People Worth Caring About

On this episode, we speak to Jessicia Smith , Quality Assurance Director at Santa Fe Place, an Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) located in Norman, Oklahoma. Topics discussed include: - The purpose of an ICF - The history of ICFs and the stigma that surrounded them for years. - Not doing things for people, but doing things with people. - Where most patients come from in an ICF - The impact of the O...

On this episode, we speak to Emmett Reed, Chief Executive Officer at Florida Health Care Association , an organization that represents 86% of Florida's nursing centers — facilities that provide skilled nursing, post-acute and sub-acute care, as well as short-term rehabilitation, assisted living and other services to the elderly and individuals with disabilities in Florida. Topics discussed inc...

On this episode, we speak to Buffy Lloyd-Krejci , Chief Executive Officer at IPCWell , the top infection control consultant and disease prevention expert in the United States. Topics discussed include: - The inspiration for Buffy’s book, “BROKEN, How the Global Pandemic Uncovered a Nursing Home System in Need of Repair, and the Heroic Staff Fighting for Change.” - How she had to change some names...

On this episode, we speak to Paul Smiley , Executive Director at Gilpin Hall , a non-profit organization with a long tradition of care for the elderly since 1824. Topics discussed include: - Paul’s longtime family background in long-term care. - The impact the first interaction with a nursing home can have for a lifetime. - The impact that being a Marine had on Paul’s leadership style. - How to th...

On this episode, we speak to Rebecca Adelman , Founder/Attorney at Adelman Law Firm , a firm that has expertise in multiple areas of insurance defense litigation, professional malpractice, business and employment and healthcare law. Topics discussed include: - Rebecca’s career path that led to representing LTC providers in lawsuits and risk management. - Her development of the Guide Path certifica...

On this episode, we speak to Claudia Blumenstock , Founder and CEO at Copernicus, Inc. , an organization that is dedicated to strengthening the delivery of long-term care services through the development of staff relationships at all levels of an organization. Topics discussed include: - How staff looks at leadership and what leaders need to be like to be effective. - How a horrible event made Cla...

On this episode, we welcome Ron Nunziato , Senior Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at the Health Care Council of Illinois , a non-profit advocacy group that represents more than 300 licensed Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) in Illinois. Topics discussed include: - How he started as a provider and operator for 29 years before moving to his current position. - The lessons he learned in his...

On this episode, we speak to Jay Hayston , President & CEO at Cedarcrest Center for Children with Disabilities , a specialized medical facility and school in Keene, New Hampshire. Topics discussed include: - The mission of Cedarcrest as a home and a school for children with developmental differences. - Jay’s beginnings in LTC for people with developmental differences. - The way Cedarcrest work...

On this episode, we speak to Thomas Annarella , Licensed Nursing Home Administrator at Valley Hi Nursing and Rehab , a long-term care facility in Illinois. Topics Tom discusses include: - Through several different internships, Tom entered the LTC industry directly out of college. - The evolution of Tom’s leadership style over the years. - The demographic makeup of the residents at Valley Hi, a cou...

On this episode, we speak to Nichole Claiborn , Executive Director at Terrace Health . Topics Nichole discusses include: - Her personal story and how she ended up in long-term care. - The learning curve involved in home health care. - Recent cuts in payments by the government. - Being flexible with staff in today’s market. - Recruiting through community engagement. - Personal mentors she has met t...

On this episode, we speak to Jason Cronk , President and COO at Immanuel Lutheran Communities . Topics Jason discusses include: - Developing Western-style lifecare communities in mainland China. -The learning curve involved in working in China versus the US. -Their approach to talent acquisition and recruitment to their facility in Montana. -The focus on RNs and CNAs in their recruiting. -Jason’s...

On this episode, we speak to Matthew Lessig , Associate Executive Director at Cypress Cove at HealthPark Florida . We discuss: - Matthew’s career journey and how he got into LTC. - The speed of change on the clinical side of the business vs. the back office. - The importance of understanding the reimbursement model he brought to the clinical side. - His company’s recent expansion of service lines....

