04/02/2026
🧠Improving Memory Care: Where Compliance Meets Culture
Speaker: Cara Schuster
Title: Improving Memory Care Where Compliance Meets Culture
Bio: Cara Schuster is a registered nurse (RN) with a nursing degree from North Central State Community College in Mansfield, Ohio. She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), and also licensed as a CDP instructor. Her goal is to ensure that all direct care staff at The Ohio Masonic Communities, and its subsidiaries, are Certified Dementia Practitioners.
She currently serves as the Chief Clinical Officer of The Ohio Masonic Communities, a multi-site senior living operator. Additionally, Cara oversees corporate compliance and infection prevention. She has more than 25 years of experience in long-term care settings, including as President of Cornerstone Home Health and Hospice and Vice President of Operations for Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio. Cara’s focus is finding innovative products and technologies that enhance the quality of care provided across the continuum, while providing oversight of clinical and operational areas served.
Cara is a 2024 graduate of the LeadingAge Larry Minnix Leadership Academy, where her action learning project focused on memory care. She currently serves on the board of LeadingAge Ohio. Cara received her RN/CDP, Nursing, North Central State, 1990.
Co-Speaker: Karra Weil
Title: Improving Memory Care Where Compliance Meets Culture
Bio: Karra Weil has been in the senior living industry for 15 years with a focus on aging adults and dementia care. She started her career as an STNA and continued her education to become a registered nurse (RN). Since joining The Ohio Masonic Communities at the start of her career, Karra has held many positions, including MDS coordinator, assistant director of nursing, and director of nursing, before transitioning to her current role as Director of Clinical Services. Karra and the rest of the corporate clinical team at The Ohio Masonic Communities worked collaboratively to develop Connecting Realities, the memory care programming used at all their communities. She has a passion for helping people and discovering new technology that can enhance residents’ quality of life and improve staff experiences and outcomes.
Karra is a 2023 graduate of the LeadingAge Ohio Leadership Academy, where her action learning project involved creating a dementia workshop for staff training. Karra received her RN/CDP/RAC-CT, Nursing, 2012.