Disrupting The Status Quo Of Senior Living

With 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 each day, the need for senior living is growing at a steep rate, and the aging services field has been hard at work preparing for these new customers. Current practices aim to bring the kind of comfort and amenities enjoyed at hotels and resorts to the settings we create for older adults to live in. But what if these efforts are misdirected? Interweaving research on aging, ideas from influential thinkers in the aging services field, and the author's own experiences managing and operating senior living communities, Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: A Mindshift challenges readers to question long-accepted practices, examine their own biases, and work toward creating vibrant cultures of possibility and growth for elders. Shining a light on her own professional field, Jill Vitale-Aussem exposes the errors of current thinking and demonstrates how a shift in perspective can effect real cultural transformation. Her book delves into society's inherent biases about growing older--where ageism, paternalism, and ableism abound--and provokes readers to examine how a youth-obsessed culture unconsciously impacts even the most well-meaning senior living policies, practices, and organizations. Deconstructing the popular hospitality model, for example, Vitale-Aussem explains how it can actually undermine feelings of purpose and independence. In its place, she proposes better ways to create opportunities for older people to exercise choice, autonomy, and self-efficacy. Filled with empowering stories of elders who find purpose and belonging within their senior residences, Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living builds on AARP's disrupt aging work and demonstrates that to truly transform senior living, we must dig deeper and create communities that promote the potential and value of the people who live and work in these settings.

The demand for residential communities for seniors rises as the U.S. population continues to age. This growth means that new administrators and staff members often are learning by trial and error the complicated task of delivering high-quality and consistent services to elderly persons. While many new facilities have been successful, others have been plagued by a variety of administrative and financial difficulties. Senior Living Communities remains the definitive guide to managing these facilities. In this thoroughly updated and revised edition, Benjamin W. Pearce offers a wealth of sound advice and practical solutions. He discusses resident relations, operating methods, staffing ratios, department management, cost containment, sales and marketing strategies, techniques of financial analysis, budgeting, and human resources. New chapters address issues particular to dementia care and architecture, and the appendix contains a department-by-department audit of senior living operations. From the front lines to the boardroom, this book should be a part of every decision-making process for improving and maintaining assisted living, congregate, and continuing care retirement communities.

Wondering where to live in your later years? This strategic and thoughtful guide is aimed at anyone looking to determine the best place to call home during the second half of life. Place plays a significant but often unacknowledged role in health and happiness. The right place elevates personal well-being. It can help promote purpose, facilitate human connection, catalyze physical activity, support financial health, and inspire community engagement. Conversely, the wrong place can be detrimental to health, as the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted. In Right Place, Right Time, Ryan Frederick argues that where you live matters enormously—especially during the second half of your life. Frederick, the CEO of SmartLiving 360 and a recognized thought leader on the intersection of place and healthy aging, provides you with tools to evaluate your living situation, ensuring that you weigh all the necessary factors to make a sound decision that optimizes your current and future well-being. He explores the pros and cons of different living options, from remaining in your current home to downsizing, intergenerational living, co-housing, senior living, and more. Along the way, he helps readers answer important questions, including "Are you already in the right place?" and "In what areas does your current place not align with your needs and desires?" The rest of the book helps you to unpack specific options for place, beginning with considerations for regions and neighborhoods and then looking at specific housing models. It also focuses on how housing is changing, particularly from a technology, health, and health care perspective. The book closes by challenging the reader to develop a discipline of choosing the right place at the right time. Combining real-life stories about people selecting places to live with design thinking principles and interactive tools, Right Place, Right Time will appeal to empty nesters, retirees, solo agers, and even adult children seeking ways to support their parents and loved ones.

Why do we still tolerate stereotypes and discrimination based on age? This bold account of the history and present-day realities of ageism by a nationally recognized gerontologist and speaker uncovers ageism's roots, impact, and how each of us can create a new reality of elderhood. Ageism Unmasked shifts the lens, enabling us to see that we tolerate, and sometimes actively promote, attitudes and behaviors toward differently aged people that we would reject and condemn if applied to any other group. It peels back the layers to expose how cultural norms and unconscious prejudices have seeped into our lives, silently shaping our treatment of others based on their age and our own misconceptions about aging—and about ourselves. Offering an all-inclusive approach, Dr. Tracey Gendron reveals the biases behind our false understanding of aging, sharing powerful opportunities for personal growth along with strategies to help create an anti-ageist society. Ageism Unmasked will help readers let go of our desperate need to stay young… exposing how we personally, systematically, structurally, and institutionally stigmatize being old. Ageism Unmasked will help readers appreciate both the challenges and opportunities of how we all age… showing how ageism is prejudice towards both younger and older people. Ageism Unmasked will help readers reset our expectations for getting old… providing the tools to anticipate and experience elderhood as a time of renewed meaning and purpose, empowering each of us to create our own definition of successful aging. Ageism Unmasked continues Dr. Gendron's transformative work inspiring people of all ages to embrace aging as our universal and lifelong process of developing over time — biologically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually.

