Fortune 500 event planner turns senior living activities professional. Courtney Russell, Lifestyle Program Director at LiveWell Group, shares why programming is the backbone of resident engagement.

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Intro

Welcome to season eight of Bridge the Gap, a podcast dedicated to informing, educating, and influencing the future of housing and services for seniors. The BTG network is powered by sponsors Accushield, Align, NIC MAP Vision, Procare HR, Sage, Hamilton Capital, ServiceMaster, The Bridge Group Construction, and Solinty and produced by Solinity Marketing. Bridge the Gap in three, two.

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00:39 - 00:49

Lucas McCurdy

Welcome to Bridge the Gap podcast, the senior Living podcast with Josh and Lucas, a great guest on today. Welcome, Courtney Russell with LiveWell Group out of New York welcome to the show.

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00:49 - 00:50

Courtney Russell

Thank you so much.

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00:50 - 01:08

Lucas McCurdy

Going to have a great conversation today about a very important topic in aging and in senior living about activities and socialization. And before we dive into that, Courtney, how does an event planner for fortune 500 companies get involved in senior housing?

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01:08 - 01:57

Courtney Russell

It was an interesting way. I kind of fell into it when I moved from the West Coast to the East Coast. I kind of had to reevaluate everything I was doing. And then I happened to move about a year and a half before the Covid 19 pandemic hit, and that kind of turned everything upside down on everyone's head.

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And I started a position where I thought maybe I would just start something part time and kind of see where things are. As I was landing in New York, it turned into something much more rewarding and interesting and it's great to know that every event that myself or my team puts on every day is positively impacting somebody no matter how big or how small it is. So, we took this activity program and turned it into a fully fleshed out lifestyle program across all of our properties, which is really exciting.

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01:57 - 02:27

Josh Crisp

Courtney, you certainly entered the industry, so to speak, at an interesting time when the spotlight was really shining on topics like isolation and engagement and keeping residents active in a very difficult time. Your background is really interesting to bring that aspect into our industry. But for context, what type of communities are you involved in?

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02:27 - 03:18

Courtney Russell

So LiveWell Group's active adult communities are 55 plus and better communities. They are built like little neighborhoods. They look like everyone lives in what we call a cottage. It's like a small town house. And then there's a clubhouse in the center of the communities and with pools and walking trails and community gardens.

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But everyone has their own home style. So it's a really wonderful community for folks who want to downsize, and don't want to deal with the hassle of homeownership and really kind of want to focus on what that third age, that third phase of living looks and feels like to them. And so our lifestyle program really helps them develop and figure out what they want to do with their time. Now that they have more time and they're not working or working part time and they don't have the home ownership issues.

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03:18 - 03:35

Josh Crisp

Well, that makes a lot of sense. And I've heard you mentioned the term multi-generational. Is that what you consider when you say these 55 plus, there's multiple generations living together, or is there other acuity that you all have under on these same campuses?

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03:35 - 03:57

Courtney Russell

So we have different types of properties under our company's umbrella. And so our multi-generational properties really just are more like a traditional, apartment community. And they could be for young professionals up to folks who are 55 and better. And then we do have our active adult communities, which are specifically for 55 and better.

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03:57 - 04:52

Josh Crisp

We've talked a lot on our show through the years about the importance of activities and life enrichment and keeping active as we age. And it's amazing that we live and work our entire lives. And then we get to a point. And oftentimes, when we stop what we've been doing our entire lives, we have to be really intentional about getting involved in something.

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Because we've all heard if you don't, you don't move it, you don't use it. You tend to lose your function and digress, whether that's cognitively or physically. So tell us more about your program. You've had a lot of success, and I'm really interested because it is very much a lifestyle product where people kind of live in their own places, but they come together for a sense of community and to participate in. How does that work across multiple generations?

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04:52 - 08:07

Courtney Russell

With the wave of the baby boomer generation coming in, you've got our folks that are coming from what we coined the Greatest Generation, the World War II generation. And now we have this wave of a variety of different, decades of cultural experience of folks coming in who were growing up, who were in their 20s in the 60s and the 70s then their 30s and 40s in the 80s and 90s.

