Meet 3 women who are leading senior care into the future

In this episode, Aimee Middleton, chief operating officer at Good Samaritan, talks with Stephanie Uhrmacher, administrator, senior living at Good Samaritan Society - Hastings Village, and Katie Davis, vice president of operations at Good Samaritan, on the topic of women leading senior care into the future.

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Transcript

“Reimagining Rural Health” a podcast series brought to you by Sanford Health. In this series, we explore the challenges facing health care systems across the country from improving access to equitable care, building a sustainable workforce, and discovering innovative ways to deliver high-quality, low-cost services in rural and underserved populations.

Each episode examines how Sanford Health and other health systems are advancing care for the unique communities they serve.

In this episode, Aimee Middleton, chief operating officer at Good Samaritan, talks with Stephanie Uhrmacher, administrator, senior living at Good Samaritan Society - Hastings Village, and Katie Davis, vice president of operations at Good Samaritan, on the topic of women leading senior care into the future.

Aimee Middleton (host):

Well, thank you Katie and Stephanie for joining me here today. I am so honored to just be here with you today. This is an exciting week for us as we kick off our annual operations conference. And who better to do it with me than a couple of Women of Distinction winners that we've had in the past. So, I would love for both of you to introduce yourselves as we kick this off here.

Katie Davis (guest):

Hi Aimee, thanks for having me today. So excited to be here. My name is Katie Davis and again, I serve as the vice president of operations for North Dakota and South Dakota.

Stephanie Uhrmacher (guest):

And I am Stephanie Uhrmacher, and I am the administrator for senior living at our Hastings Village campus. And that just means I am over the housing with services department, and we have about 350 residents on our campus.

Aimee Middleton:

I'm just going to kick right off and to start out. So, if you were to look back into your childhood, what do you think was the first job that you thought you wanted to do?

Katie Davis:

Well, I have a picture of myself holding a sign in kindergarten of wanting to be in the army. And I think if you know me very well, I would not probably be a good candidate to be in the army right now, but I wanted to be in the army.

Aimee Middleton:

Awesome.

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

I wanted to be a brain surgeon. So, I have a paper that I wrote that is about memory loss, and I thought that I was going to create a brain chip that you could download your memories and put them back in later. And now I'm like, well, we might actually be at that place. And I don't know how I feel about it.

Aimee Middleton:

Right (laugh). Why does that not surprise me that you wanted to be a brain surgeon?

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

Now I'm like, no way. The actual doing the job would not work well for me.

Aimee Middleton:

I love it (laugh). Let's fast-forward a bit. What was your first job that you ever had then?

Katie Davis:

So, my first job was working in an ice cream shop. I was in high school, but I think I ate more ice cream every day than I actually sold the ice cream. So, I don't think I was a very good employee at that ice cream shop.

Aimee Middleton:

Again, I don't think that that surprises me, Katie. I think you're, you know, a social butterfly. I can see you doing that, eating ice cream.

Katie Davis:

Right? Yes, it was so good. All day, just eating ice cream all day.

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

Yeah. My dad managed a campground at Lake McConaughy, and so I worked the boat dock, and cleaned cabins, and worked in the store, and I think that's where I learned you better love what you do every day. And it was the best. It was the best job.

Aimee Middleton:

That's great experience, actually, especially for what you do today. You know, having that experience and serving others and that customer service, I see a lot of that in what you do today as well. Awesome.

Wanted to have both of you join me because you've also been honored as Women of Distinction. I’m so excited to have you talk a little bit about that experience. And maybe I would just open up what it meant to me. So, I had a distinct honor to win in 2023, the Women of Distinction. And it was a wonderful feeling. I'll never forget it. I was driving in my car, and I'm driving along, and I get this weird phone number, and I ignore the phone call because I don't answer sales calls, right?

And so then they leave a message, and he says he is the (McKnight’s Long-Term Care News) editor. And so I called back, and he told me that I had won this, and wow, that was so cool.

But instantly I was like, this is an amazing thing that they're doing for women in our industry, and there are a lot of women in long-term care. And I started just ticking through the names of all the other people in our organization that would be great, especially the two of you. And so that's what it meant to me. I was just so excited for what this meant for all women in our industry. How about both of you? What did this mean to you?

