Helping Older Adults Age in Place: James Kordenbrock Jr. MAG ’24
Exactly 40 years after earning his undergraduate degree, James Kordenbrock Jr. walked across the graduation stage at USC. Receiving a Master of Arts in Gerontology wasn’t a traditional path for a veteran and marketing professional. But it was the right one, given recent events in his life.
“A few years ago, I lost both parents — my dad from Alzheimer’s disease and my mom from pancreatic cancer,” Kordenbrock explains. “We initially took care of them at home with the help of caregivers. That experience made me want to help other families care for their loved ones at home.”
At the height of the pandemic, Kordenbrock started looking for an in-home senior care franchise to purchase. He chose a Home Instead location in Orange County, Calif. At the national level, Home Instead mirrored his values of personal service, kindness, respecting diversity and honoring God. To help build his successful business, he set out to learn more about the aging market.
Applying the science of dementia and aging policy to the real world
Kordenbrock researched gerontology programs across the country. But with a world-class program right in his backyard, he chose the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “I would have been a fool not to,” he says.
A common theme that wove through many of his classes was dementia. “I learned about the biology and stages of the disease and how that applies to our work with clients. That understanding has improved the care we provide,” Kordenbrock says.
One class — GERO 540, “Social Policy and Aging” — was life-changing. The course covered policies that directly affect Home Instead’s clients, such as Medicare and Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Because of that class, Kordenbrock became involved with the Home Care Association of America, joining a policy committee. “Never in a million years did I think I’d ever become a policy advocate,” he says.
“They wanted to learn from me”
It’s not always easy for adults to return to the classroom, and as the kind of person who likes to engage and ask questions, Kordenbrock wasn’t sure whether it was OK to speak up in class. It turned out, the professors encouraged his participation. “Sometimes, they’d even give me the microphone and ask for my thoughts as a business owner,” he says. “They wanted to learn from me!”
Kordenbrock’s keen interest and enthusiasm earned him the 2023 Master’s Student Award. This award celebrates an outstanding student who made a positive impact on the learning environment.
Running an in-home caregiving agency
Owning a small business is a labor of love. Kordenbrock draws upon his past experiences, including six years as an Army attack helicopter pilot and a career in marketing, to guide him.
At Home Instead, Kordenbrock manages about 140 employees and oversees hiring, training, payroll, scheduling and more. He also meets regularly with other local Home Instead owners to share challenges and best practices. Sometimes, he also becomes a caregiver.
“This is a 24/7 business. When a client calls and needs help, you can’t tell them you’ll get to them on Monday,” he says. “If something comes up and we don’t have an available caregiver, I step in.”
Kordenbrock is looking to expand the services his business offers, particularly around end-of-life care. Long term, he also wants to remain active in policy work. Today in the U.S., there’s limited financial assistance for people to access in-home care. Most families pay for it out of their own pocket.
“I spent three years learning why it’s beneficial for people to age in place,” he says. “We have to be really passionate about getting the government to support these services.”
Addressing Montana’s Care Needs: Lindsey Klebenow MSG ‘23
Lindsey Klebenow has worked in home care and assisted living in Bozeman, Montana from the time she was in college. She’s a certified nurse assistant and an emergency medical technician, and she operates her own home health agency.
Earning a Master of Science in Gerontology from the USC Leonard Davis School has given her added credibility. “When I say I’m a gerontologist, people talk to me on a different level,” Klebenow says.
Changing the status quo in aging
In 2022, Montana closed 11 rural nursing homes. There are also ongoing problems at the state’s psychiatric hospital that affect older adults with dementia. These issues prompted Klebenow to become active in state politics, armed with skills she learned at USC.
“Our long-term care system is broken. It’s heart-wrenching for families,” Klebenow says. “I show up to committee meetings and advocate for our most vulnerable citizens. A public policy class at USC Leonard Davis School gave me the tools to navigate the legislative process.”
Klebenow has worked directly with policymakers to improve care for older adults in Montana. She is a key member of the steering committee for the state’s Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure Public Health Program grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
She also travels all over Montana as a Dementia Live trainer. Dementia Live is a program for caregivers that simulates what it’s like to have dementia using headphones, glasses and gloves; afterward, participants learn how they can better respond to dementia-related emotions and behaviors. The training gives caregivers a new perspective on the people they care for, Klebenow says.
Academic success through adversity
Klebenow’s academic journey at the USC Leonard Davis School wasn’t easy. She applied in fall 2019 and was set to start online classes the following fall.
In that time, Klebenow found out she was pregnant after five rounds of in vitro fertilization. She also launched Heart to Heart Home Care by necessity when the previous home-care agency she worked for closed. Then COVID-19 hit, and in March 2020, her husband suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Despite the many challenges, Klebenow started her master’s program as planned. Her work experience was an advantage as she became her husband’s full-time caregiver, and her classes in physiology of the mind and body were also helpful. “I was learning why conditions such as brain injuries and dementia affect people’s behavior,” she says.
