Elevate Eldercare

The ability to navigate crises is a vital trait for any leader — and so is the ability to emerge from a crisis stronger, bolder, and better than before. Dr. George Everly, a renowned psychologist who helped to pioneer the field of disaster mental health, joins the podcast to discuss the keys to strong, steady leadership both during and after crises — such as the COVID-19 pandemic in eldercare. Eve...

So many of the systems in place to support older Americans were created at a time when people didn't expect to live much longer than 65, and the concept of retirement was a handful of years at most. Part of true system reform is acknowledging that elders today and tomorrow aren't the same as they were decades ago, and that we must create new structures and systems to better match our changing demo...

Deke Cateau is the kind of leader that the eldercare community desperately needs more of: committed to creating better environments for elders regardless of the challenges, willing to have nuanced conversations about the need for smarter regulations, and always inspiring others to do more than the status quo. The A.G. Rhodes CEO joins the podcast to discuss his Atlanta-based organization's new hou...

We go down under this week to speak with Angela Raguz, the chief operating and risk officer for HammondCare — a pioneering operator of small-home eldercare cottages in Australia, and one of CFI ' s partners in the Household Model International Consortium. Angela dives into her 30-year career at the forefront of dignified and radically non-institutional eldercare services and supports, whether it h...

Tireless advocate Carrie Leljedal returns to the podcast to discuss her work to bridge the worlds of advocacy for elders and people living with disabilities, which began after her adult son experienced a prolonged lockdown away from family and friends during the pandemic. She turned her anger and frustration into a new career as a champion for essential caregiver legislation, ensuring that familie...

It ' ll soon be that time again: We ' re gathering the Green House Project and Pioneer Network communities together at the Center for Innovation conference, coming to Grand Rapids, Mich. from November 11-13. This week, join CFI team members Susan Ryan, Marla DeVries, and Stacey Bergmann for a preview of the conference, a discussion of why in-person connections are so important at this point in the...

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 ad...

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 R...

With each year that passes, Pride celebrations become more and more mainstream — but in our current political and social climate, LGBTQ+ people of all ages continue to face demonization and stigmatization, a reality that is sometimes magnified for elders. Today in the United States, about half of older LGBTQ+ adults live in states where they can legally face housing discrimination simply for being...

Just about everyone who works in the eldercare space has heard about the negative effects of ageism in our society, but we can ' t truly fight age-based discrimination until we look inward — even within our own sector. Jordan Evans, co-founder of Art Against Ageism, joins the podcast to discuss his experiences as a younger person in the eldercare landscape, and his strategies for encouraging every...

Steve Nygren, visionary founder of the Serenbe community outside of Atlanta, returns to the podcast to discuss his vision for intentional communities where elders can age well — but not because they ' re designed exclusively for older adults, but for people of all ages to stay active, stay connected, and stay engaged with day-to-day life. If you missed Steve ' s first appearance on the podcast, ch...

nequities in eldercare affect not just the quality of services but the physical spaces themselves: Far too many operators, policymakers, and investors believe that people receiving Medicaid-funded services simply deserve lower-quality, older, more institutional buildings to call home. Kia Weatherspoon, the founder and president of Determined by Design, is determined to change those perceptions. He...

As the proportion of older Americans grows, so too will the ranks of "solo agers" – people navigating the aging process without children or other relatives. And for elders who need extra assistance in making major decisions around housing and finances, solo aging may lead to legal guardianship and outcomes that don't align with their values, preferences, or best interests. Kimberly George, CEO of...

In honor of National Nurses' Week, we're sitting down with Dr. Donna Fick – director of the Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at Penn State University – and three of her Ph. D. student - researchers, Thakshila Dasanayake , Olivia Rubio, and Nahida Akter . While their backgrounds and upbringing couldn't be more different, these nursing leaders are bound by a desire to improve the lives of elde...

Workforce development remains the number-one issue for eldercare providers of all types, and this week, we're taking you inside a comprehensive, nationwide effort to build the care force of tomorrow. Laura Thorn, director of the Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center, joins the podcast to discuss this vital project from the Administration for Community Living and the National Council on Aging. Al...

From a very young age, Paddy Moore learned the value of speaking her mind and advocating for those facing discrimination and exclusion, and she turned those lessons into a lifetime of fighting for others – whether it was creating anti-poverty programs under the federal Office of Economic Opportunity, working to de-institutionalize care for people living with disabilities, or working to build small...

You can't fix what you can't measure, and for too many years, advocates and officials have attempted to reform the nursing home system without an accurate accounting of multiple metrics – including the flow of money and the track records of owners. CFI strategic advisor Anne Montgomery joins the podcast to discuss her efforts to bring greater transparency to the long-term care landscape, as well a...

When Jennilie Brewster first started inquiring about volunteering at the Coler nursing campus on New York City's Roosevelt Island, she never imagined that her work with the residents would have a national impact. Brewster – a writer, painter, and film producer – joins the podcast to discuss her work with OPEN DOORS NYC and the Reality Poets, a group of younger men of color, each affected by gun vi...

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...

Marvell Adams, Jr. not only talks the talk when it comes to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in eldercare – he walks the walk, holding multiple roles across the eldercare spectrum where he brings people of all ages, races, socioeconomic backgrounds, and points of view together to move the sector forward. Adams, who serves on the Center for Innovation board as treasurer , joins the podcas...

Reminiscent of the ageist discourse around the "silver tsunami," the concept of people aging without the support of children or a spouse – once referred to as "elder orphans" – is far too often discussed as a problem, and not a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a new phase of life with friends, neighbors, and other people who bring us joy. Sara Geber helped to popularize the term "solo agers" to desc...

The idea that structural racism has a direct impact on all facets of American life – including the experiences of elders in care settings – shouldn't be a controversial statement in 2024, but far too often, the question of equity and race-conscious policymaking gets wrapped up into a broader political discourse. Shekinah Fashaw-Walters, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota School...

Naomi Feil, who originally developed the Validation method of supporting and communicating with people living with dementia, died this past December 24 at the age of 91. This week, we're celebrating Naomi's life with her daughter – and fellow champion for the dignity of people living with dementia – Vicki de Klerk-Rubin , executive director of the Validation Training Institute . Join us for a fasc...

Tetyana Shippee first became fascinated with the power of structural forces to shape individual lives as a grad student from Ukraine studying the sociology of addiction in the United States. That academic interest soon expanded into gerontology and elder issues – including a two-year stint living in a continuing care retirement community as part of her studies. Shippee, now a professor at the Univ...

Artificial intelligence is the tech buzzword of the moment, but as eldercare providers know, implementing any technology in the aging space comes with its own unique set of concerns – even solutions that don't go as far as generating complex written narratives or autonomously analyzing resident data. At Cypress Living, a senior living and home health provider in Fort Myers, Fla., VP of innovation...