Elevate Eldercare

In today's episode of Elevate Eldercare , AgingIN CEO Susan Ryan welcomes   Deke Cateau , CEO of   A . G . Rhodes , a nonprofit nursing and rehabilitation organization in metro Atlanta . Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Deke's path to long-term care was sparked by his wife's encouragement and is sustained by his deep belief in the power of family and person-centered care. Deke offers a behi...

In today's episode, AgingIN CEO Susan Ryan sits down with Ben Veghte , director the WA Cares Fund , a state-run entity that provides working Washingtonians a way to earn access to long-term care benefits that will be available to eligible individu als. when they need them. Ben shares his inspiring journey from studying capitalism and social justice in Germany to directing the Fund. He and Susan e...

This podcast's producer, Center or Innovation, now has a new name: AgingIN. With a mission to be the catalyst for person-directed living and empowered cultures in the community of one's choice, AgingIN's rebrand and new strategic direction was ushered in through a partnership with 3rd3rd Marketing, a marketing firm that specializes in senior living. In today's episode, Susan Ryan sits down with Cy...

Host Susan Ryan sits down with visionary eldercare advocate and Pioneer Network co-founder  Barry Barkan  for a profound conversation on reimagining aging and the transformative potential of community, spirit, and consciousness. Barkan shares his journey from founding the  Live Oak Institute  to helping launch the  Pioneer Network , driven by a belief that aging is not a problem to solve but a gif...

In this insightful conversation, host Susan Ryan sits down with senior living innovator Andy Carle, consultant and founder of UniversityRetirementCommunities.com. Andy shares his personal journey into eldercare and the bold moves he's made to elevate the field, from founding a 70-community company to creating the first university-level curriculum for senior living executives. Andy also dives into...

In this inspiring conversation, architect and eldercare innovator Jane Rohde shares her lifelong passion for community development and the power of person-centered care. From her early days with Erickson Retirement Communities to founding JSR Associates and the nonprofit Live Together , Jane has remained committed to transforming aging services through relationship-based, sustainable models. Susan...

In this heartwarming and inspiring episode, Susan Ryan welcomes 99-year-old Peg McLaughlin and her daughter Marg uerite for a moving conversation about Peg's extraordinary life. A lifelong nurse, mother of five, and dedicated community volunteer, Peg shares stories from her upbringing in Providence, R.I. , her career in obstetrics and pediatrics, and decades of service to others—whether through sc...

In this episode, Susan Ryan sit s down with Rachel Broudy , MD, a passionate physician, innovator, and advocate for transforming eldercare. Her extensive experience includes serving as medical director at two PACE programs and c urrently as medical director of Pioneer Valley Hospice and Palliative Care and eldercare faculty at Ariadne Labs. This episode explore s Dr. Broudy's journey into aging se...

There are few people who have the depth and breadth of knowledge about long-term services and supports than Jennie Chin Hansen, who we are honored to have as the 300 th guest on today's episode. With a rich background in nursing and a penchant for solving problems, Hansen's career spans decades of leading top healthcare organizations such as the American Geriatrics Society, AARP, and On Lok , whic...

Susan Ryan welcomes three trailblazers in the eldercare culture change movement to this week's episode: Joanne Rader, Charlene Boyd, and Rose Marie Fagan . Each guest has a distinct and storied history within the culture change movement, and each has taken an interesting and unique journey built on their pioneering experiences. Joanne Rader recounts her shift from rehab nursing to transforming ger...

In this episode of   Elevate Eldercare , Susan Ryan welcomes Mario Rubano, a passionate advocate for older adults. Mario shares his remarkable journey from a childhood steeped in intergenerational connection to a career that spans music therapy, public health, and systems change in aging services. In his role as Regional Program Manager at OATS (Older Adults Technology Services) from AARP, Mario i...

The 2025 Center for Innovation Conference registration has launched! And in today's episode, Susan Ryan talks with Joan Divine and Marla DeVries about what's in store for this auspicious eve n t , scheduled for August 11 to 14 in St. Louis, Missouri.  Hosted by The Green House Project and Pioneer Network, this event marks a significant gathering for those committed to transforming eldercare.​ In a...

In this week's episode, Susan Ryan sits down with Dr. Carol McKinley, president and CEO of Simpson, a senior living community in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.  Carol shares her journey of more than 35 years in eldercare, and how early interactions with her grandmother and father's ministry work inspired her career in social work and geriatrics.  In addition to emphasizing the importance of listening to older a...

Inspiration comes in many forms, but in the field of aging services it appears that it most often comes from one's own experience with a loved one . Case in point: Jennifer Baker, policy director at the Moving Forward Nursing Home Quality Coalition, whose motivation to work in eldercare comes from early exposure to her great aunt and grandmother, both of whom had Alzheimer's disease . Susan Ryan s...

Bold, visionary leaders are the ones who challenge the status quo, break down barriers, and champion quality of life for older adults. Today's guest, Karen Schoeneman, is a shining example of that kind of leadership. This week, Susan Ryan sits down with Karen to discuss her many years of work reforming long term care, beginning with her work in social services, where her passion for resident-cente...

In this episode, Susan Ryan sit s down with Marcus Engel—speaker, educator, and expert in compassion science—whose powerful survival story has become a catalyst for inspiring more humane, connected workplaces. Through his work, Marcus helps organizations foster environments rooted in empathy, connection, and purpose. With a Master's in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University and a teaching rol...

In today's episode, Susan Ryan sits down with Dan Gordon, Craig Major, and Stephanie Smith son of ACH Group, creators of the first international Green House homes in Adelaide, Australia. Based in South Australia, ACH implemented the Green House model into its newest residential care home, Healthia, in Elizabeth in 2023. Dan, a nurse, and Craig, a healthcare manager, discuss their journeys into eld...

The 2025 Center for Innovation Conference registration has launched! And in today's episode, Susan Ryan talks with Joan Divine and Marla DeVries about what's in store for this auspicious evet , scheduled for August 11 to 14 in St. Louis, Missouri.  Hosted by The Green House Project and Pioneer Network, this event marks a significant gathering for those committed to transforming eldercare.​ In addi...

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 h...

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 tha...

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 th...

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...

The pursuit of i nnovative 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 pro...

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 Metho...

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 g...