Elevate Eldercare

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/

We go down under this week to speak with Angela Raguz, the chief operating and risk officer for HammondCare — a pioneering operator of small-home eldercare cottages in Australia, and one of CFI's partners in the Household Model International Consortium.

Angela dives into her 30-year career at the forefront of dignified and radically non-institutional eldercare services and supports, whether it happens in HammondCare's small homes or in communities across the country through Dementia Support Australia, the organization's direct outreach arm for individuals, families, and caregivers.

Learn more about HammondCare and Dementia Support Australia: https://www.hammond.com.au/, https://www.dementia.com.au/

Learn more about the consortium: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/press-releases/green-house-project-enters-global-small-home-eldercare-alliance/

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

Tireless advocate Carrie Leljedal returns to the podcast to discuss her work to bridge the worlds of advocacy for elders and people living with disabilities, which began after her adult son experienced a prolonged lockdown away from family and friends during the pandemic. She turned her anger and frustration into a new career as a champion for essential caregiver legislation, ensuring that families are never again locked away from loved ones — no matter what kind of care community they call home.

Learn more about Caregivers for Compromise: https://caregivers4compromise.com/

Read the bill: https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/s4280/BILLS-118s4280is.pdf

Learn more about the DCW Strategies Center: https://acl.gov/DCWcenter

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

It'll soon be that time again: We're gathering the Green House Project and Pioneer Network communities together at the Center for Innovation conference, coming to Grand Rapids, Mich. from November 11-13.

This week, join CFI team members Susan Ryan, Marla DeVries, and Stacey Bergmann for a preview of the conference, a discussion of why in-person connections are so important at this point in the history of eldercare, and what sets our event apart from others on the conference circuit.

Take advantage of low early bird rates on our conference: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2024-conference/

View the full agenda: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2024-conference-agenda/

Across all industries, it can be difficult to separate promising, useful tech solutions from the hype — especially in senior living and eldercare, which have historically been slow to adopt even basic systems like electronic health records and high-speed wifi.

Parasol Alliance CEO Amber Bardon has spent nearly a decade trying to change that reality, working with providers across the spectrum to adopt and implement comprehensive technology plans. She joins the podcast to explain why leaders must rethink their organizations' relationships with tech: Instead of "IT" being a person who stops by every once in a while to fix a buggy printer, it must be the cornerstone of any forward-thinking provider.

Learn more about Parasol Alliance: https://parasolalliance.com/

Subscribe to the "Raising Tech" podcast: https://parasolalliance.com/resource_type/podcast/

Save the date for our annual conference, coming November 11-13: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2024-conference/