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And it's just really different. How do you encapsulate programming that makes good sense for people coming from so many different backgrounds? And different time periods and what they're looking for. So I guess it's kind of fun. I think for our team to use that as a positive, exciting and challenging tool to think about how do we engage everybody?

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But sometimes we can figure that out with one larger event or certain events, or sometimes we just have to really diversify our calendar. So one of the things that I've actually been really passionate about, and I think that it kind of came out of having to start this work during the pandemic is, not a great term, but what I coined is passive programming.

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And that doesn't sound exciting, but I think it's so fundamental to the success and the backbone of the program, because we'll have some residents who, if they're not comfortable, if they're introverted, if they're shy, if they are nervous to get out for balance reasons or mobility reasons. Just so many reasons. How do you still engage those people and how do you still help them feel like they're part of a community? And that was that. That was the huge thing that I had to start working on in March of 2020.

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But then beyond that, you know, how do you continue that? And so we, I talk a lot with the staff about, okay, this big social event has great food trucks and this concert that we're going to have a great time and we'll get tons of people out. And that's wonderful. But what about the folks that don't feel like they can come out? How can we still engage them? And so just really kind of making sure that our calendar always reflects what is important. I just got back two weeks ago from the International Council of Active Aging conference over in Raleigh. And I think the key theme I walked away with was how important purpose is and how important it is that we have purpose in our life every day, but especially as we're aging, and especially when we have more time on our hands.

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Like what you were saying, Josh, about you need to get up and get out. You move it or you lose it, and it's with your brain. It's with your heart. It's with your body. So what can we do in our communities to help people do that every day? And a lot of our residents, I think, move to our Spinney communities, our active adult properties, a lot for the cottage, the community and neighborhood style.

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They're close to family. But then when they get there and they find out that there's a team that is willing to support them and give them resources and tools and access and opportunities to try something new, to stay active, to try something old, to think like, oh, I couldn't do that anymore. But look, I still can. Here's how I can do it. I think that that's what keeps the people in the community and keeps people feeling happy.

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08:07 - 08:45

Josh Crisp

You know, and I've seen, at various types of communities that I've been able to tour or manage through the years. It's always interesting to me to see the different, and the different groups. And what's attractive to them is, is that more of the entertaining activities? Is it more of the gaming or is it more of the purposeful, intentional? I feel a sense of purpose. I've got to do this. Someone is depending on me for your community in this 55 plus sector. What seems to be most appealing to them? Are they looking to be entertained or are they looking to be, you know, like more recreational, active lifestyle or is it a little little of both

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08:45 - 10:33

Courtney Russell

Our program is what we call Spinney Life. And it has five core concepts. it's social, environmental, intellectual community, and wellness. And I think that our most engaged residents are the ones that kind of pick and choose a little off of that whole menu.

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They're so excited to come to, like, we do a whole summer concert series. So we bring the whole summer concert series right to our community. And that's where we got the food trucks. We've got the live bands. We've got fun shirts that people wear, and they're so excited for that on Friday night, but they can't wait on Thursday we'll have a well renowned speaker coming in to talk about sleep hygiene or really getting down into the nitty gritty about, like, sugar and how much sugar is in things and simple ways we can kind of take care of what we're eating and what we're putting in our bodies. Scam prevention is very interesting. So kind of that well-roundedness, you can come in for a flu clinic one day, and then the next day you're coming in and you're making a craft. So the folks that kind of get out and do a little bit of everything and dabble are the ones I think that are really, really living their best life over there.

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But some people just get excited when they get the calendar for going out and getting our newsletter. And our calendar is sometimes just the best thing. I've had a resident who will say to me often, you know, you don't see me a lot at the clubhouse, but you don't know how much. I can't wait until that calendar comes out every month. I love to see what's on the calendar. I love to tell my family what's going on. It feels so good to know that I'm part of this community, and there's a lot happening here.

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10:33 - 10:50

Josh Crisp

I have a couple of questions. And, Lucas, you know, you feel free to tell me to be quiet and let you talk as well. But, you've said a couple of times the term that I'm not really familiar with. I'm sure our listeners are, but you've said sleep hygiene. What exactly does that mean?