Katie Davis:

I think when I think of a woman of distinction, I think of somebody just making a difference in the lives of not only our professional community but also our personal community. I think of a woman of distinction of being a role model. And I certainly hope that I am role models to other employees within our organization. But yes, it was a great honor, and when I got the call, I was just speechless and didn't even know how to necessarily react. But very, very honored, and it was a great trip.

Aimee Middleton:

Stephanie?

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

So, I have a little story that I think really truly shows what it means to me. And I did get permission to share this from my daughter whenever I needed to, but she was about 10 years old at the time and struggling with her mental health and was actually a little bit suicidal. And so we had just poured everything that I could into her. When your kid is going through that, that focus goes to her.

And I remember feeling like that doubt come in, like I'm letting everything else go. My work is going. Does my team think I'm failing? Am I failing my kids at home?

And I was at a counseling appointment with her, and Rex had told me, get on this call; it's important, my supervisor. And so I rushed out because we were a little bit late, and we got in the car, and I got on my phone on our WebEx, and I hear him say, “Oh, the woman of the hour just got on,” and I'm on mute. So, Sophie's saying, “Mom, it's you; you're the woman of the hour.” And I'm like, “It's not me. Like it's somebody else. Just be quiet,” you know? (Laugh)

And he made the announcement with Kara, and I was shocked. I just remember being shocked and then looking over at her, and she had tears in her eyes, and she was just like, “Mom, I'm so proud of you.” And I think that's what it means, loving other people, just showing up and doing the best that you can at that time. And I just want to be that example for my girls and other girls in the industry. And I was very honored.

Aimee Middleton:

That's an awesome story, Stephanie. And I love how real you are about what it also means to be a woman leader today. And while I don't love what your daughter was going through, I also know how you dive in for everything. And I can just see you diving in for that. But to have this moment be a part of it, I can't also help but feel God had a part in that, and how cool? But very, very cool for you and Sophie to remember forever.

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

Yes, it was. And she was so proud. She told all her teachers, all her friends (laugh).

Aimee Middleton:

(Laugh) I love it. I love it. Proud of her mama. She's pretty awesome. So that's pretty great.

All right, switching gears here maybe a little bit. Katie, what has your career path looked like leading up to your role that you're in today?

Katie Davis:

Sure, so I would say my career path started in high school when I would just go visit nursing home residents. My mom would give me money to go to the county fair and go buy some carnations and roses, and I'd just go and visit.

And at the time I didn't know I had such a love for seniors, but I think now fast-forwarding to college, I was a nursing assistant at a memory care, and then I started with Good Samaritan as an administrator in training at our Luverne campus. Was there for a little bit. And then my first role was in Austin, Minnesota, serving as an administrator. And I was there for a few years.

I then transitioned to our Albert Lea location, and I was there for about 11 years serving as the licensed nursing home administrator. I then had the opportunity to serve as a senior director for Minnesota. And I got to partner with all of our Minnesota leaders and directors of nursing. And then transitioned to the vice president of Minnesota, where I had the opportunity to focus on strategy and goal setting.

And now I've been in South Dakota, vice president for here the last couple months and have got to have the opportunity to work with our South Dakota/North Dakota leaders. So yeah, lots going on for the past many years, but it's been really fun.

Aimee Middleton:

I love that. I love your career and how many places you've had different spots and maybe said differently. I love all those people that have gotten to experience Katie. Because to tour with Katie or to be with Katie is a unique experience. She is so present, always. Always knows people's names, knows a little bit about them, and I can't help but thinking all those people that have been impacted by you over those years, Katie, because you're pretty awesome.

Katie Davis:

Oh, thanks, Aimee. Yeah, they certainly have had an impact on me, and I wouldn't be where I am today without those leaders teaching me and leading me also.

Aimee Middleton:

Stephanie, how about you? What drew you into a career in senior care, and maybe add what's kept you in it?

