When Hal Cranmer purchased four assisted living care homes in the region of Phoenix, Arizona, he wanted to give his elderly and infirm residents the healthiest lives possible.
He wondered, ‘Why can’t we help people improve their condition when they live with us, instead of just managing their decline?’
That question spurred an in-depth exploration of therapeutic nutrition and then the provision of specialized diets – specifically low-carb and ketogenic – to any of the residents who wanted to try them. He also added targeted exercise programs.
The results? Noticeable improvements in some residents’ mental, physical, and metabolic health, as well as improved cognitive functioning. Some of the residents who embraced the changes restored their health, mobility, and independence enough to return home.
Now, in the IPTN February Webinar, Mr. Cranmer will describe the pros and cons, the challenges and the successes, of his unique, hands-on, practical experiment which has been receiving a lot of attention among therapeutic nutrition groups and advocates.
The online webinar, entitled: Nourishing Wellness: Lessons from Implementing Therapeutic Nutrition in Assisted Living, will be held Wednesday, February 21 at 5pm Pacific.
“I want to stress that it is not a miracle cure, some residents saw very little improvement, “ says Mr. Cranmer, who is the owner and operator of A Paradise for Parents Senior Living residences, with a total of 40 people across four homes. “But some had what one would consider to be almost miraculous results, including weight loss of more than 230 pounds in a little over 9 months.”
The webinar learning objectives include:
Understanding the rationale behind implementing a low-carb diet in an assisted living setting, including its potential benefits for senior residents' health and well-being.
Identifying the challenges associated with transitioning and maintaining residents to a low-carb diet, particularly addressing the preferences and desires of residents who seek alternative food options.
Analyzing the impact of a low-carb diet on health measures and weight management and the correlation between a low-carb diet and improvements in cognitive function, examining anecdotal evidence and potential scientific explanations.
Discussing the practical and budgetary implications.
Discussing the barriers and possible accelerators to wider uptake.
Mr. Cranmer will also describe his personal journey with therapeutic nutrition. Trained in the US Air Force, he spent the first part of his career as a pilot, then pivoted to jobs in various facets of aviation and aerospace industries. Then a sideline buying rental properties eventually turned into buying and running the four assisted living facilities in Arizona.
Mr. Cranmer’s desire to give his elderly or infirm residents the healthiest lives possible led him to implement healthy, whole-food, low-carb eating plans in his residences. He decided, “Let’s try to give them more years through healthy living or improve the quality of the years they have left.”
He has now become a sought-after speaker and podcast guest as he describes the successes and challenges of applying emerging nutritional evidence to help improve the health and lives of those of his residents willing and wanting to change how they eat.
Of course, some of the residents (or their families on their behalf), do not want to embrace the diet. They will miss ice cream, pastries, bread, and other high-carb fare too much. That is an important lesson, too. Some adult children will say "We are taking Mom out of here unless you feed her X." It is usually some favorite sweet treat.
“We never do anything against people’s will. But sometimes when they see the successes of other residents, they decide they are willing to try. And the more acceptance from others, the broader the uptake.
“That is why we need to spread the word about the possibilities of improvement as far and as wide as we can,” he says.
Please click the link to register for the February 21 webinar with Hal Cranmer.