Elevate Eldercare

"Elevate Eldercare" hits a major milestone this week with 100 episodes. One of the underlying themes throughout those programs is the prevalence of ageism that permeates society. OR as Ashton Applewhite explains, "Ageism is a prejudice against our future selves."

In this edition of "Let Me Say This About That", Marla and Mary explore ageism through the lens of Beliefs, Behaviors and Systems while quoting our guests from the past 100 shows. Beliefs: What do we think about ageism, our mindset? Behaviors: What actions do we take – what behaviors are a result of our beliefs? Systems: What organizational structure are in place that drive those behaviors?

Given the provocative nature of many of our guests on Elevate Eldercare, this episode will surely enlighten you about the topic of ageism and hopefully encourage you to take action in yourself and your community!

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

Register for GHP's newest in-person and virtual event, DementiaVerse: thegreenhouseproject.org/events/dementiaverse

"Elevate Eldercare" hits a major milestone this week with 100 episodes, so Susan Ryan sat down with the newest member of the Green House Project team to discuss the biggest ideas from the podcast's first year – and how they can be applied to the ongoing discussion around eldercare reform in America.

Alex Spanko recently joined GHP as director of communications and marketing, having previously covered post-acute and long-term care for Skilled Nursing News in Chicago. Spanko discusses his motivations for leaving trade journalism to play a more active role in shaping eldercare environments before he and Ryan take a look back at some of the most inspiring quotes and calls to action from nearly 100 episodes of "Elevate Eldercare."

From policy reform to leadership to person-centered care, the podcast has generated provocative commentary on what must be done to truly honor elders with dignified care and supports. Stay tuned for more in the next 100 episodes!

Connect with Alex Spanko on LinkedIn and Twitter: www.linkedin.com/in/alex-spanko/

www.twitter.com/ASpankoNews

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

Register for GHP's newest in-person and virtual event, DementiaVerse: thegreenhouseproject.org/events/dementiaverse

For Mindy Cheek, senior vice president at Greystone, diversity isn't a corporate policy or a buzzword; it's an integral part of daily life, and for those who have been victims of discrimination and hate, treating the need for diversity and inclusion as anything less misses the wider point about representation and dignity. Susan Ryan sat down with Mindy in episode 97.

In this episode of "Let Me Say This About That" Marla and Mary explore a number of topics they discussed, including the five basic points of a multi-layered topic. What does it mean to be diverse, why it is important NOT to assume, listening for cues, building rapport and why it is important to be a tide riser!

Intersectionality was a new term mentioned in the episode, and Marla takes a closer look at its definition, when it was first created, and why it is important in this discussion about LGBT rights.

We also talk more about the contents of the North Texas LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing Guide and the criteria that organizations must meet to be listed within the booklet. Mindy said it was one of the best things that she did outside of the education work that she performs.

Show notes/callll to action: Explore the housing guide here: https://www.cfa.lgbt/lgbt-friendly-senior-housing.html

National Resource Center on LGBT Aging and SAGE here: https://www.lgbtagingcenter.org/resources/pdfs/IntersectionAgeRaceandSexuality.docx.pdf

Learn more about the story behind intersectionality: "Demarginalizing The Intersection Of Race And Sex: A Black Feminist Critique Of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory And Antiracist Politics."

For Mindy Cheek, senior vice president at Greystone, diversity isn't a corporate policy or a buzzword; it's an integral part of daily life, and for those who have been victims of discrimination and hate, treating the need for diversity and inclusion as anything less misses the wider point about representation and dignity.

In this interview with Susan Ryan, Cheek explores the ways her personal experiences have informed her work as a senior living leader and vocal advocate for LGBTQ elders. As an openly gay woman who grew up in a conservative Texas town and initially struggled to accept her identity, Cheek feels a deep need to share her story with others – both in the hopes that others working through similar questions can feel less alone, and to expand everyone's knowledge of the LGBTQ experience in America.

Cheek has brought that perspective to Greystone and organizations that support the needs of LGBTQ seniors, including the LGBT Aging Center and SAGE.

To close out Pride month, Cheek and Ryan discuss ways to foster true diversity within eldercare organizations; the significant hurdles that LGBTQ seniors – who came of age before Stonewall, gay marriage, and other landmarks in the march for gay rights – face when seeking compassionate, inclusive care and supports; and why creating diverse communities must be a priority for everyone, regardless of background or identity.

