Foresight Radio

Finding the right care for an aging loved one can feel overwhelming, especially when families do not know what services exist, what questions to ask, or where to begin.

In this episode of Foresight Radio, Rachel Hill speaks with Heather Todd, co-founder and CEO of Aging Sidekick, about helping families navigate senior care with greater clarity and confidence. Drawing on nearly 30 years in healthcare and more than a decade in senior care, Heather explains why families often pursue solutions that do not match their actual needs and how Aging Sidekick helps connect them with the right resources faster.

Rachel and Heather also discuss the myths surrounding aging, the value of senior living, and why operators must understand a family's care needs before promoting their amenities.

Topics include:

• How to determine the right level of senior care
• The differences between independent living, assisted living, memory care, and home care
• Questions families should ask senior care providers
• Why "feature dumping" fails senior living prospects
• How Aging Sidekick helps caregivers identify their needs
• Using AI to strengthen human connection instead of replacing it
• Planning proactively for aging in place
• Challenging ageism and embracing the joy of getting older

Learn more about Aging Sidekick at agingsidekick.com.

What will shape the next era of senior living?

Steve Moran sits down with Lisa McCracken, Head of Research and Analytics at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care, to explore the trends, research, and investment forces changing the industry.

They discuss whether today's senior living model reflects what older adults actually want, why communities must offer more than a place to live, and how operators can create stronger connections with people who choose to remain at home.

Lisa also shares what attendees can expect at the 2026 NIC Fall Conference, taking place October 21 through 23 in Chicago, including conversations around healthy aging, artificial intelligence, capital markets, development, middle-market senior housing, hospitality, and the economy.

In this episode:

• What future generations want from senior living
• Healthy aging, wellness, purpose, and human connection
• NIC's research with the MIT AgeLab
• Moving beyond the traditional bricks-and-mortar model
• Creating senior living communities that serve as social hubs
• The outlook for senior housing development and capital markets
• How operators and investors are currently using AI
• How first-time attendees can make the most of the NIC conference
• What longtime NIC attendees may still be getting wrong

The future of senior living may not be an either-or choice between staying home and moving into a community. It could be an "and."

Self-care for nurses and caregivers has become a buzzword. But what does it look like when healthcare organizations make it part of the culture?

In this episode of Foresight Radio, holistic nurse and wellness coach Tammy Drummond-Rowland shares how the Eight Minutes Method™ can help busy healthcare professionals reduce stress, reset their nervous systems, and build healthier habits without adding another overwhelming task to their day.

Tammy also explains why meaningful employee wellness requires more than pizza parties, generic advice, or telling caregivers to "take care of themselves."

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• How small wellness practices can fit into a busy healthcare shift • Why recognition should extend beyond employees who constantly overwork • How breathing exercises can shift the body from fight or flight to focus • Why healthy workplace cultures support caregivers during the workday • How leaders can incorporate grounding, hydration, gratitude, and movement into team huddles • Why supporting employee well-being can improve retention and recruitment • How eight intentional minutes a day can create lasting change

Creating a healthier workforce does not always require a large budget or an elaborate wellness program. Sometimes it begins with two deep breaths, a drink of water, a real break, and a leader who makes employees feel seen.

Subscribe to Foresight powered by ProCare HR for more conversations about leadership, workforce culture, caregiving, and the future of senior living.

#NurseBurnout #CaregiverSupport #HealthcareLeadership #EmployeeWellness #SeniorLiving #WorkplaceCulture #NurseWellness #ForesightRadio

What if growing older meant becoming bolder, more creative and more connected to who you truly are?

In this episode of Foresight Radio, Rachel Hill sits down with Valerie Van de Zilver, host of Always Ageless with Valerie V, to challenge the outdated assumptions society makes about aging.

Valerie shares how launching a radio show opened the door to powerful conversations with older adults who are writing plays, building fitness communities, hosting podcasts and creating meaningful new chapters later in life.

The conversation also gets personal. Valerie discusses caring for her nearly 107-year-old mother, the difficult transition into assisted living and the emotional and financial uncertainty facing adult children of aging parents.

