The Caregiving Revolution: Shattering the Rules of a Broken System

In this episode of Healer Within, host Amy Marohn sits down with Susan Lee, founder of Leeside Manor, to explore progressive, humanitarian solutions to current gaps in senior healthcare service delivery. This conversation highlights creative community models that support both elder independence and caregiver well-being, offering fresh perspective for families navigating the "sandwich generation" and professionals seeking heart-centered approaches to care.

Podcast Highlights:

• A Full Continuum of Community Care: An in-depth look at Leeside Manor's unique service model, which includes vibrant senior day care, temporary respite solutions (offering up to 30 consecutive days of overnight care), dedicated space for supportive hospice care, and co-living options for independent seniors who prefer thriving in a small, homelike community.
• The Inspiration Behind Leeside Manor: How navigating rigid corporate elder care systems inspired an innovative, heart-centered, in-home senior daycare model.
• The Silver Eagle Project: A look into a unique nonprofit "Man Shed" initiative where seniors bond shoulder-to-shoulder while building a two-seater airplane, fostering cognitive engagement and community.
• Navigating the "Sandwich Generation" & Crisis Transitions: Creative real estate and co-living strategies to shield families from exorbitant out-of-pocket facility costs during home sales.
• Dismantling "Fake Guilt": A compassionate look at the emotional psychology of caregiving, the necessity of routine, and why human connection is vital to slowing cognitive decline.
• A New Collaborative Care Model: Announcing an on-site partnership blending senior day services with professional hypnotherapy for targeted caregiver relief and grief processing.

  Resources & Episode Links

• Leeside Manor Senior Care: Visit Leeside Manor to learn more about their senior day care, 30-day respite, hospice space, and co-living options, or to schedule a personal tour.
• Connect with Susan: Email owner Susan Lee directly at lsmseniorcare@gmail.com.
• The Silver Eagle Project: Discover the nonprofit "Man Shed" airplane-building project at Silver Eagle Project Portfolio.
• Caregiver Relief Hypnotherapy: To learn more here. In-person sessions are available at the new office inside Leeside Manor (Arlington, WA), as well as Lake Stevens, WA, or globally via Zoom.

About Your Host:

Hypnotherapist Amy Marohn is your C-Suite Crisis Concierge and Mindset Strategist. She helps conscious leaders bridge deep metaphysical mastery with high-level execution. Together, our work will effortlessly dissolve organizational bottlenecks and industry barriers from the inside out.

Learn more about Blue Ocean Business Coaching here.

Read Amy’s latest blog on Blue Ocean Senior Care.

Find her latest book Offering a Spiritual Curriculum for Conscious Leadership here. 

#ConsciousLeadership #CaregiverSupport #SeniorCoLiving #HumanitarianSeniorCare #HealerWithinPodcast #LeesideManorSeniorDayCare #BlueOceanStrategist 

Transcript

Episode Transcript: Bridging the Gap in Senior Care and Caregiver Support

Season 5, Episode 8: June 3, 2026

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Podcast Highlights:

• A Full Continuum of Community Care: An in-depth look at Leeside Manor's unique service model, which includes vibrant senior day care, temporary respite solutions (offering up to 30 consecutive days of overnight care), dedicated space for supportive hospice care, and co-living options for independent seniors who prefer thriving in a small, homelike community.
• The Inspiration Behind Leeside Manor: How navigating rigid corporate elder care systems inspired an innovative, heart-centered, in-home senior daycare model.
• The Silver Eagle Project: A look into a unique nonprofit "Man Shed" initiative where seniors bond shoulder-to-shoulder while building a two-seater airplane, fostering cognitive engagement and community.
• Navigating the "Sandwich Generation" & Crisis Transitions: Creative real estate and co-living strategies to shield families from exorbitant out-of-pocket facility costs during home sales.
• Dismantling "Fake Guilt": A compassionate look at the emotional psychology of caregiving, the necessity of routine, and why human connection is vital to slowing cognitive decline.
• A New Collaborative Care Model: Announcing an on-site partnership blending senior day services with professional hypnotherapy for targeted caregiver relief and grief processing.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Speaker 1 (Amy Marohn): Hello and welcome back to Healer Within. This is Amy Marohn, your host and hypnotist. Today, I have guest Susan Lee of Leeside Manor In-Home Senior Daycare. Susan, welcome.

