Tag: Senior Living

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The following is Part 1 of a two-part series exploring how pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing can help senior living communities navigate medication conversations and support more personalized care. The series is written by Dr. Troy Veale, CEO of PHD Laboratory, a healthcare innovator with more than 25 years of experience in behavioral health and over a decade in laboratory science focused on advancing precision medicine and improving patient outcomes.

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In senior living, some of the most important conversations don’t happen on a tour, they happen around medications.

Families ask questions quietly:

• Why is Mom more tired lately?
• Is this medication causing confusion?
• Why does this prescription work for one resident but not another?

Medication management is often treated as a clinical back-office issue. But in reality, it directly affects resident satisfaction, outcomes, staff confidence, and family trust.

For senior living sales teams, executive directors, nurses, and caregivers, medication conversations present both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is complexity. The opportunity is education.

One emerging tool helping shift these discussions is pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing, not as a sales pitch, and not as a replacement for physician oversight, but as a framework for clearer conversations.

Why Medication Conversations Feel Overwhelming

Older adults frequently manage multiple chronic conditions, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, neurological disorders. It is not uncommon for residents to take five, ten, or even more medications daily.

With aging comes physiological changes that affect how the body absorbs, metabolizes, and eliminates drugs. These changes can increase the risk of:

• Adverse drug reactions
• Falls and dizziness
• Increased confusion
• Medication non-adherence due to side effects
• Avoidable hospitalizations

Families often assume these risks are simply “part of aging.” Teams sometimes assume side effects are unavoidable. Providers do their best with the information available.

But what if medication conversations didn’t have to start from a place of guesswork?

A Shift Toward Personalization

PGx testing evaluates how a person’s genetics may influence the way certain medications are processed in the body. It doesn’t diagnose disease. It doesn’t predict future illness. It provides insight into how medications may interact with an individual’s metabolic profile.

For senior living professionals, the most powerful part of PGx testing isn’t the lab result, it’s the conversation it opens.

It creates space to ask:

• Is this medication optimal for this individual?
• Could side effects be reduced?
• Are there alternatives that may align better?
• How can we support safer prescribing conversations?

These are not clinical determinations made by sales staff or caregivers. They are informed discussions that support provider evaluation and collaborative care planning. 

Trust Is Built Through Transparency

Senior living is built on trust. Families are not just choosing a community; they are choosing partners in care.

When medication conversations are proactive rather than reactive, families feel:

• Heard
• Educated
• Involved
• Reassured

Communities that introduce the idea of personalized medication discussions demonstrate alignment with preventative and value-based care models.

Sales teams are uniquely positioned here. They can frame PGx testing as a supportive educational resource, one that enhances provider decision-making and resident well-being.

Rather than saying, “We offer genetic testing,” the conversation becomes:

“We believe in helping families feel confident in every aspect of care — including medications.”

Removing Barriers, Not Adding Complexity

One concern often raised is whether introducing PGx testing adds another layer of complexity to an already overwhelming process. The opposite can be true.

By helping providers evaluate medication suitability earlier rather than later, PGx testing may reduce future medication adjustments, side effects, or avoidable emergency visits. It simplifies long-term decision-making by introducing clearer data into the process.

For caregivers and daughters like Michele, who recently navigated placing her own mother into senior living, clarity around medications is deeply personal. Families want assurance that their loved one is not simply “trying medications”, but receiving informed, thoughtful care.

PGx testing supports that reassurance.

A New Category of Conversation

Senior living has evolved to include partnerships in move management, downsizing, care coordination, and wellness programming. Medication personalization is a natural extension of holistic senior care.

This isn’t about replacing physicians. It isn’t about overstepping clinical boundaries. It’s about strengthening education, transparency, and collaboration.

In Part 2, we will explore the clinical foundation behind PGx testing, how it works, common myths, and why it continues gaining traction in aging populations.

Privacy, Coverage, and Next Steps

Your DNA is used only to analyze how your body processes medications. PHD Laboratory does not sell, share, or store your DNA for any other purpose. We are CLIA and COLA certified and fully compliant with HIPAA privacy laws, ensuring your genetic information is protected and confidential at all times.

PGx testing is covered by Medicare Part B for eligible patients and may also be paid for using FSA/HSA funds, CareCredit, or private pay options.