Why do we still tolerate stereotypes and discrimination based on age? This bold account of the history and present-day realities of ageism by a nationally recognized gerontologist and speaker uncovers ageism's roots, impact, and how each of us can create a new reality of elderhood. Ageism Unmasked shifts the lens, enabling us to see that we tolerate, and sometimes actively promote, attitudes and behaviors toward differently aged people that we would reject and condemn if applied to any other group. It peels back the layers to expose how cultural norms and unconscious prejudices have seeped into our lives, silently shaping our treatment of others based on their age and our own misconceptions about aging—and about ourselves. Offering an all-inclusive approach, Dr. Tracey Gendron reveals the biases behind our false understanding of aging, sharing powerful opportunities for personal growth along with strategies to help create an anti-ageist society. Ageism Unmasked will help readers let go of our desperate need to stay young… exposing how we personally, systematically, structurally, and institutionally stigmatize being old. Ageism Unmasked will help readers appreciate both the challenges and opportunities of how we all age… showing how ageism is prejudice towards both younger and older people. Ageism Unmasked will help readers reset our expectations for getting old… providing the tools to anticipate and experience elderhood as a time of renewed meaning and purpose, empowering each of us to create our own definition of successful aging. Ageism Unmasked continues Dr. Gendron's transformative work inspiring people of all ages to embrace aging as our universal and lifelong process of developing over time — biologically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually.

Brush Fire chronicles, the challenges that nursing home residents and staff experienced at A. G. Rhodes--one of Atlanta's oldest and most respected nonprofit organizations--in their difficult and lengthy battle against COVID-19. In his authorial debut, A. G. Rhodes' CEO, Deke Cateau, gives a sobering behind-the-scenes look into what his organization, and undoubtedly thousands of other senior care organizations, faced during the global pandemic. Perhaps most importantly, Brush Fire gives hope and direction on how a historically misunderstood industry can emerge out of the ashes stronger than ever.

The first book to focus specifically on practical gerontology field experiences This innovative text guides gerontology students step-by-step through the process of searching for, securing, and completing an aging-based internship, practicum, or field placement. It underscores the value of hands-on, community-based learning and provides a framework for identifying experiences that fit a student's academic requirements and professional objectives. The text describes the multitude of interdisciplinary and interprofessional career opportunities available for those working with or on behalf of older adults, ranging from traditional opportunities in health and human services to careers in leisure, business, housing, and finance. The text not only draws attention to ageism's presence and inappropriateness, but also discusses ways to detect, avoid, and actively dismantle ageist beliefs and actions. Emphasizing that there is no such homogenous block as "the elderly," the book helps students to understand the varied experiences of aging. It addresses important nuances in working with older adults including the development of effective communication skills, awareness of diversity, and the development of cultural competencies. Real-life scenarios and activities throughout are designed to enhance content and support students' professional and personal growth. Readers are also introduced to the interprofessional aging service system, delineating ways to navigate the complex network of policies, programs, and personnel, along with a discussion of the unique roles, responsibilities, and perspectives in these settings. Practical information for transitioning from student to professional includes tips on job searching, resume preparation, and networking. Key Features: Addresses the interdisciplinary nature of gerontology practice throughout health and human services Focuses on ageism among professionals in health and human services and how to detect, avoid, and eliminate it Explores significant nuances in working with older adults including effective communication and awareness of diversity and cultural competency Covers understanding and supporting older individuals with physical and/or cognitive impairments Includes an extensive glossary to better navigate interprofessional communication Each chapter incorporates real-life scenarios, learning objectives, professional development activities, savvy professional tips, pitfalls to avoid, and discussion questions Instructors have access to the Instructor's Manual and chapter PowerPoints to facilitate teaching

Do you look forward to your next hospitalization or medical procedure? If not, you are far from alone! Very few people enjoy needing a doctor, physical therapist, or other healthcare provider. Even fewer look forward to needing a hospital, assisted living, home health, or hospice services for themselves or their loved ones. Dread of interacting with the healthcare system has skyrocketed because of the pandemic. Distrust in public health officials and agencies is at an all-time high. Patients have died alone in the hospital because of ongoing COVID-19 policies. Some outpatient health and mental health providers still refuse to see patients in person. Prior to March 2020, patients dreaded the thought of needing healthcare services. Now, several years after waiting for things to get better, they hate the thought of needing these services even more. Reimagining Customer Service in Healthcare helps leaders and clinicians transform their organizations with simple, creative strategies. The results? Previously reluctant, uneasy, and resistant patients, clients, and family caregivers become less stressed and more trusting.