AI50

Dr. Aubrey de Grey is a biomedical gerontologist based in Mountain View, California, USA, and is the Chief Science Officer of SENS Research Foundation, a California-based 501(c)(3) biomedical research charity that performs and funds laboratory research dedicated to combating aging. In addition, he is Editor-in-Chief of Rejuvenation Research, the world’s highest-impact peer-reviewed journal focused on intervention in aging.

He received his BA in computer science and Ph.D. in biology from the University of Cambridge. His research interests encompass the characterization of all the types of self-inflicted cellular and molecular damage that constitute mammalian aging and the design of interventions to repair and/or obviate that damage.

Dr. de Grey is a Fellow of both the Gerontological Society of America and the American Aging Association, and sits on the editorial and scientific advisory boards of numerous journals and organizations. He is a highly sought-after speaker who gives 40-50 invited talks per year at scientific conferences, universities, companies in areas ranging from pharma to life insurance, and to the public.

Topics Discussed:

• Brief overview of SENS
• Why try to end aging?
• How soon do you think we will end aging?
• What role does rejuvenation biotech play in the COVID-19 pandemic? How would regenerative medicine help us better cope with the pandemic?
• How are you implementing the techniques you research in your own life?
• Which breakthrough are you most proud of?

Aubrey's Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aubrey-de-grey-24260b/
Personal Website: https://www.sens.org/
Company Website: https://www.mfoundation.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aubreydegrey

Emily Johnson is the Founder and Creative Director of StrongerU Senior Fitness. The first senior fitness certification globally to empower recreation, fitness, and wellness professionals and senior-serving organizations such as retirement communities and senior centers to deliver quality, safe, effective, and engaging fitness experiences through monthly pre-choreographed class content. She is on a mission to help seniors stay physically strong, intellectually sharp, and socially connected.

Topics Discussed:

• The current state of fitness in senior living
• Misconceptions about aging and exercise – ie. Gentle exercise and stretching
• How focusing on fitness can help senior living orgs to succeed post pandemic
• Where to start for senior living orgs wanting to elevate their fitness offering
• Where to go next if you already have a pretty good fitness offering

Emily's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-johnson-strongeru/

Ryan Haller
Founding Principal

Ryan has over 15 years of experience in operations, real estate development, and M&A in the senior living field. He has been featured in many national publications, and is a frequent speaker at industry events including NIC, LTC 100, Senior Living 100, and Senior Housing News’ BUILD.

Ryan seeks every opportunity to be a trailblazer in the industry, as exemplified by his time at Avamere as Chief Development Officer creating the Ovation brand with the assistance of Ritz Carlton hotels. Ryan has led north of $3.7B in senior living transactions since 2008 at firms including Fortress Investment Group (NYSE: FIG), Newcastle REIT (NYSE: NCT), PDCo, and Orchard Hill Partners.

Ryan is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and Executive Board of Directors for the American Senior Housing Association (ASHA). He holds degrees from the University of Nebraska (B.S. in finance), Portland State University (G.C. in Real Estate Development) and Mississippi State University (M.B.A.).

Dave Mazurek
Managing Principal

Dave has over 15 years of real estate development, finance and operations experience across seven property types. Prior to joining WELL, Dave led the senior living platforms for Sterling Bay and Convexity Properties where he developed projects with costs over $620M. Additional experience includes Ventas, Inc. (NYSE: VTR), where he was responsible for overseeing all capital investment activities for a portfolio of 95 senior living communities in the US and Canada.

Dave is a Vice Chair of the Urban Land Institute Senior Housing Council, a graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.S. degree in finance and played professional baseball following college.

