How Renee Allison-Riley Left an 18-Year Career to Fix America’s Broken Senior Care System

[0:00]  have the conversations. If you are an adult child and you have aging parents, ask them what their wishes are. Find out, you know, if you're um a spouse who is a caregiver for someone who's been recently diagnosed or or h is living with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia, you know, talk to your um children if you have them. If you don't have children, you know, whoever is your power of attorney or your friend or a brother or a sister, make sure they know what your wishes are for your spouse in case something happens to you because 40% of caregivers of caregivers of someone with dementia pass away before the person

[0:48]  with dementia due to the stress of it. So, if that happens, how does your son or daughter or your sister or brother know where you want to put your spouse? You know, you don't want to put that weight on them. You want to have these decisions made in advance. Um, you don't have to act on them. Hopefully, you never need them, but why not have the plan there?

[1:28]  Welcome back. Most people don't think about senior care until they're actually in crisis mode themselves. But what if I told you that waiting until the last minute could actually cost you time, money, peace of mind? Well, today's guest CEO and founder, Renee Allison, saw firsthand how the broken the system truly was, and she left an 18-year corporate career to fix it. So, we really want to dive into this great leader. I'm always just in awe of what people are doing to change the world. We know your your story is so powerful, Renee, leaving an 18-year career to take that leap of faith. What was the breaking point for you when you realized corporate America just wasn't it anymore?

[2:07]  Well, you know, I think it had been um something that had slowly been I had slowly been thinking about um in the last few years of my career in corporate America. And you know, I had gotten to a point where I was beginning to feel burnt out. Um I was beginning to really think about what I wanted to do, you know, with my life. um in terms of applying myself in a more meaningful way, doing something that mattered more.

[2:41]  Um and you know at the same time the world was going through a lot of changes. 2020 happened and you know of course COVID brought a lot of changes to businesses, a lot of changes to um corporate America, small businesses um everyone experienced major changes in their everyday life and that um facilitated a restructure in the company that I was working with um or working for and ultimately it uh resulted in a very large restructure And you know the timing of it was a gift in a way because it was something you know I had been thinking about making a change and when um the restructure happened, you know, it was sort of the

[3:28]  perfect catalyst to finally take that leap and um venture into the world of small business ownership. Um it was something that I had wanted to do for a very long time but it's risky you know and I was scared I was scared to take that um leap but there were a lot of things I had been encountering um in my personal life with my own family that really um made me recognize the need for better options and more unbiased advice for families that are navigating senior living and care. And that's really what brought me to this point. I love it because at some point we all

[4:14]  fall into this category, right? We we and what you're doing is really setting up the future for yourself as well. Not just for those that have those families in this care, but also what you would like to see when you're in that space. And it's it's always cool that you started so early that you've given up this 18-year career. And most people just dream of being their own boss, but you did it, you know?

[4:37]  They never make the leap. You made the leap. What was truly that courage that went, you know what, I'm all in. I'm betting on myself and I'm betting on this mission. What was that look like to you when you talk about courage? Well, you know, I did a lot of soulsearching. I, you know, I had thought about this for a long time, but it was, you know, it was not, I guess, knowing the right what what's the right time to do it? You know, how what do I want to do? um what do people need? And I really relied on um my intuition. I mean, it sounds crazy to say, I guess, but I did, you know, I definitely felt that the time was right.

[5:20]  And I've always listened to um my inner voice, I guess you could say. Um I certainly prayed about it as well. I listen to people that I trust. And you know, I think sometimes when you have several people telling you the same thing, there's a reason you're hearing it and you have to open yourself up to that to the possibilities that are there. And that's what I did. Um, that's where the courage came from. I love it.