Together, Rachel and Valerie explore:

• Why age should never erase someone's identity • How ageism shapes the way older adults are treated • Why senior living cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach • How communities can create more meaningful resident experiences • The realities of caregiving and choosing assisted living • Why purpose, creativity and possibility do not have an expiration date

This honest and uplifting conversation is a reminder to stop asking how old someone is and start asking who they are, what they have experienced and what they still want to become.

What would senior living look like if communities stopped defaulting to "no"?

In this episode of Foresight TV, Steve Moran speaks with Honor Barrett, CEO of Birchgrove, the United Kingdom's first company dedicated exclusively to later living for rent. Honor shares how Birchgrove is challenging the UK's deep attachment to homeownership while creating independent living communities where older adults are treated as neighbors, not simply residents.

They explore the differences between senior living in the United States and the UK, the realities of marketing a new rental model, and why storytelling is critical to increasing occupancy. Honor also explains Birchgrove's "culture of yes," an approach that gives residents greater choice, encourages employees to pursue new opportunities, and makes each community feel more like home.

The conversation covers:

• How Birchgrove introduced later living for rent to the UK
• Why pricing can influence the average resident move-in age
• The challenge of overcoming resistance to renting in later life
• How a "culture of yes" improves the resident and employee experience
• Why Birchgrove calls its residents "neighbors"
• The role of storytelling and customer education in senior living sales
• How Birchgrove achieved an 85% employee retention rate
• What senior living operators in the US and UK can learn from one another

This episode offers practical ideas for senior living leaders seeking to improve culture, occupancy, employee retention, and the overall resident experience.

One thing became clear. Technology is no longer a nice to have in senior living. It is essential. In this special farewell episode of Tech Tuesday, Steve Moran looks back at some of the most memorable conversations with innovators, operators and entrepreneurs who are transforming senior living through technology. From AI and robotics to dining innovation, resident engagement and founder stories, these discussions reveal what separates meaningful innovation from empty promises. Along the way, Steve reflects on lessons learned from guests including leaders in dining technology, age tech, LinkedIn strategy, robotics and product innovation. The common thread was never just the technology itself. It was the people determined to solve real problems for residents, families and frontline caregivers. The episode also marks the beginning of a new chapter. Starting next week, Trending Tuesdays will deliver fast paced conversations, industry headlines and real time reactions to the biggest stories shaping senior living. In this episode you'll learn:

• Why technology has become essential to successful senior living operations
• How AI and automation can support caregivers instead of replacing them
• The role robotics may play in reducing isolation for older adults
• Why real time resident feedback is changing dining operations
• Lessons from founders who built products to solve real problems
• Why Foresight is launching Trending Tuesdays

If you're interested in senior living leadership, aging services, healthcare technology, AI, innovation and the future of aging, this episode is for you.

Based on the interview with Raphael Rubens discussing Candid's evolution from AI storytelling to workforce and satisfaction solutions for senior living operators. The senior living workforce crisis isn't just about finding more applicants—it's about reaching the right people faster and keeping them engaged. In this episode of Foresight Radio: Tech Tuesday, Steve Moran sits down with Raphael Rubens, Founder of Candid, to explore how AI is transforming recruitment, employee retention, resident feedback, and operational decision-making across senior living. Raphael shares the remarkable journey that began with helping his grandmother preserve her life story through AI and evolved into a platform that's helping senior living providers: Contact job candidates within minutes of applying Automate AI-powered interviews without replacing human hiring decisions Improve 90-day employee retention Reduce recruiting bottlenecks Capture actionable resident, family, and employee feedback Turn satisfaction surveys into operational insights and Google reviews The conversation also tackles one of the industry's hottest debates: Can AI actually make hiring more human? If you're a senior living executive, HR leader, recruiter, operator, or technology innovator, this episode offers practical insights into how AI can strengthen—not replace—the human side of care.

Senior living marketing is changing fast. The question is: Are we changing with it?

