What if you could monitor residents’ emotional well-being every single day? Embot uses AI to gauge a person’s mood … by analyzing their voice and facial expressions. One goal is to detect problems early, such as depression and anxiety disorders, and ultimately improve well-being. Host Rachel Hill dives into the tech with co-founder Tanel Petelot.
Brought to you by Further’s Pricing Assistant, helping you price your units to sell.
“So often as caregivers, we don’t pause to take the win. We’re so focused on doing it perfect. We have to let go of perfectionism. There is no perfect, just do the best you can, which is what they’re doing.”
Debbie Compton is a three-time caregiver for parents with different forms of dementia. She is a Certified Caregiving Consultant, Certified Caregiver Advocate, Educator for the Alzheimer’s Assoc. and author of 9 books.
Debbie is the founder of The Purple Vine LLC, whose mission is to empower caregivers with the tools and strategies needed to reduce stress, avoid burnout, and learn to laugh again.
Connect with Debbie on LinkedIn Follow on FaceBook Read her blog and join her tribe.
Brought to you by Further’s Pricing Assistant, helping you price your units to sell.
What’s the latest thinking on brain health? Can dementia sometimes be prevented? How do nutrition, lifestyle and even lifelong learning factor in? Krystal Culler, DBH, founder of the Virtual Brain Health Center, shares insights you can use for yourself and with your residents! Learn about holistic brain health — and how to make your brain work up a sweat — with host Rachel Hill.
Brought to you by Further’s Pricing Assistant, helping you price your units to sell.
“Purpose doesn’t grow old. It doesn’t expire,” says Rose Joudi, PhD. She coaches senior living professionals who work with diverse populations. Get her insights into how to support all your residents, no matter their language, culture, or socioeconomic background — and how to encourage their pursuit of purpose.
Brought to you by Further’s Pricing Assistant, helping you price your units to sell.
There’s a dementia village-inspired community in Kansas — designed especially for Kansans. Rather than a mini city, like Amsterdam’s Hogeweyk, this one is a mini farmstead — complete with a few chickens, goats, and pigs!
Host Rachel Hill welcomes Mandy Shoemaker, co-founder of Prairie Elder Care and Connectivities to discuss innovative, simple ways to foster connections with — and between — residents living with dementia.
This episode is brought to you by Further. Their Pricing Assistant Dashboard Streamlines Your Competitive Market Analysis Process by Using Proactive Notifications to Identify Key Revenue Opportunities.
Joint Commission accreditation for senior living?! It’s happening … more and more, in fact — especially in assisted living and skilled nursing. It’s quality control but also a marketing differentiator! Achieve Accreditation (a Foresight partner) helps communities prep. Learn the process, as Kristin Bratcher and Kerri Hackstock join host Rachel Hill on Foresight Radio.
This episode is brought to you by Further.
How ’bout this: a YouTube series, an improv class, and showcases — all starring your residents! Evan Johnson fosters creativity and unexpectedness through the performing arts as program director at Elder Ashram (Oakland, California) and as founding director of Cosmic Elders Theatre Ensemble (San Francisco). Get artsy ideas and inspiration in this episode of Foresight Radio, with Rachel Hill.
There’s a new staffing agency alternative in town … and part of it may already be in your community. Accushield (a Foresight partner) and Flex have joined together to launch a mobile-first platform your staff will actually use. It’s gig friendly and can get you automatic shift fulfillment. Get the hows and whys how and why in this week’s Foresight Radio, hosted by Rachel Hill and featuring Charles Mann, Accushield founder and a former senior living operator, and Curtis Khan, BookJane founder and a former staffing agency founder, who have spent the last year developing a fully integrated mobile-first solution to address staffing shortages.
“Contemporary marketing is not selling at all.” Dean Palombaro, Foundation Health’s director of vibes (seriously), uses social media to elevate the perception of senior living, and to recruit staff. And it’s working. On TikTok alone (with 4.5M likes), he’s done things like convert 15 to 20 people in two months from agency to full-time staff. Host Rachel Hill finds out how.
Does it feel like your light bulbs are always burning out? It’s time to start talking about wellness, it’s time to start talking about how we stay energized as leaders. Rachel talks with Kathy Parry about her new book that talks about how leaders in senior living need to address their own wellness and their own “why.”
What’s up with WhatsApp’s safety? Why might older people be on Instagram and TikTok more than they used to be? … How many old computers does everybody else have in their closet, and what should we do with them? (Asking for a friend.) Tune in as Rachel Hill talks tech with Burton Kelso, speaker and chief tech expert at Integral. It’s the techiest Foresight Radio episode this year (so far)!
There’s a piano singalong, and then there’s music therapy. In this episode, Tara Jenkins, of Harmony in Dementia, shares with Foresight’s Rachel Hill what the difference is — and how customized music therapy can increase socialization, communication, self-expression, and emotional well-being. It can even improve staff/resident encounters!
Christie Freeze helps families navigate caregiving and senior living — and drop the guilt. And she does it in one 90-minute consultation. Learn about her Roadmap for Eldercare. Plus: the simple, unique way she uses video for leads.
A five-star hot dog? Yep. That’s what Aaron Fish of Trestle Hospitality Concepts says we ought to be providing — five-star service and presentation with every meal, in every venue. But it’s not about being fancy. It’s about being thoughtful and personal. It’s about the experience. Rachel and Aaron chat about menu hacking, being adaptable, and more.
Dr. DeLon Canterbury is a geriatric pharmacist with a mission to DE-prescribe seniors. He has worked to help seniors (and their families) advocate for themselves when it comes to medications, making sure that all the medications make sense for the individual. He is committed to giving seniors their lives back by REMOVING them from unnecessary medications and giving them a voice in their healthcare.