[5:50]  The knowing your worth. I always, you see it back there, but I always believe that you have to understand your value. People for so long were telling you you had that, you know, had it in you. And it is. It takes time for you to see it within yourself. And I just recently had one of my mentors tell me, Ephrain, you know, people teach best what they need the most. And I was teaching pe other people to take that leap, go do, you know, live your dream and I wasn't doing it on my own. And it looks like you found that moment. And I feel like it's always God's timing. You said you prayed to God. And I love that because so many times people want answers and they don't seek God. So I'm happy that you've kind of mentioned that because that's so important, especially now in this in this, you know, time of of place that we're actually in. I want to go a little bit into statistics. I think we talked about it last time we were on the phone together and it says by 2040 one in five Americans would actually be over 65.

[6:37]  What does that actually mean for families? And why is this issue just bigger than most people even realize? Yeah. I mean, so it's crazy. I mean, one in I think it's um so in two in the year 2000, it was only one in eight Americans who were um 65 or older. And so just recently that has changed to to 1 in5.

[7:03]  Um and basically by the year 2034 every baby boomer will have reached the age of 65 or older. Um and it's really interesting because we are approaching a time where um 2034 actually is the is the first time in US history where we will have more people over the age of 65 than we will have under the age of 18. And so what that means is, you know, we have an aging population. And we have a lot of people who are, you could consider them the sandwich generation. They have uh like myself, they have aging parents, but they also have children that they're

[7:49]  caring for and careers. And you may hit a time in your life where you unexpectedly are dealing with the challenges of navigating care for a parent while at the same time having to keep up with the demands of your own life, your children, your career. And it can be a challenging and unknown time. Um, it's stressful. You don't know where to turn. You don't know what to do. Um, and for older adults as well, they may be faced with losing a spouse and and living in a large home and realizing they start to, you know, they're starting to need more care, but maybe their children aren't nearby to help.

[8:32]  Um, there's so many things that, you know, need to be thought about and considered and hopefully done so in advance so that people are not reacting in crisis mode because oftentimes that is really what happens. It's, you know, not something that people in their free time want to say, well, let's go look at like assisted living today or, you know, let me explore memory care. It's um it's not something that people are necessarily anxious to do. And of course, um the all of these conversations, you know, require us in a sense to face our own mortality. And that's not always um a fun conversation either. But I think there's lots of misconceptions about senior living and there are a lot of advantages to it. So um we are you know

[9:22]  we are at a time where people have they have a lot of care needs. There's um a lot that goes along with an aging population. There are a lot of resources out there and a lot of amazing resources but for the average person it's very fragmented and it's very difficult to navigate. It's especially difficult to navigate when you are in crisis mode, so to speak. Can you, it's funny because I was actually going to ask you this question because I remember you said it was fragmented, you know, because you're not really uh reinventing the wheel care, like you mentioned senior care resources, they're existing currently, but can you just explain what fragmented means for those that are listening? What what does that mean and how does it actually impact families that are navigating through this journey? Absolutely. Um so you know there's a lot of things that can happen

[10:11]  when someone has a health crisis for example um or maybe they are beginning to notice cognitive decline um in a parent. There are so many steps involved with getting a diagnosis. For example, especially when you're talking about um you know any type of neurocognitive disorder or cognitive decline. Um if someone is has landed in the hospital, um they may realize, you know, they've had a maybe a three-day hospital stay and now the hospital is saying, "Well, now you have to go to rehab." um you know, families are all of a sudden like, "Oh gosh, which rehab do I pick? Which place has a good reputation. Um they don't know because

[10:58]  they've never been there. They're not sure what decision to make." And then from rehab, you know, a discharge happens. Um but maybe the social worker in the rehab facility says to the family, you know, well, now your mom can is is ready to leave, but she's not safe to live at home anymore. So, we need a safe discharge plan for her. Well, the adult children or perhaps the husband, you know, is not prepared for that nine times out of 10. Um, so now they're scrambling. They don't know which place has a great reputation or where what they can afford, what's nearby. Um, and there's so much information coming at them. Well, that you could go home with home care. Okay, great. Well, which home

[11:46]  care company do I use? We also recommend hospice. Okay. Well, what hospice should I um engage with? You know, wouldn't it be nice for these families to have a neutral party, someone who can hold their hand from the very beginning and walk that journey with them and be on that path dur during, you know, all of the decisions, but even after to make sure that the decisions that were made were good decisions. That's where Senior Care Authority comes in. That's what I do. And you know, there are so many times where people are sent um a list of, you know, here's places um to go visit, but there's no one guiding the process, you know, or maybe they get online to search and they put their

[12:34]  information into a website of a particular community. They think it's the web page for that community, but then their information gets sold to, I don't know, 50 communities in a 30 mile radius. And then those people get phone calls from an online referral agency, you know, for um, you know, well, really the they get calls from the communities because an online referral agency sold their information to all of those communities and they're inundated with phone calls at a stressful time.

