December 01, 2020

Episode 2:10 Jill Vitale-Aussem Shares Highlights from her Book Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: a Mindshift

25 minutes

Senior living veteran Jill Vitale-Aussem shares insights from her revolutionary book; why ageism and ableism undermine the industry, how current practices offering hospitality-like comfort and amenities for older adults are misdirected, and how Covid-19 has spurred innovation and opportunity.

About Jill

Jill Vitale-Aussem NHA, MMH serves as President & CEO of Christian Living Communities, a Colorado-based, not-for-profit, faith-based organization serving more than 3,000 older adults and their families through its 23 owned and managed communities located in six states as well as offering adult day, home care and consulting.

She has over twenty years of experience leading nursing homes, assisted living and life plan communities. Prior to joining Christian Living Communities, she served as President and CEO of The Eden Alternative, an international non-profit organization focused on creating quality of life for older people and their care partners. She is a licensed nursing home administrator and a Reframing Aging facilitator.

Jill is the author of Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: A Mindshift and speaks internationally on topics including ageism, leadership and culture change.

Key Takeaways

Tackling ageism and ableism is the first step to make lasting change in any senior living community. Perceptions of aging as inevitable decline undermines opportunities senior living operators, staff, and residents.

The Hospitality framework has a role to play, but a carefree, 5-star resort-like experience is actually detrimental to what we need to live a long and healthy life.

The greatest longevity is with people who stay engaged with the activities of daily living. We need purpose. We need to have a role to play in our communities.

To create community online, engagement needs to go beyond providing content. Older people can give back through technology rather than just being the recipient of services.

Design alone does not change anything. Magic happens when the hardware (a new building) is designed to support the new software (a new culture and way of doing things).

Access to nature has traditionally been limited in senior living communities to manage risk, especially as the level of care increases. The average nursing home resident gets outside for nine minutes a day. It is important to get people outside. It's not just building design, but how things are done on a daily basis.

The tendency of senior living communities is to “bubble wrap people up to the point of suffocation.” A balanced approach to risk will support quality of lifeand give residents a life worth living.

With Aging Services in the spotlight due to Covid-19, there is an opportunity to evaluate and make changes. New models of care and services and support will be born out of the pandemic.

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By Nancy Griffin

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