Category: Roundtable Talk

As the co-founder of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care (NIC) and founder of Nexus Insights, Bob Kramer has been called a “disruptive force” in the field, always challenging us to think differently about aging, housing and care.

In the newest episode of Roundtable Talk, Bob challenged the prevailing negative perceptions of aging, describing ageism as a prejudice against our future selves. He also highlighted the significant, yet overlooked, potential of older adults in the workforce and addresses the epidemic of loneliness.

The following are some fresh perspectives from the conversation. Check out the full episode here. 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS THAT AMERICANS HAVE ABOUT AGING?

I think first and foremost, and this has really come about sort of since World War II and really with the boomers, and that is aging is bad. Aging is something to be feared. Aging is something negative. I spend a lot of time teaching on college campuses, and I like to point out that ageism is prejudice against our future selves. I’ll have students write down what age they think they’ll live to, and then I show them that statistically, over half of them will live to 100. I tell them, if you don’t work to change these ageist stereotypes, you’ll be consigned to irrelevance for the last third of your lives.

WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING IN HOW SENIOR LIVING IS EVOLVING?

A lot of the trends we’re seeing now were accelerated by COVID. The pandemic pushed our field out of the 20th century into the digital age. Older adults and their families discovered on-demand services—healthcare, groceries, anything delivered where they live. Consumers today are more sophisticated and savvy. They’re not just asking how many years they’ll live—they’re asking if those will be thrive years. They want environments that add life to their years, not just years to their life.

HOW WILL TECHNOLOGY AND DATA SHAPE THE FUTURE OF AGING SERVICES?

Technology and data are absolutely transformative. Senior care will always be a high-touch field, but it also needs to be high-tech. The role of technology is to enable staff to work to the limits of their license instead of being buried in paperwork. AI and data can help identify which residents are most at risk each day, allowing caregivers to prioritize time and attention. That’s how we turn data into actionable care—predictive, preventative, and personalized.

WHY DO YOU TAKE ISSUE WITH THE TERM “SILVER TSUNAMI”?

Because it’s deeply ageist. Nobody ever thinks of a tsunami as a good thing—it’s an unmitigated disaster. So when we call the aging population a “silver tsunami,” we’re framing longevity as a problem instead of one of humanity’s greatest achievements. It turns the longevity bonus into a longevity curse. We should be asking, how do we make the most of increased longevity, both for individuals and society?

HOW WELL IS U.S. POLICY ALIGNED WITH THE NEEDS OF AN AGING POPULATION?

We’re not aligned at all. The public sector alone can’t meet the needs ahead. We need to incentivize private sector solutions and empower nonprofit and community organizations. Right now, both government programs and market dynamics are pushing people into what I call the “forgotten middle”—too rich to qualify for subsidies but too poor for private pay. That’s unsustainable, and the pressure on local and state governments will only grow over the next decade.

WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST HOPE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF AGING IN AMERICA?

The value of the contributions older adults want to make—and the fact that society needs them. Whether it’s workforce participation, volunteering, or supporting preventative health, older adults will be central to addressing the challenges ahead. Necessity and opportunity are coming together, and that gives me real hope.

Want to hear more from Bob? Check out the full episode of Roundtable Talk for more fresh perspectives. Watch new episodes of Roundtable Talk on the Varsity website and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.

What does it take to age well together? On Varsity’s Roundtable Talk, Barbara Sullivan, National Director of the Village to Village Network, shared how the growing “village movement” is helping older adults stay independent while staying connected, redefining what it means to age in place.

Derek and Barbara discussed how villages serve the “missing middle,” the vital role of volunteers, and creative partnerships with senior living, healthcare, and faith-based groups. Barbara also shared how villages combat social isolation and her vision to expand the movement.

The following are some fresh perspectives from the conversation. Check out the full episode here. 

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE CORE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE VILLAGE MOVEMENT?

You know, the village model was created to serve that missing middle, the middle class. It started up in Boston about 25 years ago. It’s an alternative to aging at home — aging in your community — with practical, community-driven support services. Most of the villages are volunteer first, so it’s about neighbor helping neighbor, keeping people active, engaged, and independent.

WHAT INSPIRED THE FOUNDING OF THE VILLAGE TO VILLAGE NETWORK, AND HOW HAS IT EVOLVED SINCE THEN?

