Elevate Eldercare
Let’s Elevate Eldercare Together! Every great eldercare community has a unique story, and there are many paths toward providing high-quality, person-directed services and supports for older adults. That’s why we launched “Elevate Eldercare”: to bring together thought leaders, activists, and advocates in the field of aging services and give them a space where thoughtful discourse and diverse perspectives flow freely. Join Susan Ryan, Alex Spanko, and other GHP team members every Wednesday for enlightening, provocative, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations. Together, the hosts and guests explore the opportunities and challenges in building a new, dignified eldercare system through the lens of the Green House and Pioneer models.
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Opportunities Begin with Seeing the Whole Person
04/16/2025
Opportunities Begin with Seeing the Whole Person
Opportunity can come in many shapes and in unexpected places. Today’s guest, Jeff Ash, Ed.D, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at The Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Md., tells a very compelling story about how he was given an opportunity that set the stage for his now-illustrious career. Having had a somewhat circuitous career path as a young academic, Dr. Ash describes how he was given a break because someone saw him as a whole person. Today, with more than 25 years of academia in the University of Maryland system under his belt, Dr. Ash walks the walk when it comes to his philosophy on fair, equitable opportunities and why he is often more impressed with a lower GPA than by a 4.0. His keen insights, wisdom, and guidance in conversation with Susan Ryan in this episode are especially timely and essential. Prioritizing people, no matter their race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or age, is a core tenet of the Center for Innovation as we create communities of belonging, where individuals are seen as whole people with intrinsic worth, and our shared humanity enables all to live, grow, and thrive. Learn more about the CFI’s upcoming conference in St. Louis this August:
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Inside the EINSTEIN Option Summit
03/26/2025
Inside the EINSTEIN Option Summit
Policy experts Joe Angelelli and Anne Montgomery return to the podcast to discuss the recent EINSTEIN Option summit, a gathering of eldercare changemakers dedicated to advancing a comprehensive plan to reimagine the entire care delivery system. In this episode, you’ll learn how the EINSTEIN Option could create full care continuums in communities around the country, with services and supports that meet elders where they are — instead of forcing them into institutional settings that do not meet their needs. Learn more about the EINSTEIN Option, including a recording from the summit: Learn more about the CFI conference in St. Louis this August:
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Sustaining Small Homes for Decades
03/19/2025
Sustaining Small Homes for Decades
Suellen Beatty is a pioneer of person-directed care and small-home living in Canada. During her decades-long career at the Sherbrooke Community Center in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Beatty worked tirelessly to always go above and beyond even the basics of person-directed care practices, building a community where residents actually want to live, and caregivers actually want to work — with the more than 90% retention rate to prove it. Beatty joins the podcast this week to discuss how she helped turn Sherbrooke into a national standard for eldercare — as well as intergenerational education — north of the border. Learn more about Sherbrooke: Read the recent Canadian small-home report:
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Documenting the Dementia Journey on Film
03/12/2025
Documenting the Dementia Journey on Film
Like far too many people across the world, Kyle Henry was forced to spend his mother’s last days communicating from behind screens and PPE as the COVID-19 pandemic raged. But Henry — a prolific filmmaker and associate professor at Northwestern University — also saw an opportunity to shine a light on dementia, caregiving, and his own relationship with his mother. His film “Time Passages” stands as a tribute not just to one family struggling with the impending loss of a matriarch, but to all the caregivers and people living with dementia who have traveled similar paths. Learn more about the film, as well as screenings and streaming information: Learn more about Caring Across Generations:
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The Case for Population Health Management in Long-Term Care
03/05/2025
The Case for Population Health Management in Long-Term Care
The pursuit of innovative solutions in nursing home care is ongoing, and there is no shortage of people who are dedicated to this endeavor. Today’s guest, Fred Bentley, managing director of ATI Advisory’s Post-Acute/Long-Term care and Senior Living Practice, is one of these people. In addition to advocating for long-term care providers to shift focus to population health management, he also promotes innovation in clinical capabilities and embracing partnerships. Bentley sat down with Susan Ryan to discuss his 25-year journey in aging services and the potential of the household model to improve care and staffing. In addition, he addressed the recent administration’s funding and communications freeze, as well as its impact on aging services providers, including potential reforms to Medicaid and Medicare. Bentley also shared his perspective on the opportunities amid uncertainty, highlighting the increasing demand for long-term care services and supports as the population grows older.
