Frontline Honors Award Winner: Molly Kaufmann, Concierge, Scheduler, Caregiver & Med Tech, The Cortland Wyoming

Molly Kaufmann, Concierge, Scheduler, Caregiver, and Med Tech at The Cortland Wyoming, has been named to the Frontline Honors Awards Class of 2025 by Senior Housing News.

To become a Frontline honoree, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be:

• A dedicated, high-performing frontline worker who delivers exceptional experiences and outcomes
• A passionate worker who knows how to put their vision into for the good of their respective industry, the patients and residents they serve, and their families
• An advocate for their industry and their fellow colleagues

Senior Housing News recently caught up with Kaufmann to discuss her time in the senior housing & senior living industry.

SHN: What drew you to this industry?

Kaufmann: I have always wanted to be a part of an industry that helps people and allows me to feel good at the end of the day.

SHN: What’s a misconception you had about this work before you started – and how has reality differed?

Kaufmann: This sounds silly, but I always thought that working with the aging population would be slow and borderline boring.  Working at the Cortland Wyoming has shown me that way of thinking is very wrong! My residents are all very diverse. Each one has such a unique personality and life story.

SHN: Was there a moment in your career when you realized, “This work really matters”? What happened?

Kaufmann: I think the first time I lost a resident was when it fully clicked that I am trusted with someone’s loved one. That the residents that I help clean, feed, and get ready are all someone’s family. What may seem like a mundane day at work could be someone’s last time seeing their loved one. When that shift happened in my mindset, I began to develop a deeper understanding for the residents and their families.

SHN: What’s the most valuable skill you’ve developed on the front lines that people often overlook?

Kaufmann: A skill that I developed working in this field would be flexibility. No person is the same, and no family is the same. Being able to be flexible and look at a situation from someone else’s perspective has really helped me be able to diffuse tense situations. Nobody wants to see their loved ones in pain or mistreated, so families’ emotions are always high. They take the care of their loved ones very seriously. Being able to be flexible and think on your toes makes a world of difference in this field.

SHN: What’s one decision leaders make that has a bigger impact on frontline workers than they might realize?

Kaufmann: One decision that has a lasting ripple effect on staff would be the example that leadership shows. Who you put in charge matters. We are very lucky in Wyoming to have such an excellent management team led by our executive director, Emily Gran. She leads with clarity, compassion, and confidence. Because of her guidance, our workplace is not only well-run, but genuinely positive and collaborative.

SHN: What’s a simple change – policy, tool, or mindset – that would make frontline work more effective?

Kaufmann: A simple, but powerful change would be adopting a “slow it down” mindset — listening fully, explaining clearly, and checking understanding — can actually reduce errors, repeated tasks, and resident frustration. When older adults feel heard and respected, cooperation improves, trust grows, and care becomes more efficient overall.

SHN: What gives you optimism about the future of this industry, despite its challenges?

Kaufmann: The future of this industry gives me hope because, while we will never cure death, we have the privilege of shaping how people live in their final years. Working in this field allows us to replace fear and loneliness with love, dignity, and understanding. It’s meaningful to know that even when we can’t change the outcome, we can change the experience.

The post Frontline Honors Award Winner: Molly Kaufmann, Concierge, Scheduler, Caregiver & Med Tech, The Cortland Wyoming appeared first on Senior Housing News.