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Adventures like these prove that life in a retirement community is anything but dull. At Varsity, we salute all of the seniors who never let age stop them from growing, changing and challenging themselves, whether they’re freezing in motion or dumping a bucket of ice water over their heads, like these Ohio community residents did.

Researchers are testing a new treatment that could prevent Alzheimers’ many years before any memory loss occurs. How does the one-of-a-kind drug work? By destroying the build-up of amyloids, proteins produced in the brain that can form deposits that cause memory loss.

Scientists believe that the study offers new hope for Alzheimers’, because it is the first trial of a drug designed to prevent memory loss, not just treat it. The study is called Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s (A4 for short).

Want to protect yourself and the people you love from Alzheimer’s? Join the A4 study. Researchers are looking for healthy people between the ages of 65-85 to participate. To find out if you are eligible, visit the A4 website or call 1-844-A4STUDY. As the study’s slogan says, “Now is the time.”

As I’ve been pondering David Bowie’s passing, I couldn’t help but be struck by how well he orchestrated the sequence of events leading up to his death.

At 69, David Bowie was a member of the Boomer generation. Now, while he wasn’t your average, everyday Boomer, he lived through the same world events as Boomers everywhere. And, after all, haven’t we learned that there really is no such thing as an “average, everyday Boomer”?

While Bowie could be defined as a rock star, he certainly wasn’t a cliché. He didn’t die of a pathetic overdose. He didn’t take his own life in a fit of angst. He didn’t go out in a fiery crash. He went out doing what he wanted to do: create.

David Bowie didn’t share with the world that cancer was eating away at his body. That was his personal right. He chose to keep that private and, while it meant the world would be shocked by the news of his passing, it also meant he was free to create, right until the end. There weren’t tabloid shots of his fluctuating weight. There wasn’t speculation about how long he had, or grainy images of him in a hospital somewhere. He maintained his privacy and, therefore, his dignity.

As many have written, he had beautifully orchestrated his goodbye, with both his new Off-Broadway musical, “Lazarus,” and his new album, “Blackstar.” And to top it off? The entire run of “Lazarus” sold out in a matter of hours, and “Blackstar” garnered some of his best reviews — all without the benefit of a “celebrity death” to spark that interest.

He reflected many of the traits we’ve seen in the Boomer generation: a love for life, pursuit of interests, desire for control over his own life — ultimately making his own decisions.

David Bowie was art. David Bowie was passion. David Bowie was an individual — just like so many of his fellow Boomers.

Once again, Varsity participated in LeadingAge National, which was held last week in Boston. We wanted to share a few key themes we heard from keynote speakers and in conversation with conference participants (or attendees).

• What residents miss in care settings: Friendships, privacy and purpose — three brand attributes organizations should be chasing
• Boomers want to be the author of their  story as they age: An insight that can help communities design their offerings
• When investing in technology, pay for outcomes, not the device: Seems logical, but we’re not sure this is fully embedded in provider strategy
• Demographics are disruptive: More attention must be paid to the impact of demographics on aging service organizations
• Live longer. Live better: Nice tagline, and it reinforces that aging is about quality of life, rather than quantity
• Project Namestorm: “Life Plan Community,” an alternative to the name “CCRC,” was introduced
• Transition of leadership: From the top (Larry Minnix) to individual communities, we need to nurture the next generation of leaders
• The LGBT campground: A bold symbol of inclusiveness at the show
• The role of faith in branding and appeal: It’s about mission and non-profit status rather than specific denominational affiliation 
• The transitional generation is impacting communities NOW: We must appeal to the needs and desires of the Boomer while serving long-time residents from the silent generation 

One last insight to leave you with: According to our new study, “From the Outside In,” 0% of residents used the Yellow Pages to begin their search for a retirement community.

It can be a challenge coming up with exciting new activities in senior living, but one community used its swimming pool to offer something truly unique, aqua pole classes. Here are some other creative ideas for your pool activity calendar beyond water aerobics and lap swimming:

• Relay races
• Synchronized swimming
• Water walking
• Inner tube basketball
• Kayak races

Water exercise benefits community residents in many ways, including improving mental health, strengthening bones and boosting metabolism—all without harming joints. And according to the CDC, people report enjoying water-based exercises more than exercising on land. Best of all, swimmers have about half the risk of death compared with inactive people.

What creative uses can you find for your community swimming pool?

As consultants, we spend much of our time asking questions—and listening to the answers. The insights we gain help inspire solutions that lead to success.

We want to enter into a conversation with you about the performance of your business.

In this day of instant information availability, it surprises us how little we really do share our successes, challenges and frustrations.

Our team has crafted a brief survey based upon multiple conversations with business leaders like you, from a variety of publicly traded, privately held and nonprofit entities. The questions that came out of those conversations will help us learn what works and what doesn’t in today’s challenging economic climate. We are asking you to share how you approach a number of key business activities—planning, leading, executing, etc.

As in most surveys, we begin the process with a certain set of preconceived notions.  You will either confirm these notions or provide a different perspective on what people are doing to achieve business success. Regardless, we will share the results with you as you direct.

Please take a few moments to help us understand what successful organizations like yours are doing to exceed their target goals, regardless of the type of business or mission you represent.