Rachel goes solo this week to give some perspective on the outside view of senior living. She’d never worked in senior living when she joined the SLF team but had a personal history with the industry.
She talks about what it was like coming in without a lot of industry experience and connections, how the industry is not what she thought it was, and what her hopes are for the future.
Dr. Nakeisha Rodgers trains medical professionals to help their older patients “age like royalty.”
In this episode, Rachel talks with Dr. Rodgers — a geriatrician, educator, author, and speaker — about simple ways medical professionals suss out whether an ailment is purely physical or is stemming from depression or another mental illness.
This week, on Foresight Radio: Sasha Dawn discovers the power of tech, gaming, and togetherness — and launches live, virtual gameshows for senior living residents across the country.
For 30 minutes we played. And for 30 minutes, all of us forgot where we were and connected. And at the end of the game, we all cried. … In that moment, Rachel, I thought “This — this is what I’m here for. This is my magic.”
— Sasha Dawn, CEO and founder, Utopia Experiences
In a room at Wheelock Terrace, a projector hangs from the ceiling. This unassuming box contains a high-tech, award-winning gaming system for people with dementia.
It’s called Tovertafel — “magic table” in Dutch. It beams images onto the table or floor, and people interact with them in “purposeful play.” The games are designed to use parts of the brain that don’t get damaged by Alzheimer’s.
Hear from Sjoerd Wennekes and Cindy Wiegand about how it’s working in this community.
Ever thought about opening an adult daycare? Kris Chana went from running a small assisted living community to launching ActivAge, a now-booming adult day care and in-home care franchise. As the CAREpreneur, he teaches and inspires fellow senior living entrepreneurs through his podcast, YouTube, and more. Here’s his story.
Check out ActivAge at ADCPRO.COM
The story: Kisco Senior Living has this pandemic thing down to a [cutting-edge but FDA-approved] science. They’ve got testing most people have never heard of, transparency many communities run in fear of, and “guidance, not dictates” executive directors dream of. Hear how they’re leading-by-example the industry forward.
The guest: Ed Ward, vice president of operations and care services, Kisco Senior Living.
Your host: Rachel Hill, Senior Living Foresight.
“We saw the strain on our front line. … We’ve really looked at, how do we address [the labor shortage]? … We’ve introduced a whole set of new HR benefits — associate benefits — that is pretty impressive. Things like sabbaticals for our executive directors and our community management team. After they’ve worked at Kisco for five years, they can take a month off, and it doesn’t impact their vacation balance. They can go and explore and refresh and renew. … I’ve never been a part of an organization that does that.
— Ed Ward
The story: Rather than pushing marketing messages out, Wendy and her team at Big Buzz draw people in. They figure out exactly how to tell a community’s story, in a way that connects and converts. Here’s how.
The guest: Wendy O’Donovan Phillips, CEO, Big Buzz.
Your host: Rachel Hill, Senior Living Foresight.
“We’re so fixated, as an industry, on digital marketing that we get sidelined in thinking that the data that we need to be watching is analytics. Well, analytics tell a reactive story: ‘Here’s how your marketing performed.’ In order to get at a proactive story of data, that survey data really helps set the stage for what story you’re going to tell and rises communities out of that sea of sameness.”
— Wendy O’Donovan Phillips
This episode is sponsored by Big Buzz, the marketing agency that solves complex problems for people in senior living. In their podcast, Marketing Mysteries Solved, gain tools to uncover the marketing problems killing your organization fastest. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.
The story: Using creative, interactive tools, Leslie Fuller helps people understand folks with dementia better. Get insights that could change how you think about your residents — and make every day better for you, them, and your staff.
The guest: Leslie Fuller, Inspired Senior Care
Your host: Rachel Hill, Senior Living Foresight.
“[A colleague] had a staff member come back to her after a training one day, and she said, ‘I can’t thank you enough, because I don’t feel afraid of my residents anymore.’ That struck me to the core …. Why do staff leave? They leave for a multitude of reasons. But if you are having staff going in, trying to provide support and care and partnership for individuals who have brain change going on, and they don’t understand anything about what that brain change really means and how it’s going to affect communication and how to maybe help somebody through a difficult time … I might leave too!”
— Leslie Fuller
The story: They call it an “operator in a box.” This robust software suite, built by operators, for operators, grows with you. Pick and choose what you need, as you need it. Here’s how it came to be … and the cool stuff you can do with it.
The guest: Brad Frasher, executive vice president, Glennis Solutions
Your host: Rachel Hill, Senior Living Foresight.
“What I tell people is, let’s solve your most pressing pain point today. Maybe that’s with the care system — “I need to digitize my tasks for my caregivers, and I want to use the mobile app.” … Great … we’ll get you hooked up with our integrated eMAR as well. Therefore all of your care needs are taken care of. Then we can move on to billing and maybe the CRM. That way, on your technology journey — a six-months, a one-year, a three-year journey — whatever it is, we’ll go at your speed to get you on a full platform that’s fully integrated and easy to use.”
— Brad Frasher
This episode is sponsored by Glennis Solutions—senior living management simplified. Manage your operations and resident care with one integrated solution. Learn more here.
The story: She was trained in neurology. But when her own mother showed signs of dementia, she dismissed them. Now, she’s offering insights into what your residents’ family members are going through — and why denial isn’t always denial.
The guest: Elaine Pereira, speaker, caregiver, and author of I Will Never Forget.
Your host: Rachel Hill, Senior Living Foresight.
“There’s a fine line between denial and literally ignorance. And I don’t mean ignorance disrespectfully. I felt I was ignorant. People [would] share with me all this stuff, and I [was] like, ‘[She’s] not like that when I’m there.’ And they’re rolling their eyes, going, ‘This girl’s really out of it. She is in total denial.’ But you can’t be in denial if you don’t understand what it is that’s going on. So you’re just bewildered.”