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Paving the Way for Innovative Eldercare
02/26/2025
Paving the Way for Innovative Eldercare
To be a trailblazer is not an easy path. There are detractors, nay sayers, and critics, of course. But to pave the way for others to achieve great things in the field of eldercare takes heart and soul as well. Today’s guest, Steve McAlilly, has accomplished this all. In addition to leading the development of the first-ever Green House Homes, he has served as president and CEO of Mississippi Methodist Senior Services in Tupelo for 31 years. As McAlilly prepares to retire this week, Susan Ryan had the opportunity to sit down with him to talk about his journey from a lawyer to that moment when he realized he had to build that first non-institutional nursing home in the country. McAlilly describes the transition to operating an innovative eldercare model that has improved wellbeing and quality outcomes for older adults for over 20 years and in more than 400 homes nationwide. On behalf of the Center for Innovation board and its team, we salute McAlilly for the indelible imprint he’s made in forever changing the landscape of eldercare. He indeed has helped to change the world.
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Neuroplasticity and the Power of Integrated Care for Older People
02/19/2025
Neuroplasticity and the Power of Integrated Care for Older People
Gerascophobia is the fear of aging or getting older. This fear, according to today’s podcast guest, Kelly Tremblay, PhD, can not only make us sick, but can also be combatted by engaging in wellness activities such as book clubs or walking clubs—or even by listening to an inspiring podcast. What’s more, doing the work to counter the fear can actually help change the trajectory of our health as we get older. Tremblay, who is an audiologist and neuroscientist, and who co-authored the World Health Organization’s (WHO) new guidelines on integrated care for older people, examines the impact of neuroscience on longevity how it has shaped her life and work. As Trembly sits down with Susan Ryan to talk about her research in neuroplasticity, hearing loss, and communication disorders, they discuss her work as a professional coach, healthy workplaces, and how her personal life has coincided with her work. More about Dr. Tremblay’s work on WHO’s guidelines on integrated care for older people:
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Neuroplasticity and the Power of Integrated Care for Older People
02/19/2025
Neuroplasticity and the Power of Integrated Care for Older People
Gerascophobia is the fear of aging or getting older. This fear, according to today’s podcast guest, Kelly Tremblay, PhD, can not only make us sick, but can also be combatted by engaging in wellness activities such as book clubs or walking clubs—or even by listening to an inspiring podcast. What’s more, doing the work to counter the fear can actually help change the trajectory of our health as we get older. Tremblay, who is an audiologist and neuroscientist, and who co-authored the World Health Organization’s (WHO) new guidelines on integrated care for older people, examines the impact of neuroscience on longevity how it has shaped her life and work. As Trembly sits down with Susan Ryan to talk about her research in neuroplasticity, hearing loss, and communication disorders, they discuss her work as a professional coach, healthy workplaces, and how her personal life has coincided with her work. More about Dr. Tremblay’s work on WHO’s guidelines on integrated care for older people:
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Forging Good Trouble in Seniors Housing and Care
02/12/2025
Forging Good Trouble in Seniors Housing and Care
Innovation and disruption have not been typical keywords used to describe the seniors housing and care industry. This perception is rapidly changing thanks in large part to today’s guest, Bob Kramer, a self-described serial social entrepreneur and founder and president of Nexus Insights, an advisory firm that helps clients redefine aging and rethink aging services. His many decades in the field, coupled with his penchant for thinking outside the box has earned Kramer a reputation as an iconoclast and agitator in the field. His conversation with Susan Ryan in this episode tracks with this moniker and spans his experience as a Maryland state legislator, the establishment of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care in 1991, as well as his call for a shift from “sick care” to “well care” in the field. What’s more, Kramer discusses the strategic importance of influencing people to drive lasting change, drawing from his experience in politics. In addition, he asserts that there is now a profound opportunity for disruptive change in long-term services and supports.
