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BUT SURELY SOME RESIDENTS PREFER THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY MODEL WHERE YOU ARE WAITED ON IN FANCY SURROUNDINGS? I think there will always be people who want to be waited on. But the current

model assumes that's what everybody wants, what everybody needs. People age well where they have a purpose, a role in their community. SO THESE OLDER ADULTS REQUIRE CARE BUT IN A WAY

THAT GIVES THEM DIGNITY? Yes, we need to recognize they have years of experience and knowledge and have the right to make decisions. HOW DO WE BALANCE THAT WITH SAFETY? A life worth living

involves some risk. For example, when someone is at risk for falling, we often tell them, “Sit down.” We make it worse by confining them to a chair, when they need to stretch their legs. If

you or I sit in a meeting too long, we fidget, we move around, our back starts to hurt. WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT WHEN CHECKING OUT ASSISTED LIVING AND NURSING HOMES?

Sometimes people get so wowed by appearances. Rather than “Oh, here's the beautiful dining room; here's the garden,” find out what the community is really about, what they believe

in, how residents experience well-being. WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD WE BE ASKING? How do residents have choice and voice in the community? How are they engaged here? Do people wake up when they

want, eat breakfast when they want? How does the community adapt to their rhythm of life? MANY DREAD SENIOR HOUSING FACILITIES. IS THAT FEELING INEVITABLE? The first thing I'd say is,

they're not facilities. Who wants to live in a facility? And, no, I don't think it's inevitable. Find the right place, where people are continuing to grow, challenge

themselves, support each other. These places can be so vibrant and so welcoming. If Clermont Park [the community she previously ran] wasn't age restricted, I'd go now! _Jill

Vitale-Aussem, 50, is president and CEO of The Eden Alternative and author of AARP's _Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: A Mindshift. _Visit aarp.org/mindshift. Interview by

Jodi Lipson_