— Elaine Pereira
The story: Want fewer UTIs, skin lesions, and staff burnouts? Check your briefs — the ones you’re giving residents, that is. Incontinence doesn’t have to run/ruin lives. Here’s a better way.
The guests:
Rosemary Laird, MD, geriatrician and founder, Laird Eldercare Group
Deanna Vigliotta, Seni
Your host: Rachel Hill, Senior Living Foresight.
“If you live in a building that has beautiful chandeliers and a beautiful dining room, but you’re scared to go out because … you might soil your clothing … and soil the chair you’re sitting on, you’re not going to go have the nice meal in the dining room with your friends or take part in any social activities. … [Urinary incontinence is] one of the most common things going on in a senior living community, but it’s one of the least common things that’s spoken about.”
— Rosemary Laird, MD
This episode is sponsored by Seni, a premium brand of incontinence products. Seni’s mission is to improve the quality of life for people living with incontinence, allowing them to enjoy everyday life activities with dignity and confidence. Click here for a free sample.
The story: Judy Cornish wants to change the way we think of dementia: Instead of focusing on the disease, she says, focus on the experience — and watch symptoms like exit seeking and combativeness decline.
The guest: Judy Cornish, author and founder, The Dementia & Alzheimer’s Wellbeing Network (DAWN).
Your host: Steve Moran, Senior Living Foresight.
“Wandering, exit-seeking restlessness, sundowning, confabulation, combative behaviors — we think of all of these behaviors as the symptoms of dementia. But if you really think about it, [they] are actually human behaviors. They are not specific to dementia. … And that has nothing to do with age or diagnosis. That’s a human being under stress. “
— Judy Cornish
This episode is sponsored by PocketBook Memory — a move-in incentive that makes your community stand out as the person-centered choice. PocketBook Memory is a portable video player that fosters connection and easy reminiscence therapy. Offer it to your prospects here.
The story: Recruiting and retaining people 40 and younger requires new skillsets. Here’s how to get future leaders flocking your way. (And how to make the “participation trophy” mindset work in your favor!)
The guest: Cara Silletto, president and chief retention officer, Magnet Culture.
Your host: Rachel Hill, Senior Living Foresight.
For “the older generations — especially Gen X — it was just, ‘Work harder, make more money. Work harder, make more money,’ with a lot of folks. They wanted to get their family to a good, comfortable lifestyle. … Then you had the millennials, who swung the pendulum the other direction and said, ‘Be a starving artist. Do what you love, but who cares about the money?’ … Gen Z is kind of in the middle. … ‘I want to do what I love, but I’m going to make money doing it. … I want to keep job-hopping until I find a place I love to work.’”
— Cara Silletto
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Where to find us:
Website:
https://www.seniorlivingforesight.net
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seniorforesight/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SeniorForesight
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/seniorforesight/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SeniorForesight
Lola Rain talks with Anna Hall of The Purpose Equation and Dr. John Zeisel of the Hearthstone Institute about purpose and life enrichment.
Discover Anna’s definition of purpose and why it is important as we age. Listen to John as he talks about how life enrichment staff, or “engagement professionals” as he calls them, struggle with finding value and leadership support.
Learn how culture change has the potential to improve staff and resident satisfaction. When leadership has the metrics available to measure the impact of purpose, we will see a paradigm shift in our industry.
Both John and Anna are speakers at the upcoming Evolve 2022 virtual conference. The conference is for activities staff, executive directors, and leadership to come together and have a dialog about the evolution of life enrichment and the importance of well-being and engagement.
Special thank you to our Evolve 2022 sponsors:
The story: He graduated nursing school at age 21. Five years later, he owns and runs an assisted living home … and has a YouTube channel with 13.4K subscribers. His advice to up-and-comers? Get on with it already! The guest: Serg Lupescu, owner and manager, Legion Manor (Mesa, Arizona); creator, Legion Assisted Living Academy.Your host: Rachel Hill, Senior Living Foresight“I saw a great opportunity [in assisted living], as far as being able to help. My parents are older too. … I already had the health care experience. So I’m like, how can I utilize it? … I think a lot of people overcomplicate when they’re looking at doing something. They look too much into it or try to find their reason or their why or passion. I think if you see an opportunity, just go for it, and make the most of it.
—Serg Lupescu
Where to find us:
Website:
https://www.seniorlivingforesight.net
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seniorforesight/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SeniorForesight
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/seniorforesight/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SeniorForesight
The story: UpsideHōM is senior living for people who don’t want senior living. Its à la carte model—merging tech with human engagement—enables residents to live their own lives, not everybody else’s.
The guest: Jake Rothstein, founder and CEO, UpsideHōM
Your host: Rachel Hill, Senior Living Foresight
“We have this propensity to think that an older adult, just because they’re older or they might have wrinkles on their face, wants different things out of life [than a younger person]. And I think that’s a fallacy. … I see a future where there is a whole host of varieties and options in senior living. … The future includes all of us. That’s the best way I can put it.”
—Jake Rothstein
The story: She went from management to marketing. And now she loves her job! Here’s how to chase your true passions in senior living — and convince leadership to support you.The guest: Millicent Moad-Hageman, director of content marketing, Integrated Senior LifestylesYour host: Lola Rain, Senior Living Foresight“Start looking inward and being honest with yourself about what you do in your current role that excites you, that makes you smile. … How much of your time is spent doing something that you love? If it’s 80%, that’s fantastic. If it’s 20%, that’s when you start to be honest with yourself — ‘I love the industry that I’m in, but maybe what I’m doing isn’t exactly what I am meant to do.’”
—Millicent Moad-Hageman
The story: Do your residents want quinoa or crawfish? It depends … on more than you might think. Plus: how to start increasing diversity in senior living, how Lemonheads can be a great selling tool, and why you—yes, you—are somebody’s goal!
