Reimagining Assisted Living: Exercise, Nutrition, and Deprescribing, Part 1

Hal Cranmer, co-owner of A Paradise for Parents assisted living homes in Arizona, details improving senior care beyond “warehousing.” Cranmer describes his path from Air Force pilot to assisted living operator and explains changes he implemented over 12 years, emphasizing meaningful exercise (walks, strength training, yoga, multitasking drills) and an “exercise with oxygen therapy” bike. He highlights excessive polypharmacy in seniors and advocates deprescribing, supplement and hormone support when medically ordered, and avoiding sedating drugs used as chemical restraints. Cranmer details a low-glycemic, low-carbohydrate, ketosis-oriented nutrition approach inspired by Dr. Dale Bredesen, reporting significant weight loss and diabetes medication reduction in residents. He discusses COVID practices that preserved family contact and outdoor time, reporting no COVID deaths in his homes, and describes cognitive training via one-on-one Zoom-based brain exercises and personalized memory games.