In a recent two-part article by Lois A. Bowers for McKnight’s Senior Living, President & CEO Jill Vitale-Aussem, along with Kimberly Lody, former President & CEO of Sonida Senior Living, shares about her decision to embrace her gray hair.

In part 1, "Giving gray hair the green light," Jill discusses some of the introspection that led her to decision to “go gray” and how this shift has positively impacted her life and work.

In part 2, “Deciding whether to ditch the dye? Leaders share do’s for your ’do,” Jill lends her insights and experiences to other women considering embracing their natural hair color. From digging into her own apprehensions about taking this step, surrounding herself with a supportive group, to the logistics of moving away from dye, Jill encourages others to feel empowered on their own journeys!

Lois A. Bowers, McKnight's Senior Living Editor, received a 2023 APEX (Awards for Publication Excellence) Award of Excellence in the Best Series of Blog Posts category for authoring this two-part piece.

Earlier this summer, residents, team members, and family members of CLC-Cappella communities set out on a mission to Walk Across America by logging enough miles of exercise in and around their communities to cover the distance between New York City and San Diego in 30 days. Participants joined together as community teams in a lighthearted competition to see which team could reach San Diego first, log the most total miles, and come up with the most creative team name.

The Walk Across America Challenge was part of CLC-Cappella’s We!lness Program, which centers around incorporating five pillars of wellness – social, intellectual, physical, purposeful, and spiritual – into one’s daily life. “The goal was to encourage residents, associates and family members to be more active,” said Patrick Shelton, CLC Wellness Programs Developer, who developed the competition. “Over the weeks, I noticed a pattern of increased miles each week to the next, which is exactly what I wanted to see. People started with a doable amount and then ramped up their activity over time, which is super good for health on many levels.”

Read which communities logged the most miles and the whopping total distance covered among all participants in the full feature from McKnight’s Senior Living.

Jayne Keller, Chief Operations Officer at Christian Living Communities, spoke on a panel at the Collaborative Care Tech Summit earlier this week, discussing how health IT solutions can reduce team members’ burdens, drive efficiencies and improve outcomes. Jayne shared the compelling results of implementing scales and vital sign machines that integrate with our electronic health records system. By greatly reducing the time spent taking vitals, this technology has allowed team members more time to care for residents.

McKnight’s Senior Living wrote a piece highlighting Jayne’s presentation and CLC’s outcomes. Read the full article.

We are honored to share the article by McKnight’s Senior Living celebrating Christian Living Communities 50th anniversary. We are proud of the advancements we have pioneered in Senior Living and look forward to the innovations to come in the next.

Read the whole article.

The South Metro Denver Chamber also shared the story of Christian Living Communities founding and how our organization continues to evolve while honoring our founding principles.

Read the full article here.

Striving for Our Vision in the Greater Community

April 27, 2021

CLC-Cappella adopted a new vision statement in 2019; Creating communities where aging is honored and celebrated. Of course we are continually working to strive for this vision in all the work we do in our communities. But as leaders in senior living, we are also called to share our vision with others.

President & CEO Jill Vitale-Aussem recently shared some thoughts in an article published in the Colorado Real Estate Journal’s quarterly Health Care & Senior Housing insert on why we all need to work at combating ageism. Read the full article.

President & CEO of Christian Living Communities Shares Mission For 2021

January 27, 2021

Senior Community Forum interviewed our CEO, Jill Vitale-Aussem, about Christian Living Communities' mission for 2021. Our mission statement is: “Christian Living Communities enriches the quality and dignity of life for older adults through services and care that reflect Christian love, respect, and compassion toward each individual."  Jill strives to make all of our communities feel less institutionalized and more like home for our residents starting with our mission statement.  She wants to create a better quality of life and experience for residents in our senior living communities. Read the full article.

Jill Vitale-Aussem Appears on Glowing Older Podcast to Discuss her New Book

December 15, 2020

Jill Vitale-Aussem, President & CEO at Christian Living Communities, appeared on the Glowing Older podcast where she discussed her new book, Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Living: a Mindshift.

In the podcast Jill talks about how tackling ageism and ableism is the first step to making a lasting change in senior living communities. The old-fashioned hospitality way of thinking is actually hurting residents instead of helping them. Living in a carefree 5-star resort-type community is hurting the residents and not allowing them to live a long and healthy life.  It is important to not do everything for the resident and instead let the resident take charge of what they still can do and create a purpose for themselves in the community.

Creating change in a community has to be incorporated in every department. The residents need to get outdoors, get involved and find a sense of purpose in their community. We need to create a balanced approach to risk management to allow the resident to live and not treat them like they are wrapped up in bubble wrap for the remainder of their lives. It is time to change the model of care that we offer residents in senior living communities to give them a life worth living.

Listen to the Glowing Older podcast.

KUSA Interviews CLC VP of Clinical and Compliance, Pat McBride

March 9, 2020

Learn how the Clinical team and Christian Living Communities wrote the book on virus prevention protocol in this interview with Nelson Garcia from KUSA Denver.

Senior Living Leaders Gain Insights from Participating in Sleepover Project

February 13, 2020

Pat McBride, our Vice President of Clinical and Compliance joined forces with Jill Vitale-Aussem, CEO of the Eden Alternative to provide a webinar to senior living leaders about the power of empathy gained with a leadership sleepover in the communities leaders support. A columnist from McKnight’s Long-term Care News wrote about the recommended leadership experience. Read the McKnight's Article.

View the CLC Leadership Sleepover experience as recorded and submitted for McBride’s LeadingAge Leadership Academy project two years ago on our YouTube channel.

Colorado Real Estate Journal Features CLC's Renovated Office

May 25, 2019

Christian Living Communities (CLC) and the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce recently held a grand opening celebration for the Eagle Pointe Support Office, CLC’s support office building in Meridian office park. Pinkard Construction was the general contractor while Galloway Architects designed the project.

The $1.7 million in tenant improvements provide larger and updated office, training and meeting spaces to help support CLC’s mission of providing daily services and care to more than 2,000 older adults. These improvements included a build-out to create an athletic/workout area with two Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant bath/shower combinations; reconfiguration of existing walls; complete gut and rebuild of the third floor; open office areas; conference rooms; executive offices; and a break room kitchen.

Read the full story on the Colorado Real Estate Journal.