Elevate Eldercare

More than 30 years ago, current Center for Innovation board chair Michele Holleran launched her eponymous data analytics firm with a focus that was considered revolutionary at the time: measuring the resident and staff satisfaction at senior living communities.

Holleran's mission is now far more mainstream, and she joins "Elevate Eldercare" to discuss some of the more promising trends that she and her team have uncovered in recent years in a special preview of her new podcast, "The Data Dive."

For instance, for all the legitimate concern about building a resilient long-term care workforce, Holleran has found higher levels of staff engagement in eldercare than corporate America writ large – evidence that with the right combination of leadership and listening to caregiver and resident needs, the industry might be on stronger footing than believed.

Learn more about Holleran Consulting: https://holleranconsult.com/

Listen to Holleran Consulting's new podcast, "The Data Dive": https://holleranconsult.com/podcast/

For the first time ever, The Green House Project and Pioneer Network are hosting a single conference under the Center for Innovation banner, and we want the entire eldercare community to be there!

In this week's episode, hear CFI's Penny Cook, Marla DeVries, and Joan Devine talk about the engaging speakers coming to Pittsburgh from July 23-26, including "Compassionomics" co-author Dr. Stephen Trzeciak, groundbreaking dementia researcher Dr. Al Power, and many more! Plus, learn more about the special performance of "A Box of Memories," a one-act musical about living with dementia coming to Pittsburgh all the way from Australia, and the lineup of special pre-conference sessions designed to give attendees a more in-depth educational experience.

Taken together, the first annual CFI conference is all about helping people interested in eldercare reform to connect, engage, and make an impact back home in their communities. We can't wait to see you there!

Learn more about the conference and register today: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2023-conference/

Watch Dr. Stephen Trzeciak's TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elW69hyPUuI

Learn more about primary conference sponsor Parker: https://www.parkerlife.org/

The Montessori approach to education empowers children to learn by doing activities that emphasize their innate abilities, not by rote or one-size-fits-all lessons. Inspired by his family's own experiences with the Montessori method, Cameron Camp decided to apply those principles to dementia care, a field where far too often people are boiled down to sets of symptoms and behaviors to manage within rigid, impersonal structures.

Camp's work with the Center for Applied Research in Dementia has helped to shift the traditional thinking around dementia services, focusing on elders' retained abilities and what Camp calls "cognitive ramps" – simple adaptations, similar to wheelchair ramps, that allow people living with dementia to continue participating in society and empowering activities.

Camp joins Penny Cook to discuss his work and his vision for a truly person-directed future for all types of eldercare.

Join us in Pittsburgh for the 2023 CFI conference: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2023-conference/

Learn about the Center for Applied Research in Dementia: https://www.cen4ard.com/

Explore Cameron and Linda Camp's book: https://www.cen4ard.com/product/teaching-empathy-and-conflict-resolution-to-people-with-dementia/

During the pandemic, the father-daughter team of Duncan and Erin McKellar teamed up – over Zoom, of course – to create a passion project based on their unique life experiences and skills.

As both a psychiatrist specializing in the treatment of older people and the son of a woman, Lizzy, who was diagnosed with early onset dementia at age 60, Duncan has extensive firsthand experience navigating the world of Alzheimer's and other types of dementia. Erin, meanwhile, is pursuing a doctorate in music, with a particular focus on using songs and the stage to address important issues, including social justice.

Together, they created "A Box of Memories," a musical about a woman living with dementia, her child, and a doctor whose attitudes on eldercare change as he experiences his patient's dementia journey.

We're proud to announce that "A Box of Memories" is coming to the first annual CFI conference in Pittsburgh on July 23, thanks to the generous support of our friends at Parker. All attendees will receive a free ticket to the Sunday evening performance, courtesy of Parker, so listen in and get inspired for the show!

Register for the CFI conference: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2023-conference/

Learn more about HammondCare: https://www.hammond.com.au/

This week, please enjoy the first episode of our new podcast series, "Mission Possible," produced in conjunction with the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care and AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Each week, you'll hear in-depth interviews and conversations about the ways that leaders can turn decades of reports and recommendations into real results for the people who live in and work in U.S. nursing homes.

As the co-founder and former CEO of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), Robert Kramer has a deep and broad perspective on the financial factors that shape long-term care. Like it or not, in a for-profit health care system, where investors put their dollars – and where they don't – has a direct impact on the types of services that are available to elders across the country.