Topics Covered:

1. The next generation consumer that was coming even before COVID, and with that, the advent of affinity group senior living.
2. Our COGENT brand will be the first to introduce true coliving created for seniors.
3. What the continuum of care will mean to senior living in 2025 and beyond.  Today, it's a cliche term that is often misused in senior living.  We hope through our four brands to introduce a new version of the continuum of care through our 11 Dimensions of WELLth.
4. What the post-pandemic consumer and marketplace looks like, separate from #1 above.  What we are seeing in the debt and equity market, lessons learned, and what we do and do not discern to be a "fad" or "hot take" as we exit COVID and move onward to the next generation.

Ryan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-h-59b713a/
Dave's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-mazurek-6778186/detail/contact-info/
Website: https://www.sterlingbay.com/

The pandemic has highlighted the resiliency of the human spirit across humanity, particularly those serving the older adults. It has made many people slow down and give them the time to think about what’s most important.

In healthcare, the true compassion, courage, heart, and knowledge of the front-line teams are and have been incredible. Especially given that they were entirely understaffed, underprepared, and under-protected. It is the worst best-case scenario, and there is tremendous pride in being part of the system that must keep going.

There are many things to be grateful for despite this difficult time. Here are (3 of 5) conversations, and I hope you will enjoy this recording of friends and industry experts about their silver linings as they go into 2021.

Guest Speakers (Timestamps):
01:08 Jim Biggs
06:58 Chris Heinz
10:43 Rachel Blumberg
18:39 Tricia Silverman
25:04 Caroline Cadalbert

What is the “silver lining” in this crisis for you?

In times of crisis, we must project optimism and look for opportunities and possibilities.  We will survive this crisis and come out of it stronger if we work together, demonstrate resilience, stay focused on what’s most important, and identify opportunities that others miss.

We are all being tested, as human beings, in ways that were unimaginable at the beginning of the pandemic. 

Here are (2 of 5) conversations, and I hope you will enjoy recording friends and industry experts share about their silver linings as they go into 2021.

Guest Speakers (Timestamps):
00:56 Chai Chuah
05:35 Loretta Shacklett
09:56 Christine Thelker
14:09 Natasha Goldstein-Levitas
16:36 Krystal L. Culler
22:39 Judy Cornish

2020 has been an eventful year for all of us globally, particularly for healthcare workers and older adults in long-term care. However 2020 had silver linings that would stand out as astonishing triumphs of human achievement in any older year. There were tremendous leaps in areas ranging from public health to medicine and technology.

There's so much to fight for, and honor the work of many people who under adverse conditions in a challenging time, still made tremendous progress on critical problems.

As we move into 2021 heading loss, many things that we should not have lost, more than 1.5 million preventable deaths have occurred so far. Hundreds of millions have been pushed into a spiral of poverty.

But beneath all of that, there is still real work in the world, which transforms our lives, helps older adults, treats disease and makes the future brighter.

That work deserves a spotlight. Here are (1 of 5) conversations with friends, and industry experts who share their silver linings as they go into 2021. 

Guest Speakers (Timestamps):
01:26 Hanh Brown - Introduction message
02:49 Lakleyn Hogan
04:48 Greg Gorgone
08:06 Ngan MacDonald
10:36 Rachel Nader
12:40 David Weisman
14:12 Michael R. Klatt
16:32 Steven Fuller
22:51 Kathryne Fassbender
25:51 Rick Banas
30:09 Cliff Ewing
33:21 Scott Tolan
35:52 Tom Tressler

Kate Swaffer, MSc, BPsych, BA, Retired Nurse
Chair, CEO & co-founder, Dementia Alliance International                                   

Kate Swaffer is a humanitarian and an award-winning campaigner for the rights of people with dementia and older persons globally. She has a Master of Science in Dementia Care, a Bachelor of Psychology, a BA, a graduate Diploma in grief counselling, and is a retired chef, and a retired nurse.

Swaffer has played a key role in campaigning for the human and legal rights for people with dementia including equal access to the CRPD. She has been tireless in her work on reframing dementia as a disability, for rehabilitation for dementia, and is the first person in the world with dementia, diagnosed herself at the age of 49, to be a keynote speaker at the WHO.

