Shifting the Mindset of Senior Living with Jill Vitale-Aussem
In this episode, I chat with Jill Vitale-Aussem. Jill is the author of Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: A Mindshift and the President and CEO of The Eden Alternative. Jill has a deep passion about impacting the field of elder care with honesty and authenticity about the mistakes she’s made and what she’s learned along the way. The fact that she loves to do public speaking and writing helps bring her ideas to people. Negative views of aging are all around us (and in our own heads). It is causing incredible harm to each of us and our society. There are some simple things we can do to change that! It starts with each of us. If you are in need of a little direction for yourself or your loved ones, this is the episode for you. Be sure to rate and subscribe, and enjoy the show!
Jill Vitale-Aussem
I've always had a rebellious streak and a tendency to push back against the status quo. While this didn't always serve me well in my teen years, I realize this is what drew me to this work and helps me to be successful in changing the way we view aging and the way we care for and support older people.
Jill joined the Eden Alternative at the 9th Eden Alternative International Conference in May 2018. Formerly at Christian Living Communities as Executive Director of Clermont Park Retirement Community, she led the community through a $75 million redevelopment project and complete cultural transformation using the principles of the Eden Alternative. In her role as COO, Jill was responsible for guiding the operations of multiple communities and achieving excellence through the use of person-directed principles and practices. Jill earned a Master of Management in Hospitality degree from Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Alfred University. She is a licensed nursing home administrator, certified assisted living administrator, LeadingAge Leadership Academy Fellow, Eden Alternative Path to Mastery Guide, and a Certified Eden Educator. She has been involved with the Eden Alternative since 2007. Jill is passionate about creating community cultures of innovation, possibilities, inclusivity, growth and empowerment and writes and speaks nationally on the topics of culture, leadership and ageism.
Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: A Mindshift
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 EDEN ALTERNATIVE® IS AN INTERNATIONAL, NON-PROFIT 501(C)3 ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO CREATING QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ELDERS AND THEIR CARE PARTNERS, WHEREVER THEY MAY LIVE.
In a culture that typically views aging as a period of decline, the Eden Alternative philosophy asserts that no matter how old we are or what challenges we live with, life is about continuing to grow. Building on this new paradigm, it affirms that care is not a one-way street, but rather a collaborative partnership. All caregivers and care receivers are described as “care partners,” each an active participant in the balance of giving and receiving. Together, care partner teams strive to enhance well-being by eliminating the three plagues of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom.
Focused on changing the culture of care since the early 1990’s, this approach to person-directed care initially came to life in nursing homes and has since expanded its reach to all care settings, including home care and residential care for people living with different abilities. The Eden Alternative firmly believes that culture change unfolds one relationship at a time, and that deep change can only take root when the entire continuum of care is involved. Through education, consultation, and outreach, it currently offers three applications of its principles and practices to support the unique needs of various living environments, ranging from the nursing home to the neighborhood street.
THIS EPISODE WAS PRESENTED BY
Amy Irvine
AND IN COLLABORATION WITH
The Seneca Lake Wine Trail
