As we approach the winter season, we want to express our gratitude for your continued support as well as the good work being done by our friends and associates. We are feeling hopeful for better times in the coming new year, and thankful for everyone engaged in the effort to create healthier futures for us all.

CIHF Associate Director, Heather Kolakowski, had the opportunity to interview CIHF Industry Scholar, Meredith Oppenheim, founder of Vitality Society; Vitality Society is an online platform designed for seniors sixty and better. Please see below for highlights from their discussion.

Here at CIHF we are thinking of you all, hoping for a safe and healthy holiday season.

This past year the CIHF website has been redesigned to better reflect the accomplishments and research of our community members. The frequent updates enables us to publicize your news items and topics of interest with an efficient turn-around. Check out the changes here: Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures

At CIHF, we value your work and achievements. If you have anything to share with the community, please contact Program Assistant, Ellie Mendoza, at ev227@cornell.edu.

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CIHF WELCOMES NEW INDUSTRY SCHOLARS

Bob Kramer is Founder and Strategic Advisor at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). He is also the President of Nexus Insights, an advisory firm that helps clients to redefine aging and rethink aging services. He is broadly recognized as one of senior living’s most influential and high profile thought leaders and connectors. With over 35 years of industry leadership, he has earned the reputation of “agent provocateur” in the seniors housing and care industry. Mr. Kramer has been described as an “ice-cutter” and scout in identifying industries and trends that will disrupt the future of seniors housing, aging services and aging more broadly.

In 1991, Mr. Kramer founded NIC to advance access and choice in seniors housing and care by attracting capital to grow the sector. Under his leadership, NIC became the go-to resource for data and analytics for the rapidly expanding seniors housing and care industry and an acknowledged thought leader for new ideas and trends impacting the provision of housing, services and care for older adults. He stepped out of the CEO role in 2017 and continues to serve NIC in the role of Strategic Advisor.

In 2019, Mr. Kramer conceived of and championed “The Forgotten Middle,” a landmark study of the health and socioeconomic status of middle-income adults who will be 75+ in 2029 and their ability to afford private pay senior housing and care. The report on the study, published in Health Affairs, was the 5th most read article appearing in this leading health policy monthly journal in 2019.

In March 2020, Mr. Kramer launched Nexus Insights to “rethink aging from every angle.” The firm leverages a network of leading thinkers and thinking leaders to develop provocative insights and actionable models to transform the current understanding of aging and catalyze the next generation of aging services.

Mr. Kramer was educated at Harvard and Oxford Universities and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary.

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November 3, 2020

“Cornell, for me, is the gift that keeps on giving. It’s such a beautiful, wonderful feeling that twenty-five years later, I can contribute to organizations that have blossomed on the campus, and, specifically, my expertise is aligned with the academic work and the professionals that you attract into this incredibly timely and critical Institute of Healthy Futures.” - Meredith Oppenheim

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

What I saw in the industry of senior housing is that we provide such an extraordinary experience and level of service to those that move in, but, quite frankly, those that move in are a minority of the population of older people who can benefit from what we do. So, the question, for me, became: how do you separate the service and the experience from the need to move into a residential community in a congregate living setting. And so, Vitality Society was born. I had an “aha” moment where I thought – when I was working with my dad when he was so sick – I have to focus on keeping this older generation well. It’s what they want and deserve, and it’s what we as a country need to figure out how to do. I approached this with a sense of urgency prior to Covid. So, I like to say that this challenge of social isolation is actually not a new one, it’s just bigger and more urgent than ever. The time is now to really work on fostering a community for older people. We do that by tapping into their vitality, their creativity, and their curiosity in a virtual way. We pride ourselves on providing an extraordinary experience with fitness, wellness, and enrichment content, but in a very supportive service model at a price that’s very accessible.

It’s very well publicized that one of the greatest risks to older people that are living in more congregant settings is not just Covid, but isolation. If you’re living in a congregant setting you are isolated in your apartment or unit, and that has detrimental effects in and of itself. The same could be said for someone who is isolated in their own home where most seniors tend to live and stay as long as possible. In both instances, the risk of being isolated – especially right now – is very high. Covid exacerbated that, making it much more difficult for people to plug into the communities that existed around them.

