Susan Filice When I joined Stoneridge Creek, I wasn’t thinking about creating a wellness framework. I wanted to understand how residents envisioned this chapter of their lives and what they hoped retirement in a vibrant continuing care community could become. As I listened, residents shared remarkably consistent themes. They wanted to remain healthy and independent. They wanted opportunities to keep learning, build meaningful relationships, contribute their talents, and live with purpose. They weren’t looking to slow down. They were looking for a community that would support the life they still wanted to live. That realization changed my perspective. Rather than asking what programs we should offer, we began asking a different question: How do we intentionally create an environment where every experience supports people in living well? Designing Experiences That Matter My career began in luxury hospitality at Pebble Beach Resorts, where I had the privilege of working on nationally recognized events including the ATCT Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the U.S. Open, and the Concours d’Elegance. Those experiences taught me something that has stayed with me throughout my career: memorable moments are never accidental. They are intentionally designed. Later, while coordinating physician symposiums and community health initiatives, I realized that regardless of the setting, people share many of the same hopes. They want to feel welcome. They want to belong. They want to continue learning, contributing, and finding meaning in the experiences around them. That understanding eventually led me to senior living, where thoughtful experience design could influence not just a single event, but the rhythm of everyday life. Listening Before Leading When I arrived at Stoneridge Creek, our community was preparing for significant growth. A new phase was opening, bringing in hundreds of new residents, demographics were changing, and we had a unique opportunity to think different

Senior care is rarely just about one individual. It unfolds across families, routines, relationships and the daily decisions and behaviors that shape how support is experienced in everyday life. At TheKey, this reality is addressed through a care model designed around the person and their changing needs, the family system and environment and the role of caregivers in supporting safety, function and wellbeing. “We built a model that is family-centered because aging, care and health behavior change all happen in the context of relationships,” says Shadi Gholizadeh, PhD, MPH, Chief Quality and Innovation Officer. “When families feel supported and caregivers are equipped with the right guidance, care becomes more consistent, more personalized and more sustainable. Just as importantly, it creates more opportunities for the client to experience comfort, connection, purpose and moments of joy in everyday life.” Care comes to life in the client’s daily environment, where support extends beyond typical home care duties such as assistance with activities of daily living, meal preparation, transportation and light housekeeping to whole-person care. TheKey equips caregivers with practical training, dynamic care plans and ongoing support from a Client Success Manager, who helps create and adapt the care plan as needs evolve. This ensures caregivers are prepared to support safety and personal care while also fostering connection, engagement, comfort, dignity and moments of joy. Scaling Quality through Structured Systems Delivering consistent support across more than one hundred locations requires a careful balance between standardization and local adaptability. At TheKey, national care frameworks, evidence and data-informed standards establish a shared approach to service delivery across all locations guide quality of care. Proprietary care frameworks such as th.