Explore the resources for LGBTQ elders in your community, and learn how to get involved with organizations such as the LGBT Aging Center and SAGE:

www.lgbtagingcenter.org

www.sageusa.org

Learn how to become a volunteer education ambassador for LGBTQ elders: www.lgbtagingcenter.org/training/ambassadors.cfm

Watch Mindy Cheek's TedX Talk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jalrnKs0mYQ&t=40s

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

Register for GHP's newest in-person and virtual event, DementiaVerse: thegreenhouseproject.org/events/dementiaverse

Have you ever thought of segregation as a form of restraint for an elder living with dementia? In this episode of "Let Me Say This About That" we explore that view of memory care and many other interesting perspectives on aging shared by Pat Sprigg.

Sprigg is the president and CEO of Carol Woods, a retirement community in North Carolina without locked wards or other barriers between people living with dementia and the rest of the community. In episode 95, Susan Ryan sat down with Sprigg to discuss her decades of dedication to the empowerment of all elders, as well as the value in working for an organization where not everyone agrees on what constitutes a best practice.

Marla explores the proliferation of segregation and what it means to be an inclusive community. Mary gives us a closer look at Carol Woods, how it came to fruition, and the foundational practices in that community. Find out why they have never hired an activities director! We also take a look at the Green House Best Life principles that align quite well with Carol Woods.

Marla also takes a deeper dive into the background of Lloyd Lewis, who played an important role in the career of Sprigg and the 1989 Senate Symposium on "Untie the Elderly: Quality Care Without Restraints."

Learn more about pathways to dementia inclusion: https://youtu.be/qbm8K6_Ap-U

Learn more about the Green House Best Life Approach: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/solutions/Best_Life_Memory_Care

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

Register for GHP's newest in-person and virtual event, DementiaVerse: thegreenhouseproject.org/events/dementiaverse

Pat Sprigg set off on her journey to change eldercare after observing firsthand the horrors of the "best practices" – powerful antipsychotic drugs and physical restraints – that were commonplace in the dementia treatment programs of the 1970s and 1980s.

But even as many facilities moved away from such dangerous and dehumanizing strategies, Sprigg came to believe that the next wave of best practices were just as damaging: Segregating people living with dementia into their own units behind locked doors, in Sprigg's view, was just another form of physical restraint that robbed elders of their civil liberties and personal autonomy.

As CEO of Carol Woods, a retirement community in North Carolina, Sprigg has fostered an environment without locked wards or other barriers between people living with dementia and the rest of the community.

Sprigg sat down with Susan Ryan to discuss her decades of dedication the empowerment of all elders, as well as the value in working for an organization where not everyone agrees on what constitutes a best practice – and how such professional disagreements can break old patterns of thinking to create a better future.

Sprigg also explains how comprehensive benefits for workers helped Carol Woods weather COVID-19 better than most senior communities, and why people should still be excited about entering the field – after all, she went from never wanting to work in the sector as a recent graduate to an upcoming retirement as CEO after 46 years in the space.

Learn more about Carol Woods: www.carolwoods.org/

Dive into the history of the "Untying the Elderly" movement: www.aging.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/reports/rpt589.pdf

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

Register for GHP's newest in-person and virtual event, DementiaVerse: thegreenhouseproject.org/events/dementiaverse

Jennie Chin Hansen's career in aging services has taken her from a community operation in San Francisco's Chinatown to the presidency of AARP, all underpinned by a desire to view aging through a more holistic lens than the often one-size-fits-all institutional model.

Hansen's work as CEO of On Lok, an organization formed to care for Chinese American elders in San Francisco, helped inform the creation of the federal Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE. Susan Ryan sat down with Hansen to discuss PACE's incredible results and still-unlocked potential, as well as her personal history with On Lok and the need to understand the deep connections linking race, ethnicity, and elders' needs as they age.

In this episode of "Let Me Say This About That," Marla and Mary discuss a number of topics Jennie mentioned during her interview.

Mary takes a closer look at the Great Society and why Jennie placed the creation of On Lok within the context of that program. Marla explores the "geriatric day hospital" model in the U.K., as well as the definition of ethnogerontology and why it is important.

We discuss the "On Lok Playbook" and how it relates to the Green House model.

And when serendipity occurs – what do you do with it?

