In this heartwarming and inspiring episode, Susan Ryan welcomes 99-year-old Peg McLaughlin and her daughter Marguerite for a moving conversation about Peg’s extraordinary life. A lifelong nurse, mother of five, and dedicated community volunteer, Peg shares stories from her upbringing in Providence, R.I., her career in obstetrics and pediatrics, and decades of service to others—whether through scouting, church ministries, or her local food bank.

Now living in assisted living after having given up driving at age 98, Peg reflects on adjusting to a new chapter of life, maintaining her faith and independence, and finding purpose through connection, compassion, and resilience. Margie offers loving insights into her mother’s unwavering generosity and quiet impact on those around her.

Some of Peg’s words of wisdom:

Together, their reflections offer a beautiful portrait of aging, humor, and heart.

In this episode, Susan Ryan sits down with Rachel Broudy, MD, a passionate physician, innovator, and advocate for transforming eldercare. Her extensive experience includes serving as medical director at two PACE programs and currently as medical director of Pioneer Valley Hospice and Palliative Care and eldercare faculty at Ariadne Labs.

This episode explores Dr. Broudy’s journey into aging services and her groundbreaking work at Ariadne Labs, where she led the creation of a well-being framework and conversation guide for nursing homes. Developed through Ariadne's Innovation Arc process—research, design, test, and spread—this four-year project culminated in a pilot at two Mississippi nursing homes. The result? A practical, scalable toolkit that empowers staff and centers care on purpose, connection, and meaning.

Dr. Broudy also shares her work on the Living Well with Dementia Toolkit, which redefines dementia care as an adaptive, relational journey. The toolkit includes conversation and emotion cards that help families and caregivers explore emotions, relationships, and identity—helping shift how we understand and support those living with dementia.

If you're looking for inspiring ideas and practical tools to shift the culture of aging and long-term care, this episode is a must-listen.

Some links of interest:

Ariadne Labs Innovation Arc: https://www.ariadnelabs.org/about-us/ariadne-labs-arc/

Ariadne Labs Well-being Framework & Conversation Guide: https://www.ariadnelabs.org/resources/downloads/wellbeing-toolkit-conversation-guide/

Ariadne Labs Living Well with Dementia Toolkit: https://www.ariadnelabs.org/dementia-solutions/

There are few people who have the depth and breadth of knowledge about long-term services and supports than Jennie Chin Hansen, who we are honored to have as the 300th guest on today’s episode.

With a rich background in nursing and a penchant for solving problems, Hansen’s career spans decades of leading top healthcare organizations such as the American Geriatrics Society, AARP, and On Lok, which is the flagship/prototype for what is now known as People for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). She currently serves on the boards of the Medicare Advantage SCAN Health Plan and HelpAge USA. In 2019, she helped to craft the California Masterplan for Aging, now in implementation.

For this week’s episode, Hansen sits down with Susan Ryan to discuss how her childhood experience as an Asian girl living in Boston shaped her career choices. She also discusses her desire to see more upstream work that focuses getting “people prepared for their own aging changes.”

Finally, Hansen shares her vision for what she believes will help to not only “hold the line,” but also move it with regard to ensuring economic security for older Americans.

Among Hansen’s many awards are the American Academy of Nursing’s Health Care Leader Award, American Society on Aging’s Hall of Fame Award, and the National Council on Aging’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 2024, she received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Harvard University at its commencement ceremony in May of 2024. Here is video of highlights from that event: https://youtu.be/lzDYU7sNddA?si=W0hGbEWsS8osCaRq.