Mindi Manuel, Senior Manager of Area Clinical Support at Sodexo, has been named a 2025 Memory Care Innovation Award winner by Senior Housing News.
The Memory Care Innovation Awards program is designed to recognize passionate and innovative industry members who are shaping the future of cognitive care across behavioral health, home health and home care, hospice and palliative care, senior housing and senior living, and skilled nursing. To become a Memory Care Innovation Award winner, an individual must be nominated by their peers. The candidate should be a high-performing employee who knows how to put vision into action, serving as an advocate for those living with memory-related disorders and the committed professionals who ensure their well-being.
Manuel sat down with Senior Housing News to share her journey caring for patients and residents with cognitive care needs, her thoughts on the future of cognitive care in senior housing & senior living, and much more. To learn more about the Memory Care Innovation Awards program and view this year’s winners, visit https://innovation.memorycarebusiness.com/.
SHN: How long have you been a part of the memory care, senior housing & senior living industry?
Manuel: 12 years
SHN: What drew you to caring for patients/residents with cognitive care needs?
Manuel: I’ve always been driven by the belief that food can do more than nourish — it can heal, connect, and protect.
Early in my career, I saw firsthand how residents with cognitive decline were often treated through a medical lens, but not always through a holistic one. When I began to understand how nutrition and the environment can directly influence brain health, I knew this was where I could make meaningful impact. From a personal perspective, I grew up watching Alzheimer’s Disease affect my grandmother and I am now watching it affect my father.
Helping people preserve their cognitive abilities and their sense of self has become both my professional focus and personal calling.
SHN: If you could change one thing about cognitive care in the memory care, senior housing & senior living industry, what would it be?
Manuel: I would change the perception that memory care begins only after a diagnosis. True memory care starts long before cognitive decline, it begins with prevention, education, and lifestyle. We need to see brain health as part of daily wellness, not as a last resort. If every community embedded neuroprotective nutrition and proactive brain health strategies into everyday living, we could change the trajectory of cognitive decline for countless individuals.
SHN: If you had a crystal ball, what do you think will most impact your ability to provide cognitive care in the memory care, senior housing & senior living industry in the next five years?
Manuel: The greatest impact will come from the intersection of science, technology, and collaboration. As research deepens around the gut-brain axis, nutrition, and neuroplasticity, we’ll have the tools to create more personalized interventions.
Technology will help us measure cognitive changes earlier and tailor care to the individual. But the real breakthrough will come when senior living providers, healthcare systems, and researchers work together sharing data, insights, and innovations to elevate brain health for all.
SHN: If you could describe cognitive care in the memory care, senior housing & senior living industry in one word, what would it be and why?
Manuel: Human.
Because at its core, cognitive care is not just about memory. It’s about identity, dignity, and connection. Every decision we make in this field must center on the human being behind the diagnosis, their story, preferences, and potential.
SHN: What’s been the biggest lesson you have learned throughout your career?
Manuel: That progress happens when compassion and science meet. I’ve learned that innovation in senior living doesn’t always come from technology or new systems. It comes from listening to residents, understanding their needs, and then finding creative, evidence-based ways to meet them. Collaboration and humility are just as essential as expertise.
SHN: If you could give yourself advice on the first day in the memory care, senior housing & senior living industry, what would it be and why?
Manuel: I would tell myself to be patient and persistent. Change in this industry takes time, but every conversation, every partnership, and every small improvement matters. The work we do today may not show its full impact for years, but when it comes to brain health, that long game is everything.
SHN: In your opinion, what qualities should all Memory Care Innovation Award winners possess?
Manuel: Curiosity, courage, and compassion. Curiosity to keep asking why and what if; courage to challenge outdated models and embrace new science; and compassion to ensure that every innovation serves the people at the heart of our work, those living with cognitive decline and the caregivers who support them. True innovation in memory care begins and ends with humanity.
The post Memory Care Innovation Award Winner: Mindi Manuel, Senior Manager of Area Clinical Support, Sodexo appeared first on Senior Housing News.
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