[13:07]  and that's overwhelming. So, there are so many things that happen that the average person is not aware of as they're going through this process. But if they have someone to advocate for them and they have someone to guide the process, the process is still going to be hard. The decisions are still going to be difficult and they're going to be emotional, but better decisions will be made that ultimately improve the quality of life for the person that needs care.

[13:38]  I love it. This is such a good space to be in. I'm It's such a a sweet and I'm pretty sure a sad place ideally, but just to know what you're truly doing and how it's going to make an impact um hell for me, right? What what it does for me when I'm at that age or for my mom, you know, mom's already I remember recently my mom had this discussion is it's a conversation no one wants to have with their parent, but she says, "Hey, I want the family to come together." And then she would just kind of talk about, hey, god forbid I can't make my own decisions. This is how I wanted it to play out. all these different things.

[14:06]  And I I just don't think that most families truly pan plan ahead for elder care, right? They don't think about it. And it's it's cool to see that my mom thought about it for herself because it becomes even Yeah. It becomes a little harder when she can't even make those decisions. They wait until there's actually a crisis. Can you give me like three biggest mistakes that you realize people are actually making and maybe how they can even avoid them?

[14:27]  I think I've kind of touched on one of the biggest mistakes and that mistake is you can get online and do all the research you want. Be protective of your information, your name, your parents' name, your phone number, your email address. Um, there's nothing wrong with doing research, but there are so many sponsored sites owned by online referral agencies. And for some people, maybe that is what they want. and that's a good fit. But I don't know many people who enjoy being called by 30 communities a day wanting to get a tour set up when you're dealing with, you know, a very tight timeline of placing a loved one.

[15:10]  Um it's it's ne it just it really provides um and I've seen this firsthand is so much it creates so much stress for the family and it's unnecessary. Yeah. So my advice would be to you absolutely do your research but be mindful of where you're putting your information. Um the second point that I would say is search out someone who does full service placement and not a referral agency.

[15:44]  Referral agencies take your information again and they send it to communities. They give you a list of places to go, but you're not getting hands-on assistance. A fullervice placement agency like Senior Care Authority walks you through the entire process and provides resources to help you get to the end result that you need. So, um maybe those resources mean an elder law attorney. Maybe you need um you know to see if you can qualify for um you're a veteran who served in a wartime event and you need to see if you can qualify for aid and attendance um that can provide some additional funds if you're at a certain income level um for you know helping to pay for assisted living.

[16:32]  Um a certified senior advisor can help navigate that for you. And we do those things at Senior Care Authority day in and day out. Um, so that's really important. Um, and something I love about Senior Care Authority, all of the owners, there's over a hundred locations in the US. Um, and all of the owners are required to become certified senior adviserss. We are required to become certified dementia practitioners, which means we are very well-versed in all of the things that an older adult may face and we can help the family navigate those issues, anticipate the issues that could be there, and make the right decisions, which ultimately saves families time, money, and reduces the

[17:20]  stress involved with the process. I love this conversation. like you know I'm not probably close to the days that I'm there but just to know and be educated in this space because as you mentioned we don't have these conversations often it is too late and to just have you on here and really speak to the people that are watching here they could just by implementing some of these strategies some of these things that you're talking about really change the game of what that actually looks like for their parents and for themselves and I truly do love it.

[17:50]  Absolutely. And I, you know, I think the third point because you did ask me for three things. Um, and you really just said it. It's have the conversations. If you are an adult child and you have aging parents, ask them what their wishes are. Find out, you know, if you're um a spouse who is a caregiver for someone who's been recently diagnosed or or h is living with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia.