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From the Theater to Dementia Advocacy
02/05/2025
From the Theater to Dementia Advocacy
There’s an old quote about how thinking about death is like staring at the sun — you can’t really do it for too long without becoming overwhelmed. The same can be said for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia: The idea of a parent, spouse, or other loved one no longer recognizing you is far too distressing for most people to consider. But Marilyn Raichle — a longtime leader in the theater world — responded to her parents’ dementia diagnoses not by turning away but dedicating herself to caregiving and advocacy. Today, as the executive director of Maude’s Awards, she helps fund organizations that look at dementia differently, providing support to the people currently walking the same path she did with her parents. Learn more about Maude's Awards: Check out Marilyn’s book, “Don't Walk Away”:
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Building Villages to Support Aging in Place
01/29/2025
Building Villages to Support Aging in Place
It’s no secret that most people want to age in place, but without a strong support system, getting older in your longtime home can lead to unwanted challenges and isolation. The Village to Village Network works to create durable webs of support in communities all across the country, organizing volunteers to provide the kind of nuts-and-bolts assistance — transportation, home maintenance, tech support — and social experiences that make thriving in place possible. Village to Village Network national director Barbara Sullivan joins the podcast to discuss her journey through eldercare, as well as her vision for making these intentional villages the norm in neighborhoods everywhere. Learn more about the Village to Village Network:
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A Mandate for Canada: Prioritizing Small House Care Homes
01/22/2025
A Mandate for Canada: Prioritizing Small House Care Homes
The COVID-19 pandemic awakened the nation – and the world – to the fact that small-house eldercare homes were substantially safer places to deliver long-term care compared with traditional nursing homes. And while it’s now been almost five years since the onset of the pandemic, Canadian health policy makers such as Samir Sinha, MD, continue to raise awareness of the need for the proliferation of models such as Green House homes. As it happens, his appearance on this week’s episode coincides with his new report, titled “There's No Place Like Home: Why Canada Must Prioritize Small Care Home Models in its Provision of Long-Term Care,” published by his Toronto Metropolitan University’s National Institute on Ageing, where he is director of health policy research. Susan Ryan sits down with Dr. Sinha to discuss his work, the new report, and why he wants Canada to prioritize small care home models in the future delivery of long-term care services. Dr. Sinha, who is also a geriatrician and clinician scientist at Sinai Health System and the University Health Network in Toronto, a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, has lots to say about eldercare, his desire to help and to work with vulnerable populations. Listen to the episode to find out why he believes importance of adequate staffing and the role of universal direct care and its relationship to better resident-centered care. Download the Toronto Metropolitan University’s report on small-house models here:
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Using Robots to Facilitate Human Connection
01/15/2025
Using Robots to Facilitate Human Connection
For more than a decade now, tech companies have promised robotic assistants that could one day help solve workforce shortages in eldercare settings. Concerns over safety and the loss of the personal touch aside, these worker bots remain science fiction — but what if robots could bridge, and not expand, the isolation that so many older adults face? Vecna Technologies CEO Deborah Theobald joins the program to talk about VGo, her company’s telepresence product that allows people to experience through the world through the eyes of a controllable robot. Theobold explains why telepresence technology such as VGo could help reduce isolation and provide unique experiences for elders in long-term care settings, while also discussing her long career in technology. Learn more about VGo:
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Data as an Engine for Change in Eldercare
01/08/2025
Data as an Engine for Change in Eldercare
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Rethinking Technology’s Role in Eldercare and Senior Living
12/18/2024
Rethinking Technology’s Role in Eldercare and Senior Living
This December, we're taking a look back at some of the top episodes from 2024, with a special focus on the speakers and ideas that took center stage at our annual conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. last month. Please enjoy this encore presentation of our interview with Amber Bardon Across all industries, it can be difficult to separate promising, useful tech solutions from the hype — especially in senior living and eldercare, which have historically been slow to adopt even basic systems like electronic health records and high-speed wifi. Parasol Alliance CEO Amber Bardon has spent nearly a decade trying to change that reality, working with providers across the spectrum to adopt and implement comprehensive technology plans. She joins the podcast to explain why leaders must rethink their organizations’ relationships with tech: Instead of “IT” being a person who stops by every once in a while to fix a buggy printer, it must be the cornerstone of any forward-thinking provider. Learn more about Parasol Alliance: Subscribe to the “Raising Tech” podcast:
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Learning from Household Models Around the World
12/11/2024
Learning from Household Models Around the World
This December, we're taking a look back at some of the top episodes from 2024, with a special focus on the speakers and ideas that took center stage at our annual conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. last month. Please enjoy this encore presentation of our interview with Martin Rix. While the Green House model is the most widely implemented small-home nursing care concept in the U.S., it’s not alone — innovators around the world have developed person-directed, human-scale communities where elders of all abilities can thrive. Belong, a non-profit provider organization, has brought its own household model — the Belong Village — to towns across the United Kingdom. CEO Martin Rix joins the podcast to discuss Belong’s empowering suite of services, its membership in the Household Model International Consortiumalongside The Green House Project and Australia’s HammondCare, and the lessons we can learn from forward-thinking eldercare leaders across borders. Learn more about Belong: Save the date for our annual conference, coming November 11-13:
