Senior Living Visionaries

In this episode, we interview Rob Liebreich, the President and CEO of Goodwin Living, a faith-based nonprofit serving over 2,500 older adults. His passion for empowering older adults to take control of their brain health through non-pharmacological solutions makes him a leader worth paying attention to. Today, Rob discusses how his nonprofit is innovating across its continuum of care through evidence-based programs like StrongerMem...

In this episode, host Jennifer Drago interviews Lisa McCracken, Head of Research and Analytics at NIC. She shares her expertise in senior living research and data-driven insights on industry challenges and opportunities. She showcases practical examples of how organizations nationwide are embracing opportunities to meet the demands of a changing marketplace.

As we begin, Lisa guides us through the challenges and opportunities in...

In this episode, Mark Beggs and Kent Devereaux discuss the origin and development of the partnership between Edenwald Senior Living and Goucher College to create a new university-based retirement community. They also discuss the lifelong learning opportunities of their partnership, the opportunities that this partnership brings to both students and residents and the planning/integration process.

Follow Mark Beggs and Edenwald a...

In this episode, host Jennifer Drago interviews Ann Conn, the President and CEO of McGregor Foundation. Today, Ann shares her expertise in senior living leadership and innovation and in navigating the complexities of expanding programs like the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and fostering community-based services effectively.

Go to https://mcgregorfoundation.org/ to learn more about support programs all...

In this episode, we interview Michele Holleran, the founder and CEO of two firms: Holleran Consulting and DeArment Consulting. Michele is an expert in strategic planning and executive coaching and has been recognized by various organizations in the aging services sector for her ability to improve organizational culture and leadership effectiveness. 

Visit https://www.holleranconsult.com/ to learn more about resident and emp...

In this episode, host Jennifer Drago interviews Nancy Koury King, a home and community-based services (HCBS) consultant and executive coach. She recently retired as the President of Senior Options, LLC and Westminster-Canterbury at Home, LLC, both wholly owned subsidiaries of Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay.

Nancy provides insights on expanding home and community-based services (HCBS) for senior living organizations, pa...

In this episode, we have invited Kim Hoppe, Chief Financial Officer at Brio Living Services to talk with us about partnerships and joint ventures in senior living. At Brio Living Services, they have approached a number of partnership and collaboration opportunities by defining their organizational culture, fostering curiosity, setting clear return on investment expectations, overcommunicating with stakeholders, seeking objectivity,...

In this engaging episode, host Jennifer Drago engages in a compelling conversation with Sue Paul, who serves as the Senior Director of Well-being and Brain Health at Asbury Communities, Inc. Sue not only unveils the fascinating birth of Asbury's innovative brain health center but also delves into the different methods she utilizes to engage residents around improving their brain health as part of Asbury’s Kinnections program. 

In this episode, host Jennifer Drago interviews JD Shuman, President and CEO of the Asbury Foundation, and Andrew Jeanneret, Chief Financial Officer at Asbury. The discussion centers around the strategic plan guiding the philanthropic efforts of the Asbury Foundation and its key areas of focus. We also discuss the role of the CFO in supporting philanthropy, both internally and externally, obstacles that Asbury has faced in expandin...

In this episode, host Jennifer Drago interviews Mary Muñoz, Senior Managing Director at Ziegler, who shares valuable insights on enhancing the senior living industry's viability and sustainability. She discusses higher interest rates, expanding wellness programs, and innovative approaches like home- and community-based services. Mary emphasizes agile leadership and alignment among residents, board members, and management for sustai...

In this episode, host Jennifer Drago interviews Michael Marlow, Vice President of Sales Education at Watercrest Senior Living Group. Michael shares his expertise to guide entrepreneurs to increase their lead conversion rates in the senior living services industry by focusing on personalized and fast follow-up strategies, optimizing the number of leads managed, and harnessing referrals from existing residents and their families.

...

In this episode, host Jennifer Drago interviews Sheri Peifer, President of Eskaton, a senior living provider serving over 4,000 older adults each day across a broad spectrum of service and housing offerings. As President, Sheri is a creative leader and collaborator committed to strategic transformation and operational excellence in services for older adults and families.

Ensuring Viability and Sustainability 

Sheri ta...

In this episode, host Jennifer Drago interviews Dana Wollschlager, partner and practice leader of Plante Moran Living Forward. She provided practical guidance on how to approach development projects in today’s challenging construction and financing market. Dana also shared the ingredients of a successful development or repositioning project: alignment of the project with a solid strategic plan and operational discipline to make sur...

In this episode, host Jennifer Drago interviews Christine Fares Walley, president of Holleran Consulting, the nation’s leading provider of engagement surveys for providers serving older adults. Jen and Chris discussed trends that Holleran is seeing in employee engagement and resident engagement since COVID, as well as employees’ greatest life stressors as reported in Holleran’s employee wellbeing survey.

In addition, they discus...

Join host Jennifer Drago as she interviews Denise Boudreau, president of Drive, and learn how organizations can measure and improve their culture to improve recruitment and retention of team members. Even more importantly, Denise shares the drivers of culture and what simple daily actions can have a dramatic impact on your organization’s culture.

Leaders in any industry will be intrigued by Denise’s takeaways on the importance o...

On this episode, host Jennifer Drago interviews Jon Fletcher, Senior Vice President of Senior Housing Partners, a division of Presbyterian Homes and Services. They discussed the financial performance of middle-market senior living projects and strategies for successful middle-market development.

Senior living providers will be interested to hear Jon’s expertise on how these middle market projects can be financed and what the cap...

In episode 104 of the Senior Living Visionaries podcast, host Jennifer Drago and Larry Bradshaw, financial consultant and retired CEO of National Lutheran Communities and Services discuss how senior living providers can ensure their financial strength in light of our current cost and staffing pressures and occupancy challenges.

They also discuss current trends and metrics that executives should monitor to remain financially stro...

In this episode, host Jennifer Drago interviews Brad Paulis, Partner at Continuing Care Actuaries, and learns about current trends in retirement living as well as how he helps clients to “vision” services in the future. They also discuss one of the most promising opportunities in our industry, Continuing Care at Home (CCAH) programs.

CCAH programs — which allow members to remain in their home, safely and independently while they...

In this episode, host Jennifer Drago interviews Mike Brindley, Chief Sales Officer at Solutions Advisors Group. They discuss warning signs and metrics that executives should look for when their community is not meeting sales or occupancy goals. They also discussed current trends and gestation periods in senior living sales and how to overcome resistance in prospects who are worried about the economy and the real estate market.

L...