Speaker 2 (Susan Lee): Thank you. Thank you.

Speaker 1: Susan, today we're going to talk about your business, your world, and taking care of seniors. I'm going to start with a simple question. I'll ask you to go back in time to share a little bit more about your personal story and the personal inspiration behind opening your company.

Speaker 2: Oh, thank you for asking. About 13 years ago, my dad was in his early eighties, and I had a friend I was working with whose father was the exact same age. They were both still mentally capable and with it, but they were bored out of their minds. So, she and I were looking together—because that was easier—for a place where they could be social.

We started by going to the large assisted living facilities, thinking they would have fun things to do—and they probably do. But back then, they would not even give us a tour unless we disclosed their complete financial portfolio first. They told us it was so they would know what kind of room they could afford.

Speaker 1: Interesting.

Speaker 2: We thought, "Well, fine, we're not doing that." If I don't even know if there's a movie theater, a bowling alley, or a pool, why would I tell you anything?

Speaker 1: Completely, right.

Speaker 2: So then we went to the local senior centers. This was years ago, and I think things have changed since then, but back then, they told us they couldn't come and spend the day. They had to come just for a specific program and leave immediately right after it ended. Neither of our fathers could drive.

Speaker 1: Aw.

Speaker 2: We were getting pretty frustrated looking and looking, visiting several senior centers. Then my friend mentioned that in King County, they had adult daycare centers. We couldn't find one in our immediate area, so we decided to open one. Because it is run out of my home, it became a senior in-home daycare. That's how we got started, and it was immediately very welcome and popular in the community.

Speaker 1: I can only imagine. Susan, correct me if I'm wrong, was that in 2016?

Speaker 2: We started looking in 2013, and we officially incorporated in 2016. We had a learning curve to go through—contacting the state, finding out what the rules and regulations were. We had one or two clients dropping in while we figured it out, and in 2016, we finally incorporated the business as an LLC. That’s when the business truly started.

Speaker 1: Susan, what an amazing and beautiful personal story. I would love for you to share a little bit more about your clients and the reasons people reach out to you for help. How do they find you, and what do they need?

Speaker 2: The number one reason people look for us is that they want relief. Caregiving is an exhausting labor of love. Parents, of course, want you to care for them for the rest of their lives, and we want to care for our loved ones too. But it is exhausting because they need more and more of us. Even if they don't need physical help with things, they get bored; they want our time. That's exactly what happened with me—my dad wanted my time, but I was busy with kids, a job, and a career. That is the primary reason people reach out to me: they need some form of relief.

Speaker 1: As you're sharing this, I think of the situation I am in myself. We are in the "sandwich generation," where we have aging parents who need our time, energy, and resources, but even if we have adult kids, there's no magic season where they automatically become independent—especially now. Isn't that the truth?

Then there's the boredom factor. I share a space with my almost 85-year-old mom, and all the time I ask her, "What about the senior center?" She responds, "Why would I want to hang out there?" Some of the programs in our communities can be a bit limiting.

Speaker 2: They get bored. They can't get around like they used to, and watching TV all day, every day, speeds up cognitive decline. Reading a book eight hours a day gets boring, too. It's fun when you finally get a break to read, but doing it constantly is not good for them cognitively, physically, or emotionally.

Speaker 1: Absolutely. Let's talk about some of the group activities and the dynamics between the clients that happen under your beautiful roof.

Speaker 2: Our biggest activity—and where I focus a lot of attention—is our "Man Shed" in the garage. My husband and other volunteers work with the men, and anyone else who wants to join, building a two-seater airplane. We are currently working on our second plane. The first finished airplane is in a hangar in Arlington, and the second one is in our garage.

Basically, it involves a lot of riveting and a lot of storytelling. They sit out there and talk. It’s not actually about the production of the plane; it's about men visiting and bonding shoulder-to-shoulder while they work.

