Transforming Senior Care: The Journey to Nine Residential Assisted Living Homes with Lindsay Daudistel

01/07/25 • 42 min

In this episode of The RAL Room Assisted Living Podcast, host Charlie Cameron is joined by Lindsay Daudistel, a nurse-turned-entrepreneur and the founder of Optimize Senior Living. Lindsay has built an impressive portfolio of nine residential assisted living homes in Ohio, with three more under development. Starting her journey in healthcare, Lindsay transitioned into real estate and eventually discovered her passion for residential assisted living, combining her medical expertise with a desire to make a meaningful impact.

Tune in as Lindsay shares her inspiring journey, the challenges she overcame, and the innovative strategies she uses to deliver exceptional care and scale her business.

Key Points:

From Nurse to Entrepreneur: Lindsay explains her journey from surgical nursing to real estate investing, and how discovering residential assisted living checked all the boxes for her career aspirations.

Building a Thriving RAL Business: She shares how she started with one property, pivoted from building multifamily units, and grew her portfolio to nine homes with three more on the way.

Financial Strategies: Lindsay details her approach to financing her first homes, leveraging local banks, SBA loans, and creative financing for ongoing growth.

Overcoming Challenges: From navigating the early struggles of occupancy to building a trusted team, Lindsay discusses the hurdles she faced and how she overcame them with resilience and a positive mindset.

The Power of Networking: Lindsay emphasizes the importance of effective networking and shares tips on building strong referral systems and relationships within the community.

Scaling Operations: She talks about eliminating single points of failure, establishing robust systems, and building a strong company culture to support her growing team of over 100 employees.

Advice for New Operators: Lindsay encourages aspiring RAL operators to take action, focus on marketing, and build a business centered on compassionate care and operational excellence.
Connect with Lindsay Daudistel:
Website

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Tune in as Lindsay shares her inspiring journey, the challenges she overcame, and the innovative strategies she uses to deliver exceptional care and scale her business.

Key Points:

Building a Thriving RAL Business: She shares how she started with one property, pivoted from building multifamily units, and grew her portfolio to nine homes with three more on the way.

Financial Strategies: Lindsay details her approach to financing her first homes, leveraging local banks, SBA loans, and creative financing for ongoing growth.

The Power of Networking: Lindsay emphasizes the importance of effective networking and shares tips on building strong referral systems and relationships within the community.

Scaling Operations: She talks about eliminating single points of failure, establishing robust systems, and building a strong company culture to support her growing team of over 100 employees.

Previous Episode

Building Better Assisted Living Homes Through Personalized Care with Dr. M. Craig Moffett

In This Episode of The RAL Room Assisted Living Podcast:
Hosts Charlie Cameron and Dr. Alex Schloe sit down with Dr. M. Craig Moffett, a physician and real estate investor who has successfully merged his medical expertise with his passion for residential assisted living. Dr. Moffett shares his unique journey, from his early experiences as a CNA to becoming the owner and operator of a 19-bed facility in Mississippi.

Together, they dive into the challenges and rewards of operating residential assisted living homes and how personalized care creates a better quality of life for residents. Dr. Moffett’s story is a testament to the power of combining passion with purpose.

Key Takeaways:
The importance of sensory stimulation: How the smell of fresh-cooked meals can boost residents' appetites and overall care.
Transitioning into assisted living: Leveraging medical and real estate expertise to create a scalable, compassionate business.
Relationship-building: Why connecting with local mom-and-pop operators and forming strong networks is crucial in this industry.
Creative financing: Using owner financing and SBA loans to structure deals that work.
Staff as the linchpin: Why investing in quality caregivers ensures resident satisfaction and drives business success.
Overcoming operational challenges: Tips for navigating unexpected regulations and insurance hurdles in assisted living.
Connect with Dr. M. Craig Moffett:
LinkedIn

Next Episode

Transforming Assisted Living Through Education and Advocacy with Kimberly Rodriguez

In this episode of The RAL Room Assisted Living Podcast, host Charlie Cameron is joined by Kimberly Rodriguez, founder of Action Over Words Group. Kimberly brings a wealth of experience as a former state inspector for Virginia, overseeing adult care facilities for over a decade, and as the operator of 14 assisted living communities with her family. Now, she channels her passion for human services into consulting, helping new and seasoned operators navigate the complexities of residential assisted living in 13 states.

Tune in as Kimberly shares her incredible journey, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and actionable strategies for success in the growing assisted living industry.

Key Points

From Family Business to Industry Leader: Kimberly explains how growing up in a family of healthcare professionals and real estate investors sparked her passion for senior care and set the foundation for her career.

Insights from a State Inspector: She offers a unique perspective on compliance, shares the common pitfalls operators face, and explains how to advocate for yourself during inspections.

Starting Strong: Kimberly stresses the importance of due diligence when selecting properties, working with zoning and fire safety officials, and creating a strong business plan.

Effective Marketing Strategies: From hosting community events to building referral networks with social workers and placement agents, Kimberly shares her top tips for staying full and creating a positive reputation.

The Value of Relationships: Kimberly discusses why relationships matter in securing properties, attracting investors, and building trust with referral partners.

Trends in Assisted Living: She highlights the growing popularity of the 16-bed model and the increasing demand for community-centered care options.

Advice for Aspiring Operators: Kimberly urges new operators to take action, break large goals into small, actionable steps, and focus on marketing and relationship-building to succeed.
Connect with Kimberly Rodriguez:
WebsiteLinkedIn

The RAL Room Assisted Living Podcast - Transforming Senior Care: The Journey to Nine Residential Assisted Living Homes with Lindsay Daudistel

Transcript

Lindsay Daudistel: Set your core values, really write out your mission, your vision, your culture statement, what you're trying to achieve.
Visualize it. It doesn't have to be all pretty and look good. But what does that really look like? How do you want people to feel when they come into your home? How do you want your residents to feel? Third party people, when they're associating with you about that experience, how are they going to feel about that experience walking int