[18:18]  you know, talk to your um children if you have them. If you don't have children, you know, whoever is your power of attorney or your friend or a brother or a sister, make sure they know what your wishes are for your spouse in case something happens to you because 40% of caregivers of caregivers of someone with dementia pass away before the person with dementia due to the stress of it.

[18:47]  So, if that happens, how does your son or daughter or your sister or brother know where you want to put your spouse? You know, you don't want to put that weight on them. You want to have these decisions made in advance. Um, you don't have to act on them. Hopefully, you never need them, but why not have the plan there?

[19:09]  I agree. I love it. Listen, I'm about to start bothering people now. I'm starting to have these conversations with just random friends. Hey, have you told your daughter? Like, I'm that guy right now. I see there's a problem, I want to fix it with you. So, just if my friends are watching, just know I'm definitely coming. Yeah, watch out.

[19:23]  I want to talk about just you go from from sales to truly running your own franchise in an industry that's deeply personal. I'm a big believer the mindset is everything. You have to shift the mindset to do and and and take on some of these very risky um but fruitful um journeys, right? What was the biggest mindset shift that you actually had to make getting into the transition from sales to actually running your own business?

[19:50]  The biggest mind shift I guess the the shift really came um you know I feel like a lot of what I did in corporate America truly did prepare me for for business ownership. Um and I'm grateful for those lessons. Let me tell you there is so much that I learned and brought with me. Um, but I think the biggest mind, the biggest shift is how agile you can be as a small business owner. You don't have to, you know, yes, you should have a plan. You know, um, I Benjamin Franklin said, if you fail to plan, you're planning to fail. And that's very true. You know, you have to have a plan. But in corporate America,

[20:39]  you are making a big or necessary change is sort of like turning the Titanic. It's a long and slow process to get from A to B. Um, even when the change is necessary, it's hard for a big corporation to turn on a dime. In small business ownership, you have that ability. You can adapt quickly if you need to. So I think that it, you know, took me a moment to recognize like, okay, if this isn't working, like let's shift. I mean, yes, you need to be consistent in your approach and you need to make sure that you give any plan, you know, that you're you give it time to see if if what your um what your strategy is is working. But you also

[21:28]  have to recognize when there's a need for a shift and then you know making that shift happen. Um and that is you know the beauty of I think small business ownership and and the ability of being agile. So when we're talking about just a small business we know that we everyone knows if you started a business before it is not easy. There's so many challenges that you have to overcome. Yeah it is. I love it though. I truly do cuz once you kind of get over that hump of oh my god what am I doing and then it just clicks and not saying that you won't go back to it you know it it's just a roller coaster I always say it's a definite roller coaster but what if you could just give me that one hard lesson that you had to learn within the first year of your business wow the one hard lesson it wasn't even that impactful you can't

[22:15]  remember look at this you you've been doing well well there have been a lot of lessons let me tell you there have been a lot of lessons um You can't I would say that you have to you have to believe in yourself and there are days where you were you will doubt what you're doing, why you're doing it, if you're going to be successful. But if you believe in yourself and you believe in your purpose, that will carry you through the tough days. I love it. You have to hang on to that though and you have to be willing to also learn from those around you. Having a growth mindset is so important.

[23:02]  So I even challenge you on that. I would even say just learn from those around you. Yes, that is definitely key. But sometimes even separate from those around you a little bit. Yeah. Right. Because especially building a business, everyone everyone has a piece of saying something. They've never been in your shoes and now they're they're actually telling you how you should run a senior care business. And it's like, do have you even talked to your mom about senior care? Like, how are you sitting here telling me these conversations, but you haven't done it. So, yes, surround yourself with great people like-minded that may be in that career path, but also be very mindful of the people you're sharing your dreams with because those same people can cut that dream a little short by implementing the negativity. And it's all about the mindset. So, if you're not in that great mindset, you know, and you're already struggling and then you get that negativity from others, it is very it's hard. You you wait you um wear that weight on your shoulders. I would say

