Elevate Eldercare

In today’s episode, Beth Furlong, RN, Community Relations Manager, and Hilary Camino, a certified neurologic music therapist at Sage Living in Jackson, Wyo., sit down with Susan Ryan. 

Furlong offers a history of the Living Center and its evolution into Sage Living, emphasizing the need for a larger, more home-like space. She describes the collaboration with architects to design a dedicated music and art center.

The two talk about the significant impact music therapy has had in their community for the past eight years, including how it has fostered resident engagement and outcomes such as reduced isolation and decreased use of psychotropic meds.

Camino’s work was showcased in the short film documentary, "Something Changed in the Room," a winner at the Toronto Documentary Feature & Short Film Festival in 2024.She shares her journey and the introduction of music therapy at Sage Living Center, explains the initial skepticism from the hospital staff and the successful pilot program they implemented. 

Whatever your notion might be of what a ‘music therapist’ does and the value it can bring to each of us, this conversation will inspire you to think and do differently.

More about Sage Living: https://www.sageliving.health/

More about Nordoff Robins Music Therapy here: https://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/20.500.12289/4429/4429.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Link to short film: 

https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FBOtERCxdhdA&data=05%7C02%7Cjwright%40thegreenhouseproject.org%7C3195dd8fee9644e183db08dce47d29c3%7Cbc6dc8c871304f4383da60f11c51880a%7C1%7C0%7C638636473464784427%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=o9Ch6%2FFYhpa4U%2Ffww7B%2BTGxp1n7Cm81cnH5Q%2FjbnQMg%3D&reserved=0

Equity in aging is a topic that must be discussed more often in the field of eldercare. Today, Susan Ryan sits down with guest Marvell Adams Jr. to address this topic head on.

Together, they unpack the many ways in which he is working to dismantle inequities in aging and create communities of inclusion. 

Leveraging his two decades of work in the aging services field, Adams has created the Longevity + Inclusion Alliance Fellows program through his consulting company, W Lawson. He has held leadership positions at eldercare communities and organizations; holds a seat on the Center for Innovation board; and is also CEO of the Caregiver Action Network.

This episode examines Adams’ mission to foster true diversity in the eldercare space – including diversity of age, gender expression, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and so much more. In an age where simple concepts like acceptance and equity have become political footballs, Adams keeps working toward the inclusive, welcoming future we all deserve.

More about Caregiver Action Network HERE.

More About the Longevity + Inclusion Alliance Fellows Program HERE.

To be the developer of The Green House Project’s BEST LIFE Approach for supporting persons living with dementia, it takes a very special commitment to person-directed living, the dignity of risk taking, and maintaining mobility. 

This is certainly the case for today’s guest, Anne Ellett. As a certified nurse practitioner and gerontological nurse, a dementia specialist, educator, author and speaker who continues to learn from persons living with dementia, Ellett brings a perspective that few others in the field can. 

She sits down with Susan Ryan to talk about her unique journey in dementia care and the moments that have shaped her career, culminating in her recent book, “Getting Dementia Care Right”—written for memory care professionals, individuals living with dementia, and family caregivers. 

Ellett offers key highlights from her book, sharing principles that focus on improving quality of life, normalcy, and individualized care. She also talks about the tools and strategies for embracing innovative approaches to support people living with dementia, addressing and overcoming the challenges to produce positive changes in the lives of resident and care staff alike.

Find her book HERE.

Learn more about Memory Care Support, the company she founded, here: https://memorycaresupport.com

Upholding civil liberties, addressing fear, and creating flexible systems to support individuals who are living with dementia are passionate goals for the three guests on this episode of Elevate Eldercare. 

Susan Ryan sits down with Jennifer Carson, PhD, director of the Dementia Engagement, Education, and Research (DEER) program at the Univ. of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health; Al Power, MD, geriatrician and Schlegel Chair in Aging and Dementia Innovation at the Schlegel-U Waterloo Research Institute at the Univ. of Rochester, New York; Jen Wilson, vice president of well-being at Carol Woods Retirement Community, as they help memory care providers open their minds and their doors to living well with cognitive change

As the trio describes their quest to create “dementia-inclusive” communities, Wilson shares her 40-year career in supporting people with dementia, emphasizing the need for social justice and partnership with those affected.  Dr. Power reflects on the negative impacts of segregated memory care, and Dr. Carson describes the Quest Upstream project, which focuses on reframing dementia, promoting well-being, and fostering inclusive environments.

