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Nicole Will 💡 Aging Services + Caregiving

@willgather

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Exploring how we age, care & stay connected.
🎙️ willGather Podcast
Caregiving • Aging • Social Health • Community 🤍 @rendever.health

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There’s going to come a time when caring for someone you love changes the entire direction of your life. You will study gerontology…

And there will come a moment when you feel that whisper to use your voice, to start the thing that scares you…Even if you have no idea what the path looks like yet.

It’s important you listen to it, It will lead you exactly where you’re meant to go. 💛

Thank you to the 40,000 of you that listen, welcome me into your lives and share your story with me! 🙏🏼✨ by @willgather

I just went through @rendever.health Rendever’s Dementia & Empathy Training and wow, it was one of those deeply humbling, eye‐opening experiences that sticks with you.

From the start, it wasn’t a “here’s how to check the box” kind of training. It was immersive. The VR simulation dropped me into what it might feel like to live with cognitive decline: perceptual changes, confusion, and moments that were disorienting, emotionally heavy, real.

What struck me most:

🩵 Empathy through experience: Walking in someone else’s cognitive shoes is different from reading about it or even hearing stories. The hallucinations, the altered perceptions… I kept thinking, “If I’m this off‐balance for a few minutes, imagine living like this every day.”
🩵Real‐time reflection: The way Nova guides you through emotional takeaways at your own pace made all the difference. It wasn’t rushed. You’re given space to ask, “How did that moment feel? What assumptions did I make?”
🩵Practical, usable insight: This isn’t abstract. As a caregiver (or someone who works with caregivers), I came away with concrete awareness: how I speak, how I listen, how I respond, even small things matter.

If you care about doing this work well, this kind of training changes the baseline. It reminds you why empathy isn’t optional in dementia care. It’s essential.

For those of us working in senior living and home care, this kind of training is vital. Empathy isn’t optional in our work. It shapes how we speak, how we listen, how we show up for older adults and their families. When teams are given the chance to “feel it”, not just read or hear about it, everything changes. Care becomes more compassionate. Communities become more connected. Families feel more trust.

If you’re leading in this space and want to elevate the standard of care, I can’t recommend this enough.

Set up a demo and learn more here: https://www.rendever.com/dementia-and-empathy-training/request-demo by @willgather

I envision a world where the journey of care and aging is shared, empowering older adults, caregivers and healthcare pros with resources and hope. Discover the support and stories that will encourage & empower you every step of the way.

The top-rated willGather Podcast: Navigating the World with Your Aging Loved One, shares valuable insights and stories for those caring for others.

My academic background in Social Gerontology, caregiving for my grandma, and experience as a Director in a senior living community have given me valuable insights into the needs of care, the aging population, their caregivers & a heart for care. 💛 Follow along and join our community!

Visit willGatherPodcast.com to learn more and submit to be a Guest. by @willgather

🎙️ We should not measure the success of a community only by what it provides to residents, but also by the opportunities it creates for residents to contribute.

Senior living communities hold so much more than care. They hold wisdom, lived experiences, relationships, and people who still have so much to give.

My guest today is Rob Liebreich, President and CEO of @goodwinliving Goodwin Living. Rob’s own path into this work began with his grandmother and a desire to replace some of the fear and anxiety around aging with hope and purpose. That personal experience has stayed with him throughout his career and shaped how he thinks about what it means to create community, not only for the people Goodwin Living serves, but for the people around them.

We talk about the connection between cognitive confidence, isolation, and social health, why purpose and agency matter as we age, and what happens when older adults have opportunities to contribute, not just receive care. We also talk about loneliness across generations, the power of intergenerational relationships, and how senior living communities can strengthen social health and belonging far beyond their own walls.

Thank you, Rob, for your thoughtful leadership and for reminding us that older adults have so much to contribute.

Id love for you to listen to this conversation, part of The Future of Community series in partnership with @rendever.health Rendever.

🎧 Listen here on your favorite platform!

A special thank you to Rendever for partnering with me on The Future of Community series. Through Rendever and CommunityOS, we’re looking at how we can better understand social health, strengthen connection, and help people feel known and part of their community. I’m grateful to be part of this work and to keep these conversations going.

#FutureOfCommunity #SocialHealth #SeniorLiving #AgingWell by @willgather

One tour rarely tells the whole story.

When you’re exploring senior living options for someone you love, visit more than one community—and pay attention to the details that reveal how people are truly cared for.

Are residents greeted by name? Are conversations warm and personal? Does the team speak directly to the older adult, not just their family?

Sometimes the clearest answer comes from comparing how each place feels.

Watch the full Caregiver Chats episode with Nicole Will at the #LinkInBio.

#CaregiverChats #Caregiving #SeniorLiving #AgingWell FamilyCaregiver by @willgather

Some conversations are worth returning to.

Today I’m revisiting my conversation with Nicole Will on the @willgather podcast—and inviting you to listen with us.

This episode was the most downloaded episode/most listened to episode of the year!

Whether this is your first listen or a return visit, I’d love to hear what stays with you. Give it a listen at the link in our bio.

#willGather #Caregiving #TraumaInformedCare #JeanHartnett by @willgather

A scheduled tour can show you the highlights. An unscheduled visit can show you everyday life.

When you’re considering a senior living community for someone you love, Nicole Will suggests stopping by at a different time—an evening or weekend—and paying attention to what you see.