[23:49]  that is such a good point and it is very true. I think that um you know you you have to you have to have the right people in your corner for sure. But I think that you know when I talk about the growth mindset and and learning from others I see it as you know learning from the people who are who are doing well obviously what are they doing differently what are their strengths but also there's a lot of lessons to be had from the people who are running things in a way that doesn't align with your values. Yeah. you know, and um you can you can learn from that, you know, what you you don't want your business to look like. Well, well, then I give you this question because you mentioned it prior on the last conversation we've had uh the power of mentorship, right? Who were

[24:38]  some of those key mentors in your journey and what was that best advice you actually received from one of these mentors? Put you in the hot seats. Someone's being called up. You know, I've been fortunate. I've had a lot of mentors um through 18 years in corporate America um and gosh thinking back and I you know also mentors through in my family too. I mean you know looking at um pretty much everyone in my family has done work that is service-based in some way shape or form. Um, so I think that the the biggest advice one that I got was, you know, always having a plan. That quote I said earlier, if you plan if you fail to

[25:28]  plan, you're planning to fail. Uh, that was that was a lesson that was bestowed upon me in uh one of my very first positions um with my former company and it it sticks with me to this day. So, I think it is it's always important to have a vision. I'll take it. I'll take it. I'll take it. Let's talk about technology. Um, AI just being everywhere, even in the senior care space. I think it's actually almost kind of cool some of the things I've heard that AI is doing in senior care space because I believe that so many people forget about those seniors. Um, you know, sometimes they can become lonely.

[26:01]  So, I've heard AI tools that you can um like pour stories into maybe a teddy bear or dog or maybe information that those individuals may need, right? Right. And it would actually talk to those seniors. But how are you guys actually um using AI? Like how is technology just kind of playing in that role of what you're doing today? Yeah.

[26:18]  So, you know, I think I mentioned when we talked uh previously that admittedly I am still very much learning about AI. Um we at Senior Care Authority have used it for you know capturing notes for meetings um to generate um social media posts to enhance consumer engagement. We have certainly used it um to build you know the framework for resources that could be helpful for families.

[26:49]  Um, but I think there's a lot that, um, you know, I still personally can learn, um, and leverage more effectively. So, I'm excited to just continue to grow in that area. But I think, you know, to your point, there are also a lot of um new new things that are being introduced with AI um as it pertains to engaging older adults or allowing them to remain independent longer through things like um medication reminders or, you know, fall detection through wearable devices.

[27:30]  um there's a lot that is really advantageous for them to remain independent as long as possible and I think that's a beautiful thing. if you could say uh implement AI into something that can really make a big impact whether it's for your clients um maybe those that are putting their their parents in a home um or maybe maybe just people wanting to just inquire if you could implement an AI into your business what does that actually look like for you knowing that you can actually self-s serve well you know I think with what I do I I don't know that I you know I think AI has so many benefits for making um business owners more effective with their time management.

[28:19]  I think though that there in the the area where I work and in the relationships that I build with people, I feel that it's really important to um still have that human touch and that human connection, you know, and I I think there are certain things, you know, businesses or, you know, professions where that really is necessary and required. I will say that I was, you know, I was reading an article um it was, I think, published by the um National Institute on Aging. It came out in early January and it was talking about AI um the AI speech analysis as being something that could be used to predict progression of

[29:08]  cognitive impairment um to Alzheimer's. and it had predicted it um in with a 78% accuracy in the control group in this particular study. And when I think about AI in general, that is what excites me more than anything else is AI's ability to analyze um and you know analyze people's whether it's speech, whether it's changes in you know behaviors that can predict disease earlier and allow for earlier intervention. Um I and I know that there are concerns with you know data privacy and you know security certainly but um those those developments in AI I think

