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Reprinted with permission from interestingfacts.com.

 It’s a fact of life — people grow old. While modern society tends to obsess about the negatives of aging, studies suggest that we often experience more happiness and contentment in our later years. These 12 facts investigate the phenomenon of growing old, debunk some persistent myths about aging, and explore the brighter side of those golden years.

1. Say Goodbye To Migraines

As our bodies age, they naturally become more susceptible to a variety of illnesses and maladies — but migraines are the rare exception. Migraines often first develop in adolescence, and while both sexes are affected, women are three times more likely to develop migraines compared to men (often due to a fluctuation in estrogen levels). However, the frequency of migraines eventually peaks at the age of 40 and actually gets better as we enter our golden years. Stress and hormones are the most common triggers for migraines, and these two factors usually affect older people with less severity. That said, pain, smoking and alcohol can still contribute to migraines in seniors, and although migraines generally subside with age, they are still the second-most-common headache disorder in older people (after tension headaches). One in 10 older adults still experience them about once a year.

2. Hair Doesn’t Actually “Turn” Gray

One of the hallmarks of aging is that our lifelong hair color begins to turn gray, or in some cases, white. Although an entire industry is built around hiding this fact, human hair isn’t actually turning gray so much as it’s no longer supplying the pigments necessary to produce color. This occurs when hydrogen peroxide builds up after wear-and-tear on the hair follicles. That blocks the normal synthesis of melanin, which is responsible for all shades of hair color.

3. Older Adults Are Happier Than People In Their 20s on Average

As people age, we also gain a certain calm. A study published in 2016 in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry analyzed a random sample of 1,546 people ages 21 to 100 in San Diego. Although younger people in the survey responded positively in terms of physical health compared to older folks (as anticipated), older adults far outperformed younger generations in terms of mental well-being. Panic disorders are also reported as less common among older cohorts compared to younger people, and developing a panic disorder later in life is a rarity.

4. They Also Sweat Less, Too

As we age, our skin loses collagen, gets thinner, and presses our sweat glands close to the surface of our skin. This process is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, because these glands are squeezed, it’s harder for sweat to come out of our pores, meaning older people sweat less overall. This may be a check mark in the “pro” column for personal hygiene, but it does come with a few negative side effects. With a reduced ability to sweat, older adults can have trouble regulating temperature during strenuous exercise or excessive heat. Sweat also plays an important role in healing, as it helps stimulate wound closure in skin cells. Thankfully, a lifetime of physical fitness helps slow down this process so you can sweat long into your golden years.

5. Older People Vote More Than Any Other Age Group

Older people may not feel as strong as they did in their youth, but in terms of political power, they’re as strong as ever. In 2018, 64% of people 65 and over voted in the U.S. midterm election — the highest turnout of any age group — and the 65-to-74-year-old cohort also had the highest turnout in the 2020 election. There are a couple of reasons why the older vote is particularly robust. The biggest may be that older Americans, as well as seniors in other democracies, have government programs and initiatives they rely on, such as Medicare, prescription drug pricing, and Social Security, and because these policies so directly affect them, elections tend to turn out seniors in higher numbers. (There are other factors at play, too — older folks may simply have more time on their hands.) Senior citizens also grease the wheels of democracy, as they’re the most likely age group to volunteer as poll workers on Election Day.

6. Noses and Ears Don’t Keep Growing, But They Do Droop

While a common myth purports that our ears and nose continue to grow as we age (while the rest of us generally shrinks), that’s not entirely true. Like most other parts of our body, our ears and nose stop growing once we’re in adulthood, but the constant tug of gravity over the decades causes these cartilage-filled features to droop over time. This constant pull actually causes the collagen and elastic fibers in our ears and nose to elongate, and this lengthening, combined with surrounding facial structures losing overall volume, often produces the illusion of growing ears and noses as we age. This elongation is a slow and steady process; studies have shown that ears can lengthen some 0.22 millimeters a year. Interestingly, the process is so precise that you can discern a person’s age just by measuring their ears.