For questions, educational information, or to order a PGx test, please visit the PHD Laboratory website or email info@phdlaboratory.com.

Occupancy is rising, development remains constrained and the first wave of baby boomers is turning 80 — forces that are quietly redefining senior living’s trajectory. The real story isn’t just momentum, it’s what the data reveals about where the market is headed next. 

On Varsity’s weekly Roundtable, Lisa McCracken, Head of Research & Analytics at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), translated NIC’s latest research into clear signals for operators and marketers. Below are a few Fresh Perspectives from her discussion.

DEMAND FOR SENIOR LIVING OUTPACING SUPPLY GROWTH – Occupancy isn’t rising because we suddenly cracked the marketing code. It’s rising because inventory growth is at historic lows while the 80+ population accelerates. The supply-demand gap is doing heavy lifting.

90% IS THE NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL MILE MARKER

With national occupancy nearing 90 percent and record occupied units for 13–14 straight quarters, the industry is regaining confidence. Crossing that threshold signals strength — even if 91.7 percent remains the ultimate benchmark.

PENETRATION IS COMPLEX, NOT DEMOGRAPHIC

Age and income alone don’t determine market success. Cultural norms, policy, labor dynamics, ADLs and local economics all influence penetration. A one percent gain nationally would be massive — but it requires nuance, not shortcuts.

VALUE MUST BE PROVEN, NOT PRESUMED

Feeling impactful isn’t enough. Claims-based research shows residents live longer, have lower mortality and fewer hospitalizations than peers — data that strengthens positioning with payers and prospects alike.

ER VISITS TELL A STORY

Senior housing residents visit the emergency department more often, but are hospitalized less. That tension reveals both opportunity and operational blind spots — and points to the next frontier of improvement.

DEVELOPMENT IS A SLOW SWITCH

Even if capital loosens and construction starts rebound in 15–18 months, extended development timelines mean new supply won’t arrive quickly. Today’s drought could shape market dynamics for years.

DATA IS THE BRIDGE

From value-based care toolkits to expanded market coverage, NIC’s role isn’t just reporting numbers, it’s connecting silos, informing strategy and helping a small but essential sector prepare for a very big future.

Varsity’s Roundtable is a weekly virtual gathering of senior living marketers and leaders from across the nation. For updates about future weekly Roundtable gatherings, submit your name and email address here. 

QUOTES

“Man, it is never about the stuff. It’s always about the people and the memories attached to the stuff.” (Matt)

“It’s not about the dining room table. It’s about the people that sat at the dining room table. Or more importantly, the people that don’t sit at the table anymore.” (Matt)

“It’s proof that we existed. It’s proof that we mattered. It’s proof that they mattered.” (Matt)

“My advice is always don’t talk about the mess if you can see the mess.” (Matt)

“You first start off with, hey, we love you. You have to really, really stress the love.” (Matt)

“It’s all caused by trauma and loss of people that matter. And we’re trying to fill that hole with stuff.” (Matt)

“Dude, it’s an archeological deal. That’s why I love my job every day. It is an archaeological dig. I get to find out when grandma was the coolest person in the world.” (Matt)

“This is the most fascinating week of your life. It could be the most interesting week, and the most productive, and generationally changing week of your life.” (Matt)

“I can’t tell you how many families I’ve seen just breaking up, totally break up over stuff. Because of a sofa? Really? Because of a guitar?” (Matt)

“Let me summarize 300,000 hours for you. It’s never about the stuff and you can’t take it with you. And it’s all about time.” (Matt)

“You’re 80, dude. You’re borrowed time. Do we really want to spend the next three years going through pictures of you going to Acapulco in 1980 with your wife? Or do we just want to go to Acapulco one more time with your wife? Let’s go make some new memories.” (Matt)

“Just have the oldest person in the room point out one item and say, tell me a story about that item. One item, one story, it’ll change your life forever.” (Matt)

NOTES

Matt Paxton is a nationally recognized expert on downsizing, decluttering and guiding families through major life transitions. Known for his 15 years on A&E’s Hoarders and appearances on Filthy Fortunes and Legacy List, he blends compassion, storytelling and practical strategy to help families navigate change.

