Elevate Eldercare

To kick off yet another uncertain year, "Elevate Eldercare" welcomes back Dr. William Haseltine for a dose of both hard reality and hope for managing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In the first part of the interview, conducted in late October, Dr. Haseltine – a renowned expert on virology and infectious disease – accurately predicted the ongoing risk that new variants will present to health care providers and officials around the globe. With a mixture of warning and optimism, Dr. Haseltine clearly broke down the strategies that will and will not work to contain this virus, along with the silver linings that can continue to sustain us through another uncertain winter: new antiviral treatments, workable blueprints for change, and the world-changing technological breakthroughs that will provide relief during COVID and future health crises.

In the second part, recorded in mid-December, Dr. Haseltine offers specific commentary and guidance around the omicron variant, which emerged in the relatively short window of time between interviews. As he did in October, Dr. Haseltine cautions individuals and leaders alike that vaccines alone cannot stop this pandemic – and that we all must continue to serve as our collective brothers' keepers to prevent more illness and death.

Learn more about The Green House Project: www.thegreenhouseproject.org

Learn more about Dr. Haseltine's organization, Access Health International: https://accessh.org/

In this last episode of the year, Susan Ryan and Alex Spanko look back at some of the guests and ideas that stuck with the entire Green House Project team from the "Elevate Eldercare" podcast in 2021.

From the importance of inclusion in eldercare settings to the need for collaborative and transformative change, the leaders who joined the podcast this past year brought bold visions for the future rooted in their diverse experiences working in the field.

The end of the year often comes with an urge to look forward – but with new COVID variants ensuring that this pandemic will have no definitive end, it's more important than ever to look back at the lessons learned to inform the hard work ahead.

Finally, this episode concludes with the voices that are so often unheard in discussions of long-term care reform: the frontline caregivers who work tirelessly to serve elders all year round.

Catch up on all our past podcasts at www.thegreenhouseproject.org/podcast

Show notes/call to action: Learn more about The Green House Project: www.thegreenhouseproject.org

This week we have another inspirational woman to highlight on "Let Me Say This About That" – Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former Surgeon General of the United States and current Green House Project board member. Get ready for a wonderful discussion of her trailblazing life and career, and another "barrier-breaking" physician that inspired Dr. Elders. You will be in awe of their accomplishments and the impact they made on the delivery of healthcare.

Dr. Elders's drive and talents took her from a childhood in poverty to the heights of federal influence, serving as the first Black surgeon general in American history – while also powerfully living her mother's advice to always speak out and tell the truth, no matter the personal cost.

In this episode we also explore the position of the Surgeon General of the United States and the history behind the office. Plus, a discussion on Dr. Elders advice to leaders today.

Please note: In keeping with Dr. Elders's mantra of speaking out, be advised that this episode contains some frank language during discussions of racism and sexual health.

Learn more about America's Women Physicians: https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/ Learn more about U. S. Surgeon General position: https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/about/history/index.html Explore Dr. Elders's full biography: https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_98.html Learn more about The Green House Project: www.thegreenhouseproject.org

This week, "Elevate Eldercare" has the true honor of welcoming former U.S. surgeon general and current Green House Project board member Dr. Joycelyn Elders for a discussion of her trailblazing life and career.

Dr. Elders's drive and talents took her from a childhood in poverty to the heights of federal influence, serving as the first Black surgeon general in American history – while also powerfully living her mother's advice to always speak out and tell the truth, no matter the personal cost.

With humor and refreshing honesty, Dr. Elders shares her perspectives on racism, sexism, and all the other -isms that continue to shape the way health care is provided in the United States. As an elder herself, she also provides insights into what she might want out of the U.S. eldercare landscape, and how supports and services might fit into her still-busy life as a widely sought-after and admired public health expert.

In keeping with Dr. Elders's mantra of speaking out, be advised that this episode contains some frank language during discussions of racism and sexual health.

Show notes/call to action: Learn more about The Green House Project: www.thegreenhouseproject.org

Read more about Dr. Elders's book, "From Sharecropper's Daughter to Surgeon General of the United States of America" https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-688-14722-8

Explore Dr. Elders's full biography: https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_98.html

Dr. Edith Eger's life took her from unimaginable despair to peace and a calling to help others.

As a teenager, Dr. Eger survived the Nazi concentration camps – and the murder of her parents – by relying on her inner strength to remember that she was still a valuable human being despite the indignities and evil imposed upon her. She then went on to build an influential body of work as a psychologist specializing in trauma, encouraging others to find that same strength within during life's disappointments, heartbreaks, and abuses.

This week on "Let Me Say This About That", we explore her unique and powerful perspective on grief, hope, and forgiveness. We call them "Eger-isms" and offer why they resonated in our lives today. You'll learn a bit more about Dr. Eger's background and we'll highlight a few select quotes from her book "The Choice". Marla also discusses Logotherapy, developed by Victor Frankl – an important friend in Dr. Eger's life.

Learn more about Dr. Eger's life and work: https://dreditheger.com/

Read more about LogoTherapy: https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/logotherapy

Show notes/call to action: Learn more about The Green House Project: www.thegreenhouseproject.org

The arc of Dr. Edith Eger's life took her from unimaginable despair to peace and a calling to help others. This week, she joins "Elevate Eldercare" to discuss her unique and powerful perspective on grief, hope, and forgiveness – as well as the continued need to fight ignorance and hatred with love and understanding.

