Aldersgate, a life plan community in Charlotte, NC, and Ingleside, the umbrella organization of 3 life plan communities in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, are the latest LeadingAge members to be recognized as LeadingAge Catalysts.

Each month, LeadingAge celebrates a Catalyst that demonstrates an unwavering commitment to serving people. The Catalyst Program recognizes excellence in many areas, including supports for people living with dementia, creative community partnerships, recruitment and retention practices for staff, intergenerational programs, individual leadership, mentorship, inclusivity, and much more.

Aldersgate: Our October Catalyst

Aldersgate was recognized as a LeadingAge Catalyst in October 2019 for taking storytelling-as-resident-engagement a step beyond the usual. The life plan community has turned a program designed to draw out residents’ reflections on life—a profound experience in its own right for the participants—into a theater production called “Acting Our Age: A Century of America in Seven Voices.”

Specifically, the program was recognized for its creativity “and for the residents’ profound honesty and hard work.”

Check out our podcast episode in which Aldersgate Chief Operating Officer Jeff Weatherhead tells the story of Acting Our Age, and muses about what might come next.

Ingleside: Our November Catalyst

In 2019, the entire Ingleside organization went through a training process to achieve the SAGECare Platinum level lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender cultural competency credential. The effort involved organizing and training 300-plus full-time employees in keeping with the organization’s commitment to ensuring an inclusive environment for all residents, clients, family, friends, and employees.

Ingleside was named a LeadingAge Catalyst in November for “its mobilization of a large staff in service to building a more diverse and inclusive environment.”

Read an interview with Monique Eliezer, Ingleside’s chief officer of sales, marketing, & strategies, about what it took to complete this effort.

Do You Know A Catalyst?

Nominate a deserving organization or individual for recognition as a LeadingAge Catalyst! Fill out the nomination form with details about why your nominee deserves recognition. The form will require you to log in to your My.LeadingAge account. If you don’t have one already, creating one is easy.