On this episode, we speak to Philip Scalo , CEO of Bartley Healthcare and Vice Chair of the American Health Care Association (AHCA). During our talk, Philip discusses topics including: -Philip’s role and his history at AHCA. -The never-ending fight to get appropriate funding from Congress and other sources. -The intangible challenges of leaving law and entering long-term care. -How to build and ma...

On this week’s episode, we speak to Darryl Fisher , President at Mission Senior Living . Mission Senior Living focuses on smaller communities to allow residents to stay in their hometowns. He is also the founder and a pilot at Dream Flights . During our talk, Darryl discusses topics including: - His family history and roots in long-term care. - How he went from aviation to LTC. - The example that...

In this week’s episode, we speak to Shawn Bloom, CEO of the National PACE Association. As both a provider and payor source of long-term care, PACE aims to deliver all the services needed for elderly individuals to age in their own community.  During our talk, Shawn discusses topics including: - How Shawn got involved with PACE and the long-term care industry. - Long-term care policy and how i...

This week, we chat with Ben Wingrove , Founder of SchedulePop — a leading staff scheduling app that started in 2015. SchedulePop allows people working in the long-term care industry to view and manage their schedules easily. This episode is a little different than usual, as Ben shares his screen to explain the functionality and design of the SchedulePop app. In the episode, we discuss various topi...

In this week’s episode, we speak with Ian Stockberger , CEO at Good Shepherd, Inc., based in Mason City, Iowa. Good Shepherd is a large living community, which includes 210 nursing home beds, 106 assisted living units and just under 300 employees. We discuss various topics, including: - Ian’s first experience of the long-term care industry in 1995, working in a kitchen. He stayed in the role for f...

In this week’s episode, we speak to Lonnie Steckler , Managing Partner at The Pointe of North Gables, an assisted-living community in Miami. In the episode, we discuss various topics including: - Lonnie’s path into the long-term care industry, starting at his stepfather’s independent and assisted-living community during his college breaks. - Lonnie’s career history, including his experience facili...

In this week’s episode, we speak with Phil Fogg , CEO of Marquis Companies and a board member of the Nebraska Health Care Association, about transforming the landscape of long-term care. In the episode, we discuss various topics including: - What Phil has learned about himself over the years. - Why population health is important and how to organize it into objectives and goals. (Population health...

On this week’s episode, we speak to Mark Parkinson , President and CEO at American Health Care Association . We caught up with Mark at the Nebraska Healthcare Convention where we discussed various topics relating to his career in the long-term care industry. These include: - Mark’s experience growing up in Wichita, studying law at the University of Kansas and how he ended up working in the long-te...

In the latest episode, we sit down with Glenn Van Ekeren , President at Vetter Health Services . Vetter Health Services supplies management services to Vetter Senior Living facilities. The home office for the management team is in Elkhorn, Nebraska. In the episode, we discuss various topics, focusing on Glenn’s experience as a leader in the long-term care industry. Topics discussed include: - Glen...

On this latest episode, we speak with Dr. Gregory Johnson , Chief Medical Officer at the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society , at the 2022 NNFA-NALA Innovation Summit in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society is the largest not-for-profit provider of senior housing and services in the United States. The company is headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and...

In this week’s episode, we chat with Severine Petras , CEO at Priority Life Care , a leader in affordable senior care. In 2009, Severine established Priority Life Care to provide senior living options to older people of all financial backgrounds. Severine and her brother, Bobby Petras, founded and sustained an option for affordable assisted living and memory care. Back then, this was rare in the l...

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Charlotte Haberaecker , President and CEO at Lutheran Services in America , and Ted Goins , President and CEO at   Lutheran Services Carolinas . Lutheran Services in America is a national network of 300 Lutheran health and human services organizations that reach one in 50 people living in the US. Lutheran Services in America is in over 1,400 communities...

In the latest episode of the LTC Heroes podcast, we speak with Jane Fleishman , Ph. D., Certified Sexuality Educator at Speaking Of, LLC . Jane is the author of The Stonewall Generation: LGBTQ Elders on Sex, Activism, and Aging. In the episode, we discuss the book in detail. The book shares the experiences of nine elders in the LGBTQ community who came of age around the time of the Stonewall rebel...