KAVOD SENIOR LIFE

Who are the people you serve with your mission?

Kavod Senior Life (Kavod) serves low-income, older adults age 62+ with housing and support services. We impact over 400 individuals on campus each year in 397 apartments. The average age on campus is 78 and the average income is $13,000. We also reach out to older individuals living off campus who are not income limited with social engagement programs to help increase mental stimulation and decrease social isolation. We have around 900 older individuals participating in this outreach programming.

How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Case management notes, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Suggestion box/email,

How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

What significant change resulted from feedback?

Starting in June of 2020, Kavod converted our outreach programs to a virtual format. This change was made to accommodate best practices in our state and county regarding COVID-19 prevention. We began to see participation numbers drop in late summer of 2021. We sent out a survey to constituents asking their preference for in-person or virtual programs, their preference for safety restriction levels, their tolerance for group size, and similar questions. We had a wonderful response and learned that most individuals desired to meet in person as long as vaccinations and masks were required. As such, beginning in October 2021, we moved our programs back in person with strict safety protocols in place. As a result, our participation numbers have increased.

With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

Since Kavod's establishment in 1971, residents have always played a key role in deciding which services or programs are brought to campus. In addition to our robust surveys, we have a resident who serves on our board of directors to ensure our residents have a leadership role. Our Resident and Community Services committee is made up of a cross-section of board members, community members and residents. This committee reviews reports on campus happenings and makes recommendations to the board in moving forward with decisions. It is our overall goal to empower our residents to be leaders and self-advocates who are able to make this community (which serves as their home and neighborhood) as they wish it to be.

Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback,

What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,