7. Old Age Isn’t a Modern Phenomenon

A common misconception about old age is that it’s a relatively modern phenomenon, as our predecessors lived brutish lives cut short by disease and war. While modern medicine has certainly expanded life expectancy, many people in the past lived as long as people live today. For example, some ancient Roman offices sought by politically ambitious men couldn’t even be held until someone was 30 — not exactly a great idea if people didn’t live many years beyond that. Scientists have analyzed the pelvis joints (a reliable indicator of age) in skeletons from ancient civilizations and found that many people lived long lives. One study analyzing skeletons from Cholula, Mexico, between 900 and 1531 CE found that a majority of specimens lived beyond the age of 50. Low life expectancy in ancient times is impacted more by a high infant mortality rate than by people living unusually short lives. Luckily, modern science has helped more humans survive our vulnerable childhood years, and life expectancy averages have risen as a result.

8. Older People Requiring Less Sleep is a Myth

Another myth about getting old is that as we age, humans need less and less sleep, somehow magically subsisting on six hours or less when we enter our senior years. The truth is that the amount of sleep a person needs is only altered during childhood and adolescence, as our bodies need more energy to do the tough work of growing. Once we’re in our 20s, humans require the same amount of sleep per night for the rest of their lives (though the exact amount differs from person to person). In fact, the elderly are more likely to be sleep-deprived because they receive lower-quality sleep caused by sickness, pain, medications, or a trip or two to the bathroom. This can be why napping during the day becomes more common as we grow older.

9. Some of Our Bones Never Stop Growing

The common perception of human biology is that our bones put on some serious inches in our youth, and then by the time we’re 20 or so, nature pumps the brakes and our skeleton stays static forever. While that’s true of a majority of our bones, some don’t follow this simplistic blueprint. A 2008 study for Duke University determined that the bones in the skull continue to grow, with the forehead moving forward and cheek bones moving backward. Unfortunately, this imperceptible bit of a facial movement exacerbates wrinkles, because as the skull shifts forward, the overlying skin sags.

The pelvis also keeps growing throughout your life. Scientists analyzing the pelvic width of 20-year-olds compared to 79-year-olds found a 1-inch difference in width, which adds an additional 3 inches to your waistband. That means our widening in the middle as we age isn’t just about a slower metabolism.

10. Pupils Get Smaller As We Age

While our hips get bigger, our pupils get smaller. The human pupil is controlled by the circumferential sphincter and iris dilator muscles, and as we add on the years, those muscles weaken. Because of this loss of muscle function, pupils get smaller as we age, and are also less responsive to light. Smaller pupils make it harder to see at night, so people in their 60s need three times as much light to read comfortably as people in their 20s. Reading a menu in a dimly lit restaurant? Forget about it. Other eye changes include an increased likeliness of presbyopia, or farsightedness (which can often be resolved with reading glasses), and cataracts, or a clouding of the eye’s lens. In fact, half of people over the age of 80 will have experienced a cataract of some kind.

11. Older People Have a Stronger “Immune Memory”

Although the body experiences some slowing down as we age, growing old isn’t all bad news. Researchers from the University of Queensland found that older people had stronger immunities than people in their 20s, as the body keeps a repository of illnesses that can stretch back decades. This extra line of defense begins to drop off in our 70s and 80s, but until then, our bodies generally just get better and better at fighting off disease due to biological experience. Additionally, as we age we experience fewer migraines, the severity of allergies declines, and we produce less sweat. Older people also exhibit higher levels of “crystalized intelligence” (or what some might call “wisdom”) than any other age group.

12. The Atoms That Make Up All of Us Are Already Billions of Years Old

It’s true that age is just a number, and in the cosmic view of the universe, human age is pretty insignificant. The atoms that make up the human body are already billions of years old. For example, hydrogen — one of the key components of our bodies — formed in the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago. Likewise, carbon, the primary component of all known life, formed in the fiery cauldron of stars at least 7 billion years ago. So when someone says we’re all made of “star stuff,” they’re very much telling the truth (we’re also made from various supernovae). And while we grow old on Earth, this is only the latest chapter of a story that stretches back to the beginning of everything — and it’s a story that’ll continue until the universe ends.

 

Social media continues to reinvent how people of all ages find information. That can mean news, ads, pop culture, world events — did I mention ads? The rise of digital channels, social media included, to predominance within advertising has been a rollercoaster.

