Larry Carlson is the retired president and CEO of United Methodist Communities. With over 45 years of experience in senior living, Larry is known for pioneering person-directed care, integrating cutting-edge technology, and reimagining dementia care.
On Varsity’s podcast, Roundtable Talk, Larry explored the evolution of senior living, how AI and tech tools have transformed operations and improved staff workflows and why the industry must embrace innovation or risk falling behind.
The following are some fresh perspectives from the conversation. Check out the full episode here.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHANGES YOU SAW OVER 45 YEARS IN SENIOR LIVING?
Early in my career, senior living pretty much was a watered-down version of a hospital. Nobody had a choice as to when they get up or what they eat or when they were going to get a bath. The biggest change has been around person-directed care. In the early days, people would move in, they would give all their assets, and then the place would take care of them for the rest of their life. And now you have all kinds of financial arrangements and pretty high-end operations and very sophisticated operators too. It’s really respecting the person—who they were, who they want to be, and how they want to spend their time.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES TO TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AT UMC, AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
When I arrived at UMC, we didn’t even own a server, so we really did start from the ground up. One example I can give you is we found a product called VST Alert, which was a falls management device. The staff realized how powerful this tool was going to be. They came back and said, we need more of these. And then they became owners and advocates.
WHAT IS THE HOGEWEYK MODEL AND HOW DID IT INSPIRE AVENDEL?
TheHogeweyk model is really about normalizing life for people who have a dementia diagnosis. And it’s not just for the person who has dementia, but for their families and for the caregivers as well. That means living on more of a family scale. Six or seven people in a household, where you can come together as a family and sit. We became very intent on figuring out what’s the stress that’s causing symptoms, not just treating symptoms. Pain is the number one thing that is underdiagnosed in people with dementia.
WHAT ROLE DOES AIR QUALITY PLAY IN SENIOR LIVING?
Before the pandemic, everybody overlooked it. During the pandemic, we had these reverse HEPA filters that were trying to keep the air separate from room to room so that we weren’t spreading disease. When you really think about it, you’ve got a large population of people in a somewhat small area. So you need to look at your air circulation, how many air changes you’re making, and your filtration and humidity control.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU WANT READERS TO TAKE FROM YOUR BOOK, “AVENDEL: REIMAGINING THE DEMENTIA EXPERIENCE”?
That dealing with dementia is not a hopeless situation. That there can be joy in it, and that you can live the life you love, whether that be the family member or the person with the diagnosis.