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10:50 - 11:43

Courtney Russell

It's a weird sounding term. So it's about that, people, I think, don't really realize how important our sleep is. As we age in general, but especially when we're older. A lot of people will say, like, oh, I don't sleep well. I fall asleep early. I get up early doing things in life. So we will have health practitioners, health coaches come in and talk with folks about ways to truly try to help you get a good night's rest, how to fall asleep calmly, how to sleep through the night. close your blinds at night, but get them open first thing in the morning.

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Get to a source of light as soon as you can to really help get your hormones and endorphins going. And that expert on sleep hygiene. But it's truly important because we have a lot of people who say, I don't sleep well, and then the rest of my day feels kind of short and wasted, and I don't know what to do about that.

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11:43 - 12:41

Josh Crisp

Very interesting. And the other question I had. So, you know, it's really interesting as we're making this shift, now 55 plus communities are an active adult is a thing in this industry. We've called senior living. You know, just over the last several years, we've started talking a lot about that. It's very popular now.

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Our partners, like at NIC, are tracking a lot of data around that, and I'm really curious to see what methods of communication. Because you can make these great plans, right? You can make these great calendars, and you can coordinate all of these activities and entertainment and things. You can train your team members to even know how to lead. But what is the method that you're seeing in this 55 plus cohort that's very different from the Greatest generation that we've traditionally been serving. How are you communicating to keep them engaged? Is it text? Is it, some channel on their TV or emails, like, what are you doing?

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12:41 - 14:14

Courtney Russell

Well, when I started, they had a binder and you would have to come into the clubhouse and sign up. And I said that's not going to work. I mean, obviously it's not going to work when I started during the pandemic, but in general, I said, no, we can do something a little better than this.

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But we don't have to push it to the extreme. I'm not going to tell you, you have to get an app and they're going to tell you like you have to do something really crazy. But. So we could RSVP, you can call us, you can stop in, you can send us an email. You can do that all on your own time when it's convenient for you.

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And that's basically how you let us know. I think that in five, I'll say five years give or take. I feel like we might transition that a little bit more, and there may be more like we're just starting to dabble with our online calendars to make it a little more interactive and user friendly. As we see the next wave of more people who are coming in their 60s, we want to support them and engage them where they're at as well.

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But I have to make it accessible to the folks that are in their 70s, 80s and 90s. So we give people a lot of options right now. As long as that works well for my team and it's not holding them up in any way from the planning on their side of things, then it works well all around. But it was a shift and, and it was hard. And they said, but what about what we want? Just just let us come in and write our name. And I said, I promise this is easier once you get used to it. And after a few months, you know, no one's talked about the binder ever again. But it was a bit of a shift.

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14:14 - 14:24

Josh Crisp

Well, Lucas, Courtney had me at food trucks and concerts. I don't know about you, but it sounds like a field trip might be in order for me and you.

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14:24 - 14:55

Lucas McCurdy

I think so, I think so, you know, I can sense we have a lot of activity professionals that listen to Bridge the Gap. And we've interacted with them in a variety of formats. So to the activity professional out there that is maybe a little bit frustrated with the status quo as we kind of round out our conversation here, what would be your encouragement to them. Maybe just a first step of maybe changing a few things in their organization or adding some of these newer ideas that you've presented on the podcast?

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14:55 - 15:33

Courtney Russell

They might want to start looking at branching out their own thinking and start looking at what are event trends in the industry. And that's slightly different from what maybe life enrichment and wellness activities are. So maybe stop looking at the same Facebook pages or online resources or whatever that you're looking at that have to do specifically with the senior living industry and say, what are the trends that I'm seeing at the fundraisers and galas in town? Or what am I seeing that looks really fun? Like I'll say, I don't know if there's. You guys heard of something called a Dolly Disco?

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15:33 - 15:34

Lucas McCurdy

No, I have not. No.

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15:34 - 16:57

Courtney Russell

Okay, so a Dolly Disco has kind of been this trending thing. It goes along with that fun poppy ness, but it really just goes kind of like this Dolly Parton meets disco vibe. And it was a very trending fun thing for just general all kinds of events for people of all ages and everywhere across the nation. So we brought that to our properties. And finally it sounds fun, it's upbeat, it's lighthearted. I think we're actually going to keep tweaking the program. I want to get some roller skating people to come in and, like, roller skate around. But if you don't like Dolly or country or maybe you like disco, or maybe you just like having a good time, or maybe you just want to see what this weird, wacky event sounds like.