Swaffer has won many national and international awards for her work including 2017 Australian Of The Year in South Australia, and the 2018 Global Leader, top 100 Women Of Influence in Australia. She has contributed to key policy documents including work for the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Quality Rights initiative, the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) and is an Ambassador for StepUp for Dementia Research in Australia.

Swaffer has two honorary university positions, has been very active as a researcher, and is a highly published author and poet. Her uncompleted doctoral work, and other research projects includes Dementia as a Disability, Disability Rights, Human and Legal Rights, Stigma, Quality of Life, and the Public Discourse of Dementia.  She has published two books, What the hell happened to my brain? Living beyond dementia (2016) and Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or Another Dementia (2016), two poetry books, and countless journal articles, media appearances, interviews, publications, and blogs.

Topics of discussion:

• What was it like being diagnosed with dementia at the age of 49?
• What do you wish you knew then, that you know now?
• Why have you been campaigning for dementia as a disability, and for human rights all people with dementia for over a decade?
• Tell us about the stigma and discrimination you have experienced since diagnosis.
• Have there been any gifts having dementia?

Kate's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-swaffer-502a5b13/

Jake Rothstein is the CEO and Founder of UpsideHoM, whose mission is to enhance the quality of life for older adults everywhere. UpsideHoM is the first and only fully managed, shared living option for older adults, providing a turn-key, affordable and appealing alternative to traditional senior living.

Jake previously co-founded Papa - a company which pairs older adults and families with “Papa Pals” for companionship and assistance with everyday tasks - based on experience with his own grandfather (who he called Papa). Witnessing the wide-spread nature of loneliness, isolation and unaffordable housing options for older adults, Jake developed the idea for UpsideHoM, which would provide a solution to more completely tackle these challenges at scale.

With a background in technology sales, operations and management, Jake has experience building and running successful, international teams, selling enterprise software into the Global 2000.

Jake holds a BA in Economics from the University of Florida. He is a FAA certificated Private Pilot who enjoys flying, outdoor running and spending time with his incredible wife Sharona and their Goldendoodle Louie.

Topics Discussed:

• Everyone ages differently - Why does senior living have to be a one-size fits all approach? Why not different?
• Why loneliness is different than social isolation – and how to tackle both?
• The looming housing affordability crisis
• Changing tastes/needs of today’s older adults
• Why aging in place sounds nice but isn’t always realistic for you or your family

Jake's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakerothstein/

Dr. Sandeep Pulim, MD is the Chief Medical Officer at Bluestream Health. He most recently served as the Chief Innovation Officer at Medici, and prior to joining the Medici team, Sandeep worked to enable cognitive technology at the point of care for HCPs and patients, to positively impact clinical learning and quality measures for healthcare organizations, pharma, and payers. Previously as co-founder of Health Recovery Solutions, he helped empower patients to better manage their health and improve quality of life using evidence-based interventions using remote patient monitoring.

Topics Covered:

• Access to care
• Supporting caregivers with technology
• Challenges with technology
• Staying healthy at home

Sandeep's Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spulim/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SPulim
Health for America: https://www.healthforamerica.org/
Blueprint health: https://www.blueprinthealth.org/

Dr. Lydia Cristobal DNP, LNHA, RN-BC, NEA-BC is a healthcare executive who has worked in various health care settings and specializes in post-acute and geriatric care.  She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing administration from New York University and Doctor of Nursing practice from Yale University.  Her credentials are licensed nursing home administrator, board certified in gerontology, and board certified in advanced nurse executive practice.  A Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, she continues to serve in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Major in the Nurse Corps at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey.  She is currently the administrator of a hospital-based skilled nursing facility in Hudson County, New Jersey.
 
Topics Discussed:

• Organizational stewardship
• High turnover rates in nursing home leadership
• Changing the way geriatric care is delivered
• Evidence-based practice

Lydia's Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydiacristobal/detail/contact-info/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gemcristobal