Read about Ethnogeriatrics here: https://geriatrics.stanford.edu/culturemed/overview/introduction/theories.html

Learn more about The Great Society: https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/great-society

In the mid-1980s, Jennie Chin Hansen decided to move her ailing parents from Boston to her home in San Francisco so that they could live out their remaining years surrounded by family – and not in an institutional nursing home.

Hansen's care journey for her father, who had suffered several strokes, was a continuation of the work she'd already done with On Lok, an innovative community program in San Francisco's Chinatown that offered comprehensive outpatient services. Through On Lok, Hansen's father, Wing Chin, was able to receive the high-level care he needed while still returning home each night to share a bed with his wife.

Hansen went on to become the CEO of On Lok, and thanks to her tireless efforts, the model has been replicated in 250 programs across 31 states under the federal Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, known as PACE.

And PACE is only one small part of Hansen's career, which has included stints as the president of AARP and a stakeholder in the state of California's first-ever Master Plan on Aging.

Susan Ryan sat down with Hansen to discuss that ambitious master plan, as well as her deeply personal history with On Lok – which is informed by her interest in the connections between aging and cultural identity. Hansen also explores how she sees PACE, which fills a unique middle ground between home care and communal eldercare settings, fitting into the post-COVID aging services landscape.

Read about the PACE program here: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare-Medicaid-Coordination/Medicare-and-Medicaid-Coordination/Medicare-Medicaid-Coordination-Office/PACE/PACE

Learn more about the history of On Lok: https://onlok.org/about/

Read a 1998 profile of Jennie Chin Hansen that describes her personal caregiving experience and the development of PACE: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/application/files/4016/2317/8053/Boston_College_Hansen_Fall_1998_002.pdf

Susan Ryan sat down with Gail Kohn, coordinator of Age-Friendly DC – an ambitious and comprehensive program that seeks to make our nation's capital a more accessible and joyful place for seniors to live, from aging in place supports to community services to opportunities for forging intergenerational connections.

We've all heard the phrase "it takes a village." Mary explores what it takes to develop a village like the communities that Gail discussed with Susan. Find out what resources are available to your community – especially if you are interested in creating a village in your city.

Marla takes a look at the World Health Organization's efforts to make it easier for people to grow older within their local jurisdictions. Learn the components of social determinants of health, and the eight domains that cities and communities can address to adapt their structures and services to meet the needs of older people.

Gail mentioned the Olmstead Plan, so we talk about that ruling and what it has meant for those with disabilities, and why Gail made the connection with age-friendly D.C.

In addition, Marla talks about "what-iffing" and why we need to just open our minds!

Read about the WHO program here: Global Age Friendly Cities Guide

Read more about the Village to Village Network: https://www.vtvnetwork.org/

Read about Helpful Village: https://www.helpfulvillage.com/

Read the "What Iffing" article here: https://www.thecolourworks.com/what-ifs/

Susan Ryan sits down with Gail Kohn, coordinator of Age-Friendly D.C., an initiative undertaken at the direction of the Mayor of Washington, D.C., as part of the broader World Health Organization-structured journey to help cities like D.C. become an easier city in which to grow older.

Previously, Kohn was the founding executive director for Capitol Hill Village, the second organization in the country formed to organize neighbor-to-neighbor support to enable aging in place. She began her career as the founding executive director of Collington, a non-profit continuing care retirement community in Prince George's County, Md.

Kohn talks in more detail about Capitol Hill Village, how it came to be, why it's important, and what is being done to enable the model to develop in communities across the country. As an avid researcher, Kohn has been instrumental in making sure developing villages have the essential infrastructure from the beginning so that data can be captured to evaluate the impact of these vital supports on its members.

Kohn further unpacks Age-Friendly DC, describing how the initiative began and where it's gone over the years since its beginning in 2013. We talk briefly about the pandemic and how this initiative and collaborative leadership were pivotal in addressing the challenges in a timely and effective manner.

Finally, Kohn is a pioneer and a visionary leader that relentlessly pursues and is at the helm of initiatives that place value on all elders. Don't miss her call to action, from someone who has her finger on the pulse, and her eye on the ball, in determining what must be done to elevate eldercare.

Find out more about Age-Friendly-DC here: https://agefriendly.dc.gov/page/age-friendly-dc-task-force

Connect with Gail Kohn on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gail-kohn-9680869/