Bold, visionary leaders are the ones who challenge the status quo, break down barriers, and champion quality of life for older adults. Today’s guest, Karen Schoeneman, is a shining example of that kind of leadership.

This week, Susan Ryan sits down with Karen to discuss her many years of work reforming long term care, beginning with her work in social services, where her passion for resident-centered care took root. That passion fueled a remarkable 22-year career at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), where she specialized in regulatory guidance for quality of life, led survey process improvements, and helped train more than 5,000 surveyors nationwide.

As a founding member of the Pioneer Network, Karen helped to grow a national movement dedicated to transforming long-term care. She played a key role in the development of the Artifacts of Culture Change, a tool used by nursing homes and assisted living communities to assess and enhance person-centered care.

Karen’s groundbreaking contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the Picker Philanthropy Lifetime Achievement Award, the ACHCA Public Service Award, and the Pegasus Award for her work as executive producer of the CMS “Hand in Hand” training toolkit.

Though officially retired, Karen’s legacy lives on through the countless people and communities she has inspired to embrace person-directed practices.

Tune in and be inspired by Karen’s journey, her insights, and her unwavering dedication to culture change in eldercare.

In this episode, Susan Ryan sits down with Marcus Engel—speaker, educator, and expert in compassion science—whose powerful survival story has become a catalyst for inspiring more humane, connected workplaces. Through his work, Marcus helps organizations foster environments rooted in empathy, connection, and purpose.

With a Master’s in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University and a teaching role at the University of Notre Dame, Marcus brings a unique blend of storytelling and science to the conversation. He’s spoken at top healthcare institutions, universities, and even the United Nations in celebration of International Nurses Day.

In addition to exploring how Marcus’ personal journey shaped his commitment to compassion, this episode examines what “narrative medicine” is and why it matters in healthcare and beyond, strategies for cultivating compassion in professional settings, and the power of staying connected to mission in high-stress environments.

Connect with Marcus Engel here: https://marcusengel.com/

In today’s episode, Susan Ryan sits down with Dan Gordon, Craig Major, and Stephanie Smithson of ACH Group, creators of the first international Green House homes in Adelaide, Australia.

Based in South Australia, ACH implemented the Green House model into its newest residential care home, Healthia, in Elizabeth in 2023.

Dan, a nurse, and Craig, a healthcare manager, discuss their journeys into eldercare, and their experiences with the Green House model. Stephanie, who has 36 years of experience in eldercare, highlights the benefits of model. The project includes eight individual houses with 12 rooms each, a partnership with the local health network, and a hospital-in-the-home program.

The group explains how the homes’ care model has had a powerful impact on the residents as well as the staff.

Find more details about ACH’s Green House home, Healthia, here: https://achgroup.org.au/location/healthia-residential-care-home/

The 2025 Center for Innovation Conference registration has launched! And in today’s episode, Susan Ryan talks with Joan Divine and Marla DeVries about what’s in store for this auspicious evet, scheduled for August 11 to 14 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Hosted by The Green House Project and Pioneer Network, this event marks a significant gathering for those committed to transforming eldercare.​

In addition to a discussion about the theme of “Mobilize the Movement,” some episode highlights include the following:

Opportunity can come in many shapes and in unexpected places. Today’s guest, Jeff Ash, Ed.D, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at The Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Md., tells a very compelling story about how he was given an opportunity that set the stage for his now-illustrious career. Having had a somewhat circuitous career path as a young academic, Dr. Ash describes how he was given a break because someone saw him as a whole person.

Today, with more than 25 years of academia in the University of Maryland system under his belt, Dr. Ash walks the walk when it comes to his philosophy on fair, equitable opportunities and why he is often more impressed with a lower GPA than by a 4.0.

His keen insights, wisdom, and guidance in conversation with Susan Ryan in this episode are especially timely and essential.

Prioritizing people, no matter their race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or age, is a core tenet of the Center for Innovation as we create communities of belonging, where individuals are seen as whole people with intrinsic worth, and our shared humanity enables all to live, grow, and thrive.

Learn more about the CFI’s upcoming conference in St. Louis this August: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2025-conference/

Policy experts Joe Angelelli and Anne Montgomery return to the podcast to discuss the recent EINSTEIN Option summit, a gathering of eldercare changemakers dedicated to advancing a comprehensive plan to reimagine the entire care delivery system.

In this episode, you’ll learn how the EINSTEIN Option could create full care continuums in communities around the country, with services and supports that meet elders where they are — instead of forcing them into institutional settings that do not meet their needs.

Learn more about the EINSTEIN Option, including a recording from the summit: https://www.einsteinoption.org/

Learn more about the CFI conference in St. Louis this August: https://thegreenhouseproject.org/2025-conference/

Suellen Beatty is a pioneer of person-directed care and small-home living in Canada. During her decades-long career at the Sherbrooke Community Center in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Beatty worked tirelessly to always go above and beyond even the basics of person-directed care practices, building a community where residents actually want to live, and caregivers actually want to work — with the more than 90% retention rate to prove it.

Beatty joins the podcast this week to discuss how she helped turn Sherbrooke into a national standard for eldercare — as well as intergenerational education — north of the border.

Learn more about Sherbrooke: https://www.sherbrookecommunitycentre.ca/

Read the recent Canadian small-home report: https://www.niageing.ca/small-care-homes

Like far too many people across the world, Kyle Henry was forced to spend his mother’s last days communicating from behind screens and PPE as the COVID-19 pandemic raged.

But Henry — a prolific filmmaker and associate professor at Northwestern University — also saw an opportunity to shine a light on dementia, caregiving, and his own relationship with his mother. His film “Time Passages” stands as a tribute not just to one family struggling with the impending loss of a matriarch, but to all the caregivers and people living with dementia who have traveled similar paths.

Learn more about the film, as well as screenings and streaming information:https://www.timepassagesfilm.com/

Learn more about Caring Across Generations: https://caringacross.org/