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So, that's just like one example. Sometimes we'll try to throw something really fun and different and you'll say, oh, I've seen that in a magazine, or I saw that on a TV show. It doesn't feel like it's for senior living. If it doesn't feel like it's for senior living, then maybe that's the right thing to try, because you're helping people feel like they're not just doing bingo and bus trips and birthday parties, and they're doing something that feels like they're still young and active and living their full life like they thought they were living before. It doesn't have to end just because we're getting older. We are all aging every day.

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16:57 - 18:14

Josh Crisp

Oh, man, that's so true. And, I love that you're leading the way on that because, you know, as we age, I gosh, when you say 55 plus Lucas, I don't know about you, but I feel like that's starting to sound younger and younger all the time. And I'm thinking, these communities are so beautiful. What a great place to live.

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But, gosh, I don't want to stop living just because I moved to an age restricted community. I want to keep living. I want to keep doing the things that I've always been doing. I just wanted to be supported through that, in my frailty, whatever that may be. So what an awesome opportunity and so glad to have you now in the aging population services in senior living, as we call it.

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Over from doing mega events, outside of the industry. Last thing that I have for you is I think it is very interesting that you came from outside of the industry and brought your talents and abilities here. So when you're looking to hire, who have been your most successful, best transition candidates? Are they people that already have senior living experience and maybe have that geriatric, level of training? Or is it people that are bringing completely new ideas from other sectors and other industries into ours? What's your perspective on that?

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18:14 - 20:05

Courtney Russell

When we're interviewing people, I say it's kind of like a trifecta and have this interest or experience with events. You need to have this interest or experience with resident engagement, and you need to be able to get your work done in the office. You need to put out a calendar. You need to be able to, you know, right, well engage with vendors. But that's really hard to find. Like we actually just had a spot we've been trying to fill for quite a while. And I think that the right fit is so hard because resumes can be so wide and fast.

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You have to find someone who has that emotional connection and wants to engage people in events for a certain reason. And it's different than making sure that everything goes well at a conference and it's different than, you know, making sure that everyone walks on the runway and doesn't fall out of fashion shows. It's it's it's that people connection.

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And then if you can also do those other things and if you're also someone who's open to new ideas, you will probably be a great fit because you can learn a lot of those other skills as long as you, at the end of the day, are wanting to do them for the right reason, which is doing them to help people live their best life and, I'm thinking of two of my staff that are just really awesome, and one comes from a what one is like up and coming.

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She's just young, out of college and kind of not really sure like where the best fit is. She wants to be. And so this is an awesome opportunity for her because the sky's kind of the limit. Like, you can do any type of event you want if it's going to bring people there and it makes good sense because you can have anything in it, it's okay.

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You can have ten people come, 30 people come, five people come. It doesn't have it, but it can still have the theme and the idea that you're looking for, which I think is rewarding for our staff as well.

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20:05 - 20:29

Josh Crisp

Oh, absolutely. Lucas, what an awesome opportunity to again put a spotlight on such an important topic in our industry. And it's fun to see how it's evolving and changing and becoming better, through many things and hardships like this one started through the pandemic and out of that, here on the back side of all that, what a what a great program that you've developed. Courtney, thanks for joining us, Lucas. What a great show.

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20:29 - 20:36

Lucas McCurdy

Absolutely. And we'll connect with Courtney and her organization in the show notes. Courtney, thanks for taking time with us and telling your story.

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20:36 - 20:38

Courtney Russell

Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

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20:38 - 20:50

Lucas McCurdy

And thanks to our listeners. You can go to btgvoice.com and listen to this content and so much more. Connect with us on LinkedIn. We'd love to hear your thoughts and comments about this topic. And thanks for listening to another great episode of Bridge the Gap.

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Outro

Thanks for listening to Bridge the Gap podcast with Josh and Lucas. Connect with the BTG network team and use your voice to influence the industry by connecting with us at btgvoice.com.

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