At Varsity, we’ve got plenty of experience delivering across traditional and digital channels. What works in one camp won’t get far in another. And that’s fine, because not every tool is right for every job. Targeted social media may do well for a geofenced region, but whether it does better than a well-placed billboard is a never-ending debate.

Today we’re here to share some tips on social media best practices, and help you up your game without upping your budget. In 2024, it can be summed up in one word: quality. But what does quality mean in this context? Length, depth, authenticity and human connection — things that do not lend themselves to social media’s climate of instant results and instant gratification.

Here’s the missing link: social media being the start and not the end to the conversation. With a little strategy and prep, social media can go from reactive, one-off posting to strategic markers within your buyer journey by providing direction toward the quality content that buyers, whether in purchasing modes or on the sidelines, need to read. Where social media opens the conversation through stylish, well-summarized points, let the conversation continue on other owned channels such as your company website and blog.

With all of that said, let’s get into the tips.

1. Specificity and SEO Strengths

Google’s algorithms have shifted to heavily value longer-form, knowledge-dense content for SEO rankings. Add to that the continual emphasis on backlinking (places on the open web that link to your content, e.g., this page), and you’ve got two sides of a golden triangle. What connects those dots is practice — writing in-depth, specific content with an emphasis on keyword density. So, users that follow your social media posts to the blog have a good, shareable experience — and on the back-end, those posts are more likely to rank and receive traction from the open web.

Start small, by focusing on a couple of topics within your wheelhouse. Write often, and keep within the lines. As your library grows, between social and owned channels, the results will accumulate through SEO and into further buyer journey stages.

2. Stories, Perspectives, People

One of senior living’s greatest strengths is its inherently emotional nature. People care deeply about their options, whether they’re shopping for themselves, a parent, or another relative. And they should care; choosing a community is no small question — or small investment, for that matter.

Because senior living is so deeply rooted in family, care and humanity, let those things work to your benefit. Solicit stories from residents and their families! Get out there and ask what is on your residents’ minds. Using social media, entire campaigns can spring up from your community. Relations to historical events and anniversaries, current events at your community, “resident of the week,” the options are limited only by your imagination and Wi-Fi speed.

3. Always Call to Action

Including a CTA on social media to drive traffic is the classic example. But not every post should be designed to drive website traffic. In this climate of “community management” on social, some posts can exist purely to drive conversation. Calls to action may help to drive discussion in the comments, solicit recommendations, or share resources that readers have found. As comments and interactions come in, so will your social performance rise.

4. Hacking A/B Testing

 This is one more digital marketing staple, with a twist. For paid ad campaigns, A/B testing has been a long-held standard. Create two versions of a post, tweak headlines or body copy, deploy, evaluate, rinse and repeat.

Taking the above suggestions into consideration, you can create parallel versions of the same post, or two different posts within the same campaign structure, and run A/B testing with them — not just to analyze performance, but also to leverage that diversity and get two versions of your content into the world for the price of one. For content that’s more passive or calendar filler, such as holiday staples, now your money’s going twice as far.

And that’s that! We hope that these tips have helped to start some ideas rolling.

Thanks for reading!

 

We hear over and over again about the extreme staffing shortages in senior living, and particularly about the lack of interest that younger people have in working in this industry.

But one twenty-something is bucking the trend. Alex Pavone, who graduated from Penn State University with a degree in health policy administration, said, “For many people, especially younger adults, senior living isn’t an appealing field. But for me, the industry is really intriguing. With the older population expanding, it poses a lot of opportunities for a long-term career.”

Alex’s interest in senior living started at a young age. “Volunteering at a community in high school, a college course in long-term care management, shadowing opportunities, as well as close relationships with my grandmothers,” she said. “These are a few of the things that sparked my interest in the industry.”

Alex’s recent visit to the 2023 LeadingAge Annual Meeting in Chicago made her interest even stronger. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to see what kind of resources are available to the industry,” she said. “The most fascinating thing was seeing the innovative products vendors have brought forward to serve these communities.”

Alex particularly loved the technology offerings. “I was especially interested by technology-based viewing of communities that allows you to ‘walk’ through the community without having to be there in person. This is a great resource for adult children as well as potential residents. Another technology I was excited about was robot restaurant servers.”

