Elevate Eldercare

In this episode, Susan Ryan talks with Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at The Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., where he is affiliated with both the Tax Policy Center and the Program on Retirement Policy. Gleckman is the author of Caring for our Parents, a book that tells the stories of the families who struggle every day with the care needs of their loved ones.

Susan and Howard discuss the COVID-19 crisis and his assessment of the profound challenges and systemic flaws that have been exposed. In addition, Howard discusses the workforce issues, funding, lack of affordable and accessible options that address critical health disparities, and much more.

Howard's astute insights, experiences, and expertise are thought provoking and those that hopefully will spur you to take action.

Get Howard Gleckman's book here: https://howardgleckman.com/books/caring-for-our-parents/

From the words of Mary & Marla, hosts of the Friday Recap of this podcast:

There was so much to learn and such rich complex issues to unpack in this episode that we took 18 minutes to do it. But we think it will all be worth it to you as we explore the history and origin of the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging and the complex issues addressed in the conversation between Susan and Karyne.

To begin, we examine self-awareness and the importance of looking at our own biases. We also talk about Karyne's emphasis on empowering her members to advocate themselves to ensure that their issues are heard.

We hope you will take a listen.

Check out this graphic on Becoming Antiracist created by Andrew Ibrahim, MD, from the University of Michigan: https://www.surgeryredesign.com/current

Susan Ryan sits down with Karyne Jones, president and CEO of the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging and NCBA Housing Management and Development Corporation. Together they unpack the many issues surrounding COVID-19 and the health disparities that exist among people of color.

You will hear Karyne describe how her organization supported their communities during the crisis, including the Coronavirus task force that she helped to establish and the monthly newsletters that contain practical information and resources to help mitigate the spread of the infection.

Susan and Karyne talk about implicit bias, the devastating impact of social isolation, our shared humanity, and need for connection. This conversation is particularly insightful and timely given recent events, protests, and data demonstrating the disproportionate number of COVID cases among minority populations.

Find out more about National Caucus and Center on Black Aging (NCCBA) at its website, here: https://ncba-aging.org/

In this recap, Marla and Mary examine three components of the episode: the origin story of the Green House model, where The Green House Project is now, and what the future of eldercare might look like.

From the first home built by Steve McAlilly's organization, Methodist Senior Services, in 2003, to today, Marla and Mary take a long view of discuss several the power of community and its relationship to the Green House core values.

Takeaways: the pandemic's ability to align the stars for the Green House model to shine as an example of a nursing home that mitigates COVID-19 in nursing homes.

Reignite spirit of innovation. Do we want to tweak or do we want to transform? What kind of community to be a part and how do we make it happen.

This week's call to action: watch this short yet compelling video that illustrates the story of Green House and the impact the model has had on the field of nursing home care: https://youtu.be/cDHZkVkndrI.

Discover more about The Green House Project at www.thegreenhouseproject.org.

Susan Ryan sits down with Dr. Bill Thomas, creator of the Green House model of nursing home care, and Steve McAlilly, president and CEO of Methodist Senior Services in Tupelo, Miss., the first organization to build a Green House home.

You will hear Bill and Steve describe how Green House came to be, what precipitated the need for change, and how the two collaborated to create the first radically noninstitutional nursing homes in Tupelo, which spawned a global movement for better eldercare.

Find out more about Methodist Senior Services at its website, www.mss.org and Dr. Thomas' latest innovation, Minka Homes and Communities, at www.myminka.com.

Get more details about The Green House Project at www.thegreenhouseproject.org.

Marla and Mary examine Tammy Marshall's unique look at impact of coronavirus pandemic on older adults and on the communities that her company, Thrive Senior Living, owns and operate. In the process, they explore salutogenic versus pathogenic approaches to care, wellbeing, and Atul Guwande's contribution to rethinking the safety narrative.

Mary's takeaway is Tammy's exclamation to go back to the basics with regard to COVID: nature, sunshine, and good health and sleep.

This week's call to action: check out Atul Guwande's book, Being Mortal (particularly Chapter 5, which highlights The Green House Project).

Find out more about The Green House Project at www.thegreenhouseproject.org.

Susan sits down with Tammy Marshall, chief experience officer at Thrive Senior Living, a luxury provider of independent living, assisted living, and memory care in the eastern and southeastern United States.

Tammy's deep knowledge of nursing and aging services, unique approaches to care, and innovative perspectives frame her discussion with Susan as they unpack the impact of COVID-19 on Thrive residents and staff as well as on broader aspects of eldercare.

Marshall describes what she calls a "compulsive communication approach" within her organization and how she coaches her team to think adaptively. She explores the importance of salutogenic versus pathogenic approaches to care and how it drives her desire to ensure the best, most holistic approach within Thrive's communities.

Follow Tammy on LinkedIn and on Twitter at: @Dear_Tammy. Her company, Thrive Senior Living, is at www.thrivesl.com.

Discover more about The Green House Project at www.thegreenhouseproject.org.

Mary and Marla deconstruct Dr. Wright's story of the devastating impact COVID-19 had at the Virginia nursing home where he serves as medical director. In examining his commitment to improving the lives of elders living with dementia, Mary and Marla discuss his commitment to changing the narrative about nursing homes by being transparent and steadfast in his messaging.

They also explore Dr. Wright's exclamation that dementia-ism and ageism are the last acceptable prejudices.

This week's call to action: Find out more about The Green House Project's Best Life dementia care approach, which aligns with Dr. Wright's plans to build an inclusive, open community for people living with dementia.

Discover more about The Green House Project at www.thegreenhouseproject.org.

Ryan sits down with Dr. James Wright, medical director of three nursing homes in Richmond, Va., to discuss his experience managing a tragic outbreak of COVID-19 early in the pandemic, how it has shaped his view of eldercare, and how he plans to improve it.

Now in recovery phase of the outbreak, Dr. Wright reflects on how it affected his residents, the staff, and himself. He describes how he used the crisis as a platform to help change the narrative around nursing home care in the United States and speak out about what he sees as flaws in the system.

Passionate about enhancing the quality of life and dignity, especially for elders living with dementia, Dr. Wright is the founder of Homecoming Group, a collection of dementia care experts who seek to establish the first memory care village in the United States.

Get more details about Dr. Wright's passion project at http://homecomingrva.com/Center/

Discover more about The Green House Project at www.thegreenhouseproject.org.

Susan Ryan is joined by Carol Silver Elliott, president and CEO of Jewish Home Family (JHF), a nonprofit aging services organization located in northern New Jersey.

In this first episode of Elevate Eldercare, Carol's tenacity and acumen as a leader is evident as she describes how she took a chaotic crisis and applied strategic systems to create real solutions.

She recounts poignant stories and the unique challenges presented by JHF's close proximity to New York City, the epicenter of the virus at that time.

While her fierce love of elders is obvious, Carol is also transparent about her organization's harrowing experiences. She describes creative approaches to remaining calm amid a crisis, which were accomplished, in part, by fostering among her staff ingenuity in the face of adversity.

Find out more about The Green House Project at its website, www.thegreenhouseproject.org.

Follow Carol Silver Elliott on LinkedIn and at the Times of Israel Blog.