The guest: Vanessa Lambert, business development executive, Sodexo
Your host: Rachel Hill
“People always, ask me, ‘How do you work in senior living communities? Isn’t so sad?’ I’m like, ‘No, do you understand that these people are cool?’ … It’s exciting to me. It’s not sad at all. It’s so great to hear about all of their accomplishments! … More people would be in senior living if we could continue to break down those misconceptions and those walls about why senior living is sad and weird and not the place for a 20-something-year-old or somebody right out of college.”
—Vanessa Lambert
The story: What does a VP of innovations do? Shape the community of the future, of course! Learn how one CCRC sold 46 units before breaking ground— plus, why the company launched in-home services and incorporated robots.
The guest: Joe Velderman, vice president of innovations, Cypress Living
Your host: Lola Rain, growth strategist, Senior Living Foresight
“We launched the Oaks marketing campaign in January of 2020, and then six weeks later, COVID-19 hit.” The architects and builder created conceptual drawings and videos. With those new assets and a killer marketing and sales team, “I think we sold all of the villas in about a month.”
—Joe Velderman
Grab some eggnog, and prepare to get heart warmed—with senior living holiday traditions from around the country.
Featuring holiday stories from:
Kim Utecht Prayfrock, Oak Meadows Senior Living (Oakdale, Minnesota)
Fara Gold McLaughlin, Senior Living Foresight
Mary Beth Flynn, Artfully Aging (Glencoe, Missouri)
Jessica Bourque, Sharon Towers (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Michael Holtzclaw, Gayco Healthcare (Dublin and Alpharetta, Georgia)
Hosted by Rachel Hill, and featuring the vocal talents of Susan Saldibar and MaryLee Herrmann.
Happy holidays to you and yours.
The story: Here’s a unique, affordable way to help residents show off their life stories and connect with neighbors and staff.
The guest: Bruce Felt, president of PocketBook Memory (a Foresight partner)
Your host: Rachel Hill, creative director of Senior Living Foresight
“It’s a great opportunity for residents to get to know each other in a way that has not been done before. … It’s going to create topics of conversation. … Even the team members of your community—they get to know their residents a little bit better.”
—Bruce Felt
Pam McDonald has served as the host of Foresight Radio since we began. She has recently stepped back from the role and we wanted to show our appreciation for all that she has done over the past three years. Here’s to you, Pam.
Steve Moran interviews Deborah Potter with SageAge Strategies (a Foresight partner). They discuss how the entire approach to marketing senior living is changing, how staffing challenges are affecting marketing strategies, and the importance of cultivating empathy as a skill among senior living staff.
Also, check out SageAge Strategies’ LinkedIn page.
The story: This cutting-edge fall-detection and -prevention tech is dignified and respectful … and utterly cool.
The guest: Delaine Blazek, chief commercial officer, Dele Health Tech (a Foresight partner)
Your host: Steve Moran, publisher, Senior Living Foresight
“We want to help people protect their privacy. We want to help them age with dignity. And part of that is a philosophy of not being on a live video stream. There’s nothing more scary for some of these people than to be recorded, to be watched, to be monitored—unless you’re going to be a reality TV star.”
—Delaine Blazek
Learn about the latest in fall detection!
This episode of Foresight Radio is sponsored by Dele Health Tech.
Sales expert and chief marketing officer for Vitality Living, Julie Podewitz reveals some of her secrets for senior living occupancy success in her book, Solving the Occupancy Puzzle: A Senior Living Regional Director Sales Playbook. Interviewed by Lola Rain, Foresight Radio host, Julie notes that her book includes a list of 19 “if-then” solutions for solving specific occupancy challenges. Learn more about the book here.
Foresight Founder Steve Moran hears from Aging Choices’ CEO Terri Sullivan how their simple website tool allows sales and marketing teams to personalize prospect communication from the very first contact. Stellar Senior Living’s Marketing Manager Chelsie Ring describes the results they are getting IRL.
EVP Bob Burg describes for Foresight Radio Host Pam McDonald the role Moves for Seniors, a logistics and transport company, can play when emergency evacuation is needed by senior living communities. Learn more by listening to the episode today and visit their website for more information
Your community’s rehab and wellness programs can give you a competitive edge. Cathy Berry and Hal Price tell Foresight Radio Host Pam McDonald how via done-for-you marketing by Healthcraft Creative Solutions. They also discuss their in-depth analytics to pinpoint post-acute healthcare target customers in local marketplaces. Learn more, listen today.
In our newest episode, Foresight Publisher Steve Moran describes to Foresight Radio host Pam McDonald the tremendous value he gains from attending professional conferences. “First,” he says is, “connecting with old friends” and making new ones. Additionally, he delights in the opportunity to learn new things. And he notes: “Frankly, it’s a time to have a lot of fun.” Learn Steve’s conference-going tips, listen to the episode today.
As Kisco Senior Living’s first Environmental Health and Safety Director Mizuki Sato-Berkeland helps ensure its communities are “the best places for their residents to live and associates to work.” She tells Foresight Radio Host Pam McDonald that the crux of her job is improving health and safety processes, staying on top of compliance and regulatory items, and educating and training staff around things that allow everybody to stay safe. Listen to the episode today.
National Assisted Living Week — Sep.12 – 18 — is a perfect opportunity to build relationships with your local elected officials. Foresight Radio Host Pam McDonald interviews Helen Crunk with the National Center for Assisted Living about this year’s theme and ideas for activities. She also talks with Sally Michael, Director of the California Assisted Living Association, on why these relationships can be so valuable to individual communities and to the senior living industry. Check out nalw.org for products and additional ideas!