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Balancing Risk, Responsibility, and Reward with Aging Tech: Part II
12/04/2024
Balancing Risk, Responsibility, and Reward with Aging Tech: Part II
This December, we're taking a look back at some of the top episodes from 2024, with a special focus on the speakers and ideas that took center stage at our annual conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. last month. Please enjoy this encore presentation of our interview with Joe Velderman.The topic of responsibly integrating technology into eldercare communities is so rich and complex that we needed two episodes with Joe Velderman, vice president of innovation at Cypress Living in Fort Myers, Fla. to capture it all. Velderman returns to dive into the specific tech solutions that his organization has adopted across its life plan community, Cypress Cove, as well as its commitment to incorporating the resident voice into its technology decisions – and the role he sees technology playing in the lives of elders in the not-so-distant future. Explore Cypress Living’s services for older adults: Read Cypress Living’s philosophy on AI: Learn about the Nobi smart lamp:
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Gathering Around the Gratitude Table 2024: Sarah Neuman
11/27/2024
Gathering Around the Gratitude Table 2024: Sarah Neuman
It’s an “Elevate Eldercare” tradition: Each Thanksgiving, we set up a virtual gratitude table for the people who live the values of culture change every day. This year, we welcome a team from The New Jewish Home’s Sarah Neuman campus in Westchester County, N.Y. — assistant administrator Miriam Levi, nurse Wendy McDonald, and CNA Joycelyn Scott-Adir. They share the reasons why they’ve each spent at least two decades at Sarah Neuman, which created a unique set of Green House homes despite the organization’s inability to build new infrastructure on its traditional nursing campus. And we hope you join us in honoring the caregivers who support elders day in and day out, even on holidays, as we celebrate Thanksgiving. Learn more about the New Jewish Home and Sarah Neuman: Go inside the small homes at Sarah Neuman:
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The Quest for Dementia-Inclusion
11/20/2024
The Quest for Dementia-Inclusion
Upholding civil liberties, addressing fear, and creating flexible systems to support individuals who are living with dementia are passionate goals for the three guests on this episode of Elevate Eldercare. Susan Ryan sits down with Jennifer Carson, PhD, director of the Dementia Engagement, Education, and Research (DEER) program at the Univ. of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health; Al Power, MD, geriatrician and Schlegel Chair in Aging and Dementia Innovation at the Schlegel-U Waterloo Research Institute at the Univ. of Rochester, New York; Jen Wilson, vice president of well-being at Carol Woods Retirement Community, as they help memory care providers open their minds and their doors to living well with cognitive change As the trio describes their quest to create “dementia-inclusive” communities, Wilson shares her 40-year career in supporting people with dementia, emphasizing the need for social justice and partnership with those affected. Dr. Power reflects on the negative impacts of segregated memory care, and Dr. Carson describes the Quest Upstream project, which focuses on reframing dementia, promoting well-being, and fostering inclusive environments. You can learn much more about their work at the forefront of dementia care during their preconference session at the 2024 Center for Innovation Conference this November: Find out more about the DEER program here: Learn about Carol Woods Retirement Community here:
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Balancing the Personal and Professional in Dementia Care
11/13/2024
Balancing the Personal and Professional in Dementia Care
For Michala Gibson, creating empowering environments for people living with dementia is both a professional and personal mission. As the co-founder of Prairie Elder Care in Overland Park, Kan., Gibson has built a unique farmhouse setting for elders living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia — complete with a garden and farm animals. She also serves as a family caregiver for her husband, Jim, who was diagnosed with young onset Alzheimer’s just last year. She joins the podcast to discuss her journey through dementia care as both a visionary professional leader and loving family member, providing inspiration for anyone who has walked a similar path. Learn more about Prairie Elder Care: Watch a recent CFI webinar with Michala:
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Top Eldercare Policy Priorities for 2024 and Beyond
11/06/2024
Top Eldercare Policy Priorities for 2024 and Beyond
As everyone listening knows, there was an election last night — but while another contentious political season comes to a close, the real work of policymaking in Washington and state legislatures is just beginning. To discuss the policy work that will have the most impact on the eldercare reform space, we invited two of our favorite experts on the show today — Anne Montgomery and Joe Angelelli. On this week’s episode, we’ll walk through the top areas where these longtime reform champions see potential for change — no matter what the federal and state governments look like next year. Here’s our conversation. Attend our conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. next week: Learn more about the EINSTEIN Option:
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Eliminating the Barriers Between Care Levels — and People
10/30/2024
Eliminating the Barriers Between Care Levels — and People