Speaker 1: Can you tell the story of how that got started? Please do. I've been to your space multiple times, I'm completely in love with it, and that’s exactly why you're on the show today.

Speaker 2: Around 2018, my husband retired while I was still working. He loves to build things, so he was out in the garage tinkering. Around that time, I had a gentleman client who just could not sit and settle down. He was bored and didn't want to do crafts. Women tend to enjoy sitting around a table, working on a craft, and visiting, but he was restless, and I couldn't keep up with him while helping the others.

I walked him out to my husband's garage and said, "Honey, can you just keep an eye on him until his wife gets here? He's bored in the house." Then I promptly forgot he was out there! His wife showed up two hours later, and I realized, "Oh my gosh, he's in the garage." She looked at me and said, "He has never been in a garage in his life; he's an artist."

When we walked out, my husband had pulled out two camp chairs, and they were just sitting there shooting the breeze. He loved it. After that, she didn't even have to beg him to come here; he would come eagerly because my husband became his best friend. Soon, a third gentleman joined them, and then another gentleman whose son would drop him off. The son, who was in his 70s, started staying to help his 90-something father.

Suddenly, I had five men in the garage. My husband decided to buy a two-seater airplane kit, and they sat out there working on it. Before COVID, we were up to eight or ten men out there. I am really good at recognizing when something works and just running with it.

Speaker 1: You're reading the signs. I love it.

Speaker 2: Yes. That grew into what is now called the Silver Eagle Project. It operates as a nonprofit under our umbrella so people can donate parts or labor, and it is our largest activity.

But that's not all we do. Inside the house, we still do puzzles, arts, crafts, and seasonal decorations. Every Tuesday at 2:00 PM, we host a tea party, which is a massive hit. Even the men from the garage come in for it. They don't have to drink tea—they can have coffee, hot chocolate, or apple juice—but they sit around the table, men and women together, enjoy cookies, and visit for an hour and a half to two hours. They tell stories about their lives, which is completely fascinating. That is my absolute favorite. We also do chair yoga—some people just like to watch me do it because I look uncoordinated and ridiculous, but it's good for us! We also feature live music once a month.

Speaker 1: What about the garden, Susan? Tell us about that.

Speaker 2: Oh, the garden is amazing. A client came to us who loved gardening, and her son mentioned she used to have flowers all over her house. I invested in pots, dirt, and flowers, and four or five of us stood around the table on my back deck planting. Again, it’s not about production; no one is in a hurry. What could have taken an hour took two or three days to plant 12 pots of flowers. She watered and weeded them, and she taught me so much. Usually, I buy a pot at the store and it dies in a month.

Speaker 1: You and me both!

Speaker 2: She taught me how to truly grow flowers, how often to water them, and when to add fertilizer. She passed away four years ago, but to this day, her daughter comes by to help me trim them back, overwinter them, and prep the pots in the spring to grow again. I have beautiful hanging fuchsias, geraniums, and pansies all over my patio and deck.

We also transitioned our vegetable garden from the ground into raised beds that are two feet high and about three-by-six feet. It makes it easier for seniors who have trouble getting down on their knees. They still love to garden just like they did when they were younger. We currently have six beds and just bought four more to put in at the end of the summer so the soil can overwinter. People love to get out there, touch the dirt, trim, pick, and water. I also have a rose garden with about a dozen bushes. I hand them clippers because roses are hard to kill; even if they cut them all to put in a vase, they grow right back the next week. The garden is a wonderful place in the summer.

Speaker 1: It's magnificent. I've attended a recent tea party there, and the five-acre country setting is gorgeous. You have this incredible space; can you share a bit about its history and layout, and how your business is currently expanding?

Speaker 2: We are on five acres, and the house is quite large. I don't mean to brag, but it is a large house with many bedrooms.

Speaker 1: You need a big house for the incredible work you do.

Speaker 2: Exactly. When our children moved out, we felt our choices were either to do something meaningful with the space or downsize. That coincided with the time I was looking for care for my father, so we converted the main floor into this in-home daycare business. We both love it; it's the best job we've ever had.

