In Santa Rosa, at Friends House, most activities are resident led, which means if there’s something you’d like to explore or share, you can make it happen here. The library group raises money to donate for educational charities by selling books online and at events.  You’ll often encounter interesting lectures in the lobby about a variety of topics—a recent one focused on land use and the impact of freeway access on communities. You can take part in a Buddhist sangha (community meeting) on Mondays or join a variety of indoor, outdoor, and even chair-based exercise offerings almost any day of the week. Whatever your interests or your goals, this is a great place to indulge them.

The fitness offerings at Spring Lake Village, also in Santa Rosa, are nationally recognized for their resident-driven programming. From chair volleyball and Pilates to pickleball, aquatics, and yoga, the exercise calendar is always full of options. Plus, you have built-in accountability with plenty of friends and neighbors participating. Whether you want to take up art, drumming, gardening, meditation, or another activity, you can try out new things or dig deeper into existing hobbies with ease. Add to that all of the classes, concerts, and hosted conversations and it seems like making progress on your goals for positive aging is almost automatic here.

Involvement in the arts plays a big role at San Francisco Towers, from writing books to volunteering with the Ballet and Symphony or serving as docents at local museums. There are also museum-like displays of art throughout the building, all thematically curated by the resident art committee. Each wing and floor feature a unique period or style, and many of the pieces showcased, including paintings, sculpture, china, and other mediums, come from our residents’ own collections. The committee has even put together a guided tour they’d love to share with you.

At St. Paul’s Towers in Oakland, our goals for positive aging span physical, intellectual, social, and spiritual engagement. From ping pong and chair volleyball to dance classes and hiking in nearby regional parks, there are regular opportunities to get some exercise and try new activities. Our frequent museum visits, theater outings, book clubs, memoir writing groups, and art and clay classes in the ceramics studio offer fun intellectual stimulation. We also have discussion groups and plenty of other activities to encourage social engagement. And on the spiritual side, our chaplain’s Let’s Chat discussions on every topic under the sun are always lively and inspiring.

In Palo Alto, Webster House’s ongoing monthly Tai Chi/Qigong workshop series with Master Lee Holden has many of our residents exploring a new practice for healthy aging. From our Museums at Home tours to our upcoming TED Talks on the stellar history of modern astronomy and the secrets of resilient people, there are lots of opportunities to think, grow, and regularly set new goals. And residents will uncover lifestyle habits like meditation and inner smile practice to enhance their quality of life with our upcoming series of workshops starting this month.

At Canterbury Woods in Pacific Grove, the competitive spirit is strong. Chair volleyball has become a resident favorite. It’s a chance to have a bit of friendly competition while letting go, laughing, and having fun with neighbors and friends. In our recent Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest, the creations were incredible and every resident got to vote on the funniest, scariest, and most unique pumpkins.

Finding ways to keep challenging yourself and evolving is an inspiring way to deepen your life experiences. With all the activities, committees, and involved people at our communities, it’s easy to explore your interests, learn new things, support others, and build stronger connections. But it’s not always about activities. Sometimes fulfilling your goals can be as simple as spending more time connecting with new friends and celebrating old traditions. What goals do you have for your future?

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As you are well aware, the presence of COVID-19 in our country has impacted all of us in ways large and small. Every day, the story seems to shift as another news article or chart or special report appears. Coronavirus at the same time seems at once close and also very far away. It has affected all of our lives, even if we know no one who has become infected.

Through all of the sudden changes, the social distancing, the shelter-in-place orders, I have seen how everyone at Covia has worked together to care for each other. It is a sign of the strength of the communities we have built that things have gone as smoothly as they have in the midst of such uncertainty. It is a sign of the value we place on community that we have been able to provide multiple sources of connection even as we have been required to distance ourselves from one another.

We chose the name Covia as a way to announce that we “come together on the path of life.” I can think of no better place to be on this unexpected path than with all of you.

Thank you for everything you do. Stay safe, stay well, and stay connected.

