Design Makes Everything Better | by Breakhouse

Author: Breakhouse

Conversations about design, architecture, and industry. By Breakhouse, a Canadian strategic design firm. breakhouse.ca/podcast New episodes a couple times per month. podcast@breakhouse.ca
Be a guest on this podcast

Language: en-us

Genres: Arts, Business, Design

Contact email: Get it

Feed URL: Get it

iTunes ID: Get it

Get all podcast data

Listen Now...

Charbel Daniel | Adding Life to Years: Rethinking How We Care for Our Seniors
Episode 14
Thursday, 6 November, 2025

Vince speaks with Charbel Daniel, CEO of Northwood, about how leadership, culture and design thinking can reshape continuing care. Charbel shares his unconventional journey from studying physics and working as a paramedic to leading Atlantic Canada’s largest not-for-profit in senior care, emphasizing first-principle thinking, empathy and organizational culture as tools for transformation. Together they explore how thoughtful design of buildings, systems, and values can help seniors “add life to their years,” redefine aging in community, and create workplaces where compassion drives performance. Chapters (00:00:00) - CEO of Northwood Homecare(00:01:55) - Inspiring leaders: Paramedic's journey(00:06:46) - Meticulous: The Mental Model(00:08:28) - What's a CEO's Responsibility?(00:14:01) - Northwood Health System's Commitment to the Team(00:16:22) - Does the Continuing Care and Seniors Culture Resonate?(00:21:19) - Northwood Seniors' Care(00:23:26) - Ontario's aging population challenge(00:28:32) - What Do Seniors Want You to Know(00:31:57) - What can we do to support seniors with dementia in the UK?(00:37:06) - Northwood Halifax's dementia care facility(00:43:17) - The Netherlands' dementia-friendly building(00:46:19) - Northwood Care Home's built environment for seniors with dementia(00:49:14) - Blue Dot vs Purple Dot(00:58:11) - The transition from home to long term care(01:03:43) - A Paramedic on the Care of the Resident(01:05:07) - Northwood Health System's Vision for the Future(01:11:19) - Northwood Seniors Care: An Alignment(01:12:45) - A CEO's Talk