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A groundbreaking new book co-published by
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Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: A Mindshift "Barraged from childhood on with negative messages about age and aging, most Americans absorb these beliefs and never think to question them. This book illuminates these issues and explains why profound culture change in senior living is both necessary and possible. A must-read for anyone who cares about the well-being of older people.” —Ashton Applewhite, activist and author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism
THE BOOK Delving into society’s inherent biases about growing older—where ageism, paternalism, and ableism abound—this book challenges and provokes readers to examine how a youth-obsessed culture unconsciously impacts even the most well-meaning senior living policies, practices, and organizations. With refreshing candor about
ISBN PRICE LENGTH FORMAT COPYRIGHT SUBJECT
978-1-938870-82-8 $31.99 216 pages 6" x 9" paperback 2019 Aging & Senior Living
living communities, author Jill Vitale-Aussem helps readers make the
AVAILABILITY
needed mindshift that will lead to services and communities
Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior
that support healthier, happier living into old age. She acknowledges
Living: A Mindshift is available
positives where she sees them, but her focus is on dispelling
directly from Health Professions Press,
persistent stereotypes and misconceptions to encourage a new
www.healthpropress.com; toll-free
mindset that fosters personal growth and transformation. An
(888) 337-8808; P.O. Box 10624,
urgent call to action, this book offers a new path forward—
Baltimore, MD 21285. Also available
for a new age.
through online booksellers.
THE AUTHOR
REQUEST A REVIEW COPY OR AN AUTHOR INTERVIEW
her own successes and failures during two decades of leading senior
Jill Vitale-Aussem, MMH, LNHA, is a veteran of the senior living field with over two decades of experience leading senior living communities in the for-profit and not-for profit sectors. Since 2018, she has served as President and CEO of The Eden Alternative, a global non-profit dedicated to creating quality of life for elders and their care partners, wherever they may live.
Kaitlin Konecke, Marketing Manager, Health Professions Press EMAIL:
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marketing@healthpropress.com
All professionals in the senior living field, those in leadership roles
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from corporate to department director levels as well as those
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involved with direct care; senior living residents and their families;
P.O. Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285
faculty and students in gerontology, healthcare administration, sociology, and psychology courses; people interested in: activism, inclusion, social issues/social justice, counterculture
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ABOUT THE BOOK WITH 10,000 BABY BOOMERS TURNING 65 EACH DAY...
Interweaving research on aging, ideas
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?
question long-accepted practices,
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 examine their own biases, and work toward creating vibrant cultures of possibility, purpose, 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 are deeply
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embedded—and provokes readers to
Filled with empowering stories of elders
examine how a youth-obsessed culture
who find purpose and belonging within
unconsciously impacts even the most
their senior residences, Disrupting the
well-meaning senior living policies,
Status Quo of Senior Living builds on
practices, and organizations.
AARP’s disrupt aging work and
Deconstructing the popular hospitality
demonstrates that to truly transform
model, for example, Vitale-Aussem
senior living, we must dig deeper and
explains how it can actually undermine
create communities that promote the
feelings of purpose and independence.
potential and value of the people who
In its place, she proposes better ways
live and work in these settings.
to create opportunities for older people to experience meaningful purpose, growth, and belonging.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jill Vitale-Aussem, MMH, LNHA For over two decades, Vitale-Aussem has made changing the culture of nursing homes, assisted living communities, and retirement communities her life’s work as a nursing home administrator, continuing care retirement community (CCRC) executive director, and vice president of operations. In each role, Jill pushed back against the status quo and drove deep cultural transformation in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. These efforts improved the quality of life for the people who lived and worked in the communities while leading to significant improvements in occupancy, financial, and regulatory outcomes. Jill now serves as President and CEO of The Eden Alternative, an international non-profit that partners with organizations including nursing homes, assisted living, retirement communities, and home care companies to create quality of life for elders and their care partners, no matter where they may live. In her work, Jill leads the development and implementation of tools, training, and consulting initiatives to transform organizations and educate everyone from nursing assistants to CEOs on how to create vibrant, life-affirming environments where each person matters and everyone has opportunities for growth and purpose, regardless of age or abilities. Jill presents powerful keynote addresses on topics such as leadership, ageism, and organizational transformation, and is available for speaking and training.