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

(Laugh) So I actually did not expect to go into senior care. I think I was a little different. I met my husband and had to move. He was a farmer; he wasn't moving. And so I started looking, and I was in human resources at the time and took this job, and I was just so surprised at the diversity that senior care offers. I thought at the time, oh, it's mostly medical, right? You think of nurses and med aides and CNAs, and really it's so eye-opening. They have a role for everybody. There's every job. And so I love that.

I think what keeps me in it is, again, going back, I just truly feel like Good Sam is a family, and they treat me like a family. And I don't think you can say that there's another company that has 50,000 employees and, you know the chief operating officer, and the chief financial officer, and the president. And they've come to your campus, and they know you, and they know your team. And that's what keeps me there every day. My team, the family, I just truly love it. The residents, they become your family.

Aimee Middleton:

I really love that our family is one of our new values that we added to our overall mission statement. And I think that speaks exactly to it. We are a large family and serve each other and in so many different ways, and it's refreshing to hear it from a leader as well. Katie, how does your job look different today than when you started? Is there a few differences that you've experienced?

Katie Davis:

Sure, yeah. I think, you know, looking back on 2009, the first thing that comes to mind is the just technological changes. From the 20th to 21st of the month, we get this big old packet in the mail of a thousand sheets of paper with your general ledger, your accounting statements, your staffing statements, your income statements. And we get this big old pack of documents, and that is how we would view our operational financial statements. And so that was always a big day to get the mail that day.

Same with the medical records. Everything was on paper back when I started. And now to think about having everything on paper would be a big old mess. But I think also, you know, in regards to service lines now, I would say there is such a big focus on home and community based services. And back in 2009, I would say there wasn't a big emphasis. I think people want to stay in their homes; they want to do things in their homes as long as possible. And so we certainly see a bigger emphasis on HCBS than we did way back when I started.

Aimee Middleton:

Katie, I'll stay with you here for a minute. Do you think that your role as a leader extends beyond the team that you directly serve? And maybe how does mentorship play into that as well?

Katie Davis:

You know, in my role I am always seeking out the employees who are wanting to grow their career. So maybe it's a CNA to a nurse, maybe it's a nurse wanting to be a DNS. Maybe it's an administrator wanting to move to a senior director. So, always in the back of my mind of finding those employees who want to grow and who want to grow with our organization. So, I think inadvertently that's always on the back of my mind is who is the next leader in our organization?

Aimee Middleton:

Stephanie, what qualities or strengths do you lean on that help you the most in your role today?

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

So, our Good Samaritan really dives into StrengthsFinder from Gallup, which I love, by the way. If you haven't done it, you need to do it. And I've been doing it longer than even through Good Sam. So I definitely think my deliberative, which means you ask the “what if?” all the time. So, what is coming? What are these outcomes going to mean? You're trying to perceive what will happen all the time, constantly.

However, that can hold me back. And so strategic is the strength that makes me finally make a decision. Like, yes, these are all the outcomes, but now we need to move forward, and what are we going to do here? So definitely those two.

Aimee Middleton:

So having both is probably kind of actually a unique combo I would say too, but also helpful. Do you ever feel yourself fighting with the two sides?

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

Yes, the deliberative I've really had to overcome. Like as I've gotten farther into my career, I've had to say, OK, yeah, you can think about all of these different outcomes, but that doesn't mean they're going to happen. And it's still a good trait, but you have to just overcome that at a certain point. And so I'm glad that you can grow in your strengths as well.

Aimee Middleton:

Yeah. Absolutely. Well, WOO, it's actually my top strength, and it's “winning others over,” and that's why this event to me is so energizing because in my role I don't always get the opportunity to be with these leaders on a regular basis. And so I will woo this crowd like no other for the next week. And I love that too. So, it's a great tool to use, and I've found a lot of benefits in it as well.

Tell me a little bit about what it's like working in a rural area and maybe how that has shaped your leadership journey.

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

Absolutely. So I think working in a rural area really has shown me what it means to build relationships and why they're so important. I honestly have to be honest, I grew up three hours west of Hastings. I didn't even know Good Samaritan Village existed. And it's funny because there's 600 seniors there. How do you not know it existed?