Even the best communities that serve elders with varying levels of care needs often face a logistical problem: moving residents from one physical area to another as their care demands increase. The Towers at Tower Lane, an innovative community in New Haven, Conn., eliminated that problem by creating services that come directly to residents’ apartments. No matter what they need, up to and including hospice services, Towers residents can receive it in the same unit they’ve called home for years. It’s a key part of CEO Gus Keach-Longo’s vision for care that truly centers the person. He joins the podcast this week to discuss his long career as a champion for older adults — including a habit of asking “why not?” whenever someone tells him that something couldn’t be done for elders. Attend our conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. next week: Learn more about the Towers at Tower Lane’s Proactive Partner model:
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Leading Through Lifelong Learning and Growth
10/23/2024
Leading Through Lifelong Learning and Growth
As a child, Freeman Hrabowski had already made a bigger impact on the world than many people do in their entire lives: Inspired by hearing Martin Luther King Jr. speak at his church, young Freeman was arrested for protesting against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. But Hrabowski didn’t stop there, building an impressive career in academia that culminated with a 30-year tenure as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He joins the podcast this week to discuss his commitment to lifelong learning and growth, and how he has worked to help generations of students make their own marks on the world. Attend our conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. this November: Register for the last webinar in our 2024 Conference Preview Series — go inside a unique dementia care model on Thursday, October 24:
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Breaking Through the Providers vs. Regulators Framework
10/16/2024
Breaking Through the Providers vs. Regulators Framework
Far too often, eldercare reform is presented as a binary choice between mortal adversaries: providers who believe that regulators are out to get them, and regulators who assume every provider is up to no good. The truth is obviously more complicated, and leaders like Jennifer Belden prove that there are ways to protect residents’ rights while also working with providers to improve the lives of elders. With a long background in health care, Belden brings both on-the-ground experience and a healthy dose of compassion to her work as director of Michigan’s Bureau of Survey and Certification. She joins “Elevate Eldercare” to discuss her role and her ideas for a future where regulators and forward-thinking providers can achieve the shared goal of quality care and quality of life. Attend our conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. this November: Register for the last webinar in our 2024 Conference Preview Series — go inside a unique dementia care model on Thursday, October 24:
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Speaking Up for Nursing Home Residents Everywhere
10/09/2024
Speaking Up for Nursing Home Residents Everywhere
As someone in her 40s living with multiple rare autoimmune diseases, Nancy Stevens doesn’t necessarily seem like a typical nursing home resident. But her journey through the long-term care system came with the same frustrations, challenges, and disappointments experienced far too often by people twice her age. Stevens uses her experiences as fuel to help hundreds of fellow nursing home residents around the country, providing support and advocacy through the National Virtual Residents' Council and other organizations fighting for the rights of residents. In honor of Residents’ Rights Month, Stevens joins the podcast to discuss her vital work and vision for the future of residential care. Learn more about Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents: Attend our conference in November:
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The Beauty and Benefits of Music Therapy
10/02/2024
The Beauty and Benefits of Music Therapy
In today’s episode, Beth Furlong, RN, Community Relations Manager, and Hilary Camino, a certified neurologic music therapist at Sage Living in Jackson, Wyo., sit down with Susan Ryan. Furlong offers a history of the Living Center and its evolution into Sage Living, emphasizing the need for a larger, more home-like space. She describes the collaboration with architects to design a dedicated music and art center. The two talk about the significant impact music therapy has had in their community for the past eight years, including how it has fostered resident engagement and outcomes such as reduced isolation and decreased use of psychotropic meds. Camino’s work was showcased in the short film documentary, "Something Changed in the Room," a winner at the Toronto Documentary Feature & Short Film Festival in 2024.She shares her journey and the introduction of music therapy at Sage Living Center, explains the initial skepticism from the hospital staff and the successful pilot program they implemented. Whatever your notion might be of what a ‘music therapist’ does and the value it can bring to each of us, this conversation will inspire you to think and do differently. More about Sage Living: More about Nordoff Robins Music Therapy here: Link to short film: https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FBOtERCxdhdA&data=05%7C02%7Cjwright%40thegreenhouseproject.org%7C3195dd8fee9644e183db08dce47d29c3%7Cbc6dc8c871304f4383da60f11c51880a%7C1%7C0%7C638636473464784427%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=o9Ch6%2FFYhpa4U%2Ffww7B%2BTGxp1n7Cm81cnH5Q%2FjbnQMg%3D&reserved=0
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Working Toward Equity in the Aging Experience
09/25/2024
Working Toward Equity in the Aging Experience
Equity in aging is a topic that must be discussed more often in the field of eldercare. Today, Susan Ryan sits down with guest Marvell Adams Jr. to address this topic head on. Together, they unpack the many ways in which he is working to dismantle inequities in aging and create communities of inclusion. Leveraging his two decades of work in the aging services field, Adams has created the Longevity + Inclusion Alliance Fellows program through his consulting company, W Lawson. He has held leadership positions at eldercare communities and organizations; holds a seat on the Center for Innovation board; and is also CEO of the Caregiver Action Network. This episode examines Adams’ mission to foster true diversity in the eldercare space – including diversity of age, gender expression, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and so much more. In an age where simple concepts like acceptance and equity have become political footballs, Adams keeps working toward the inclusive, welcoming future we all deserve. More about Caregiver Action Network . More About the Longevity + Inclusion Alliance Fellows Program .
