Episode 17:8 Kirstin Jacobs on keeping the individual at the center of everything

Kirsten Jacobs, MSW, Senior Director of Shared Learning at LeadingAge, shares insights on ageism, diversity, and leadership from her 20+ years in senior living. She talks about the importance of supporting peer-to-peer learning, promoting diversity at the top, and calling out the web of ageism, ableism, and other “isms”, standing in the way of aging well.

About Kirsten

With over 20 years of experience in older adult housing, services, and long-term care management, Kirsten credits her four late grandparents for her commitment to the field. Her undergraduate thesis project, dedicated to sharing art with older adults, set the stage for an ongoing interest in dementia and holistic wellbeing. Kirsten has held various positions—including administrator and executive director. Currently, she serves on the knowledge team at LeadingAge, a national association of elder-serving organizations.

As Senior Director, Shared Learning Initiatives, Kirsten leads and manages the organization’s wellness and dementia education strategy and other shared learning activities. Kirsten also guides a diverse set of education initiatives to advance LeadingAge’s ageism work and strategic focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

 Kirsten earned a Master of Social Work (MSW) and gerontology certificate from Portland State University (Portland, OR) and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in arts administration and a minor in studio art from Scripps College (Claremont, CA).

Kirsten lives in her hometown of Portland, OR with her spouse, two kiddos, and goofy dog.

Key Takeaways

• LeadingAge’s shared learning approach creates opportunities for senior living providers to learn from each other. There is always wisdom in the room, whether virtual or physical.
• LeadingAge’s LTSS Center at UMass Leaders of Color Network provides career path support and mentorship for persons of color in senior living and aging services.
• Ageism starts with a youth-obsessed culture that reinforces the message that young is good and old is bad, starting with children's books and movies. By the time we are older, we have these really internalized negative feelings of what it means to grow old.
• Discrimination is layered. It' difficult to look at one “ism” without acknowledging other layers of oppression compounded with the experience of aging. The web of ageism and ableism is so intertwined it's impossible to separate.
• Leading Age Leadership Summit April 15th - 17th in Washington, DC. will address the implications of changing demographics and how to better support people in the experience of growing older.