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INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR
Why do you think it's important that people start paying attention to ableism and ageism? Ageism is truly one of the last socially acceptable prejudices in our society, and it’s wreaking havoc on each of us and our society. The pervasive negative views of aging (and age-related ableism) are at the root of the
In this interview with President and CEO of The Eden Alternative, Jill Vitale-Aussem discusses her new book, senior living, hospitality, ageism, and shifting our perspectives.
challenges we face in senior living. And research suggests that changing the way our society views aging can significantly
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reduce healthcare costs and have a
next to them, and they don’t teach
major impact on longevity, health, and
us how to create a healthy
quality of life. Fighting ageism
inclusive community
is the most important work that those
culture. Doing for people
of us in this field can do.
constantly with an overzealous
In Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: A Mindshift, you discuss the hospitality model in senior living. What is it and why is it so popular?
customer service approach can actually undermine selfsufficiency, independence, and purpose. And when we focus on hospitality and service, we can
In senior living, the hospitality model is
turn older people into helpless
an approach modeled after hotels and
consumers rather than engaged
resorts. It’s geared toward customer
citizens who have a role in the
service and amenities and is usually
success of the community. This
focused on viewing older people as
perpetuates the myth of
consumers. We can learn a lot from
elderhood as a time of life where
hotels and resorts about welcoming
people are nothing more than
guests and visitors. I actually used to
recipients of services with nothing
say that senior living is just like a hotel
of value to offer to our
where you never check out. But I’ve
communities and society.
learned that the hospitality model— based on resorts where older people
Why is a sense of community so
can sit back and never have to lift a
essential to well-being?
finger because they have everything
Somehow, the measure of success
done for them— often clashes with
as we age has come down to being
creating a culture where people have
independent and not needing
independence and can grow and thrive.
anyone else. But our survival has
So, while an endless vacation may sound great, you make a point that this model may actually be detrimental to residents. Why is that?
always been dependent on being part of a group. Inclusion is such an important part of survival that we feel the pain of social rejection in the same part of the brain that
First, hotels and resorts don’t exist to
registers physical pain! The impact
bring people together or have guests
of social isolation is devastating.
get to know the person in the room
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Where does the mindshift begin? What I want readers to take away from my book is that it’s not about the new building. It’s not about surface level fixes and exciting new amenities. It’s about changing what we think and what we believe and the way we operate and function in our communities. Real change will only come from deep cultural transformation. And that change starts with small things today, leading to each of us challenging and questioning our own beliefs and behaviors.
To read the full interview, visit www.mindshift.healthpropress.com
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: How did you get started in the field of senior living and how has your approach changed over time? How have senior living options transformed over time? Why do you think the field of senior living needs a disruption? Many senior living providers are adding services and options to entice residents from the baby boomer generation. What is it you think is missing? In your book, you say we shouldn't focus solely on what a senior living community can do for a person, but rather what can a person bring to our community. What do you mean by that? What advice would you give to people who may be doubting their selfworth as they age? What advice would you give to people who are looking at senior living options for themselves or a family member?
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Praise for MINDSHIFT “Jill Vitale-Aussem is a Delphic voice with an unambiguous message for all of us in senior living: The new older adult will not tolerate the current culture we offer. Jill is an insider, one who is passionate about providing healthy, stimulating environments for our current elders and for the ones we all will become. This book is not a wrecking ball, it is a tough love guide to doing the magnificent things we all do in senior living in a better way.” -Roger Landry, M.D., M.P.H., President, Masterpiece Living LLC Author of Live Long, Die Short: A Guide to Authentic Health and Successful Aging
“This book is a disruptive force that will challenge those in senior living to rethink current practices and help guide the conversations necessary for staff and residents to work together in building real communities with purpose and meaning.” -Tracey Gendron, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Gerontologist, Department of Gerontology, Virginia Commonwealth University