A unique partnership between Kendal Corporation and the San Francisco Zen Center brings the nation’s first Zen-inspired CCRC to Healdsburg, California. With 95% of its capacity reserved — before groundbreaking — it’s obviously an idea whose time has come. Learn what makes this innovation in senior living so special. Listen here.
Dan Gemp, president and CEO of Dreamscape Marketing, shares with Senior Living Foresight’s Leigh Ann Hubbard tips about marketing in the digital space, including basics for SEO and Facebook ads. His firm promotes ethical marketing in which you “invite people into conversations, demonstrate your value proposition, and let them make up their own minds.” Listen today, visit DreamscapeMarketing.com and request a no-obligation free assessment of your website.
Through her company, Drive, Denise Boudreau-Scott assists long-term care communities to establish company cultures that attract and retain staff. Denise tells Foresight Radio Producer Pam McDonald that the onboarding process can set the stage. “Be intentional,” she recommends. “What really counts is the feeling the new hire gets with each interaction. Make sure the feeling that’s coming across is the feeling you want it to be?” Listen today. Click here to request your copy of 65 Ways for Attracting, Onboarding & Keeping the Best.
Abbie Richie tells Pam McDonald, Host of Foresight Radio, that she founded her company, Senior Savvy, to bring training and support with tech software and devices to seniors.
Sometimes referred to by her students as their “technical fairy godmother”, Abbie says, “It’s truly the marriage of two things I love — all things tech and helping older people.
Abbie’s home is in Phoenix, Arizona, where there are lots of retirement communities. She started calling them, offering a workshop titled “Cell Phone Secrets for Seniors.” She says, “By the end of the day, I’d called five communities and got three bookings.”
The pandemic shut down her in-person sessions, but she began offering classes over Zoom, launched a YouTube channel, and has an “Ambassador” program through which communities can buy blocks of tech support time for their residents. “I do get a lot of calls from adult children too,” Abbie says. “They need help with their technology themselves or are too frustrated to be in this dynamic with their folks.” Get all details from Abbie about the programs and services from Senior Savvy; listen to the podcast today.
Chip Conley, founder of the Modern Elder Academy (MEA) unveils for Steve Moran, Senior Living Foresight Publisher, the next iteration of senior living — regenerative communities. These communities, Chip explains, are designed so residents can contribute to regenerating 1) the soil, 2) their soul, 3) the community, and 4) the locale. Learn all the details. Listen today.
Senior Living Foresight’s Chief Strategist Lola Rain and Foresight Radio Producer Pam McDonald talk sales and marketing. Lola points out that there may be a disconnect if the salespeople and the marketers don’t understand what each other’s jobs really are. Learn more about the mindset and skills needed for building a collaborative team that gets move-ins.
Comedian Dani Modisett’s mother fell into a deep depression following her move into a memory care community and Dani couldn’t snap her out of it. But, Dani said, “I really love to take difficult subject matter and get people to laugh. It opens up a conversation.” That idea led Dani to found Laughter on Call in her mother’s honor to offer comedy-based dementia caregiver training and lots of programs for seniors. Listen today to Dani’s story and visit her website at LaughterOnCall.com.
Developer-owner Paul Griffin of Griffin Senior Living along with Michael Ferguson, founding partner of Theater DNA, are reinventing community interiors to pump up the energy and vibrancy. They want to surprise and delight residents through the magic of the theater to transform static interiors by bringing the outside world in. Listen today to discover how they’re reimagining life in senior communities.
College senior and Foresight intern Emma Meads tells Pam McDonald, Foresight Radio Producer, she is sold on the industry and hopes to make it her career. She says, “I found a part-time job during college as a server in a senior living community and I fell in love with it. I think it was the people I worked with, their compassion and patience. Your coworkers are in the industry for the same reason — we just have a passion and a love for it.” Discover what excites Emma about senior living and what she already thinks could be improved. Listen today.
On Foresight Radio, Jack Sterne, principal with Lumenant, discusses how building environments can affect residents’ health. He tells Steve Moran, founder and publisher of Senior Living Foresight, “The interesting thing about healthy buildings is so much of it is actually invisible.” Listen today to learn what you can do to improve the health of your buildings and your residents.
A flexible working schedule is the #1 desire of healthcare clinicians, says Rob Crowe, Founder and CEO of Matchwell. In an interview with Foresight Radio Producer Pam McDonald, Rob details how Matchwell connects a growing number of flex job seekers with companies that have gig work available. “It’s direct and transparent,” he explains. “And, at the end of the day, this is about revolutionizing an industry and doing it together.” Listen to the podcast today. Discover more about Matchwell at WeMatchwell.com.
Thank you to Dreamscape Marketing, our Foresight Radio sponsor.
[Recorded a few days prior to the inauguration.]
What should the senior living industry expect from the Biden Administration and the new 117th Congress? More money for PPE, vaccines, and the like, or more regulation? Listen as Argentum Public Affairs SVP Maggie Elehwany gives Foresight Radio Producer Pam McDonald the lowdown. Elehwany also introduces “Argentum Advocates”, the association’s new initiative to increase senior living leaders’ participation in shaping federal legislation and regulation. Listen to the episode today; join “Argentum Advocates” at its website.
This episode is sponsored by Dreamscape Marketing, a full-service digital marketing agency specializing in the unique needs of senior living communities.
Are you ready to drive brand awareness and increase leads for better resident acquisition? Let Dreamscapes’ exceptional digital strategist, developers, designers, and writers work with you to meet your senior care community’s unique business development goals.
Dreamscape has been serving health care clients since 2005 and is ready to provide you a complete digital presence through industry-leading website development and tailored-to-you digital marketing campaigns. Check out Dreamscape Marketing today.
Foresight Radio Producer Pam McDonald talks about tiny houses with Andrew Constantino, assistant program manager for the Low-Income Housing Institute (LIHI) in Seattle. Andrew describes the tiny house movement as a loose coalition of people who are interested in a more simplistic lifestyle. Listen to the episode today. Click to learn more about LIHI.
