. It is important to again involve a diverse range of people, including residents/tenants, family members, and staff from different parts and levels of your organization. How often you check back in is up to you, but it is helpful to do this at least twice a year so that you can celebrate quick wins and incremental progress towards larger goals. You may also find that some goals change or that you identify some new ones. Your action plan should be a living document, so it is ok for it to develop as your organization does.