The founding was in Boston, when a group of homeowners in the Beacon Hill section said, “We love our homes and neighborhoods — how do we stay here?” Affordability was a factor, too. They opened in 2002, and by 2007, The New York Times wrote about the movement, and it exploded. You saw villages popping up everywhere — Washington, D.C., California, Chicago — all building on that same model of community and independence.

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED WITH THE VILLAGE MOVEMENT?

In 2007, I was an assisted living administrator in Northern Virginia when a group of homeowners approached me about starting a village. My company wasn’t thrilled — they wanted people to move into the community, not stay home — but I fell in love with the model. I joined their board, and by 2010, I was running the village. My passion for older adults really came from my father, who chaired the House Select Committee on Aging. I grew up visiting nursing homes with him — that’s where I caught the bug.

WHAT MAKES THE VILLAGE MODEL DIFFERENT FROM TRADITIONAL SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES?

Number one, people are living in their own homes — and more importantly, in their own communities. Villages help people stay independent and live on their own terms. Some people will still need to move into senior living, and that’s okay — we often partner with those communities. We share programs, sponsor events together, and build on each other’s strengths. It’s not competition — it’s collaboration.

WHAT DOES “THE MISSING MIDDLE” MEAN, AND WHY DOES THE VILLAGE MODEL MATTER FOR THAT GROUP?

The “missing middle” are people who can’t afford life-care communities but also don’t qualify for government services. They’re independent but might need small supports — like a ride, help around the house, or connection to community programs. Villages connect those dots. They help people find what’s already in their community and bring purpose back through engagement and volunteering.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE OF THE VILLAGE MOVEMENT?

In five years, I’d love to add 500 villages — a hundred a year. Realistically, that’s a stretch, but we can aim high. We already have about 150 villages that are more than ten years old, which shows the model works. I see more partnerships ahead — with healthcare systems, senior living, and organizations like LeadingAge. We’re here to stay, and the future is about scaling and sustainability through collaboration.

Want to hear more from Barbara? Check out the full episode of Roundtable Talk for more fresh perspectives. Watch new episodes of Roundtable Talk on the Varsity website and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.

Recently on Varsity’s podcast, Roundtable Talk, we sat down with Marvell Adams, Jr., a longtime leader in aging services and the founder of W. Lawson, a consulting firm focused on equity and inclusion. He also serves as CEO of Caregiver Action Network, supporting millions of unpaid family caregivers across the country.

Marvell shared how the Longevity and Inclusion Alliance Fellows Program helps leaders embed belonging into aging services. He also discussed the emotional realities of caregiving, the importance of succession planning, and why the future of senior living must be more inclusive, intergenerational, and community-connected.

The following are some fresh perspectives from the conversation. Check out the full episode here. 

WHAT DOES THE LONGEVITY AND INCLUSION ALLIANCE FELLOWS PROGRAM DO AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE IT?

The mission is to provide leaders throughout our space the support, the courage, and the guidance to lead more inclusively. The Fellows Program is an immersive, all-virtual series of five sessions. Our objective is to provide a safe space for people to really not only be vulnerable, but to learn and grow about being more inclusive and how to really create communities of inclusion and belonging.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION AND WHAT IMPACT ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE?

Inclusion is a feeling. You can’t just measure it. It comes from a safe space where people feel they can be their whole selves. Equity is about outcomes and being treated fairly and having the same access to benefits, to information, and to upward mobility. Diversity is a choice. Unless those in leadership make the courageous step to create it, diversity won’t show up.

WHAT ROLE DO FAMILY CAREGIVERS PLAY, AND WHAT ARE THEIR BIGGEST NEEDS?

There are over 105 million family caregivers in the U.S., and many don’t even identify themselves as such. What we try to do at Caregiver Action Network is meet them where they are, whether it’s someone supporting a loved one through cancer or just having a bad mental health day. But we always remind caregivers: you can’t pour from an empty cup.

HOW CAN SENIOR LIVING PROVIDERS BETTER SUPPORT CAREGIVERS—EVEN THOSE OUTSIDE THEIR COMMUNITIES?

Most communities have space, so invite caregivers in. Whether it’s a Zoom group for long-distance family or an in-person support group, we need to let caregivers know they are seen. That infrastructure of supporting caregivers is not just retention, it’s recruitment. People will say, “This community gets me.”

Dr. Linda Fried is a world-renowned geriatrician, public health expert, and Dean of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She was also a guest on Varsity’s podcast, Roundtable Talk. A pioneer in the science of healthy aging and frailty, Dr. Fried has dedicated her career to understanding how we can build systems and communities that support longer, healthier, and more purposeful lives.