This episode is sponsored by Dreamscape Marketing, a full-service digital marketing agency specializing in the unique needs of senior living communities.
Are you ready to drive brand awareness and increase leads for better resident acquisition? Let Dreamscapes’ exceptional digital strategist, developers, designers, and writers work with you to meet your senior care community’s unique business development goals.
Dreamscape has been serving health care clients since 2005 and is ready to provide you a complete digital presence through industry-leading website development and tailored-to-you digital marketing campaigns. Check out Dreamscape Marketing today.
Foresight Radio Producer Pam McDonald elicits a number of marketing tips from Wendy O’Donovan Phillips, CEO of Big Buzz, Inc., that communities can use to kick-start the new year. Wendy’s firm has helped clients get big results for over 13 years. She also offers a free copy of her book, Flourish, which is packed with winning strategies to achieve ultimate marketing results. Simply text the word SENIOR to 31996 for a free digital copy. Listen to the episode today; and learn more about Big Buzz on their website.
Teddy Helfrich, Sales VP for Welcome Home, introduces their purpose-build for senior living CRM to Pam McDonald, Foresight Radio’s Producer. Teddy says, “First and foremost, we wanted Welcome Home to be super easy to use and be happy with; even dare I say, love it. Executives get all this great reporting, great insight for business decisions. That’s kind of the secret sauce.” Listen to the episode where Teddy details the numerous benefits to be gained from a CRM your staff loves; and visit their website.
Cheryl Wilson, CEO of St. Paul’s Senior Services, provides details about PACE to Foresight Publisher Steve Moran, explaining how this all-inclusive care program allows frail, low-income elders to remain in their homes.
“When you’re faced with a crisis or a major challenge, you have a team and everyone on that team can contribute. The leader does not have to do it all themselves,” says Bill Pickhardt, COO of John Knox Village in Pompano, Florida. He shares this and other “learning nuggets” in an interview with Foresight Radio Producer Pam McDonald. Listen as they talk about the community’s experience with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about John Knox Village here.
Foresight Radio’s Host Pam McDonald interviews Judy Cockerton, a prime mover behind the Treehouse Foundation. She describes this housing community that serves former foster children, their adoptive families, and honorary grandparents. Judy wants to “bring this model to the entire country,” to push innovation in foster care, intergenerational housing, and vital aging. Learn more about the Treehouse Foundation at its website.
Our own Senior Living Foresight Publisher Steve Moran discusses his first book, Lead Don’t Manage, with Podcast Producer Pam McDonald. He provides practical leadership advice and says, “Life is just better for everybody when the people who are part of an organization love what they do. Good leaders wake up every day and say, ‘How can I make the best possible day for the team I’m leading?’ Then, it’s hard to go wrong.”
You can buy Steve’s book HERE.
Kathy Parry, a productivity expert, gives Podcast Producer Pam McDonald tips that senior living leaders can use to improve their own and their team’s resilience. Her framework for reducing stress helps lift the fog of “pandemic brain”. Download Kathy’s Resilience Tool Kit here, learn more about Kathy at her website.
Brian McWade, Connected Living’s CTO explains to Pam McDonald, Senior Living Foresight’s Podcast Producer how their enterprise engagement platform solves 3 of today’s critical senior living problems: lonely residents, worried families, and overwhelmed staff. With its 9 core solutions and 50+ featured programs, which can be purchased as needed, it is a one-stop tech shop. Learn more by visiting Connected Living’s website HERE.
Believing the pandemic gives senior living a do-over, thought leaders offer guidance for version2.0 in a White Paper titled Creating A Path Towards the ‘Next Normal’ in Senior Living. Senior Living FORESIGHT’s podcast producer Pam McDonald interviews Colin Milner, the founder and CEO of the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), who organized the collaborative effort. You can download the white paper HERE.
Having to sell a cherished home is a common objection to taking up residence in senior living. Jon Schwartz, founder of Partner in Aging, details how Pacific Regent’s condo model eliminates that as a deal-breaker. Listen as Podcast Producer Pam McDonald interviews Jon. Learn more about the community website here and about Partner in Aging here.
Senior Living FORESIGHT team member, Fara Gold McLaughlin, interviews Angela Burton about the Feet to the Fire Writers Workshop Angela created for residents of senior living communities. “You don’t have to be a writer to participate,” she explains. “This is not a judged program. It’s not a critique program. We’re going to give you lots of permission and encouragement to write.” Learn more about the program at FeettotheFireWriters.com.
Gain Deeper Understanding of Senior Living Technology at FORESIGHT’S Virtual Tech Summit, August 11, 12, and 13
Senior Living FORESIGHT is offering a 3-day virtual technology summit – August 11, 12, and 13 – so industry leaders can explore adapted or purpose-build tech for the industry, as well as gain answers to their essential questions. FORESIGHT’s Podcast Producer Pam McDonald and Summit Producer Lola Rain introduce the event’s topics and presenters. Pam also interviews Sarah Thomas, strategic advisor with Akara Robotics, who describes the current landscape of robotics in senior living, and Andrew Smith who details the process Human Good used to implement labor management technology into its 21 life plan communities and nearly 100 affordable housing properties Register for the Summit here.
Progress is being made on Empower, Senior Living FORESIGHT’s initiative to enrich the professional lives of women in the industry. That’s what Mary Ann Donaghy, researcher/consultant and Empower board member relates to podcast co-host Pam McDonald in this episode’s interview. Comments and questions can be addressed to her at [email protected].