Kevin

Kevin Gerber
President and CEO

News and updates about Covia’s response to COVID-19 can be found on our website at https://covia.org/covid-19-response-and-resources/

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Looking back over the past months, I can say with great confidence that it has been a year full of progress. Some of it came from the momentum started in 2018 by the unified Covia brand, while other aspects have resulted from a strong strategic focus and our willingness to make difficult decisions. I can proudly say that we are positioned for a future where we can help more seniors live well and age well no matter where they call home.

In February, the Covia Communities Board made the difficult decision to close one of our communities — Los Gatos Meadows. We have long had a goal to redevelop this community to better support the needs of our residents. As we began our evaluation of this long-term plan, we uncovered some safety issues at the campus that accelerated our timeline. Since arriving at the decision, our focus has been on supporting and relocating the residents and fulfilling our commitment to our staff. Soon we will begin the preliminary work of redevelopment. We are committed to staying in Los Gatos with a reimagined approach to community living.

Our year-end financial results as of March 31, 2019, show continued stability and strength as outlined in the audit results in this report. This has been further reinforced by the reaffirmation of our A- rating with a stable outlook from Fitch. Even with the one-time costs for the closure of Los Gatos Meadows, Fitch recognized the operational consistency and strength we continue to demonstrate. Their confidence is a strong signal for a bright future.

One of the important commitments we are making as we move into the future is technology. Over the past year, we have continued to implement software platforms that help us improve the services we provide. From a more efficient electronic health record system, to a new human resource information system, to a refined customer relationship management system, we have invested to create solutions for our residents and employees alike.

And it was our employees that achieved one of our greatest accomplishments this past year. We were once again named a Great Place to Work. Because this certification is based wholly on employee feedback, it says a lot about the success of the efforts we have been making. I am thrilled that our team members throughout Covia, from Support Services to every community and program, feel engaged and committed in helping us fulfill our mission. They are the heart and essence of what we do and how we can make a difference.

Expanding the number of people that we touch was also a core focus over the past year. From high occupancy at our communities to signing a management contract for Friends House, a Life Plan Community in Santa Rosa, to increasing participation in our Well Connected program and launching Well Connected Español, we are involving more seniors. Add to that Home Match launching in other geographies and making ever more shared housing matches, and the measures of progress are truly profound.

We also piloted a meaningful sustainability initiative started by our residents — CoviaGreen. The brainchild of the Green Action committee at St. Paul’s Towers, CoviaGreen involves a pledge by residents and staff to live more sustainably and consider elements of environmental justice in our community planning. The program is slated to roll out to all of our communities and programs in the coming year.

From financial progress to community progress to progress for the environment, this past year has been one of commitment, engagement, and forward movement. I am grateful to the Covia staff, our leadership team, and our Boards for all that we have accomplished this year. Together we have established an incredibly strong foundation for progress and growth.

Kevin Gerber

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Great Place to Work, an independent research and consulting firm, evaluates an organizational culture brief as well as more than 60 elements of team members’ experience on the job. These elements include pride in the organization’s community impact, employees’ belief that their work makes a difference, and a sense of respect, fairness, credibility, and camaraderie. Together, these items are called the Trust Index.

The certification process at Covia considered almost 700 employee surveys from across all of Covia’s California communities and locations. To be certified, an organization needs a participation rate of over 50%, and a Trust Index score of 75% or greater. Overall, 66% of Covia’s employees participated in the survey with a Trust Index score of 77%.

Being certified makes Covia eligible to be considered for the Fortune Great Places to Work list, including Great Places to Work in Aging Services. Last year, Covia ranked 29^th on the list. The 2019 results will be published late this summer.

Survey results will be used to create action items to improve the employee experience. After reviewing the results, Covia will determine an action item that will be applied to the organization overall, and each community will also develop an action item that is specific for that location.

“The Great Place to Work certification is a testament both to the quality of our workplaces and of our employees,” says Prab Brinton, Vice President of Human Resources. “We want to take this moment to celebrate this achievement as we strive to become the best workplace we can.”

The company overview is available online at the Great Place to Work website.

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