Currently working as an account manager and analyst, Alex has a strong work ethic, which runs in the family. Alex has seen her father, Michael Pavone, work to expand his business into many areas, including starting Varsity in 1992 to address the needs of the aging Baby Boomer population.

When asked what she has learned from her father over the years, Alex did not hesitate to share these three pieces of advice:

1. Never give up.
2. Hard work pays off.
3. When you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.

It’s not hard to see that wherever her career takes her (hopefully to senior living), Alex is sure not to work a day in her life.

 

Over 350 sales and marketing professionals from senior living organizations of all sizes across the U.S. participated in the 2023 Senior Care Marketing & Sales Summit (SMASH) in Henderson, Nevada. Two of Varsity’s roundtable participants attended the sold-out conference. In this post, Mark Hamby, Director of Resident and Family Services at Parkway Village, and Christine Hall, Senior Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Franke Tobey Jones, share with us 11 of the hottest trends that they heard about at SMASH. As you’ll see below, there have been a lot of new changes in the space since we posted about the top 10 senior living market trends during the pandemic.

1. Occupancy has flattened out. The average occupancy across senior living in 2023 was 80%. 20% of communities are under 60% occupied, so more communities are discounting this year.
2. AI is transforming the customer journey. Within five years, every webpage and follow-up email will be completely different for each prospect, with copy completely tailored to their interests.
3. Prospects are aging. 20% of prospects and 25% of new residents are 90+ years old.
4. Digital marketing is more important than ever. For all communities, 40% to 60% of leads are coming in digitally. One important feature that prospects want to see on websites is accurate, transparent pricing. Also, communities need to protect themselves from lawsuits by including HIPAA-compliant copy that assures prospects their information will not be sold.
5. The senior living industry is underperforming. According to Forbes, senior living is the third largest industry, but is also the most underperforming. Our space is doing 9% of total business, but we should be doing closer to 19%.
6. Adult children are shopping online at night. A huge number of adult family members are researching communities between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Communities should consider hiring a call center or using a chatbot to ensure customers can get initial information after hours.
7. Speed to lead is critical. 70% of prospects will tour a community within seven days of initial contact, and during that time, sales teams complete about 10 touches. The first community to reach a lead is most likely to get the tour. Sales teams must reach out within 20 minutes to an hour, or the lead will go on to another community.
8. Online reviews are crucial. 91% of people looking for senior living communities are using Google reviews —  the highest percentage of any industry (80% said if the community doesn’t have four stars or more, they won’t consider it).
9. Value-select premium pricing is on the rise. Pricing of same-sized units is no longer identical. Consumers don’t want to pay as much for an apartment that looks out on a parking lot as one with a lake view.
10. Fear of COVID-19 is still the biggest obstacle to move-ins. It’s important to educate prospects, letting them know that fewer than 1% of 800,000 residents have contracted COVID and that communities continue to strengthen their safety policies.
11. Biggest selling tool: a welcoming atmosphere. Prospects put a huge emphasis on how they feel when they walk in to a community. A friendly, engaged atmosphere with smiling staff and residents is the best tool for closing sales.

I’m Ellie Weaver. I’m an account strategist at Varsity, and I’m addicted to “The Golden Bachelor.”

Why is it that a 20-something like me never misses an episode of the new ABC show focused on finding love for a 71-year-old?

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I find the show inspiring. As a young woman, it often feels like I have a ticking clock over my head, which isn’t helped by the questions I get constantly: “When are you getting married? Don’t you want to? When are you giving us grandkids?” (Maybe that’s just my mom.) That being said, it’s nice when you can get the perspective of “The Golden Bachelor,” where the main message is that there’s no time limit on love, and all of the women (and Gerry, of course) are full of renewed hope for love in their future. This message hits differently coming from people of their age and just feels genuine. I’m not alone in my age group in watching. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Golden Bachelor” has hit 9 million viewers and almost quadrupled its rating among adults 18-49.

Helping Older Adults Be Seen
I love the way that the show is changing perceptions of aging, showing the contestants as whole people and vibrant romantic interests, rather than stereotypes of who or what a senior “should” be. That’s super important, because seniors, especially women, are often stereotyped as mothers/grandmothers and marginalized. As one contestant, Joan, said, “As you get older you become more invisible. People don’t see you anymore. Like you’re not as significant as when you were young.”