An objection sometimes heard from senior living prospects is: “I don’t want to live with just old people.” Ollie, a property developer and management startup based in New York City, is overcoming this complaint with co-living apartment buildings that are amenity- and service-rich, furnished, fully stocked, and staffed. Learn more from Ms. Ryan Murphy, associate director of marketing and communications, who detailed this “convenience living” option in an interview with Steve Moran, Senior Living FORESIGHT founder and podcast cohost.
If you want to listen to more podcasts from Senior Living Foresight, visit our podcast page.
Media coverage of COVID-19 deaths may be unduly spreading fear among seniors and their families about how best to meet their long-term care needs. American Seniors Housing Association’s (ASHA) President David Schless describes the public relations initiative his organization has launched. He also urges communities to use their own or ASHA’s materials to tell authentic stories about the value of senior living, the many joyful everyday experiences of residents, and the differences between the various types of long-term care settings. To learn more about ASHA, visit their website.
If you want to listen to more podcasts from Senior Living Foresight, visit our podcast page.
Innovations Arise from the Pandemic
While crises bring challenges, they also can uncover opportunities. In this episode, we’ll hear how the pandemic spurred innovation at two senior living companies. Heritage Communities’ Lacy Jungman describes the deepened commitment among residents, families, and staff to safeguard each other’s well being. And, Kisco Senior Living’s Randall Lonoza details their innovation to handle increased waste resulting from 100% resident room-delivered meals 3 times a day. Listen to the episode here.
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Massage, Reassuring Touch; It’s Everything
Cory Scurlock, Founder of The Massage Inc., a program that brings affordable, geriatric massage to senior living, describes the value of touch and the many benefits of the therapeutic practice of massage to Pam McDonald, Podcast Producer and Co-Host. Cory also provides instructions for several self-massage exercises. To learn more about Massage Inc, visit its website. Listen to the interview here.
For more podcasts from Senior Living Foresight, visit our podcast page HERE.
Pandemic Tales from the Frontlines
Times of crisis bring challenges to overcome as well as chances to demonstrate one’s very best. Lori Alford, COO and a founder of Avanti Senior Living, tells Steve Moran, Senior Living Foresight’s Publisher, stories that demonstrate both. You can listen to the episode starting today at www.seniorlivingforesight.net/podcasts, and learn more about Avanti here.
The novel Coronavirus has the staff of senior living communities facing unimagined challenges, procedures, and reactions. Dennis McIntee, a nationally known leadership expert, offers a variety of mindsets and approaches that leaders can use to guide their team members through this tsunami of change. To learn more about Dennis, who’s often called the “drama-free guy,” visit his website at Leadership Development Group.
Click HERE to listen to more podcasts from Senior Living Foresight.
What if today’s workforce demands likeable bosses? Do you know your likeability score? Those are questions Steve Moran explores in his interview with Charn McAllister, Assistant Professor of Management and Organizational Development for Northeastern University’s School of Business. The research indicates that leader likability matters a lot – and can affect staffs’ job performance, turnover rates, and the company’s success.
Chicago needs libraries, Chicago needs affordable senior housing — why not co-locate them? That idea is bringing housing plus community to Chicago’s low-income seniors. Details are revealed in interviews by Podcast Producer Pam McDonald with David Block, Director of Development and a Principal in Evergreen Real Estate Group, (www.evergreenreg.com) and Ann McKenzie, Chief Development Officer for the Chicago Housing Authority (www.thecha.org).
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Cole Lindbergh had to hire 120 seasonal workers every year and was only able to accomplish this because he consistently got back of 80% of his team. Find out his secrets for staff retention and training in this podcast episode with Senior Living Foresight Publisher Steve Moran.
Last year Senior Living Foresight (SLF) launched its Empower initiative to enrich the professional lives of women in our industry. Publisher Steve Moran describes how listeners and readers can participate, while Advisory Board Member Mary Ann Donaghy details the ambitious action plan for 2020 and beyond.
More states are decriminalizing possession of marijuana and its derivative products. But under federal law, businesses where marijuana is found are at risk for seizure of their assets. And, despite a myriad of claims, there is a near-universal lack of scientifically valid research demonstrating that marijuana can benefit seniors. In our latest podcast, retired Judge and drug court expert Peggy Hora examines considerations for senior living regarding marijuana use in its communities.
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Consumers Want Wellness-Based Communities with Care, Not Care-based Communities with Wellness. Are You Making the Shift?
How you perceive the aging process impacts your health, quality of life, and probably how long you live. Thinking negatively about aging can steal as much as 7.6 years from your life. Colin Milner founded the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) nearly 2 decades ago to change the way we age, challenge our stereotypes about aging, and improve the quality of life for seniors. Discover the ways ICAA benefits senior living communities and society at large when older adults engage meaningfully in all aspects of life. Visit icaa.cc to learn more.
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
Building new, expanding, or remodeling senior living communities is extraordinarily expensive and fraught with lurking pitfalls. Missteps here can cost you millions or end the project before it begins. Jamie Timoteo, senior vice president of Plante Moran, a development advisory firm, warns against 7 of these potential oversights. Find more information at www.pmlivingforward.com.
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
When the room is full of top chefs, who could resist a culinary showdown? How about 3, including a mixology contest? No one – that’s what Harris Ader is willing to bet. He’s the founder of the Senior Dining Association, a professional development group that went from 0 to 420 members in just under 2 years. Listen to our podcast interview and discover the benefits this organization is bringing to dining/hospitality staff and our industry.
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
Senior Director Susan Ryan details The Green House Project’s ambitious 2.0 Initiative to return control, dignity, and a sense of well being to nursing home residents, families, and staff while maintaining high-quality and personalized care. She also describes their proven financially viable and sustainable small homes concept that is deinstitutionalizing and destigmatizing skilled nursing facilities.