When COVID hit, it changed everything overnight. We dropped from 12 clients down to three because many of our primary caregivers were nurses or police officers who still had to go to work but faced intense scheduling shifts. Nurses would work a shift and then have to isolate for three to five days. I called the state and received permission to provide overnight respite care. The state essentially told us, "If you can help people, just do it."

People started staying with us longer term. We could provide up to 30 days of respite care, after which they could go home for a few days and return for another 30 days. Operating during COVID with just three or four clients was emotionally one of the most profound and wonderful experiences of my life. Families who previously used our day program would call me and say, "If I place my husband in a standard care facility right now, because of the lockdowns, I will never see or touch him again." I told them, "I have an empty bedroom. He can stay here, but you have to promise me it's just your house or my house, and you have to come help." Depending on their work schedules, some wives would show up every day, and I would take care of the nights.

We began doing hospice care at that point. It was deeply touching. These individuals had amazing lives, and their families loved them too much to put them away during such a horrible time.

Coming out of the pandemic, we tried to shift back to daycare, and we learned about a concept called "co-living." Because of the housing and affordability crisis in our state, co-living has emerged as a new concept for independent senior living. For lack of a better term, it operates like a boutique boarding house. Residents rent a room—many of which have private attached bathrooms—so they have their own independent space, and I provide the meals. They haven't checked into a facility; they have rented a space. They can participate in our day program, enjoy prepared meals, and experience vital social interaction. It keeps you significantly healthier to remain social.

Speaker 1: So many elders are in that exact position. Susan, what is the criteria for someone to qualify for co-living at your home?

Speaker 2: Because this is fairly new on the state level, the regulations are still developing, and I am keeping up to date to adjust as needed. However, the core definition of co-living is independent living. Residents can have mild, early-stage dementia, but it is not for end-of-life or heavy medical care. They are fully welcome to bring in their own private home health agencies to assist them with showers, dressing, or medication management. The state explicitly permits that within a co-living framework, but I do not personally provide medical care.

Speaker 1: That is an important distinction. Knowing you for about ten years, I’ve always been enamored by the programming you and Mark have built. Coming from a background in healthcare as a rehabilitation counselor, I can see that you are filling a critical gap in the service delivery system that simply does not exist elsewhere.

How might a service like yours be a unique resource, for example, to real estate brokers who are helping families sell an elder's home?

Speaker 2: Off the top of my head, when someone is preparing to sell an elder's home to fund their long-term care, it creates a massive financial challenge. You have to spend down their private assets to a certain level before Medicaid kicks in, and trying to coordinate that timeline perfectly is incredibly difficult. How long will the house sit on the market? How long will the government take to approve the Medicaid application?

Families often end up paying astronomical out-of-pocket costs—sometimes upwards of $12,000 a month—to hold a spot in a large facility while waiting for the house to sell and cash to flow. An alternative we offer is co-living. An elder can stay with me for just a month or two while the home sale goes through. I don't require long-term annual contracts. Once the house sells, they have the liquid capital to transition to their long-term facility of choice, completely removing that immense financial strain from the family.

Speaker 1: Beautifully articulated. That scenario happens frequently. As a hypnotherapist, I see many clients in our age bracket whose parents live out of state. They are constantly stressed, monitoring tracking apps on their phones, worrying about mom's driving, or managing medication alerts. They notice subtle declines, but the parent is living in a family home that is far too large, yet they aren't ready for a traditional assisted living facility or nursing home. What you and Mark offer is a beautiful, softer landing—an intermediary space while families figure out the next steps.

Speaker 2: We love to think that our job is helping caregivers realize that other people can love their parents too. I often see spouses or adult children drop off their loved one for the first time and walk away crying because they feel intense guilt, like they are abandoning them. I always give them a hug and tell them it's just like putting a child into kindergarten. You can't believe they are that old. I cried when I put my oldest daughter in kindergarten!