You can learn much more about their work at the forefront of dementia care during their pre conference session at the 2024 Center for Innovation Conference this November: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2024-conference/

Find out more about the DEER program here: https://www.unr.edu/public-health/centers-and-programs/dementia-engagement-education-and-research-program

Learn about Carol Woods Retirement Community here: https://www.carolwoods.org

If you’ve never heard Homeboy Industries, you’re just a brief Google search away from discovering an incredible nonprofit that is considered to be the most the most successful gang intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the country. 

In this episode, Susan Ryan talks with Homeboy CEO Tom Vozzo, who will also give the opening keynote talk at our upcoming Center for Innovation 2024 conference this November. His book, “The Homeboy Way,” examines the many lessons he’s learned as CEO and how to bring the Homeboy philosophy to life as the perfect antidote to the massive tidal currents of social injustice and inequities in the workplace.

Vozzo shares his journey from running billion-dollar businesses to leading Homeboy Industries. He talks about the organization’s programs, services, and businesses that help to change lives and celebrate each individual’s worth.  

More information about Vozzo and his book here: https://homeboyindustries.org/thehomeboyway/

A short video of Vozzo talking about Homeboy and his work: https://youtu.be/dOm0LbxHhk4?si=udO6FiWHV4UrJFxI

Sign up for the CFI 2024 conference to see Vozzo speak in person: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2024-conference-agenda/

Biophilia, the desire or tendency to commune with nature, is top of mind for author Julia Hotz, who joins the podcast to talk about her new book “The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging.” 

Hotz explains how the phenomenon of social prescribing, a non-medical approach to improving health by connecting with nature and community resources, is catching on in the United States after taking root in the United Kingdom. 

In addition to examining the research behind her book, she offers anecdotes to illustrate the power of nature, the arts, and having purpose, including stories from her global tour to more than 30 countries.

Despite some barriers to adopting social prescribing in the United States, she points to examples of communities where the concept has been successfully implemented.

Finally, Hotz talks about what each of us can do to impact our own environments—where we live and where we work—to create solutions that foster better health and wellbeing.  

Find her book on Amazon, here: https://www.amazon.com/Connection-Cure-Prescriptive-Movement-Belonging/dp/1668030330

Explore social prescribing resources at www.socialprescribing.co. 

Follow Hotz on Instagram, X, and TikTok using the handle @hotzthoughts.

It’s a presidential election year in the United States, with politics dominating the headlines from now until November. For many older people living in communal care settings, the ability to vote isn’t always guaranteed, even though it’s a baseline right that citizens do not lose as they age.

Kate Poppenhagen, formerly the long-term care ombudsman for Larimer County, Colo. and currently a Ph.D student in social gerontology, joins the podcast to discuss a new effort to ensure all elders can vote this November, regardless of where they call home — and regardless of the candidates they support.

Explore elder voting resources: https://theconsumervoice.org/issues/other-issues-and-resources/voting-rights

https://www.eac.gov/voters/register-and-vote-in-your-state

Use the following hashtags to share voting resources specific to your state: #LTCvotes, #LTCRightToVote, #RightsRestored

Attend our conference in November: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2024-conference/

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.

Everly will lead a two-part masterclass session on the five pillars of transformative, resilient leadership at the Center for Innovation Conference, bringing together the Green House Project and Pioneer Network communities, this November in Grand Rapids, Mich. — click below to learn more!

Learn more about George Everly: https://hopkinshumanitarianhealth.org/people/george-s-everly-jr/

Attend our conference in November: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2024-conference/

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 demographics.

This week, Maryland Department of Aging secretary Carmel Roques joins the podcast to discuss the Longevity-Ready Maryland Initiative – a comprehensive plan aimed at not just improving existing systems, but laying the groundwork for a future where every elder in the state can thrive regardless of their income, savings, or home ZIP code.

Learn more about Longevity-Ready Maryland: https://aging.maryland.gov/Pages/LRM.aspx

Attend our conference in November: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2024-conference/

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 household-model community for elders living with dementia, his vision for better alignment between regulations and what stakeholders actually want, and other perspectives from an already illustrious career as a forward-thinking eldercare champion.

Learn more about A.G. Rhodes’s new memory care community: https://cobbreporter.com/stories/660739317-a-g-rhodes-opens-37-5-million-senior-memory-care-facility-in-marietta

 Attend our conference in November: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2024-conference/