Are residents connecting? Does the team seem calm and engaged? Do people know one another by name?

It’s not just about finding a place to live. It’s about finding a place where your loved one can feel known, connected and at home.

Watch the full Caregiver Chats episode with @willgather at the #LinkInBio.

#CaregiverChats #Caregiving #SeniorLiving #AgingWell FamilyCaregiver by @willgather

When families begin exploring senior living, it’s easy to focus on the building first: the amenities, the dining room, the activity calendar.

But as Nicole Will (@willgather) reminds us, the better place to begin is with the person.

What brings your loved one joy? Where do they find purpose? What kind of connection will help them feel known and at home?

In this episode of @caregiverchatspodcast, Dr. Lakelyn and Nicole share a more person-centered way to approach one of caregiving’s biggest decisions.

Watch the full conversation at the #LinkInBio.

#CaregiverChats #Caregiving #SeniorLiving #AgingWell by @willgather

Some experiences are meaningful because of the work. Others because of the people you get to share them with. This one was both.

I had the incredible opportunity to attend the SilverEco International Festival in Cannes with my daughter by my side, and that alone made this a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

At the iconic Palais des Festivals, I had the honor of serving as a jury member for the International SilverEco Awards with inspiring jury members and moderating “Innovation Ecosystems: Accelerating Healthy Ageing Across Europe” with Agnieszka Neumann-Podczaska, Montserrat Barceló Riera, Vanessa Jannot and Titouan Levard. Our conversation brought together what becomes possible when research, care, innovation, business and public systems stop working in silos and start learning from one another across borders.

I teared up sitting in the audience in France and seeing dear people Jessica Guthrie @jessica_c_guthrie and Linde Jacobs @lindejlee and more on screen in the trailer for @wellbeingsorg Defeating Dementia, a film shining a light on dementia, caregiving and the people living these stories, was incredibly special. So much love for these special people bravely advocating and sharing their story and on an international scale. Thank you 🤍

And then, on our way into the hillside village of Eze, a kind couple offered to share their Uber with my daughter and me. Somewhere along the ride, they began telling us about caring for their mom who is living with dementia.

Thousands of miles from home, there it was again.

A reminder of just how many lives dementia touches. How universal caregiving is. And how quickly strangers can become connected when we share our stories.

There is important work ahead. More research. More collaboration across countries and disciplines. More conversations about social health and what it means to help people remain connected throughout their lives.

But getting to experience all of this with my daughter beside me?

That was my most favorite part. ❤️

Thank you, @silver_eco for a wonderful experience and for bringing us all together! by @willgather

Soul-filling time in Omaha, spending a few days with dear friends. 🤍

@lakelynk Lakelyn Hogan Eichenberger, Ph.D. and I recorded two podcast episodes together in the @caregiverchatspodcast Caregiver Chats podcast studio Home Instead (stay tuned!!), but honestly, finally having time together in person was just as special. I cherish our conversations, the ones behind the microphones and the ones that never make it onto a recording.

And then dinner with some pretty incredible women. Three podcasters together (@inspiredcaring Michele Magner!), Jean Hartnett @jeanhartnettspeaks sharing about her powerful work and experience in Africa and the @poem_renovation POEMrenovation… 🙌🏻 and all of us sharing pieces of our work, our lives, and what we’re walking through.

These women have walked through life with me over the past few years, through a lot of different seasons. There’s something so grounding about being with people who know your heart, believe in your work, and simply make space for you.

Thank you, Jean, for the restoration of being with you and for being an anchor for me, you are so loved!! 💕💕

Incredibly grateful for these friendships and our meaningful work. 🩷 #radicalsabbatical by @willgather

I’m so excited to finally share something we’ve been building behind the scenes.

The Future of Community is a new thought leadership podcast series, created with @rendever.health Rendever, that will live alongside the willGather Podcast: Navigating the World with Your Aging Loved One.

Social health is woven into all of this, how we create lives and communities where we look at all the things that help us feel connected, known, and part of something bigger than ourselves.

What does it mean to truly belong? To be known? To have purpose? To stay connected through aging, caregiving, grief, transition, and all the seasons of life?

I’ll be sitting down with incredible leaders, thinkers, caregivers, and advocates to have deeper conversations about where we’re going and what we need to rethink along the way.

Because living around other people doesn’t automatically mean we feel connected to them.

The future of community is something we all have a role in creating.

And I can’t wait to bring you into these conversations. ❤️ by @willgather

We spend billions searching for the next longevity pill or wearable. But one of the most powerful predictors of healthy aging isn’t a product, it’s human connection.

As loneliness and caregiver burnout reach epidemic levels, we’re bringing our live podcast to SXSW to explore why social prescribing may be healthcare’s greatest missing piece. Drawing on NIH-backed research and years on aging’s front lines, we’ll dive into how shared experience and belonging fight isolation, extend health span, and improve outcomes, for aging adults and caregivers alike.

The next breakthrough in living longer isn’t a pill. It’s people.

We are excited to bring this live podcast to the stage but we need your help to get there!

Head to the link in our bio or comment “VOTE” for a DM!

A free SXSW account is needed (takes under 1 minute).

Votes = 30% of the final decision.

A comment on the proposal counts just as much as the vote itself!

Voting closes August 23rd. Please share with your team, network, and anyone who believes that connection is the future of healthcare. 🤍

#SXSW #SXSW2027 #SocialHealth #Longevity #LivePodcast by @willgather