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At nonprofit, Quaker-based Kendal communities (www.kendal.org), residents are extensively involved in operations and programming. As a reflection of Quaker values, residents are encouraged to design their own lifestyle, share a sense of community, and collaborate respecting one another as equals. Our guest, Larry Elveru, director of communications and public relations, points out that residents have a seat on the community boards of directors, develop and lead activities programming, and create ties with nearby colleges and universities. Listen as Larry describes just a few of their resident-initiated endeavors.
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For over a decade, Lori La Bey has been educating the public about dementia and dementia care through her “Alzheimer’s Speaks” website, blog, and podcast, as well as through her writing and speaking across the nation. Oprah calls Lori “a health hero”. Marie Shriver says she’s an Architect of Change for Humanity, and Dr. Oz claims she’s the #1 Influencer Online about Alzheimer’s. We were pleased to have Lori as our guest for this podcast.
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Seniors and their families searching the internet for support and guidance about assisted living communities are likely to find search results from a partnership between U. S. News and World Report and Caring.com. The two entities have compiled a digital directory of community-specific data, as well as reviews for nearly 9,000, assisted living communities nationwide. US News Reporter Ruben Castaneda shares some insights about the transition from home to senior living. And Ben Jackowitz describes partnership and assets shared by the two companies, including thousands of authentic consumers reviews drawn from Caring.com, a Senior Living Foresight partner and comprehensive resource for individuals looking for senior living and for providers looking to fill their communities. Additionally, for tips on decorating assisted living space in ways that can ease a transition, check out Ruben’s article here: https://health.usnews.com/best-assisted-living/slideshows/decorating-tips-for-assisted-living.
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
Would you be able to answer with a resounding YES to the question, would you move into one of your own communities? Well, Amy Birkel, COO of Heritage Communities based in Nebraska, would and has. In an experiment coordinated among the corporate . . .
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Imagine if your marketing and sales team knew where each prospect was in their decision-making journey. Imagine if your team could consistently follow up with relevant, personalized, next-step messaging. Well, thanks to innovative technology your hopeful vision can be reality now — automatically! Listen in as Lynn Madderra, VP of Ops for Continuum CRM, (a Senior Living Foresight partner), describes how you can integrate your prospect database with your marketing messaging to automatically move potential residents forward. As Lynn points out, with systems that “talk” to each other, you’ll be better able to deliver personalized, helpful messages at the right time.
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
With 25 years’ experience in senior living under his belt, operations expert and consultant Andrew Badoud believes it’s time to get back to basics — building better relationships. He says if you do the right thing, build trust and relationships with your customer and their families, and keep staff engaged that great things can happen. Listen in for a lot more takeaways when Podcast Producer and Co-Host Pam McDonald interviews her friend and former colleague. For more information about new development acquisitions, turnaround management, sales and marketing, or operations assessments, contact Andrew at [email protected].
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
Rosemary Ramsey took her senior living background in a surprising direction, when she founded The Victory Lap, an intergenerational program that benefits both senior living communities and youth about to age out of foster care. She has piloted a program in Nashville, Tennessee, that gives 18- to 21-year-old foster youth a chance to avoid the worst challenges of leaving the foster care system — homelessness, unemployment, and a lack of connection to caring adults. Listen to Steve Moran’s interview with her here.
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
The “Comm-University” at Pacifica Senior Living in Healdsburg, California, is a program that exemplifies competitive differentiation at its best. It enables the community to forego conventional marketing yet sustain 100% occupancy with a waiting list. But even more than that, it enhances residents’ sense of purpose and joy, connects children in meaningful ways with elders, solidifies relationships with residents’ families, and is a source of pride for management and staff. Listen as program coordinators Tony Fisher and Julia Agee detail how it’s done.
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
Given that so many seniors can’t afford the average $2,000 to $5,000 per month cost of traditional senior living, Senior Housing Forum — The Podcast seeks to feature as many successful models as we find. In this episode, Garden Spot Communities’ CEO Steve Lindsey describes how they put together their affordable senior co-living home in New Holland, Pennsylvania. Visit https://www.gardenspotvillage.org/ for more information.
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
Listen in and discover how Songs by Heart — a twist on sing-along programs — enhances resident engagement and quality of life. Podcast Producer and Co-Host Pam McDonald interviews Jenny Cook, a board-certified music therapist with the Songs by Heart Foundation, to learn how the program works and benefits residents as well as their families. Pam then interviews Annette DeCamp, Program Manager for The Kenwood by Senior Star in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Song by Heart is a big part of the activities they offer. Annette describes why she’s such a huge fan of Songs by Heart.
More information about Songs by Heart can be found at http://www.songsbyheart.org, and about The Kenwood at https://www.seniorstar.com/kenwood.
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
The gauntlet has been thrown down: senior living operators have been challenged to maximize their residents’ opportunities for joy — especially given its immense value and benefits. In this episode, SHF Publisher Steve Moran interviews Ingrid Fetell Lee, researcher, designer, and author of JOYFUL: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness. Listen in and discover what joy contributes to individual happiness as well as how to create it, especially through environmental surroundings. You can read more from Ingrid Lee on her website AestheticsofJoy.com.
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
Tom Sanders is a professional photographer and filmmaker with over 15 years’ experience who focuses on capturing portraits of elder — grabbing our attention and suggesting a wealth of experience in their eyes. Tom has two coffee table, photo-essay books published, one spotlighting World War II veterans, the other, Vietnam Veterans. Here he shares some tips for getting the best photos of your residents. You can see his work at www.tomsandersphoto.com.
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
In Part 2 of this episode, we continue our conversation about accountability with culture guru Denise Boudreau-Scott, found and president of Drive. Here she relates a personal story that exemplified how a positive company culture works. And, she describes her secret dream for senior living’s future in which it embodies its values. For more information, contact Denise at [email protected]. Listen to part one here.
Click HERE for more from the Senior Living Foresight Podcast.