Thank you immensely for your contribution to helping us define business success.

Think that only blondes have more fun? That thinking is old. These days, the trend is not covering grey with color, but covering color with grey.

The grey hair or “granny hair” trend has been around for awhile but is going stronger than ever. A string of celebrities, including Lady Gaga, Kylie Jenner, Kate Moss, Kelly Osborn, Rihanna, Nicole Richie, and even Madonna’s daughter, Lourdes, have all rocked granny hair.

The Huffington Post calls granny hair the hottest beauty trend of spring/summer 2015. And #granny hair is all over social media, with 27,102 posts on Instagram right now. The fashion world is showing love for granny hair as well, with models for Gucci, Versace and Dior strutting their silver locks on the catwalk.

It’s wonderful that society is recognizing that looks of any age can be beautiful. And even better that, after years of dropping serious cash at salons to hide the grey, women may be encouraged to embrace the beauty of their natural color. Then they’ll have more funds to spend on fun things, like that bucket-list trip to Hawaii.

Studies have shown that participating in creative activities can help keep our minds sharp as we age. But why stop at woodworking and pottery? Seniors in Lisbon, Portugal, have taken to the streets and are spray painting their graffiti tags across the walls of the city.

A recent study by the Mayo Clinic has found that seniors who engage in artistic activity may have a decreased risk of mild cognitive impairment. And the earlier these creative activities are started, the more they benefit the brain. In fact, the risk of mild cognitive impairment is lowered about 75 percent in people who regularly engage in artistic activities, both in midlife and later in life.

LATA 65, an organization in Lisbon is teaching seniors an unexpected form of art: graffiti. The program was created to introduce graffiti to an older generation of artists and to decorate run-down areas with colorful murals. Sounds a lot more exciting than basket weaving.

Managing a successful organization has never been easy, but given today’s rapidly evolving changes, the leadership challenge, at least for most of us, is greater than ever.  Pressures from a variety of stakeholder groups compete for our time, attention and resources. More than ever, distractions seem to intercept our good intentions. Results—favorable ones—don’t occur without a plan. Exceptional results happen only when the plan is well executed. Unfortunately, too many of us invest far more time in developing the plan than in managing or executing the plan.

More Than an Exercise

Strategic planning is a discipline that should be logical, practical and manageable. Many of the plans I review these days seemingly lack depth and evoke far too little action. Now that we have adopted the concept of strategic planning, let’s ensure we introduce plans to our teams that produce the desired results.  Planning should become integrated into our patterns of management at all layers of the organization, not simply an exercise for the board and a few select executives.

Missing Components

Two areas of planning I recommend consistently including in your strategic planning process are innovation and culture. Certainly these areas are difficult to articulate, but they are crucial to your success in driving the desired results. Whether you are competing for residents or employees, your ability to establish objectives for enhancing the culture in which your services are delivered creates a competitive advantage. In great work cultures, great ideas can come from any team member in any department. Setting the tone for culture is the foundation to creating a more innovative environment in which people want to contribute.

Monitoring Success

People want to know how their performance stacks up against expectations. Routine reporting on key accomplishments against the plan is often missing beyond the executive suite. Success happens when the entire organization is aware of the strategic plan as well as how they are doing in completing the objectives driven by that plan. Measuring and communicating success is more than simply crafting an email or printing a newsletter. Engaged teams want a personal account from leadership on how well they are achieving the goals for the organization.

Link to Performance

Is your organization performing at its absolute best? Why or why not? Is your strategic plan a living document embraced by your entire organization, or something that occupies space on your shelf only to be discussed at board meetings? Are you winning the “war for talent”—are the brightest people coming to work at your organization?

It is no longer enough to be good at anything—consumer expectations for your brand are high. If your organization is performing at a level that doesn’t create “wowed” customers, your plan needs work, and your executional tactics need attention. The journey of successful strategic planning and organizational performance must get your attention daily.

It’s a good week for “timeless female empowerment.” Blanche, Sophia, Dorothy, Rose, Baddie and Mylie are all in the spotlight.

At Varsity, we’re major fans of the Golden Girls, and we’ve covered their innovative living situation in a previous blog post. That’s why we’re so excited about the news that a proposed Legos set featuring the groundbreaking ’80s sitcom is moving through the review process. The project, created by longtime “Golden Girls” fan Samuel Hatmaker, has now gathered 10,000 supporters, which means it qualifies for Lego review and has a chance to be produced. The story was all over social media and got picked up by USA Today, TVWeek, Ellen, Huffington Post and other news outlets.

Another ageless female also received a golden opportunity. On April 6, DimepieceLA, a chic street-style fashion brand, announced that 86-year-old grandmother Baddie Winkle will be featured in the new Dimepiece “state of mind” campaign. On the Dimepiece blog, the company announced, “Our brand has always stood for timeless female empowerment and continues to encourage this mindset in our latest campaign.”

Baddie has 745,000 Instagram followers, and one of her biggest admirers is Millennial megastar Miley Cyrus. Miley is such a huge Baddie fan that she photoshopped herself into one of the Dimepiece pool-site fashion shots and posted it on her Instagram page. Here’s to powerful females of all ages.