“With warmth, humility, and candor, Jill Vitale-Aussem provides a much-needed challenge to retirement and assisted living communities who may not consider themselves to be 'institutional.' This book gets to the heart of the matter—the underlying mindsets and biases that lead us astray—and offers a tableau of possibilities for operationalizing new approaches to supporting meaningful lives for our elders.” -Al Power, M.D., Author of Dementia Beyond Drugs and Dementia Beyond Disease
“Highlighting the limitations of the current hospitality model for senior living gives all of us in the field new perspectives on the mindshift that must occur to be successful with future consumers. New and seasoned professionals in aging services are sure to gain insights and perspectives on how together we can create fresh possibilities for the field and eliminate ageism for the next generation.” -Terry Rogers, President and CEO, Christian Living Communities/Cappella Living Solutions
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Praise for MINDSHIFT “This is a captivating glimpse into the world of senior living. Jill’s examples and stories from her own work and personal experiences help us to understand that we alone don’t have the answers, that we need to ask the people living and working in our communities. This book is honest and authentic and should be a must-read for anyone working or interested in the area of senior living.” -Penny Cook, President and CEO, Pioneer Network
“Jill Vitale-Aussem’s perspective on aging is profound and timely! Her ability to blend insights from her own experiences, leadership theory, and philosophies on successful aging make [this book] a read that needs to be on our bookshelves.” -Michele Holleran, Ph.D., M.B.A., CEO and Founder, Holleran, and Former Chair, Larry Minnix LeadingAge Leadership Academy
“Filled with honesty and wit, Jill Vitale-Aussem holds up the mirror and takes us on her journey as a self-reflective leader as she grows from a successful master of hospitality into a genuine community builder and social architect. She helps us understand why this fundamental shift is vital to the well-being of elders . . . [and] equips the field of senior living with an arsenal of resources to drive a deep transformation of culture and build inclusive communities everywhere.” -Jennifer Carson, Ph.D., Director, Dementia Engagement Education and Research Program, School of Community Health Services, University of Nevada
“This is a great book that connects the dots between the isms of aging, the essential human components of living that we have often neglected in the systems we have developed, and where we need to go to better support each other as we grow older. It is filled with so many of my favorite things on these topics: the importance of community, authenticity, humility, and paradigm shifting, with a wealth of different perspectives, engaging stories, and practical examples.” -Sonya Barsness, M.S.G., Revisionary Gerontologist, www.beingheard.blog
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Soundbites from the Author Quotes from Jill Vitale-Aussem “There’s no other field where push-back against the status quo, disruption, and mindshifts are more needed than in senior living.” “We focus much of our sales and marketing efforts on telling people what they will receive if they move to our community. Rarely do we ask the questions: What will the older adult bring to this community? How will they make it a better place?” “There is little to no outrage about the blank and stifling environments that we create in nursing homes and retirement communities in the name of risk management.... Why do we think all risk must end when we reach a certain age?” “So often, we see people, especially in nursing homes, who are so institutionalized and dependent that they think they can't do anything unless it's scheduled on a calendar and run by team members. Real life doesn't work that way.” “It's disturbing that I had the power to make decisions for residents who were well over twice my age and with twice the life experience. Yet that is the culture of senior living and of healthcare. We assume that just because someone is older and needs some assistance, the person can no longer make decisions about risk or how he or she wishes to live his or her life.” “Senior living communities aren't hotels.... For a sense of community to develop people need to have influence on their community and see themselves as citizens instead of consumers of services.” “When you encounter opposition, celebrate it - it means you're doing something different!” “There are some very real challenges that come with aging. If not addressed, these challenges can impede a resident's opportunity to participate in a community and to have purpose and independence. It's important to address these items and ensure that building design is supportive of the challenges of its inhabitants.”
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AGEISM IS EVERYWHERE From greeting cards that mock the advent of another birthday to hair coloring and anti-wrinkle creams, we are told constantly and without apology that being old is something to be avoided at all costs. The negative messaging works. As a nation, we spend billions of dollars on anti-aging treatments. Our deep-held and often unconscious prejudices and beliefs about aging translate into a perception that once older people enter senior living housing, they have nothing meaningful to contribute to society. And it's just not true.