Romance Has No Age
Every week, “The Golden Bachelor” and one of the women go on a romantic one-on-one date. They mix these one-on-one dates with group dates, where Gerry and a handful of the contestants do a group activity, like a pickleball tournament. Besides looking like they’re all having a total blast on these dates, it shows that fun and romance are possible at any age.

On that note, the show doesn’t shy away from its raunchier moments that are on par with your standard Bachelor or Bachelorette season. As Susan quipped in the first episode, “I’m very comfortable with six inches” — in reference to her sky-high heels, of course. But I think that serves a greater purpose, too, that your sex life doesn’t stop when you turn 60, and that seniors are looking for love and passion the same way all people are. Ellen said it best in the first episode: “Everyone’s entitled to love and be loved.”

Girl Talk Over Halo Top
It’s not all romance, though. There are lots of scenes in the women’s downtime, where you can tell they have just as much fun with each other as they do on their dates. When they played a game of “Never Have I Ever” over ice cream, it felt like hanging out with a group of your best girlfriends. A lot of people who may have preconceived notions of what seniors “should” talk about will be blown away by the women of “The Golden Bachelor” swapping stories of their wildest sexcapades over pints of Halo Top.

Sharing the Grief, Too
Grief is also a prominent theme of the show. Gerry mentions his late wife often, and you can tell how much she is still a part of him. Many of the contestants have also experienced losing a partner, and they readily open up to Gerry about their grief. It’s an important representation to see, as I’m sure many seniors feel stuck in an in-between place after the loss of a spouse, not ready to let go and move on. I hope that viewers see themselves in these experiences and feel like they’re not alone.

Up Next: My Analysis of The Finale!
My favorite match for Gerry, Ellen, has already left the show in a rose ceremony, but I am still eagerly awaiting the finale. Stay tuned for this millennial’s analysis of the final episode of “The Golden Bachelor” that reveals Gerry’s perfect match!

 

 

 

 

Q & A With Sara Breindel, Chief of Staff at Changing the Narrative

Changing the Narrative is a leading national effort to end ageism through evidence-based strategies and innovative public-facing campaigns.

Q. Why did you join Changing the Narrative?
A. I was working in marketing communications for older adults and attended a 2018 training for professionals at Changing the Narrative, which really shifted my perspective. I learned that many of the stories we told about older people were stereotypes — older people are not a homogeneous group. I was drawn to join the organization soon after, first as a content creator and now as chief of staff and co-director.

There’s a lot going on at Changing the Narrative, not just anti-ageist birthday cards, but workshops to promote age-inclusive workplaces, intergenerational conversations, social media campaigns and more. In this culture, we’re doing a disservice to ourselves with many of the stories we tell about what it means to get older — and Changing the Narrative wants to change that.

Q. What is the anti-ageist birthday card project?
A. The idea was to engage people at birthdays, because it’s a time when we all think about aging. Cards are a very visual example of ageism. One example was a card with a picture of a walker and a line that said, “Here’s your next birthday present.” Why is that OK to say?

We launched our first set of birthday cards in 2020. Because we’re headquartered in Colorado, we called for local artists to create general age-positive cards. For the second round of cards in 2023, we engaged with existing designers at small greeting card companies from across the nation, asking for specific messaging that used age-positive language as well as images.

When picking out birthday cards, we want people to take a little pause and think about the message they’re sending. Some cards send a really negative message about getting older. Ask yourself: Is that how I think of my friends and colleagues? That they should feel bad about themselves — old and ugly?

It takes time, but these awareness campaigns can change peoples’ perspectives. The genesis for this idea actually came from one our volunteers, who was about to turn 70, and she had already talked to her friends about her work with us. For the first time ever, she got no negative cards about aging on her birthday.

Q. What is implicit bias and how can birthday cards change that?
A. We’ve all been surrounded with negative messages about older people and we now believe them about ourselves. We don’t realize we have this implicit bias — even about ourselves. Our negative beliefs about aging actually hurt our ability to age well. Receiving positive card messages can help us celebrate a milestone rather than fear it and start to chip away at the idea that aging has nothing to offer.

