Dr. Nancy Swanger, Founding Director of Granger Cobb Institute, spreads the word about how we as an industry can create a culture of change for younger generations to appreciate the kind of thinking that Institute's namesake brought. We take a peak under the hood of the engine of an educational model that's driving the next generation that will be working the halls of the senior living communities, and how we can give it some gas.

Find out more about the Granger Cobb Institute for senior living. 

Dr Diana Sowers, Audiologist, is a special guest and a great source of learning as we come up on World Hearing Day on Friday, March 3. She packs this 20 minute interview with facts about how hearing loss affects people's quality of life at varying ages, the physical, medical and societal costs of leaving it untreated, and of course, how she's seen it affect senior living residents and communities.

Evans Adrian, Co-founder & COO of Endeavor Senior Living, leans into his role as a black sheep of the industry and makes a conscious effort to go against the status quo. He poses some questions to his peers that some wouldn't ask and urges those around him, employees and otherwise, to be on the nose with obstacles. He wants to make sure that technology & workflows are working for us rather than the other way around.

Emily Alexander, VP of Customer Success at WelcomeHome Software, makes us feel like a smooth transition into tech adoption is easier than even we originally thought. She helps connect the dots in the often all-too-vague notion of great customer service for any vendors, and how a provider can make sure they're getting the most out of their vendors.

Eric Varin, SVP of Sales with The Aspenwood Company, bestows some of his 15+ years of experience into this episode. He has some interesting insights into senior living's history, and it gives light to all of the good work that's happening all around us. Hearing this comparison also gives a unique perspective into where we're headed, and what we could do to change the general public's perspective from a persistent view that all senior living is skilled nursing.

He's also had some time on the vendor side of senior living, and shares what he realized were some misconceptions about vendors. This is useful for communities to know how they can really leverage those relationships to their benefit, and how vendors can improve to be more helpful and effective for our community partners.

Jeff Arnold, COO with United Group of Companies, gives us a look into what a fairly new program called Active Adult that has started sweeping through the Senior Living industry. Hear what it means, and how it can change the dynamic between community and resident, or even among the residents themselves.

Happy new year! Welcome back to our second year of the All Ears podcast. We found the perfect fit to continue the theme of joy from the holiday season. Amy Kotterman, Director of Customer Experience with United Church Homes, introduces the role of the Joyologist that UCH has introduced into its staff. We learn what that role brings with it and hard statistics for how it has improved staff retention and satisfaction.

Originally recorded Aug 2021

We're opening up this episode of All Ears from before we officially started the podcast, with Iyvonne Byers, Chief Financial Officer with Priority Life Care, LLC to talk about the stigmas that come with the finance department in senior living and how the finance roles can actually enable more joy across communities. Listen to hear how the finance team can actually be your "yes" team for spending in the best ways possible. 

Originally recorded September 2021

Julie Podewitz, CSO at Vitality Living and founder of Grow Your Occupancy, shares her expertise on how to solve the occupancy puzzle. If you're interested in her book, you can find it linked below. 

https://a.co/d/bkeHuSa

Originally recorded in December 2021

Angie talks about the joys of being with family around the holidays, but the unique challenges that having a loved one in Memory Care can have. We hear some ways to make these visits still as meaningful as ever with those living with dementia. This is an episode that we aired online before this podcast, and thought this is a good reminder as we head into the holiday season this year. Happy holidays!