In this episode, Nicole O'Brien joins the conversation to share what she learned from her years working inside senior living marketing—and how stepping into the tech startup world gave her an entirely new perspective on the industry.

Nicole talks candidly about what makes marketing stand out, why so much senior living content starts to look and sound the same, and what today's leaders can learn from industries moving faster and thinking differently.

The conversation explores the lessons Nicole wishes she had known earlier, the importance of staying curious, and why the best marketers can't simply repeat what worked five years ago.

This episode dives into:

• What senior living marketing gets right—and where it still falls short • Why standing out requires more than better branding • The lessons Nicole learned after moving from senior living to the startup world • How technology is changing the way marketers think and work • Why curiosity and adaptability are becoming essential leadership skills • What Nicole would do differently if she returned to senior living marketing today

For senior living executives, marketers, operators, entrepreneurs, and innovators, this is a conversation about looking beyond the industry bubble and rethinking what's possible.

🎧 Watch or listen to the full conversation.

#SeniorLiving #SeniorLivingMarketing #MarketingStrategy #SeniorHousing #AgingServices #Leadership #Innovation #Technology #Podcast

What if senior living's biggest challenge isn't staffing—but culture? In this inspiring episode of Foresight Radio, Steve Moran sits down with Amy Birkel, Chief Operating Officer of Heritage Communities, for a conversation about leadership, workforce retention, and the future of senior living. From washing dishes in a rural Nebraska nursing home to leading a 24-community organization across six states, Amy shares the experiences that shaped her passion for serving older adults and building thriving workplace cultures. You'll hear powerful insights on: Why "the small things are everything" in resident care How workplace culture impacts staff retention and resident satisfaction The leadership lesson that changed Amy's career forever: "Being clear is kind." Why senior living needs to become a destination people want to move to How Heritage Communities reduced turnover through leadership development The importance of investing in frontline staff and emerging leaders The "Dirty Jobs" initiative that connects home office teams to community life Why purpose—not just pay—drives long-term engagement Amy's vision for the future is bold: "I hope we're a destination people want to come to and don't feel like they have to." Whether you're a senior living executive, operator, caregiver, or industry innovator, this episode offers practical leadership lessons and a hopeful vision for the future of aging services. Topics Covered:

• Senior Living Leadership
• Workforce Retention
• Employee Engagement
• Resident Experience
• Workplace Culture
• Assisted Living
• Memory Care
• Leadership Development
• Senior Housing Trends
• Aging Services Innovation

#SeniorLiving #Leadership #WorkforceRetention #Culture #EmployeeEngagement #AgingServices #AssistedLiving #MemoryCare #SeniorHousing #ForesightRadio

What if the most important decision you'll make as you age isn't about healthcare, finances, or retirement — but where you choose to live?

In this episode of Foresight Radio, Steve Moran sits down with longevity strategist, author, and place planning expert Ryan Frederick to explore why "place" may be the most overlooked factor in healthy aging.

Ryan shares his unique journey from Silicon Valley engineer to senior living developer, consultant, author, and founder of Here. Along the way, he discovered a powerful truth: where we live shapes our health, relationships, financial well-being, and overall quality of life more than most people realize.

The conversation dives into Ryan's Four Quadrants of Place Planning framework—Environment, Health, Community, and Finances—and why aging in place isn't always the best goal. Instead, Ryan argues that intentionality, adaptability, and social connection should drive our decisions about where and how we live.

Steve and Ryan also discuss:

✅ Why community matters more than amenities ✅ The surprising link between friendships and longevity ✅ Why "resident experience" may be the wrong focus for senior living operators ✅ The danger of the "forever home" mindset ✅ How senior living communities can help prospects make better decisions ✅ Why the best communities empower residents to shape culture themselves ✅ The role of place planning in helping older adults thrive for decades

Whether you're a senior living leader, aging services professional, family caregiver, or simply thinking about your own future, this conversation will challenge how you think about aging, independence, and belonging.

🎙️ Listen now and discover why the future of aging may not be aging in place—it may be finding the right place at the right time.