Assisted living, memory care, rehab, oh my! Join us on Aging Unscripted as we untangle the complex world of senior living with expert insights from Certified Senior Advisor Kelly Grace O’Connor. Understand the options and what getting help with the journey means—so you can move from overwhelmed to informed, one conversation at a time.

Guest: Kelly Grace O’Connor – Certified Senior Advisor/Advocate/Speaker

Links and Resources:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellygraceoconnor/

https://www.csa.us/about-society-of-certified-senior-advisors/meet-our-team/

https://www.pmccpsych.com/kelly-o-connor

https://christianlivingcommunities.org/blog/having-the-conversation/

In this episode of Aging Unscripted, guest host Chaplain Services Director Robert Smith and retired Spiritual Director and author Jane Vennard explore aging as a spiritual practice. They discuss how Western culture pushes us to deny aging, but through a spiritual lens, we find freedom, purpose, and celebration in the journey. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation on embracing aging with mindfulness, grace, and deeper meaning.

1. Books that Jane Vennard finds useful:

Chittister, Joan, The Gift of Years: Growing Old Gracefully, Blue Bridge, 2010.

Iyer, Pico, The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere, Simon & Schuster, 2014.

Leland, John, Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018.

Singh, Kathleen Dowling, The Grace in Aging: Awaken as you Grow Older, Wisdom Publications, 2014.

Vennard, Jane, Fully Awake and Truly Alive: Spiritual Practices to Nurture Your Soul, Skylight Paths, 2013.

1. Spiritual Care in Senior Living Blog by Robert Smith

In this episode of Aging Unscripted, we challenge traditional views of dementia, shifting from a focus on decline to empowerment and support.

Hosts Jill Vitale-Aussem and Pam Sullivan welcome dementia educator Jessica Luh Kim and advocate Mary Beth Wighton, who is living well with dementia. Together, they explore how to foster true belonging and create a more inclusive, supportive world for those on the dementia journey.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation!

1. Dignity & Dementia: Carpe Diem by Mary Beth Wighton

2. Dementia Action Alliance

3. Living with Well Dementia Blog CLC