[29:58]  are really exciting and I'm I think that would impact anyone in the senior industry. That's amazing. And how can people connect with UN senior care authority? So, if you are in the Charleston, South Carolina area, um I have I'm based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and you can reach me by calling 843233-9251. You can also go to seniorcare authority.com and you can search for a certified senior living advisor by um the city that you live in and that will bring you to the website of the owner that owns Senior Care Authority in any given state or city. And like I said, we have over a hundred locations throughout

[30:46]  the US. Um, and you know, something else that I'd like listeners to know is that in addition to helping families navigate senior living, we are also able to help with, you know, elder care consulting, um, finding the right home care, the right hospice, providing peace of mind visits for families who have loved ones in a community and they're not able to visit because maybe they live on the West Coast and their mom is on the East Coast. Yeah, we have people that can do that for you. And we also have an fantastic program that helps older adults determine when they may need to retire from driving based on cognitive decline. It's called Beyond Driving with Dignity. It's a really um unique program and there's no one else um in the senior

[31:34]  space that's really offering that. that tends to be a really big hot topic for uh families and it's another way that we at Senior Care Authority can help navigate the challenges of senior living and care. I love that. I love that and I'm hoping that we get so many people to just bombard your phone. Okay. If if you had to sum up your leadership philosophy in one sentence, what would that actually be? Sum up my leadership philosophy in one sentence.

[32:09]  Listen. I will I'll I'll simplify it even more. I'll I'll put it down to one word. Listen. It You have to listen to what people need. And it's not listening to respond. It's listening to truly understand what matters to someone and what matters to their family. And if you can do that and you can show the person that you're working with that you've heard them, then you can help them effectively. And I believe you can apply that to business. You can apply it to relationships. But listening to what's important to someone is so pivotal. It's just it it it makes all the difference. And it sounds so simple,

[32:57]  but I don't know that everyone listens effectively. That is true. Yeah. Listen to actually understand, not listen to My wife tells me this all the time clearly. Uh listen to understand, not listen to just uh what was it? Argue or repeat or whatever. Respond. Yeah, absolutely. It it's it's really it's important and people want to be heard, you know, and if if you're listening and you're hearing what's important to them, you can meet their needs, whether that's in retail, whether it's in, you know, the food industry, whether it's in senior care. Um it's uh it's all about understanding your clients and and what they want. And and you can apply that to your employees. You have to listen to what's important to them and be willing to take that information and make things

[33:46]  better. Well, I'm wrapping up here. We're going to ask that lovely question. I know you've you've been probably anticipating this question, but every leader at the end of every podcast, not only do they ask a question, but they also get to answer a blind question. So, in just a bit, you'll be able to ask your blind question to the next leader. But I want to tell you what they asked. They said if you could be doing anything else, so let's say senior care um authority just wasn't a space, wasn't around, um what would you be doing, what would be the mission? Is it still the same mission? I I would I would say yes. I mean, there people are still around and people are still getting older and I have a true love for older adults. I have a love for their stories.

[34:31]  I have a love for their experience. And I really believe I would find a way to still be in this space. Maybe it wouldn't look like this. Maybe I would, you know, own my own assisted living facility or, you know, be a patient advocate. Um, but I I think I would still I would still choose this. Yeah, 100%. Okay, so now it's your turn.

[34:54]  What's that one question you'd like to leave for the next leader coming on to the Heart and Hustle podcast? I would say um what is their number one piece of advice for a growing business? I like that. I like that. All right, guys. You guys heard that. You guys can also put tuning in to hear their response, too. I was going to say you could definitely uh put into the comments as well. I always love when you guys that are watching actually engage.

[35:22]  So, if you guys are a leader, also put that into the comments. Rene's looking for the answers, okay? as she continues to grow. She wants to know what you guys got to say about growth. But Renee has been truly a pleasure. Thank you so much for this time. If you guys are still watching, make sure that you guys do subscribe, like, and check out what Rene is actually doing and the the work that she's doing in her community. And really, this is just the beginning of it because I can only imagine as she continues to grow her business with all your advice that it goes from somewhere where it's just maybe local to now it's nationwide. So, Miss Renee, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate you.

[35:54]  Heart and Hustle Podcast. We'll catch you guys on the next one.