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C-Level Leadership Enables the Purpose of Resident Engagement

This webinar captures a panel discussion from the 2021 Activity Strong Summit featuring senior living leaders discussing the critical role of resident engagement in enhancing quality of life. The session featured Lynne Katzmann (President of Juniper Communities), Marvell Adams Jr. (COO of Kendal Corporation), Charles de Vilmorin (CEO of Linked Senior), and Josh Crisp (co-founder of Bridge the Gap podcast).

Key Themes and Insights

Evolving Approach to Senior Living Quality of Life

The panelists emphasized that senior living is transitioning from a primarily medical model to a more holistic social model. Lynne Katzmann framed this evolution as moving from “care and service” to “lifestyle management” that promotes personalized health and well-being. This represents a fundamental shift in how quality of life is perceived and delivered in senior communities.

Engagement as a Health Determinant

A central theme was the recognition that meaningful engagement directly impacts residents’ health outcomes:

  • The pandemic highlighted how isolation negatively affects physical and mental health
  • Engagement activities are increasingly viewed as essential as medication (“social prescriptions”)
  • Data collection is becoming crucial to measuring engagement impact and personalizing experiences

Operational Challenges and Solutions

The speakers identified several operational challenges in delivering quality resident engagement:

  • Staffing and Culture: Finding and retaining the right people who align with organizational values
  • Consistent Implementation: Ensuring high-quality program execution across communities
  • Champion Development: The need for champions beyond just activities staff to drive engagement initiatives
  • Resident Direction: Creating structures for resident input while maintaining clear decision-making frameworks

Pandemic Adaptations and Innovations

COVID-19 accelerated certain trends in senior living engagement:

  • Greater technology adoption for virtual programming
  • Cross-community programming and resource sharing
  • Recognition of the critical importance of social connection to overall well-being

Future Directions

The panel identified several forward-looking approaches:

  • Using data to develop personalized “social prescriptions” for residents
  • Integrating residents more deeply into program development and implementation
  • Creating more partnerships with external organizations, particularly educational institutions
  • Reframing the language around activities to elevate their importance (on par with medical interventions)

Both Juniper Communities and Kendal Corporation demonstrate leadership in prioritizing resident engagement as central to quality of life, viewing it not as an add-on but as fundamental to their business models and differentiation strategies.

The consensus was clear: senior living communities that fail to prioritize and evolve their approach to resident engagement will struggle to remain competitive as consumer expectations continue to evolve toward more personalized, purpose-driven living experiences.