EXAMPLES OF AGEISM Over-the-hill birthday cards and decorations "Dress Like an Older Person Day" in grade schools (kids wear gray hair and fake dentures, use walkers or canes, etc.) Anti-wrinkle creams, hair coloring to cover grays, and other beauty products that claim to combat aging Statements like, "You look good for your age!" "60 is the new 50!" Movies, news stories, and TV shows that depict elders as foolish, cranky, or pathetic Workplaces that show age discrimination in their hiring practices
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FACTS & FIGURES
ABOUT AGING & SENIOR LIVING The number of Americans age 65 and older is projected to nearly double from 52 million in 2018 to 95 million by 2060, and will make up 23% of the population.(1) In the 2000 census, they were only 12% of the U.S. population. In 2017, the not-for-profit senior living organization National Senior Campuses reported over 19,000 senior living units across the United States.(2) A survey from the national Disabled Living Foundation found that more people are afraid of losing their independence in old age and being forced to move into a nursing home than they are of dying.(3) Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease, and even death.(4) Over 77% of older adults surveyed reported experiencing one or more incidents of ageism; and more than half of the reported incidents were reported to have occurred "more than once."(5) A study from a pharmacy benefit management service found that consumers with private insurance now spend, on average, more on prescriptions to fight conditions long seen as natural effects of growing older—including mental alertness, sexual dysfunction, menopause, aging skin, and hair loss—than they do on medication to treat diseases. (6) The anti-aging industry is an $80 billion-a-year business. No treatments have been proven to slow or reverse the aging process.(7)
(1) Mark Mather, Paola Scommegna, and Lillian Kilduff. "Fact Sheet: Aging in the United States." July 15, 2019. www.prb.org. (2) https://www.statista.com/topics/4817/housing-for-seniors-in-the-us/ (3) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/elder/6836648/More-people-fear-losing-independence-in-old-age-than-death-survey-finds.html (2010) (4) National Institute on Aging, 2019 (5) The Gerontologist, Volume 41, Issue 5, 1 October 2001, Pages 572–575 (6) https://www.nextavenue.org/we-now-spend-more-fight-aging-fight-disease/ (2012) (7) https://www.nextavenue.org/we-now-spend-more-fight-aging-fight-disease/
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frequently asked questions What is senior living? Senior living refers to any congregate living for older people, and includes nursing homes, retirement homes, and assisted living. What are the differences between nursing homes, retirement communities, and assisted living? Nursing homes provide residential living for older adults who need help with medical care. Retirement communities are residences for older adults that provide care and services for seniors who can live independently with minimal to moderate support. Assisted living communities provide housing, housekeeping, meals, and some care to people who need help with some daily activities. Who are the “baby boomers?” Baby boomers are the demographic group of people born in the years following World War II, when there was a temporary marked increase in the birth rate (approximately between 1946 and 1964). Baby boomers are now entering the age of retirement and will drastically increase the need for senior living services. What is the hospitality model? This approach to senior living is modeled after hotels and resorts, and is usually geared toward customer service and amenities. What is “aging in place?” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines aging in place as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.” What is ageism? Stereotyping, discrimination, and social prejudice based on a person’s age. What is ableism? Stereotyping, discrimination, and social prejudice against people living with different physical or cognitive abilities. What is paternalism? Acting "for the good" of another person without their will or consent.
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frequently asked questions What is the institutional model of care in senior living? It's a model of care in senior living settings similar to hospital care—efficient, sterile, clinical environments with regimented wake-up times, bedtimes, meal times, etc. What is the person-directed approach to care in senior living? It's a senior living model of care and support in which the person receiving support and services exercises choice and self-determination in every aspect of daily life and has influence on the larger community in which he or she lives. What is culture change? In senior living, it is an organizational transformation moving from an institutional to a person-directed approach to care and support. What are inclusive cultures in senior living? In an inclusive culture, everyone is honored, accepted, and included. This is in contrast to the traditional model of senior living where those living with different abilities and needs may be marginalized or segregated from the rest of the residents. What is segregation in senior living? Segregation in senior living refers to the physical and social separation of those needing different or higher levels of care and support (such as people living with dementia or those needing more care being separated from other residents). What is “surplus safety?� This term, coined by Drs. Bill Thomas and Judah Ronch, refers to the tendency to look only at the downside or negative risk of a situation when considering risk assessment. It leads to paternalistic limitations on a person's choice or activities due to safety concerns. What is autonomy? Having choice, self-determination, and freedom. What is adaptive work? Work that requires a shift in values, beliefs, roles, and relationships. Adaptive work requires change throughout an entire organization and includes those who work closest to the problem or challenge.
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CONTACT US To request a review copy or schedule an interview with the author: Kaitlin Konecke Marketing Manager Health Professions Press
EMAIL PHONE ADDRESS
marketing@healthpropress.com
410-337-9585 x181
P.O. Box 10624 Baltimore, MD 21285
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