Joseph Jedlowski: Revolutionizing Senior Care

Joseph Jedlowski of New Jersey is the visionary behind Distinctive Healthcare. With over 15 years in senior housing, the former owner and president of Milestone Retirement Communities has led senior organizations that reach thousands of clients across 19 states. He is committed to operational excellence and lends his expertise in strategic growth to serving senior populations through innovative solutions and a dedication to community success. Mr. Jedlowski is a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) and received his MBA in Healthcare Administration from American University.

How did you get into the business of senior care?

I was raised by my paternal grandmother, and for as long as I can remember she worked in a skilled nurse facility (SNF) in the long-term care space. I was with her all the time—weekends, nights, holidays, and summers. She would bring me to work with her at the long-term care facilities and communities, and I just saw the passion that my grandmother had for serving seniors. I grew to love that population and seeing my grandmother at work, and that’s how I was introduced to the senior living environment and long-term care arena. Ever since, it’s been where my passion lies. 

How did you develop the concept of Distinctive Healthcare senior living communities?

I was the president and owner of a company called Milestone Retirement Communities and we were reaching communities in 22 states. About three years ago, I decided to break away from milestones and start the development of Distinctive Living. During COVID, I saw an opportune time as there were management companies for senior living communities that were struggling. They had poor systems, people, and processes to manage the demands of COVID. 

Capital partners were becoming frustrated with senior community operators and management companies. They just weren’t sophisticated enough, and investors were taking notice. There was a clear opportunity, and we were starting a fresh, brand-new company with an experienced team, no baggage, and the ideal operators without the baggage of a reputation to manage. We capitalized on the opportunity before us and started our company, blending the development and operating components of starting something new. 

We prepared ourselves to work with architects while building an operating platform and working on programming and building design. It was interesting to bring these two umbrellas together. It was the middle of COVID, and no one was building Senior Living facilities, but demand was continuing to go up. Supply had dwindled, and we were able to make our foothold and start our company to meet the need.

What is something unique about Distinctive Living that sets you apart from the rest of the senior living industry?

I would say our culture is incomparable to other groups. There isn’t a leader in the company that hasn’t held every position within our organization. This lends credibility to our leadership and the trust within our teams is tremendous. From CFO and CEO roles to that boots-on-the-ground knowledge and frontline mentality, our leadership understands where we can truly push and where we need to hold back. I think that has brought a very different point of reference for us as an organization. 

We are true operators to our core, and I really think the interconnectivity that we have and being fully vertical by design is key to our concept. We build from the initial concept of a piece of property and see the process through to a functional senior living community which we operationalize, and that’s huge. We differentiate ourselves by fully conceptualizing and executing that concept to create big, effective senior living communities.

What does a typical day look like for you as a CEO at Distinctive Living?

I spend as much time as possible integrating with my team, working with our senior leadership team, and having a presence visiting with our assets. It’s extremely critical, and just seeing that our culture is alive and well in our buildings is my highest priority. The other important component of my job is working with our capital partners on both the development and operating sides to understand what our capital goals are. 

I strategize with our team to operationalize and execute on our financial objectives which encompasses quite a lot. We look at all of our company benchmarks and data points as we’re a very data-driven company. We’re in the business of caring for people, and it really is our number one priority to take care of our team members and provide exceptional clinical and lifestyle outcomes for our residents. 

I am constantly looking at clinical benchmarks and HR benchmarks to see how we’re dealing with staffing challenges and other roadblocks. I am committed to including our team and pressing them to contribute their ideas to how we remain on the cutting edge rather than the periphery of our industry. That’s where I spend the bulk of my time—understanding the technology that’s out there and challenging my team on a daily basis before getting into our buildings and spending time with our teams. I make it my job to understand the cultures within our communities. 

How do you think your background has impacted the success of Distinctive Living so far?

Growing up in this business, I think my “why” is a little bit different than other people’s. Watching my grandmother work in the space continues to influence my role as CEO today. Seeing the passion that she’s had for over twenty years and seeing someone who is elderly taking care of other seniors is true evidence of passion and compassion. In her I found my desire to make the lives of others exponentially better. It’s very personal, and when you grow up with that understanding and expectation, you grow to love that culture and see the reward of caring for others. There has never been any question that this is my why. 

Key Takeaways

1. Embrace your upbringing and personal experiences as they shape your passion and career trajectory. 

2. Recognize opportunities amidst challenges. 

3. Cultivate a unique company culture rooted in experience and trust. 

4. Take a hands-on approach to business operations. 

5. Stay ahead of industry trends and challenges.