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A Pacesetter for Positive Change in Dementia Care
09/18/2024
A Pacesetter for Positive Change in Dementia Care
To be the developer of The Green House Project’s BEST LIFE Approach for supporting persons living with dementia, it takes a very special commitment to person-directed living, the dignity of risk taking, and maintaining mobility. This is certainly the case for today’s guest, Anne Ellett. As a certified nurse practitioner and gerontological nurse, a dementia specialist, educator, author and speaker who continues to learn from persons living with dementia, Ellett brings a perspective that few others in the field can. She sits down with Susan Ryan to talk about her unique journey in dementia care and the moments that have shaped her career, culminating in her recent book, “Getting Dementia Care Right”—written for memory care professionals, individuals living with dementia, and family caregivers. Ellett offers key highlights from her book, sharing principles that focus on improving quality of life, normalcy, and individualized care. She also talks about the tools and strategies for embracing innovative approaches to support people living with dementia, addressing and overcoming the challenges to produce positive changes in the lives of resident and care staff alike. Find her book . Learn more about Memory Care Support, the company she founded, here:
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The Quest for Dementia-Inclusion
09/11/2024
The Quest for Dementia-Inclusion
Upholding civil liberties, addressing fear, and creating flexible systems to support individuals who are living with dementia are passionate goals for the three guests on this episode of Elevate Eldercare. Susan Ryan sits down with Jennifer Carson, PhD, director of the Dementia Engagement, Education, and Research (DEER) program at the Univ. of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health; Al Power, MD, geriatrician and Schlegel Chair in Aging and Dementia Innovation at the Schlegel-U Waterloo Research Institute at the Univ. of Rochester, New York; Jen Wilson, vice president of well-being at Carol Woods Retirement Community, as they help memory care providers open their minds and their doors to living well with cognitive change As the trio describes their quest to create “dementia-inclusive” communities, Wilson shares her 40-year career in supporting people with dementia, emphasizing the need for social justice and partnership with those affected. Dr. Power reflects on the negative impacts of segregated memory care, and Dr. Carson describes the Quest Upstream project, which focuses on reframing dementia, promoting well-being, and fostering inclusive environments. You can learn much more about their work at the forefront of dementia care during their pre conference session at the 2024 Center for Innovation Conference this November: Find out more about the DEER program here: Learn about Carol Woods Retirement Community here:
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From Corporate Exec to Homeboy Industries
09/04/2024
From Corporate Exec to Homeboy Industries
If you’ve never heard Homeboy Industries, you’re just a brief Google search away from discovering an incredible nonprofit that is considered to be the most the most successful gang intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the country. In this episode, Susan Ryan talks with Homeboy CEO Tom Vozzo, who will also give the opening keynote talk at our upcoming Center for Innovation 2024 conference this November. His book, “The Homeboy Way,” examines the many lessons he’s learned as CEO and how to bring the Homeboy philosophy to life as the perfect antidote to the massive tidal currents of social injustice and inequities in the workplace. Vozzo shares his journey from running billion-dollar businesses to leading Homeboy Industries. He talks about the organization’s programs, services, and businesses that help to change lives and celebrate each individual’s worth. More information about Vozzo and his book here: A short video of Vozzo talking about Homeboy and his work: Sign up for the CFI 2024 conference to see Vozzo speak in person:
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