Q. What can we do to get involved?
A. It’s easy to say, “I’m going to grab the first thing I see in the card aisle.” People might take a second look and ask, “Is this a positive sentiment?” Every time we purchase something, we’re telling the industry, “there’s a market for this.” If we start picking up cards that are more age-positive, it can change what companies sell. People looking for age-positive cards can find them on our site, but wherever you buy them, we encourage you to think about the message you’re sending.

Q. Why is it important to foster a positive picture of aging?
A. Getting older can bring health problems, but it brings great things as well. Greater resilience, wisdom, experience and an ability to form connections all come with age.

A study by Yale University professor Dr. Becca Levy showed that people live an average of 7.5 years longer if they have positive feelings about getting older. Something seemingly small like a birthday card, or our larger initiatives to help end workplace discrimination, can work to create a more positive view of aging.

To learn more about what Changing the Narrative is doing to end ageism, visit their website.

 

It’s only been two years since Wallis Annenberg GenSpace opened in Koreatown. Already, this destination dedicated to enriching the lives of older adults is a runaway success. Its 200+ members spend four times the amount there than participants at most gathering spaces for older adults.

Research shows that about 5%–20% of people who are eligible to attend a senior center do, and they spend about three hours a month there. “Our members spend three hours signed up in a class every week — four times the amount of time that most members of senior centers spend,” said Jennifer Wong, Ph.D., Director of GenSpace. “That does not account for the time in which they are here sharing and socializing with other people.”

Jennifer came to GenSpace from academia and as a consultant for the California Department of Aging, where she  worked with stakeholders to develop a master plan on aging. “Joining GenSpace was really a chance to work on the ground and invest in community spaces and to see what’s possible,” said Jennifer. “How do we stay engaged and open to feedback to co-create spaces for older adults, who are the backbone of our communities?”

Jennifer wants to help other creators of spaces for older adults enjoy GenSpace’s success. “We have had people come and visit us from as far away as South Africa and Korea — either seeking to add new energy to their current space and programming or create a new center. It’s been really great to be kind of a learning lab — a place to offer our suggestions and our path.”

Here, Jennifer shares nine insights that can help you design a new space for older adults or enrich your current programming.

Nine Principles for Creating Engaging Spaces for Older Adults

1. Include older adults in the planning

“How can you create a space for older adults without including them in the process? Our program priorities were born out of research with focus groups in and around Koreatown. We asked older adults what they wanted and needed in a community space dedicated to them. The result? Programming in five categories: Financial security and safety; health and wellness; arts, crafts and culture; technology and devices; and social connection and storytelling. A sixth program priority is horticultural therapy, born out of a passion of our founder, Wallis Annenberg, to give back gardening and green space to people who may have lost access to it.”

2. Find innovative ways of attracting members

“We went to libraries, senior affordable housing towers, and a foodbank to share our programs and invite potential members in.”

3. Know your audience

“With our Koreatown location, there are up to 10 spoken languages here at a time. Our eldest member is 101 — older adults are no longer a monolith. Our team is sensitive to the needs of all of these cultures and ages.”

4. Find the right people

“GenSpace is located in a beautiful age- and disability-friendly space created through a partnership with architect Susanne Stadler, but it is only as strong as the people in it. The reason why people come back is not because of the place, but because of the warm, welcoming and dedicated team members, instructors and volunteers.”

5. Partner on programming

“Our incredible programming team creates wonderful opportunities and also partners with outside organizations to tailor their unique programs to GenSpace. A partnership with Music Mends Minds has brought musical and education programming designed for older adults with dementia to different audiences here. We also partnered with the YMCA to hire its most-attended instructors, resulting in fitness and wellness classes that are packed to capacity with a waitlist. Our horticultural therapist also partnered with LA Compost on a workshop series on the latest composting techniques and with an organization that specializes in growing and drying lavender.

6. Pivot to meet your members’ needs

“Our members came to us and said ‘we’d love to have a knitting club’ — to work on their own projects and connect through knitting. We started a class, then expanded to crochet. They are some of my favorite classes. In another instance, Kiara Burns, an instructor who teaches a seated barre class, found it was getting so full that she used her experience with it to create a different class — a seated strength class.”

7. Focus on change through education

“Through our leadership initiative, graduate students in the fields of gerontology, public health, occupational therapy and communications pair their academic knowledge with hands-on experience at GenSpace. Engaging with our members is the most important part of their academic career.”