On the episode, Dr. Fried explored the medical realities of frailty, why physical activity is the best prevention strategy, and how public health systems must evolve to meet the needs of an aging population.

The following are some fresh perspectives from the conversation. Check out the full episode here. 

HOW DO YOU DEFINE FRAILTY, AND HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM GENERAL AGING OR DISABILITY?

So what I learned both as a clinician and as a scientist is that there is a clinical and medical condition, which we call frailty, which generally starts with a decline in muscle mass and strength. Over time, what we see is a particular presentation that emerges with loss of muscle, loss of strength, loss of energy, slowing down physically, and in the later stages, unintentional weight loss. When you start seeing a critical mass of them, then you’re seeing somebody who has emerged with the condition of frailty.

HOW EARLY IN LIFE SHOULD WE BE THINKING ABOUT FRAILTY PREVENTION?

The most important thing to do is to make physical activity part of your life and find ways to enjoy it. In the second half of life, we start losing muscle mass, so it’s really important to maintain your strength and to do resistance exercises with some weightlifting. Not a lot. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Three times a week for 20 minutes or so.

CAN FRAILTY BE REVERSED? OR IS IT PRIMARILY ABOUT MANAGING DECLINE?

Until it’s very severe, it’s potentially reversible. But, of course, either preventing it in the first place or slowing down its development through exercise in particular and staying active and engaged in things you love is important.

YOU’VE WRITTEN ABOUT A “THIRD AGE,” A PERIOD OF PURPOSE AND CONTRIBUTION LATER IN LIFE. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

It’s been very clear to me that many people retire with a goal of making a difference. We have this gift of an extra 30 years of life that we never had. People want roles that matter, they’re not necessarily and often not full-time roles. But they want to contribute in a way that has significance.

Dr. Louise Aronson is a nationally recognized geriatrician, educator, and the bestselling author of Elderhood. As a professor of medicine at UCSF and a leading voice in aging and eldercare, Dr. Aronson challenges cultural and medical assumptions about growing older and advocates for a more nuanced, inclusive view of elderhood.

Recently on Varsity’s podcast, Roundtable Talk, host Derek Dunham and Dr. Aronson discussed why aging should be seen as a diverse, decades-long life stage. She highlighted the impact of ageism in healthcare, the value of intergenerational programs, and the need for better training and broader reforms to help older adults live fully.

The following are some fresh perspectives from the conversation. Check out the full episode here. 

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE ELDERHOOD?

I wrote it in my 50s. I had had a good couple plus decades of career of seeing all the things that happened to older people, you know, for better and worse. I had aging parents. I had reached the stage of life where it occurred to me that this was going to happen to me as well. I didn’t see anything out there that quite had the empathy or the breadth I was going for. Then I came up with this notion of elderhood as a sort of equivalence to childhood and adulthood. And I thought that was a reframe that might be helpful for us both as individuals and as a society.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST DAMAGING CULTURAL NARRATIVES ABOUT AGING THAT YOU WISH YOU COULD REWRITE?

That old people don’t count or that we’re all the same after age 65. There’s some sort of primal fear that we’re not dealing with. I think when we equate old age with frailty and when we say being frail is inherently bad, we harm anyone who’s frail at any age. The people I know who live best in old age and die best in old age are ones who recognize their changes, adapt to those changes, and learn how to thrive within them.

WHAT DOES A MORE EMPOWERING AND INCLUSIVE VISION OF ELDERHOOD LOOK LIKE TO YOU?

It looks like an acknowledgement that it’s a many decades long, highly varied phase of life. I also think we need to empower people to embrace the difference instead of apologizing for the difference. It’s the only stage of life where people apologize all the time for existing, for not being able to do things.

WHAT ARE COMMON EXAMPLES OF AGEISM IN MEDICAL PRACTICE?

There’s people talking, using elder speak. Things like, “Oh dear. Let me help you with that, sweetheart,” which is just shocking and insulting and condescending. And then when the person doesn’t do well, they say they failed the treatment or they couldn’t tolerate the treatment.  Perhaps the most frequent one is either saying, “We’re not going to give you this because you’re 84,” or giving something dangerous to someone too frail to handle it.

On a recent episode of Varsity’s podcast, Roundtable Talk, we sat down with Andrew Carle, a nationally recognized expert in senior living and the founder of UniversityRetirementCommunities.com. With more than three decades in the field, Andrew has served as a senior living executive, educator, and consultant. Today, he continues to lead innovation as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.