Alex Spanko sat down with Kramer to talk through the current nursing home investment landscape and discuss possible financial levers for driving change in long-term care. Please note this interview was originally recorded in fall 2022.

Like what you hear? Check out the "Mission Possible" homepage and subscribe on the service of your choice: https://sites.libsyn.com/463842

Learn more about the producers of "Mission Possible":

https://theconsumervoice.org/

https://paltc.org/

When Rose Marie Fagan first applied for a job as a nursing home ombudsman, she had no prior experience with long-term care or health care in general – but her status as an outsider almost immediately proved to be a much bigger asset than a liability.

With her fresh eyes, Fagan was able to clearly see the injustices of the era, including physical restraints, unsanitary conditions, and dehumanizing treatment of elders. That perspective inspired her to join in the founding of Pioneer Network in 1997, and while nursing homes have improved since her earliest days in the sector, Fagan continues to fight for the de-institutionalization of eldercare services.

Fagan sits down with Penny Cook – one of the countless people that Fagan has mentored and inspired throughout her career as an eldercare advocate – for a discussion of her career and vision for the future of empowering support for all elders.

Join us in Pittsburgh July 23-26: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2023-conference/

Learn more about the Green House-Pioneer alliance: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/pioneer-alliance/

Explore the Live Oak Project's work: https://liveoak4agingjustice.org/

Lori Smetanka of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care returns to "Elevate Eldercare" for an update on the key nursing home reform policies that she and other consumer advocates are watching most closely – including minimum staffing levels, ownership and investor transparency, and finally incorporating real person-centered care principles into day-to-day operations at all communities.

Many of these problems have been persistent for decades, but Smetanka continues to advocate on behalf of the people who live and work in nursing homes – with a particular focus on giving them a platform in a discourse that too often excludes them in favor of other voices.

Learn more about the Consumer Voice: https://theconsumervoice.org/

If you're a nursing home resident who wants to share your thoughts with peers around the country – or if you know a resident who does – reach out directly to Lori at [email protected]

Barry Barkan played a crucial role in the formation of Pioneer Network in 1997, but his experience in eldercare goes back 20 years before that, to a fateful morning of reflection in Live Oak Park in Berkeley, Calif.

Barry joins "Elevate Eldercare" and longtime colleague Penny Cook to discuss his five decades of advocacy for elders, starting with the then-radical – and far too often, still radical – idea that elders are people who are entitled to continued growth, fulfillment, engagement, and dignity.

It's impossible to hear Barry speak and not come away inspired, so tune in for a fascinating journey through the history of eldercare reform with one of its most passionate and influential voices.

Learn more about the Live Oak Project: https://liveoak4agingjustice.org/

Learn more about the first annual CFI conference, coming to Pittsburgh July 23-26: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2023-conference/

Even as a self-described "mediocre gardener," Orla Concannon has brought the joys of nature to thousands of elders across the country – all by bringing the garden to them.

Eldergrow, Concannon's company, started out as a graduate school project but has since grown into a successful firm with national reach, empowering elders in a variety of settings to tend to indoor gardens while also enjoying the fruits of their labor through innovative and healthy cooking classes.

Concannon joins "Elevate Eldercare" to discuss the power of nature to enhance the lives of all people, including older adults living in communal care settings, and how her experiences with both nature and older adults in her own life led her down her career path.

Learn more about Eldergrow: https://www.eldergrow.org/

Submit your session proposals for the first annual CFI conference, in Pittsburgh July 23-26: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2023-conference/

As the president of the Point Roberts Circle of Care board, Galen Wood has a unique task in a unique place – providing services and supports for elders in one of the most secluded spots in the United States.

The town of Point Roberts, Wash. is what geographers call a pene-exclave. Located at the end of a peninsula, Point Roberts is surrounded by water on three sides and Canada to the north, meaning all land traffic has to come across an international border. In normal times, this presents a series of challenges, but during the pandemic and after, it's made life even more difficult for the locals – especially elders who rely on services and supports on both sides of the border.

Wood joins "Elevate Eldercare" to talk about her organization's work advocating for older residents, including the Circle of Care's five-year plan to bring Green House homes to Point Roberts, as well as her long career as a successful consultant and leader in the corporate world.

Learn more about the Point Roberts Circle of Care: https://www.prcircleofcare.com/

Read about pene-exclaves, including Point Roberts: https://www.uh.edu/engines/epi2993.htm

Stay informed about the Center for Innovation conference, July 23-26 in Pittsburgh: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2023-conference/