Vol XXXVII, Mar '09

The Foundation’s work is especially meaningful to Dr. Kroft, who was a primary caregiver for her father, who had Parkinson’s disease. Through her experiences with rehab facilities, adult day care, and hospice, she says, “I decided that I wanted to work with these individuals in some capacity, and I was very excited to learn about the opportunity with the Foundation.”

Dr. Kroft feels fortunate to have a road map in the form of a strategic plan. One of the plan’s goals is to achieve financial stability, while another involves developing and implementing a marketing and public relations plan to promote the organization and its activities. She is perfectly positioned to facilitate these, as she taught a course in marketing, fundraising, and financial management in a non-profit management program at Baltimore’s College of Notre Dame.

Working with the Foundation, and particularly the Research Network, Dr. Kroft looks forward to perpetuating an active and vital long-term care research agenda. She says, “Long-term care residents are not studied as intensively as community-dwelling seniors. They are an underserved population in terms of research and efforts to understand their needs. We will be looking at the linkages between players and stakeholders and what needs and opportunities are unmet. I think there is great potential for the Foundation to form partnerships with a wide variety of public and private entities, and I’m excited about exploring these opportunities.”

Dr. Kroft will be at the AMDA Annual Symposium in Charlotte. Be sure to say hello and welcome her to the Foundation. Elsewhere, you can read a full interview with Dr. Kroft in the March issue of Caring for the Ages.