My background at Cornell was in the social sciences, and I did quite a bit of study in sociology and anthropology; there’s no question that people need to be part of some fabric around them of a community to gain access to support – when necessary – the spirit of enjoyment, of having a meaningful, valuable life of engaging in activities. So, whether you’re someone who might have gone to your church or temple weekly, if you were part of a singing group, a sports team, or a travel club, for most people those activities are not possible at this time. The virtual substitute is what Vitality Society is all about. It’s fostering that sense of community, and helping people achieve vitality within that community.

I was able to distill down research that I began with Cornell that included surveys and focus groups, and there’s no question that part of this is to have fun. So, one of our principles is “ha!” which is to laugh often, but another one is “hi!” which is to meet new people and engage with other people. It is so critically important to our overall wellbeing and it’s what we really strive to prioritize.

The mobility piece is always a challenge with older people. It’s one of the reasons older people move into senior housing, to take away the challenge or uncertainty around driving. There is dignity and autonomy lost when the privilege to drive is no longer an option. However, the idea of mobility, frankly, has become less of a challenge right now because people are not going out to their clubs, or associations, or organizational get-togethers. The virtual solution eliminates the mobility challenge and is far more accessible for many seniors. A person would need to go on multiple vacations, which can be very costly, or multiple excursions in their neighborhood for a gym, for example, for what we offer in a single location. We curate a tremendous programmatic offering that’s sixteen classes live on each week. That speaks to mobility.

In terms of efficiency: you don’t have to go on the internet and search for a variety of classes with different caliber instructions and content. We’ve taken all of that and made it very accessible and available, both from a top-tier coach perspective as well as the depth of the classes we offer on different intensity levels as well as various types of exercise. Essentially, we offer convenience and efficiency in our programming, and seniors have tremendous autonomy because they engage with Vitality Society on their own terms. On average, our subscribers attend five classes a week. There’s a community that has grown and has been built around each class and coach, which is wonderful. Also, what’s really interesting, is that we have members who come to one class a week, and there are others who choose to utilize the recorded library because the live class times don’t work for their schedules. So, we give people a lot of flexibility which really allows them to engage with great autonomy and maximum enjoyment.

CIHF Community Members and Affiliates Create Special Issue:

Service Imperative for Health, Hospitality, and Design

This interdisciplinary special issue was created with the collaborative work of CIHF leaders - including Emeritus Directors Brooke Hollis and Rohit Verma - as well as CIHF Faculty Fellows, Academic Scholars, affiliated graduate students, and Industry Scholars. Edited by CIHF Academic Scholar, Jay Kandampully, the papers cover the following topics:

Please click here for more information: Service Imperative for Health, Hospitality, and Design

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Tim McCarthy is a WELL Advisory member, supporting their mission for the WELL Healthy-Safety designation for hotels and resorts. Mr. McCarthy spent the summer in collaboration with the WELL Building Institute, doing research in order to prepare for his role as an Advisory member.

The WELL Health Safety rating considers five main categories for assessment:

Please click here for more information: WELL Health Safety Rating

Click here for more information: Effective Digital Marketing

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Built environment professionals must prioritize the provision of broadband access and appropriate technologies that enable telehealth and remote learning, work, and engagement, as a means to facilitate greater independence and participation by residents of all ages and abilities in all aspects of society.

Speakers include:

Dr. Joseph Coughlin, Founder and Director, Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab; Member, AARP Board of Directors

Justin Garrett Moore, Program Officer, Mellon Foundation

Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda, President of World Enabled, President of the Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES); Lecturer, College of Environmental Design, University of California Berkeley

Click here to register for this event: Equity By Design Series

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Interested in watching a replay of this timely discussion? Click here: The Future of Senior Living

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Interested in watching a replay of this webinar? Click here: Thriving in Isolation

Composed of senior-level leaders in industry from around the globe, Advisory Board members are representatives from Corporate Members. This diverse network collaborates with CIHF academics on projects and initiatives with a focus on integrating the fields of hospitality, health management, policy, and design.

Advisory Board members participate in bi-annual meetings and conferences, as guest lecturers, speakers, and mentors to students, and as collaborators with Cornell faculty, researchers, and student groups. Membership provides a platform for industry professionals to connect, build lasting relationships, and collaborate across academia and business.