In his conversation with Roundtable Talk host Derek Dunham, Andrew shared how university retirement communities (URCs) are reshaping the future of aging. He also shared his five-point framework for successful URCs and his theory that URCs could even slow or reverse aspects of aging by tapping into powerful college-era memories.

The following are some fresh perspectives from the conversation. Check out the full episode here. 

WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN UNIVERSITY RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES (URCS)?

Well, it goes back a ways, but 25 years ago, I had joined George Mason University to create what was then the first academic program for senior living administrators in the country. I found out that there were a couple of universities that had retirement communities. I visited the ones that existed, came back and I realized this could reinvent everything. I created a five criteria model around which I thought they should be structured. I published that in 2006. And in the last 20 years or so, most of them have kind of been built to that model.

WHAT ARE THE MUST-HAVES THAT DIFFERENTIATE A GREAT URC FROM A MEDIOCRE ONE?

Foundationally do this: if you are close to the university, that’s number one. Number two, do you formalize programming between the community and the university? Do you offer the full continuum of care? Then the financial commitment. Both sides financially incentivized for the long-term success. And then the fifth element: you need to have at least 10% of the residents who have some connection with the school. That’s going to bring the culture.

HOW CLOSE DOES A COMMUNITY NEED TO BE TO BE CONSIDERED A URC?

The one thing 80-year-olds and 20-year-olds have in common is none of them have cars. Once you got outside of about a mile of that campus, once you got outside that bubble, you didn’t feel like you were part of the campus. I like to see them within a mile. Once you get past three, four, five miles, what do you really have to do with that campus?

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES UNIVERSITIES FACE IN ESTABLISHING A URC?

You can’t find a bigger odd couple than universities and fast paced investor and driven senior living providers. They speak two completely different languages. You need to have the senior living providers who understand how to access the university without being driven nuts by all the bureaucracy.

The newest episode of Varsity’s podcast, Roundtable Talk, featured a conversation with Scott Townsley, a senior living strategist and consultant with over 35 years of experience in the industry. As the founder of Third Age and Trilogy Consulting, Scott has advised countless organizations on navigating change, embracing innovation and preparing for the future of aging services.

Roundtable Talk host Derek Dunham and Scott explored the challenges facing senior living today, how the traditional governance model is failing and how senior living providers can rethink their approach to data and business models to remain relevant.

The following are some fresh perspectives from the conversation. Check out the full episode here.

WHAT ROLE DO STRATEGY, VISION, AND INNOVATION PLAY IN ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS

I think of those three—strategy, vision, and innovation—as a Venn diagram. When they meet in the middle, that’s where success happens. If you look at the organizations that have gotten themselves into trouble, it’s usually because one or more of those three is missing. Without vision and innovation, it’s really hard to have a viable strategy. And without strategy, it’s easy to just repeat the same thing that’s been done for 20, 30, 40 years.

WHERE DO NONPROFIT SENIOR LIVING ORGANIZATIONS TYPICALLY FALL SHORT AMONG THOSE THREE?

In reality, in many instances, all three are areas where organizations fall short. But often it’s two out of three. I find it really rewarding when a CEO tells me, “I’m not that good at vision,” because that honesty means it can be addressed. A lot of leaders come from CFO or COO backgrounds, so they’re not used to thinking in visionary terms. But recognizing that is the first step toward improvement.

WHY DO YOU THINK INNOVATION IS OFTEN LACKING IN THIS FIELD?

Innovation takes time and effort. It’s a process that needs infrastructure and commitment. But it’s also a word we’ve thrown around for the last decade. Just saying “we’re innovative” doesn’t make it so. Take the village-to-village model, it’s been successful in spreading, but the business model often doesn’t work without fundraising. One group we worked with offered a freemium version of it and scaled to 3,000 people in 18 months. Innovation doesn’t always mean inventing something new. Sometimes it just means rethinking the model.

YOU’VE BEEN CRITICAL OF OCCUPANCY AS A METRIC. WHY?

Occupancy can be a vanity metric. If it’s been declining incrementally for 15 years, just reporting it against last year or budget isn’t enough. What matters is looking back five or ten years to see the full picture. Actionable data would include age and frailty at move-in. If those are trending up, you’ll likely see more turnover, which affects everything from staffing to marketing. Yet organizations still struggle to pull that data—it’s as miserable in 2025 as it was in 1985.

WHY DO PEOPLE HATE NURSING HOMES—INCLUDING NURSING HOME ADMINISTRATORS THEMSELVES?

