Tips from Trestle: The Senior Living Food and Hospitality Podcast

Tips from Trestle explores transformative senior living through food, hospitality, and community experience. Hosted by Aaron Fish, this episode features guest JP York from the 2054 Institute discussing LEGO Serious Play—an innovative therapeutic intervention for memory care and dementia. Discover how hand-based building activates undamaged brain regions, improving cognition, dexterity, and emotional well-being in seniors. Learn about the hand-brain connection, the four-stage LEGO framework, and real resident stories of breakthrough communication and restored identity. This episode bridges geriatric care innovation with practical, accessible solutions for skilled nursing facilities, memory care communities, and senior living professionals. Perfect for healthcare leaders seeking evidence-based, engagement-focused alternatives to traditional activities. Explore how creative play addresses isolation, purpose, and dignity in senior care environments
Tips from Trestle is sponsored by:
WiseOx: https://bit.ly/TFT_WiseOx
AdvantageTrust GPO: https://bit.ly/TFTAdvTrust
Dining With Dementia: https://bit.ly/TFT_DwD
100% Leader: https://bit.ly/TFT_100
#TFT510 #SeniorLiving #MemoryCare #DementiaCare #GeriatricHealth #TherapeuticActivities #SeniorEngagement #InnovativeHealthcare #CaregiverSupport #MindfulAging #SeniorWellness #HealthcareLeadership #CNAJobs #NursingCareers #SeniorCommunity #CreativeTherapy

In this episode of Tips from Trestle, Aaron sits down with Sadiya Abjani, Director of Learning and Instructional Design at SAGE, to explore how senior living organizations can better serve LGBTQ+ older adults through inclusive leadership, cultural competency, and person-centered care. Sadiya brings 15 years of training and curriculum design experience, deep expertise in LGBTQ+ aging, diversity and equity, and a track record of training more than 80,000 people across multiple learning environments. The conversation covers inclusive marketing, non-discrimination language, intake forms, hiring, staff retention, chosen family, and the practical steps leaders can take to create safer, more affirming senior living communities. This episode is essential for senior living operators, executive directors, healthcare leaders, and hospitality professionals who want to improve resident experience, strengthen workplace culture, and deliver equitable care that truly reflects every community they serve.
Tips from Trestle is sponsored by:
WiseOx: https://bit.ly/TFT_WiseOx
AdvantageTrust GPO: https://bit.ly/TFTAdvTrust
Dining With Dementia: https://bit.ly/TFT_DwD
100% Leader: https://bit.ly/TFT_100
#TFT509 #SeniorLiving #LGBTQSeniors #InclusiveCare #SadiyaAbjani #SAGE #HealthcareLeadership #ResidentExperience #CulturalCompetency #PersonCenteredCare #AgingServices #HealthEquity #InclusiveLeadership #ElderCare #LGBTQAging #SeniorLivingLeadership

What does it really take to build a thriving culture in senior living — and can it actually move the needle on census, retention, and resident satisfaction? In this episode of Tips from Trestle, host Aaron Fish sits down with Kathy Rainwater-Roe of Phoenix Senior Living, recorded live at the Georgia Senior Living Association Conference. Kathy's session, Building a Positive Culture in Today's Evolving Senior Living, is a masterclass in human-centered leadership. From high-fiving second-shift staff at the front door to living your mission statement beyond the frame on the wall, Kathy unpacks how open communication, genuine appreciation, and consistent empathy create cultures where staff stay, residents thrive, and census grows. If you lead a senior living community, this conversation is your blueprint for sustainable, measurable culture change.
Tips from Trestle is sponsored by:
WiseOx: https://bit.ly/TFT_WiseOx
Ben E Keith Foods: https://bit.ly/TFT_BEK
AdvantageTrust GPO: https://bit.ly/TFTAdvTrust
#TFT508 #SeniorLiving #WorkplaceCulture #SeniorCare #LeadershipDevelopment #AssistedLiving #StaffRetention #ResidentExperience #ElderCare #SeniorLivingLeadership #PositiveCulture #HealthcareLeadership #CaregiverAppreciation #AgingInAmerica #SeniorLivingMarketing #EmployeeEngagement #ElevateTheExperience

In this episode of Tips from Trestle, host Aaron Fish sits down with John Claytor, Assistant Vice President of Food and Nutrition at Health Trust Group, for a forward-looking conversation on senior living dining in 2026 and beyond. They unpack how Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) can go far beyond pricing contracts to deliver culinary training, real-time purchasing dashboards, capital equipment strategy, and labor-saving solutions. John shares expert insights on navigating food cost inflation, protein supply disruptions, tariff pressures, and the power of flexible menu planning. The episode also explores the untapped white space of extending senior living dining services into the broader community — from home health partnerships to ghost kitchen concepts. If you manage food service in senior living, this episode is your 2026 strategic roadmap.
Tips from Trestle is sponsored by:
WiseOx: https://bit.ly/TFT_WiseOx
Ben E Keith Foods: https://bit.ly/TFT_BEK
AdvantageTrust GPO: https://bit.ly/TFTAdvTrust

#TFT507 #SeniorLiving #SeniorLivingDining #ElderCare #FoodService #SeniorCare #DiningInnovation #GPO #FoodInflation #HealthcareFood #CulinaryLeadership #SmartKitchen #FoodAsMedicine #AssistedLiving #SeniorLivingLeadership #HospitalityInSeniorLiving #ElevateTheExperience

Managing agitated family members is one of the biggest challenges in senior living — and in this episode of Tips from Trestle, host Aaron Fish sits down with caregiving expert, Certified Dementia Practitioner, and founder of Inspired Caring, Michele Magner, for an honest, practical conversation that every senior living professional needs to hear. Recorded live during the January Cocktails & Conversations event, Michele unpacks why families arrive emotionally raw, how to use Brené Brown's marble jar trust-building framework to strengthen family communication, and why curiosity, communication, and compassion are the three non-negotiable pillars of caregiving. You'll walk away with real-world strategies to help your frontline teams de-escalate tension, rebuild trust fast, and turn frustrated families into confident partners in care.
Tips from Trestle is sponsored by:
WiseOx: https://bit.ly/TFT_WiseOx
Ben E Keith Foods: https://bit.ly/TFT_BEK
AdvantageTrust GPO: https://bit.ly/TFTAdvTrust
#TFT506 #SeniorLiving #AssistedLiving #Caregiving #Caregiver #DementiaCare #ElderCare #SeniorCare #FamilyCaregiving #CaregiverSupport #SeniorLivingLeadership #AgingInPlace #TrustBuilding #FamilyCommunication #SeniorLivingProfessionals #InspiredCaring #TipsFromTrestle