Connecting the Dots: Senior Living Success with Matt Reiners

Dr Buffy, Lloyd-Krejci breaks into the crux of her latest book that discusses the issues that the pandemic uncovered in the staffing of our communities, and how that can enable us to solve many other problems in our industry. We hear how staff have been coping, or not, with this downfalls, and some of the best next steps to solving for them. Find her book here: https://www.amazon.com/BROKEN-Pandem...

Dr Ashlea Smalley, National Director of Memory Care and Life Enrichment at Grace Management, Inc., literally grew up in senior living and has made it her life's work to speak up for seniors and making sure we treat them as people, not old people. She gives them the dignity that they require, and picks apart the differences in effect and treatment between social isolation and loneliness. Learn...

Wellness has come to mean a lot of things in senior living, and Liam Goddard, the Director of Wellness with Life Plan Community, discusses how the idea of wellness has changed over recent years. He breaks apart the many pieces of wellness that he's come to understand wellness for the resident, but also the staff and how it affects keeping quality employees across a community. On the flip side, he'...

After spending time at other firms with great work but lacking in balance of family life, Melissa Banko, Founder of Banko Design, started her own studio doing interior design for multi-families, and commercial alike, including Senior Living. She gives us a peak into the design reasoning that goes into senior living spaces, like her attractive and durable "reso-mercial" furniture, but also the huma...

Dr. Nancy Swanger, Founding Director of Granger Cobb Institute, spreads the word about how we as an industry can create a culture of change for younger generations to appreciate the kind of thinking that Institute's namesake brought. We take a peak under the hood of the engine of an educational model that's driving the next generation that will be working the halls of the senior living communities...

Dr Diana Sowers, Audiologist, is a special guest and a great source of learning as we come up on World Hearing Day on Friday, March 3. She packs this 20 minute interview with facts about how hearing loss affects people's quality of life at varying ages, the physical, medical and societal costs of leaving it untreated, and of course, how she's seen it affect senior living residents and communities.

Evans Adrian, Co-founder & COO of Endeavor Senior Living, leans into his role as a black sheep of the industry and makes a conscious effort to go against the status quo. He poses some questions to his peers that some wouldn't ask and urges those around him, employees and otherwise, to be on the nose with obstacles. He wants to make sure that technology & workflows are working for us rather...

Emily Alexander, VP of Customer Success at WelcomeHome Software, makes us feel like a smooth transition into tech adoption is easier than even we originally thought. She helps connect the dots in the often all-too-vague notion of great customer service for any vendors, and how a provider can make sure they're getting the most out of their vendors.

Eric Varin, SVP of Sales with The Aspenwood Company, bestows some of his 15+ years of experience into this episode. He has some interesting insights into senior living's history, and it gives light to all of the good work that's happening all around us. Hearing this comparison also gives a unique perspective into where we're headed, and what we could do to change the general public's perspective f...

Jeff Arnold, COO with United Group of Companies, gives us a look into what a fairly new program called Active Adult that has started sweeping through the Senior Living industry. Hear what it means, and how it can change the dynamic between community and resident, or even among the residents themselves.

Happy new year! Welcome back to our second year of the All Ears podcast. We found the perfect fit to continue the theme of joy from the holiday season. Amy Kotterman, Director of Customer Experience with United Church Homes, introduces the role of the Joyologist that UCH has introduced into its staff. We learn what that role brings with it and hard statistics for how it has improved staff retentio...

Originally recorded Aug 2021 We're opening up this episode of All Ears from before we officially started the podcast, with Iyvonne Byers, Chief Financial Officer with Priority Life Care, LLC to talk about the stigmas that come with the finance department in senior living and how the finance roles can actually enable more joy across communities. Listen to hear how the finance team can actually be y...

Originally recorded September 2021 Julie Podewitz, CSO at Vitality Living and founder of Grow Your Occupancy, shares her expertise on how to solve the occupancy puzzle. If you're interested in her book, you can find it linked below.  https://a.co/d/bkeHuSa

Originally recorded in December 2021 Angie talks about the joys of being with family around the holidays, but the unique challenges that having a loved one in Memory Care can have. We hear some ways to make these visits still as meaningful as ever with those living with dementia. This is an episode that we aired online before this podcast, and thought this is a good reminder as we head into the ho...

Angie Hildebrant, Division President with Our House Senior Living, gives us hope that despite so many communities struggling to pivot after the pandemic started, there are those that are thriving. She provides inspiration of how they and other communities have stood out to her with unique ways for their business to reach out to the outside community and break out of the rut of "this is how we've a...

Kevin Goedeke, VP of Regional Health Operations, talks about starting from the bottom of Erickson as an intern and working his way up to a regional role. We hear how his perspectives of the regional role, the leaders around him, and his own knowledge have changed as he's climbed the ladder.   Make sure to check out the NHA Stand Up Newsletter!   If you are looking for the two books that...

Stacy Shewey, CEO of Hands4Life, started this organization with a passion for helping seniors, but wanted to reach beyond helping the American experience. Witnessing firsthand the tremendous need in the developing world for high-quality, compassionate care for older adults, Stacy began a journey leading to the creation of Hands 4Life – one of the few nonprofit missionary organizations focusing on...

Anna Ladig, Live A Dream Support with Trilogy Health Services shows how taking seniors' dreams, big and small, can bring joy, motivation and a sense of purpose for not only the recipient but the givers. Join Matt as we hear heartwarming stories and some lessons in how even the simplest dreams can bring great joy. 

Curtis Avison, Home Office Director of Life Enrichment at StoryPoint Group, pushes hard to break "person centered care" from just being a buzz word. He talks about how he thinks about getting individuals out of the rut of attending events and going on outings, even pointing out how we can serve those who usually don't come to those events. Curtis also recognizes the importance of getting staff inv...

Julie Podewitz, CEO of Grow Your Occupancy, joins Matt as they talk about a recent case study with Vitality Living and Eversound; what they learned during the process of doing this study, where they can change the process for the better in the future, and how hearing loss affects the bottom line of any community.

Video mail isn't just for B2B businesses. Walt Armentrout, CEO of Heart Legacy, walks us through what they've found is useful from creating personalized messages to potential potential customers who rely so much on personal connection. We compare notes on how having a sales aid like this differs from the vendor side and community side, and the most useful places for each.

Something we love about the senior living industry is finding people who are driven to elevate the quality of care for seniors, including those living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. That’s why we were excited to sit down with George Netscher, whose company, SafelyYou, is giving a voice to this most vulnerable population, and advocating for them when they can’t advocate for themselves. George talks...

Chris is a big inspiration to us, giving us hope for senior living and humans in general. He tells us about what has driven him since he was a kid to go great lengths to help others, even running multiple 24 hour races. Listen in to find out what his organization is doing for these charities and senior living.    Help Chris reach his goals on his tax-deductible go fund me page:  gof...

Paige Morin, who is a marketing intern with Merrill Gardens, stumbled upon the senior living industry through a recommendation from a friend. It turns out Washington State University is one higher education institution that's highlighting careers in caring for seniors. Paige says she's found her perfect fit, and she talks with us about what's convincing her to stay in senior living, and how the in...

Jacob Blevins, Licensed Nursing Home Administrator & Owner of Allied Senior Living Resources Florida has taken the mission to help seniors live a better life that we all share and bumped it up a notch. Jacob takes an objective look at what path forward is the best fit for a senior and their family, whether that's aging in place with some modifications, or moving into a senior living community,...