The public perception is very negative. Our research shows that between 55–65% of respondents have a negative feeling about nursing homes. Even nursing home administrators will say they’d rather be dead than end up in one. The reality is that most nursing home beds are semi-private—there’s nothing private about them. To spend the most vulnerable time of your life sharing a room with a stranger is inhuman and inhumane. Small house models like Green House solve for this, but they’re still too rare.

Recently on Varsity’s podcast, Roundtable Talk, we sat down with Dr. Robyn Stone, a nationally recognized expert in aging policy and long-term care. As Senior Vice President of Research at LeadingAge and Co-Director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center, she has spent decades bridging the gap between policy, research, and real-world solutions to improve aging services.

Derek and Dr. Stone discussed the workforce crisis in long-term care, the challenges of educating consumers about aging services, and the role of technology in supporting caregivers. She also reflects on her decades in the field, offering insights on how change happens—slowly, but steadily. 

The conversation was filled with fresh perspectives. Below are just a few of them. 

YOU’VE SAID THAT SENIOR LIVING IS OFTEN AN “ACCIDENTAL CAREER”—A FIELD PEOPLE DON’T SEEK OUT BUT END UP LOVING. HOW CAN WE CHANGE THAT?

I’m actually an exception because I always knew I wanted to work with older adults. But over the years, I found that most people in aging services fell into these jobs by accident. Once they started, they realized they loved it. 

One of my primary focuses has been shifting this from an accidental profession to one that people intentionally pursue. We’ve made some strides, but we still struggle. If you look at the challenges in recruiting nurses, social workers, and even geriatric specialists, it’s clear that aging services is still undervalued. I think that’s tied to fundamental ageism in this country.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST GAPS IN EDUCATING CONSUMERS ABOUT LONG-TERM CARE?

There’s still so much misunderstanding. People don’t grasp what long-term services and supports (LTSS) actually are. It’s about helping people function independently for as long as possible, but it intersects with medical care because these individuals also have chronic conditions, acute episodes, and post-acute needs. 

Housing is also critical—if you don’t have a home that allows for mobility, your quality of life suffers. Most people still think Medicare pays for long-term care, which isn’t true. We’ve spent decades trying to educate people, but the reality is that most don’t think about it until they’re in crisis.

WHAT STRATEGIES DO YOU THINK ARE MOST EFFECTIVE FOR RETAINING WORKERS IN AGING SERVICES?

The best recruitment strategy is retention. If you retain staff, you don’t have to recruit as much. Retention is about creating a healthy workplace culture with both monetary and non-monetary investments. Higher wages matter—we still have 40% of this workforce on some form of public assistance, which is unacceptable. 

But it’s also about training, strong supervisory support, and career pathways. Not every aide wants to become an RN, but they might want to specialize in geriatric care, behavioral health, or medication management. High-performing organizations are figuring out ways to create these pathways, which leads to better retention and lower turnover.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED IN YOUR CAREER THAT YOU WISH YOU COULD TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF?

Change takes a long time. It’s a journey, not a destination. When I started in the federal government in the early ’70s, I was filled with hopes and dreams about making the world a better place. Over time, I’ve learned that progress is incremental. But you have to keep your eye on the prize. It’s easy to get discouraged in policy and advocacy work, but if you focus on long-term goals and stay committed, real change does happen—even if it takes longer than you’d like.

Want to hear more from Dr. Stone? Check out the full episode of Roundtable Talk for more fresh perspectives. Watch new episodes of Roundtable Talk on the Varsity website and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.

Dr. David Katz is one of the most influential voices in preventive medicine, nutrition, and lifestyle medicine. As the founding director of the Yale Prevention Research Center, a past president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and a prolific author, Dr. Katz has spent his career challenging conventional wisdom on aging and health.

On a recent episode of Varsity’s podcast, Roundtable Talk, he shared his thoughts on the pitfalls of “anti-aging,” the power of lifestyle choices, and how we can reshape our relationship with aging and vitality. Here are some of the key takeaways from our conversation.

OUR SOCIETY PROMOTES ‘ANTI-AGING’—WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS MISGUIDED?

Aging is a biological process. It’s like being anti-breathing—it just doesn’t make sense. Everything ages: rocks, the Earth, the universe. What bothers me most about the “anti-aging” movement is that it invites us to perpetually compare ourselves to a younger version of ourselves.