But my mom, when I told her I was interviewing, she was like, “Oh yeah, your great-grandma lived in one of the garden apartments.” And I'm like, really? And then I get there, and my aunt calls and she's like, “Hey, your great-aunt is moving into the assisted living.” And then my father-in-law says, “Oh, I used to mow my great-grandma's lawn there and all her neighbors’.” Because at the time we didn't mow, I guess.

And so it just is that realization that somebody is probably going to need your services or that care at some point. And we joke that everybody has a connection to Hastings Village. And remembering that and building those relationships so people feel comfortable coming to you. And I think that's just so important in relationships.

Aimee Middleton:

Yeah. I can't help but go back to your statement earlier about family, right? It's all one big family. Katie, how about you? What do you think are some of the advantages of being a rural provider?

Katie Davis:

Yeah, you know, I would say in our North Dakota/South Dakota region, a majority of our locations are very rural. In towns of 800 to 2,000 people. And I think those locations really get to experience the support of the community. Usually the main organization in town, everybody knows the administrator, everybody knows the nurses, the community shows up for events. So it is fun to really be part, I think, of a community for that location.

Aimee Middleton:

Yeah, awesome. Again, back to that family, right? One big family. Stephanie, I'll start with you on this one. What's an example of an impactful moment with a resident or a patient, a family member, or a team member you will just never forget?

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

So I will never forget it but my maintenance director, he just retired this year, but he had worked for us for 42 years. And in those 42 years, we have a diner on campus that everybody in the community comes, like, that's where you eat lunch and breakfast. And he would go every day and sit down with the residents and eat. And again, it's building those relationships.

And he noticed one day one of the (independent living) residents that he usually always saw was missing. And so he stopped eating lunch, and he went over there like, “What's going on? Why aren't you here?” And he had fallen. And thank God Bob noticed, and he was able to get him the help he needed.

And that resident ended up using our continuum of care, and he moved into the assisted living, and he's just thriving there. It just is really what he needed – somebody to notice him, to care. And now he still gets to go to the diner and be a part of all the activities and see all of his friends. But it just took Bob, again, building that relationship and noticing that he wasn't there.

Aimee Middleton:

That's a really awesome story. And I bet not only you will never forget that, but Bob probably won't, the resident won't. I would imagine that it impacted other team members too, on just that importance of paying attention, so that’s awesome.

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

Absolutely, yeah. The other team members, I mean, we still talk about it to this day, how much we want to be like Bob.

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Aimee Middleton:

(Laugh) I like that. I had the pleasure of knowing Bob as well, and I love that. Be like Bob. (Laugh) That’s a great — something to achieve. (Laugh) Bob was pretty wonderful. Katie, how about you?

Katie Davis:

You know, I think it's always amazing to see the final outcome of financial gifts being given to a location. And we recently had a family member donate a goat to one of our locations. At this location, there's a courtyard that houses goats and chickens, and a particular resident loved, loved goats.

And so, this family member decided to purchase a goat and give it to the center along with all the food and the love and joy and laughter that resulted from the financial giving of this animal that residents could enjoy was just tremendous. And that lasted many years, or many summers, I should say. And it's fun to see those generous donors being so generous and giving of their tithes.

Aimee Middleton:

Yeah, that's a great example. I love the goats. I feel like you have these many farms in many locations, Katie, because I've heard you talk about goats and chickens.

Katie Davis:

Yeah, yeah, they're just — they're kind of all over the place, yeah.

Aimee Middleton:

(Laugh) I love it. But I bet that brought a lot of joy to those families and those residents. That's awesome.

All right. For both of you, what does a Sunday night routine, what does that look like for you, and how does it help you prepare for a busy week? Maybe Katie, I'll start with you.

Katie Davis:

Sure, I would say by the end of Sunday evening, I have a lot of Legos around my house. I have a lot of Nerf gun bullets, so definitely picking up and cleaning on Sunday. But my husband and I like to host. And so actually, Sunday evenings we oftentimes will have friends over for dinner together as a way to end the weekend and as kind of a fresh start to the week, get to converse, and have some good food. My husband loves to cook. He loves to smoke meat. So, that's kind of what we'll be doing on most Sunday nights.

