Aging with Dignity: How Affordable Assisted Living Can Transform Senior Care

America is aging, and fast. In just a few years, millions will enter their 80s, many without the resources or support systems to age with dignity. Yet affordable assisted living remains misunderstood, underfunded, and dangerously overlooked.

In this episode of Create the Village, Daryl Jones (President, Real Estate Acquisitions) sits down with Julie Simpkins, co-CEO of Gardant Management Solutions, one of the largest assisted living providers in the country. Together, they explore why assisted living has been treated as an afterthought in public policy, and why that must change.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why the lack of affordable assisted living is a national crisis
• The “missing middle” and the hidden costs of isolation
• How smarter Medicaid policy could save billions, and lives
• The workforce crisis reshaping senior care post-COVID
• What it means to design communities where seniors can truly age in place

About Our Guest:

Julie Simpkins is the co-CEO of Gardant Management Solutions, where she has spent more than three decades advancing senior housing across the country. She is a national leader in affordable assisted living, a frequent voice in policy conversations, and a passionate advocate for dignity, community, and purpose in aging.