I’m 62. I practice what I preach—I eat optimally, I work out every day, and I’m extremely fit. But I don’t have the same muscle mass or strength I did at 42 or 22. That’s just reality. The goal shouldn’t be to fight aging, but to optimize vitality at every stage of life.

HOW DOES THE PACE OF CHANGE IN OUR SOCIETY IMPACT HOW WE VIEW OLDER ADULTS?

The world you grew up in gets left behind, and that happens faster now than ever before. My parents, who are 85, are vital and active, but they feel like roadkill on the information superhighway.

When they were kids, there were no televisions. Now, we have devices in our pockets that let us instantly connect with anyone in the world. The speed of technological advancement makes older generations feel obsolete. We’ve gone from a time when older people were venerated for their wisdom to a culture that increasingly views them as out of touch.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO REFRAME AGING AS A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE?

We need to celebrate what aging gives us, not just what it takes away. Yes, physical capabilities change, but you gain something just as valuable—wisdom, experience, perspective.

In many cultures, elders are venerated. But in America, we glorify youth while failing to honor the trade-off. Imagine if we had a magazine dedicated to the reflections and stories of older adults, just like People Magazine does for celebrities. We celebrate youthful beauty, but we don’t celebrate the beauty of experience and wisdom in the same way.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AS YOU AGE?

I was looking forward to peace—to being able to fully enjoy the bond I have with my wife, to spending more time outdoors, with my dogs and my horses. But life doesn’t always work out as planned.

I unexpectedly became an entrepreneur, founding Diet ID, which was recently acquired. Now, I’m still deeply involved in making diet quality a vital sign, like blood pressure.

That said, I do look forward to a time when I can truly unplug—to go “off the grid” for a weekend (or longer), to not be shackled to my phone, to fully be with the people I love. That’s what I aspire to.

Want to hear more from Dr. Katz? Check out the full episode of Roundtable Talk for more fresh perspectives. Watch new episodes of Roundtable Talk on the Varsity website and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.

As the Senior Director of Lifelong University Engagement at Mirabella at Arizona State University, Lindsey Beagley works at the intersection of higher education and senior living. Mirabella at Arizona State University is a retirement community on ASU’s Tempe campus, offering residents full access to the university’s resources, including classes, cultural events, and facilities. 

Lindsey joined us on an episode of Varsity’s podcast, Roundtable Talk, where Derek and Lindsey talked about lifelong learning, intergenerational connections, life in the Peace Corps and what she’s looking forward to as she ages.

Here are some fresh perspectives from that conversation: 

WHAT MAKES MIRABELLA AT ARIZONA STATE A “UNIVERSITY RETIREMENT COMMUNITY”?

Mirabella at ASU is the first certified university-based retirement community in the country. It’s a continuing care retirement community (CCRC)—mostly independent living, but also offering assisted living, memory support, and skilled nursing. What makes it different is its location right on campus and the deep integration with ASU.

We have three full-time staff dedicated to connecting residents with campus life—helping them enroll in classes, get involved in mentoring, or find whatever opportunities match their interests. They have full student ID cards, meaning they can access any campus facility. And students come into Mirabella all the time—using spaces for club meetings, performances, and study sessions. It’s a true living laboratory for intergenerational engagement.

HOW DO TRADITIONAL STUDENTS REACT TO HAVING OLDER CLASSMATES?

At first, most students assume that older adults in their classes must be faculty or observers. When they realize they’re fellow students, it forces them to rethink what learning looks like beyond the traditional college years.

For many young students, college is a transaction—”I need to get my degree and get a job.” They’re externally motivated. But then they see someone in their 70s or 80s taking a class purely for the love of learning, and it’s eye-opening. It shifts their mindset—they start to think, “Maybe learning isn’t just something I do now. Maybe I’ll come back to this one day.”

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES THAT WANT TO PARTNER WITH UNIVERSITIES?

Flip the paradigm. Don’t just approach a university and say, “What can you do for us?” Instead, ask, “What do your students need?”

You might be surprised. Universities often need mentors, guest speakers, or judges for competitions, but it’s hard to ask working professionals to volunteer their time. Meanwhile, a senior living community is full of people with decades of experience who are looking for meaningful ways to contribute.

This is a huge untapped resource. Older adults don’t just want engagement for their own sake—they want to be needed. That’s the key to meaningful intergenerational partnerships.

Want to hear more from Lindsey? Check out the full episode of Roundtable Talk for more fresh perspectives. Watch new episodes of Roundtable Talk on the Varsity website and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.