As a teenager, Dr. Eger survived the Nazi concentration camps – and the murder of her parents – by relying on her inner strength to remember that she was still a valuable human being despite the indignities and evil imposed upon her. She then went on to build an influential body of work as a psychologist specializing in trauma, encouraging others to find that same strength within during life's disappointments, heartbreaks, and abuses.

In this deeply moving conversation, Dr. Eger shares her story and her outlook on enduring difficult times to find the peace and the good in yourself and others while also rejecting hate: When you change your thinking, you can change everything.

Learn more about Dr. Eger's life and work: https://dreditheger.com/

Read an excerpt from Dr. Eger's latest book, "The Gift": https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8633477/She-survived-Auschwitz-92-Dr-EDITH-EGER-says-Learn-love-life.html

Show notes/call to action: Learn more about The Green House Project: www.thegreenhouseproject.org

This Thanksgiving week, "Elevate Eldercare" hands the mic over to three dedicated caregivers from the Green House Cottages of Homewood in Mena, Ark.

Administrator Vicki Hughes, RN Toni Lawrence, and Shahbaz/CNA Kerri Rye gather around a virtual gratitude table to discuss their reasons for working in eldercare, the power of the Green House model for staff and elders alike, and how caregivers can creatively balance pandemic safety with the need for unstructured social events and interactions.

As the sector continues to sort out ways to solve workforce shortages and improve care in nursing homes, it's vitally important to take a break from big-picture debates and let the selfless professionals who work with elders every day tell their stories.

The Green House Project thanks Vicki, Toni, and Kerri for sharing their unique perspectives – and we thank all of the frontline caregivers and support staff who will spend this holiday season working around the clock to keep elders healthy, safe, and empowered to live a full life no matter their physical or cognitive abilities.

Learn more about the Green House Cottages of Homewood: https://www.homewoodghc.com/

https://www.facebook.com/The-Green-House-Cottages-of-Homewood-1502571206663071/

Show notes/call to action: Learn more about The Green House Project: www.thegreenhouseproject.org

As leaders from across the long-term care continuum continue to search for solutions to the worsening workforce shortage Robert Espinoza has a simple piece of advice: Learn more about caregivers' challenges and solve them to help them stay in the sector. Espinoza is the vice president of policy at PHI – an eldercare workforce advocacy and research group.

In this episode of "Let Me Say This About That", we explore the SAGE organization, where Espinoza once worked and his appreciation for what he learned about how a lifetime of discrimination affects a person. We also explore his current organization, PHI.

We hope you are ready for some interesting statistics because Marla did a deep dive into a report from PHI and found some eye-opening information behind this crippling workforce scarcity.

We wrap up with some recommendations on how to help alleviate the workforce shortage and wonder if "this is the moment" when real action can take place for direct care workers.

Learn more about The Green House Project: www.thegreenhouseproject.org

Learn more about Caring for the Future – The Power and Potential of America's Direct Care Workforce: https://phinational.org/resource/caring-for-the-future-the-power-and-potential-of-americas-direct-care-workforce/

Read Federal Policy Priorities for Direct Care Workforce: https://phinational.org/resource/federal-policy-priorities-for-the-direct-care-workforce/

Read the PHI brochure: https://phinational.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/PHI-General-Brochure-2020-1.pdf

Learn more about SAGE: www.sageusa.org

As leaders from across the long-term care continuum continue to search for solutions to the worsening workforce shortage, Robert Espinoza has a simple piece of advice: Learn more about caregivers' challenges, and solve them to help them stay in the sector.

As the vice president of policy at the eldercare workforce advocacy and research group PHI, Espinoza has a front-row seat to the litany of issues that push caregivers out of the long-term care sector or prevent them from entering in the first place: low wages, meager benefits, sexist and racist attitudes that devalue caregiving as a profession, a lack of supervision and support, and more.

Espinoza joins Susan Ryan to talk not only about the problems but the solutions – all of which start by listening to workers and trying to meet their needs so that they can continue to meet the growing need for direct care. Learn more about The Green House Project: www.thegreenhouseproject.org

Learn more about PHI: www.phinational.org

Read PHI's latest workforce report: https://phinational.org/resource/workforce-displacement-and-re-employment-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/

What might be the answer to the workforce crisis in long-term care? In this edition of "Let Me Say This About That" we explore the possibilities that Robyn Stone recently shared on Elevate Eldercare. Robyn is the senior vice president for research at non-profit provider organization LeadingAge and co-director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center at UMass-Boston.

Mary takes a closer look at the LTSS Center and the unique work that is developed by the researchers. Marla dives into a Mid-Level Manager Competency Development Guide that was created through the center.

Robyn says supervisors are the most critical linchpin for the retention of frontline team members along with a learning environment that includes coaching and nurturing. And yet, she says few organizations pay attention to this. We explore that comment and discuss why coaching is foundational in the Green House model.

Robyn also said, "I think our main challenge is mediocrity and not the really bad apples, because you can always get rid of them." Marla will get you thinking about that statement and long-term care with a special article she found on mediocrity.

Learn more about the Mid-Level Manager Competency Guide: http://www.ltsscenter.org/resource-library/Mid_Level_Manager_Competency_Development_Guide.pdf

Read the Essay on Mediocrity: https://inside-politics.org/2012/05/21/an-essay-on-mediocrity/

Learn more about the LTTS Center: https://www.ltsscenter.org/

Learn more about The Green House Project: www.thegreenhouseproject.org