Aimee Middleton:

Stephanie?

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

Mine's a little more boring, but yes. Picking up, resetting the house, making sure meals are prepped. I have one daughter that's in seven dance classes, so talking about the schedule, making sure we know where everyone is going. And then my husband and I take time to just have our time on Sunday after we get the girls to bed. So, that's important to us. And then last thing, I always check my calendar, make sure I know what's coming on Monday.

Aimee Middleton:

Oh, that's good. That's good. Yeah. I like to call my Sundays “selfish Sundays” because I like to be most selfish on that day. I want to do things for me. I try really, really hard not to check my email or to do any work if I can. And just really just take that time with my family.

And I too, like Katie, when I'm back in Nebraska, I take the opportunity to have the kids over, have a little bit of a meal, and just some relaxation. But that's still me being selfish because I have a one-year-old granddaughter, and that's a way that I get to see her for a little longer (laugh). And she's mine (laugh).

Katie Davis:

So fun.

Aimee Middleton:

Alright, how about, what are your go-to books or podcasts here lately? Steph, you want to start there?

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

Sure. So right now I'm reading “Raising Worry-Free Girls,” which I think is an awesome one. My go-to podcasts or books, anything by Tony Robbins. I had the opportunity to see him in person, and it was amazing. Life-changing. And so I'll always listen to his stuff. And then one, you have to watch the language, but it's a fitness podcast, Jordan Syatt, and he's just an awesome wellness fitness podcast person that I listen to right now.

Aimee Middleton:

That's a good, nice variety of things (laugh). Katie, how about you?

Katie Davis:

Yeah, so I'm not a reader, but I do listen to podcasts as I'm traveling, and a few of them, parenting — any parenting podcast, I've been listening to some on tantrums and how to deal with 3-year-olds doing tantrums. I'm also into making artisan bread right now. So there's some couple podcasts that are teaching me some various recipes. And so that's been fun. I like to make different mocktails and cocktails, more recipes, I guess podcasts. So, between bread and wine and kid tantrums, those would be my top three.

Aimee Middleton:

(Laugh) I feel like those are semi-related somehow as well.

Katie Davis:

Yeah, it could be. Yes.

Aimee Middleton:

I love it. I love it. All right. How about a piece of advice that has shaped you, and how would you pass that forward to women entering our industry?

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

I had a wonderful leader named Marge Beatty, and she told me to make sure you're always doing what you love. And the way that you can tell is mark every day on your calendar, an E, a G, or a Q, so excellent, good, or quit. And if you're having a bad day, you go back and you look: did I have mostly E's and G's? Then, it's not really that bad. Like, you're just making this moment bad, but it is not a bad place, or it's not a bad day or whatever.

If they're mostly Qs, then it's probably time for you to move on. And you need to make sure you're where you love, and doing what you love and that's OK. Change is okay. And so I've always just carried that through to people that are working with me as well. Because one person can just bring down that team, and you want them to thrive. Everybody has a place. And so making sure they have the right place and telling them that, that's OK.

Aimee Middleton:

I love that. I love the reflection of it. And, because you're right, we sometimes just have hard moments. But it doesn't make for a really bad day. And if most of them are excellent, then that's a good sign. I love it. Love it. That's a great piece of advice. Katie, how about you?

Katie Davis:

Yeah, so you know, Aimee, there was a point in my career where I made a job change. And during that period of the job change, I was just working some crazy, probably unhealthy hours just to try to wrap my arms around a new job. And about two weeks into that, I got a call from a leader, and she said, Katie, you got to get some rest. And when she said rest, she didn't necessarily mean sleeping or napping, but she meant more my personal well-being.

And as a result of that, I now include those three words into every weekly update that I send to my administrators and directors of nursing, telling them to get rest. Every Friday they get a note from me saying, “Get some rest,” with the intent being to take care of their personal well-being.

Aimee Middleton:

I love that. And I love the intentionality of passing that on to others as well, because I do think most of us in this industry, it's a 24/7 business, so it is real easy to work 24/7. There's no short list of things to do, right? But I love that intentionality that you pass on to your leaders as well.

