Ownership of Space: Investigating the In-Between

Shaping Dementia Environments

How do all the in-between spaces in our lives – not quite public, not quite private – impact our feeling of ownership, pride & community in the spaces we live, work and play? Join Jennifer and Max as we talk to 5 great guests – Katie Swenson, Sean Kelly, Marvell Adams, Steve Bailey, and Jude Rabig – about the importance of these in-between spaces for older adults living with dementia.

First, we speak with Katie Swenson, who is a nationally recognized design leader, researcher, writer, and educator. She is a Senior Principal of MASS Design Group, an international non-profit architecture firm whose mission is to research, build, and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity. Before joining MASS in early 2020, Swenson was vice president of Design & Sustainability at Enterprise Community Partners, where she led the Rose Fellowship program, recruiting and mentoring 85 fellows who are the next generation of leaders in architecture and community development. Previously, Katie served as a fellow with the Piedmont Housing Alliance in Charlottesville, VA and founded the Charlottesville Community Design Center.

Next, we talk to three members of the leadership team of Kendal: Sean Kelly, Marvell Adams, and Steve Bailey.

Sean Kelly, President & CEO, joined Kendal in 2008 and took on his current role in 2016. Prior to 2016, while at Kendal, Sean was responsible for fostering a culture of continuous improvement through leading and managing new opportunities for growth and evolution for Kendal. Sean came to Kendal after 10+ years working with development, finance, marketing and operations consultant to senior housing and service providers throughout the United States.

Marvell Adams Jr., COO, served as Executive Director/CEO of Kendal’s metro Washington, D.C.-area affiliate, Collington, for seven years, before being named The Kendal Corporation’s Chief Operating Officer in October 2018. Marvell came to Collington from Rochester, New York, where he was COO/Administrator at The Highlands at Pittsford, a continuing care retirement community affiliated with the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Steve Bailey, SVP of New Business and Development, joined Kendal’s corporate staff in 2012 as Project Director and has directed major expansion and repositioning projects for several Kendal communities, including Kendal on Hudson and Kendal at Ithaca. He also has served as a key resource for planning and developing new Kendal communities, including development plans for Kendal at Sonoma in northern California in partnership with the San Francisco Zen Center. Steve’s experience includes more than 30 years in real estate development and planning.

Finally, we speak with Jude Rabig, a nationally recognized leader, speaker, and change agent who served as the first Executive Director of the National Green House Project. She assisted in shaping the model of care and leading the implementation of the first Green Houses in Tupelo, Mississippi. Through her company Rabig Consulting, she provides customized change consultations to help communities develop innovative strategies for change in long term care. She has worked with scores of organizations nationally and in Canada to develop small house communities. In addition to providing Small House consulting nationally, she also founded and leads Lifespace Senior Services based in Schenectady, NY to provide home and community based clients with support for their holistic well-being with an emphasis on thriving despite limitations or frailty. She has served in many roles including Director of the Office for Aging and Continuing Care in Oneida County New York and Professor of Gerontology at Utica College. In each of these positions she has worked tirelessly, exhibiting a commitment to fighting ageism, and championing programs and practices that support autonomy, dignity and enhanced quality of life for older adults. She is a former Atlantic Philanthropies, Hartford Foundation Practice Change Fellow, and a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Adviser. She holds a PhD in gerontology and a business certificate from Stanford School of Business.

Continue the conversation in our LinkedIn group Shaping Dementia Environments:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9044567/

Learn more about Perkins Eastman insights:

https://www.perkinseastman.com/white-papers/