8. Connect with the outside community

“Our generous founder, Wallis Annenberg, has close ties to the entertainment industry, and we hold events that serve as a forum for debunking stereotypes around aging. We hosted Hollywood icons Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Billy Porter and Sally Field, to celebrate their hit movie ’80 for Brady’ and talk about the importance of positive portrayals of older adults on screen.”

9. Bring generations together on equal ground

“GenSpace has created a true multigenerational environment. Younger and older adults mentor each other in different areas, but it’s really about creating opportunities to share new experiences.”

Find more information about Wallis Annenberg GenSpace and its innovative programs here.

5 Questions With Larry Carlson

Retired President and CEO of United Methodist Communities of New Jersey and innovator in dementia care

Q.Why do you want to reimagine life for people dealing with dementia?
A. After 40 years in this industry, I felt that there must be a better way to provide a dignified and meaningful life for individuals dealing with a dementia diagnosis. One in three seniors dies from Alzheimer’s, more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. In the past, aging care corporations put residents in their little areas, and it would be like locking them away. It is not normal for people to live in a unit of 25 people. We were trained to say “no” to things, like to go outside. I want to say “yes.”

Q. What was your inspiration for “Avandell,” the new dementia village you are planning?
A. In 2017 my wife and I visited The Hogeweyk Dementia Village  in Amsterdam, and we thought, “Why isn’t anyone doing this in the U.S.? I wanted a departure from the current model of care, so residents could live in a more homelike environment. At Avandell, there will be 15 cottages where seven people with the dementia diagnosis will live, for a total of 105 people on 18 acres. It is more of a family scale where we can group people with similar values, like music, sports or art. Each house will have seven bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room, porch and den. The cottages will all be in a circle, joined together with breezeways and discreet fences, and there will only be one way in and one way out. Residents can go outside and explore. There will be farm animals, a greenhouse and a butterfly garden. They can experience the weather, because experiencing the weather is normal. There will be heated sidewalks for safety.

Watch the Avandell Video

Q. How will meals be handled?
A. The house will have a budget and residents will decide what to eat for the day. They will go to the grocery store and pick out what they want. Why? Because it is normal to go to the grocery store and cook dinner together. The caregiver and house coordinator will guide the process. It will be a more natural rhythm of life.

Q. What did you have to change about The Hogeweyk model to make it acceptable in the states?
A. The regulations in the United States are made for a “big box” building. By building breezeways to connect our 15 houses, it will allow the building to function as one. It was really working with the Department of Health to get the regulations to sync with what we want to do.

Q. Where does the project stand right now?
There are neighbors who do not want a “depressing” dementia village in their backyard. We won the zoning, but they are appealing it. We have to fight those battles. This project will ultimately be successful, it will just take time and money. It should be noted that a community like Avandell can be built anywhere. We intentionally developed the care model so it could be re-created somewhere else.

Learn more about the development of the dementia village model in Larry Carlson’s book, “Avandell: Reimagining the Dementia Experience”, or on his YouTube Channel.

 

If you’re in the Continuing Care at Home space, you already know the challenges programs can face, which can look very different in year three (or later) than they do in year one.

To help professionals from programs across the country come together and address their individual and collective obstacles, we’re holding quarterly hybrid CCaH sessions. The next session will be tomorrow, Wednesday, September 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET. Sign up now if you haven’t already by emailing DDunham@VarsityBranding.com.

An Early Look at Our Special Guest’s Presentation

We’d like to introduce our special guest, Steve Hopkins, CEO of the Jordan River Group. Here is a preview of the insider perspective he will be bringing to our session.

After extensive research, combined with his experience working with CCaH organizations, Steve has found that starting a program, although a major challenge, is not the primary challenge. Accelerating its progress is. He has tracked the progress of several programs, and his findings were that roughly 70% (including some programs he helped launch) were underperforming after five to seven years. One market study Steve recently completed showed that there were 8,000 age- and income-qualified older adults in the area, yet the program had only 200 members. Not only that, there are only about 40 programs across the country — and there is room for many more.

Steve is passionate about the field of CCaH and wants there to be more programs for older adults to consider, and more success for those programs.