My piece of advice for me was given to me by my grandmother, and she did own this phrase before Nike, but her phrase was, “just do it.” In fact, she saves her license plate from that year because she had a personalized license plate that said, “just do it.” And she saves that just to prove that she had it before Nike did it.

But to me what it means is don't take too much time to deliberate; just do it. If it's something you believe in and it's something that you really feel is the right move, just do it. And that has served me well in a lot of different areas as well. And I would pass that on to leaders. You know, as I'm talking through a decision, oftentimes I'll know what the decision they want to make. Just do it. You know what's right.

Katie Davis:

I think, Aimee, you've probably told me that before. I think I've heard those words from you.

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

Me too.

Katie Davis:

And it’s been helpful to say, “Yep, just do it.”

Aimee Middleton:

Yeah, yep, yep. So that sticks with me (laugh). All right. How about if we had a magic wand and you could solve one industry challenge today, what would it be? Steph, you want to go first?

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

I would say providing accessible and affordable care and housing to all seniors, everybody that needs it. And I think especially for our campus, we're always trying to bring different services and new things and to make sure that they have everything they need on campus, make sure they have all the activity. So, we have a clinic, and a spa, and we want to do a pharmacy. So it's all right there. And I just wish that we could get it to everyone that needs it.

Aimee Middleton:

Yeah. I love your just do it attitude from there, because you've done a lot of work to add those other things to campus to really help drive down the costs of the campus to make it more affordable. So I love that you're already working. Maybe your wand isn't magic, but you're already working that magic in some ways on your campus. Katie, how about you? What's your magic wand going to do?

Katie Davis:

You know, I think our profession is just filled with so much love and joy and laughter each and every day. Though in the media today, sometimes it is infiltrated with negative stories and negative experiences. Good Samaritan and Sanford I think does a tremendous job on sharing positive stories, sharing positive experiences.

But I think as stakeholders of senior care, we all have to share those positive stories, those positive things happening in our locations. And we just need to continue to be really, really good advocates of senior care.

Aimee Middleton:

I love that magic wand for all of us.

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

Me too.

Aimee Middleton:

That would be awesome. For people to really just see how awesome senior care really can be. All right, well, we'll work on that (laugh). All right. Final and last question here. What excites you most about the future of senior care?

Stephanie Uhrmacher:

For me, it's the seniors. So, they're just so fun and fresh, and they want a ton of activities, and they want to do a bunch of physical things, and they want to play pickleball. And so I'm excited to give them all those opportunities and let them have that community that they're so wanting and needing right now. I'm just excited for that.

Aimee Middleton:

Yeah, that's awesome. Katie?

Katie Davis:

Well, senior care is not going anywhere. We're going to be here for a really long time, but I think some of the technology changes, you know, virtual care is coming. There's always going to be something new down the pipeline. And 15 years ago, when I started as a nursing home administrator, I would've never even thought about virtual care. And now we're to the point where that's going to be integrated into our system. So I think just the technology and just the nuances that are continuing to come here the next five, 10, 15 years.

Aimee Middleton:

Yeah, I would agree with both of you. I feel a renewed sense of making senior care a little bit different here lately, and I'm excited about what that future looks like. I think these residents of tomorrow are going to demand more. They want to be that active resident, they want to live their life to the fullest, and they're not going to accept anything less.

But I also see it on the team member side, in that team members are wanting to be creative in this generation of wanting better work-life balance and better life for all.

We've had the opportunity to have an Administrator in Training program for some time, and the ideas that these administrators in training are coming up with to just do things differently, to communicate to team members differently, to communicate to residents differently – I'm inspired by what they're going to bring to our industry as well. So, I think that's what I'm most excited for.

Well, ladies, thank you so much for joining me on this podcast today. It has been so much fun to get to know both of you a little bit better.

Alan Helgeson:

You’ve been listening to “Reimagining Rural Health,” a podcast series brought to you by Sanford Health. Hear more episodes in this series or other Sanford Health series wherever you get your podcasts and at news.sanfordhealth.org.