But as the caregivers relax, they realize the pressure is off. The guilt lifts because they see a whole community of people surrounding their parent. It's a fake guilt. Their parent gets to enjoy new social connections, and it makes the ultimate transition to full-time care so much easier. Everyone fears that aging means being placed in a wheelchair and parked in front of a window until bedtime, but today's world offers beautiful alternatives. You just have to take that step early enough.

As we age, our perspective changes. When we are young and growing, our view of the world expands. In extreme old age, as physical and cognitive tasks become harder, our focus naturally narrows back down. We still know the world is there, but we have to expend all our focus just on daily functioning. If you do not intentionally socialize people, they become isolated in their houses.

With dementia, individuals cope through rigid routines. Routine means the memory doesn't have to work as hard—they know how to get up, brush their teeth, and get dressed automatically. If they are suddenly thrown into a new environment for respite and the bathroom looks different, they can struggle. By keeping loved ones active and social early on, rather than waiting until a caregiver is entirely burned out, you avoid total crisis. When a caregiver reaches total exhaustion, the elder has become completely dependent on that single person as a cognitive crutch. If that crutch is suddenly removed, they can fall apart completely, which only escalates caregiver guilt and trauma.

Speaker 1: It completely drives home the point that your services offer that crucial softer landing by addressing both the socio-emotional needs of the elder and the profound needs of the caregiver. Susan, if I were to ask you, what is your ultimate mission?

Speaker 2: When I started, my stated mission was to provide a program that bridged the gap between being entirely alone at home and requiring intense medical institutional care. Communities try, but it's hard to find services that effectively bridge that space. Since COVID, my mission has expanded to intentionally support the caregiver. I want to help caregivers realize they have a village, they are not alone, and whatever emotions they are navigating—guilt, anger, sadness, mourning—are entirely valid. We understand, we validate it, and we think you are doing a great job.

Speaker 1: You and Mark have very big shoulders to carry all of that emotion. Your space is truly amazing, and I know I will have you back on the show as your programming continues to expand.

I will include links to Susan’s website, her email, and the Silver Eagle Project nonprofit airplane-building program in the show notes. Susan, you mentioned before we started recording that you are planning an upcoming open house and tour. Can I share those dates with our local listeners?

Speaker 2: Absolutely. Would you like me to send you a flyer?

Speaker 1: Yes, send it over! I will put all the details in the show notes and feature it in my newsletter.

I am also thrilled to announce a brand-new collaboration: I will officially be utilizing dedicated office space inside Leeside Manor to offer specialized hypnotherapy for caregiver relief, helping individuals navigate grief, loss, and burnout. Through this partnership, a caregiver can coordinate day services for their loved one with Susan while simultaneously receiving supportive hypnotherapy services with me under the very same roof. We think it's a beautiful, holistic collaboration.

Susan, is there anything else you want families and caregivers to know?

Speaker 2: More than anything, I want people to know that the guilt you feel over seeking help for a loved one is almost always "fake guilt." I don't know the exact psychological terms for it—that’s why they need to see you, Amy! But by fake guilt, I mean that while it is natural to want to do everything ourselves, it isn't reality. The reality is that caregiving is incredibly hard.

I can care for many seniors, but my own mother would not let me care for her because she knew what I did for a living; it fell to my sister. That was the moment I truly realized how universal and deceptive this guilt is.

Speaker 1: Those feelings are completely normal, and it is okay to accept help. We cannot keep all of these balls in the air indefinitely—especially if we are working. Another major hurdle members of the sandwich generation face is managing their own health issues. It is incredibly difficult to sustain care when you are running on fumes, trying to manage your own medical appointments and life challenges, while layering on the extensive needs of aging parents.

Thank goodness for the sanctuary you and Mark provide. Susan, I have absolutely loved our time together today; this has been a phenomenal interview. I encourage everyone to check out the show notes, reach out to Leeside Manor for a tour, and ask questions. You are two of the most inspiring local business owners I know, and I am always proud to share your work with my clients. Thank you, Susan.

Speaker 2: Oh, thank you, Amy. Thank you so much.

Speaker 1: Absolutely, Susan. Until next time, everyone, have a great day!