In this session, he will be asking the question, “What are the barriers that prevent those who launch a program from accelerating it to its best scale? He’ll share the results of his research and the insights he has gleaned that can help programs reach their maximum potential.

Steve will cover challenges such as:

• How to prevent a CCaH program from plateauing at a certain level of market penetration
• Why organizations that offer residential living need to use a completely different approach to market their associated CCaH programs
• The barriers that prevent really good prospective providers from going forward
• Why it’s important to accelerate early growth so that a large member base with fewer health needs can help programs achieve long-term financial stability
• Why it’s critical for the aging services industry to strengthen its position in CCaH now — so that insurance companies don’t create their own offerings and take over the field

Don’t miss Steve’s vibrant discussion at tomorrow’s CCaH Working Session,10 a.m.–2 p.m. ET. The agenda will also include general sharing from participants and discussion on our qualitative survey results and quantitative interview insights. To sign up, contact Derek Dunham at DDunham@VarsityBranding.com.

About the Presenter

Steve Hopkins brings 20 years of experience in senior living to the table. He spent his first decade as Chief Operating Officer of Evangelical Homes of Michigan, complemented by a second decade with a specialized focus on the CCaH space. As CEO of the Jordan River Group, he has worked directly with six organizations to launch CCaH programs.

Kendrick Brinson is addicted to photographing Sun City, Arizona, where the average age is 73. An acclaimed  documentary, commercial and editorial photographer whose clients include The New York Times, National Geographic and Smithsonian Magazine, Kendrick first visited Sun City more than a decade ago. This census-designated, self-governed community is home to 40,000 people on 40 acres. Over several years, Kendrick has photographed nearly all of it. Here is her perspective on life in this unique place.

Q. Why did you first come to Sun City?
A. I used to work at a newspaper and when I left to do full-time freelance photography, I was looking for something happy and fun to work on. I saw a movie about Sun City, then learned that 49 years earlier, Time Magazine had done a story on Sun City and its founder Del Webb. Sun City was the first place of its kind — and it’s still one of the largest —where people can decide what their retirement will be like. For Sun City’s 50th anniversary, I said, “I have to go there.” Then I returned and I returned and I returned.

Q. What’s unique about Sun City?
A. Sun City reimagined the idea of what retirement could look like. It’s a place of exploring, play, learning and community. And the landscape is so different from where I’m from in South Carolina — cactus-lined streets … golf carts on the streets … 1960s homes … giant palm trees. The light is even different here. People own their homes and they pay a very affordable yearly fee to be in the 100+ active clubs and use any of the seven pools, 11 golf courses, seven recreation centers, three country clubs and two libraries — all owned by the Recreation Centers of Sun City.

Q. What are some of your favorite subjects to photograph there?
A. I like the colorful, quirky, fun shots, like a costumed dog parade or a Halloween party. I love anytime I can capture people not taking themselves too seriously. One resident’s wife told him he needed to get off the couch and stop watching TV. He made this little golf cart out of a couch and a TV and drives it around.

My favorites are the cheerleaders: The Sun City Poms. One of the members just turned 90 — they have beautiful uniforms. It’s like a sisterhood. At first glance, when you see the cheerleaders perform, you think, “I wouldn’t be surprised if this person was 17 or 18” — but it’s actually a 78-year old throwing pom poms. These are people our grandmothers’ ages, and this is not what we expect, and this is what they’re doing.

Q. What’s it like connecting with residents?
A. People are always trying to connect me with other people to photograph — I feel very welcome there. I’ve played pickleball there, and when I go to the dances people coerce me to do the foxtrot. I get a little taste of retirement.

Q. What have you learned from visiting Sun City?
A. When we’re young, we go in the direction of what we love. Along the way we pick up messages like “you’re a terrible painter,” and we might stop doing it. But at Sun City, you don’t have to be the best cheerleader or the best at pickleball — you’re doing it because your friends are doing it and because it feels good to do.

People are having fun and they’re staying young and they’re staying healthy. I love this idea that we can get back to the things we really loved as a kid. It’s kind of like eternal summer camp.

Sun City has helped me look at aging in a way that’s appealing and exciting, contrary to our culture that worships youth. I’ve come to view getting older as a thing to look forward to — and a gift every day.

See more of Kendrick Brinson’s photos on her website.