Klebenow graduated in 2.5 years with a 3.8 GPA. Paul Nash, an instructional professor of gerontology from whom Klebenow took several classes, made a particularly significant impact on her.
“It was not only the content of Dr. Nash’s classes, but the way he taught,” Klebenow says. “He was welcoming, unbiased and compassionate. He also had a unique ability to see other points of view and tie them into his teaching.”
Klebenow’s last course at the USC Leonard Davis School — GERO 555: “Integrating Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Approach,” with Professor of Gerontology and Psychology Elizabeth Zelinski — was also valuable. Part of the class involved writing a grant proposal. Klebenow still uses this outline when applying for grants; in 2023, she used it to receive funding for her Dementia Live program.
Making life better for older adults
Klebenow’s focus on caregiving developed early. Her father passed away when she was 9, and her grandparents helped raise her. On the other side of her family, Klebenow’s grandmother developed Alzheimer’s.
“Throughout my childhood, we all just did our best to take care of each other,” she says. “If I wasn’t taking care of someone or making a difference in somebody’s life, I wouldn’t have a purpose.”
Klebenow plans to continue this tradition of care. She renovated a commercial building to create an adult day care center that specializes in dementia and provides enriching activities and personal care services. In addition, Klebenow collaborated with Montana State University to write a children’s book on dementia for the Crow Indian Tribe and will be working with the state’s other tribes on books tailored for each of them.
“My goal is to keep helping families and communities give older adults the care and respect they deserve,” Klebenow says.
Leading One of California’s Top Nursing Homes: Margarita Khachatryan ’07, MASM ’10
Ararat Nursing Facility in Mission Hills was named Newsweek’s best nursing home in California in 2023. Margarita Khachatryan, who serves as executive director, says earning the distinction is all about creating a thriving environment.
Khachatryan has held this role for 11 years and loves her job. “Running a nursing home is like piecing together a puzzle,” she says. “When you do it well, you build something that positively impacts the lives of both residents and staff.”
For Khachatryan, Newsweek’s rating was particularly sweet, as it followed the most challenging years of her professional life.
From the pandemic to a Capital Emmy
The COVID-19 pandemic was tough on nursing homes. Many facilities had severe staff shortages — but not at Khachatryan’s facility. “Not a single employee called in sick unless they were actually ill, and the turnover rate for staff even dropped,” she says.
Khachatryan spoke publicly about the challenges nursing homes faced during the pandemic. So, when the American Health Care Association was looking for a nursing home to feature in a new documentary, the organization turned to her.
Closed Doors, Open Hearts: Nursing Homes and COVID-19 came out in November 2021. The documentary highlighted frontline staff and their commitment to caring for their residents. “We were honored to participate in the project and thrilled when it won a National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter (Capital) Emmy award,” Khachatryan says.
Setting students up for success
Khachatryan’s interest in elder care bloomed in high school when she participated in an occupational program at a nearby medical center and “fell in love” with the older patients, she says.
That experience led Khachatryan to study gerontology as an undergraduate at USC. But she hadn’t yet connected the dots to nursing home administration. Her epiphany came from a casual conversation with a USC Leonard Davis School alum who told her, “You should be a nursing home administrator.”
With a clear direction, Khachatryan enrolled in the Master of Arts in Aging Services Management program and completed extensive training to become a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator (LNHA). And USC was by her side at every step.
“My advisers at USC found me a preceptor and helped me get my first job,” says Khachatryan. “I was fortunate because it’s often hard to get your foot in the door as a new graduate.”
Along with the connections Khachatryan made during her MASM program, she uses what she learned at USC every day.
For example, one of the first things she did as an assistant LNHA was to spend 24 hours as a resident. “Had I not studied gerontology, I never would have thought to experience a nursing home from a resident’s perspective,” she says.
Khachatryan also says her training at USC Leonard Davis School has given her more empathy for the aging process. “Long-term care is about more than business,” she explains. “It’s about taking care of people and doing the right things for the right reasons. Being people-
centric sets an entire organization up for success.”
Stepping into leadership
Following her graduation in 2010, Khachatryan secured a position as an assistant nursing home administrator. It can be challenging to take on a leadership role at 24, but “my degree gave me credibility and has helped me stand out as a leader in the industry,” she says.
Working her way up through various positions, Khachatryan landed her current job within a few years. That rapid rise wouldn’t have happened without USC.
With significant growth in the industry, Khachatryan sees a dire need for new LNHAs. To help close that gap, she returns to USC Leonard Davis School once a semester to teach a class. She also serves as a preceptor for students pursuing their nursing home administrator license.
“USC Leonard Davis School has built a strong network to ensure student success. When I see a fellow Trojan, I want to do whatever I can to pull them up,” Khachatryan says. “I love the culture so much, my license plate is
USCMASM.”