Paxton is founder of Clutter Cleaner, a national company specializing in estate cleanouts, downsizing and hoarding situations. The organization supports families through emotional and logistical challenges, with a growing franchise model designed to serve communities across the country.

Originally trained as an economist for the Federal Reserve, Paxton built his career after personally cleaning out family homes following multiple losses in his twenties. He has spent more than 300,000 hours in hoarded houses and plans to retire after helping one million families. His work emphasizes donation, reuse and reducing family conflict over possessions.

Clutter is never about the stuff; it represents people, memories and unresolved grief.

Letting go becomes harder with age because possessions feel like proof that we existed and proof that the people we loved mattered.

Families should approach difficult conversations with compassion, leading with love rather than criticism and aligning around a clear “finish line” such as a move to senior living.

Cleaning out a home should be treated like an archaeological dig, uncovering stories that can reshape how younger generations see their parents and grandparents.

Too many families fracture over possessions, even though “you can’t take it with you” and time is the true currency.

Instead of spending years sorting old memories, Paxton urges older adults to create new ones while they still can.

Younger generations are shifting toward experiences, reuse and secondhand goods, signaling long-term cultural change around consumption.

Senior living communities should position themselves as true hubs for storytelling and intergenerational connection, inviting younger generations in to experience the community long before a move is necessary.

Grief is woven into the aging journey, yet in senior living it’s often the quiet undercurrent few talk about openly. Beyond the loss of a loved one, residents may be grieving a move, a change in mobility, a shift in identity or the gradual loss of independence. When those transitions go unacknowledged, they can surface in unexpected ways, from withdrawal and isolation to frustration or agitation. On Varsity’s weekly Roundtable, we explored how creative expression can offer a powerful, compassionate response to that reality.

Alison Schroeder, Creative Arts Coordinator at Goodwin Living, joined Varsity’s weekly Roundtable for an insightful conversation on how art-based programming creates space for emotion, connection and resilience. Below are a few Fresh Perspectives from her discussion.

GRIEF ISN’T JUST ABOUT DEATH, IT’S BUILT INTO THE AGING JOURNEY

From losing a spouse to losing a driver’s license, identity or mobility, grief shows up everywhere in senior living. Communities that acknowledge those quieter losses — not just bereavement — create space for deeper healing.

ART IS THE ANTIDOTE TO LOSS

Grief is about losing. Art is about creating. That shift from absence to expression restores agency, purpose and momentum, especially when so much else feels out of control.

RITUALS EXIST FOR DEATH, NOT FOR TRANSITIONS

We have funerals for loved ones, but no ceremony for stopping driving or moving to assisted living. Creative programming can become the missing ritual that helps residents process life’s unmarked transitions.

PROCESS MATTERS MORE THAN PRODUCT

In memory care and skilled nursing especially, the goal isn’t a perfect painting, it’s engagement. Like exercise, creative practice builds emotional strength even if there’s no masterpiece at the end.

CELEBRATION IS A FORM OF THERAPY

Art shows, books, talks and festivals don’t just showcase talent, they validate identity. Publicly honoring residents’ creative work transforms private struggle into shared pride.

SUPPORT CREATES BREAKTHROUGHS

Creative transformation rarely happens alone. Whether it’s interns, therapists, fellow residents or staff, community collaboration amplifies impact and turns individual expression into collective healing.

Varsity’s Roundtable is a weekly virtual gathering of senior living marketers and leaders from across the nation. For updates about future weekly Roundtable gatherings, submit your name and email address here. 

 

The senior living industry is at an inflection point, shaped by rising demand, shifting expectations and rapid change across care, workforce and media. Recently on Varsity’s podcast, Roundtable Talk, Derek welcomed Kimberly Bonvissuto, content editor at McKnight’s Senior Living.  

During the discussion, Kimberly unpacks the arrival of the “silver wave,” the growing gap between senior living supply and demand and assisted living’s evolution into a more healthcare-driven model. The following are some fresh perspectives from the conversation. Check out the full episode here. 

MCKNIGHT SENIOR LIVING IS ONE OF THE INDUSTRY’S MOST RESPECTED PUBLICATIONS. WHEN YOU LOOK AT SENIOR LIVING TODAY, WHAT STORYLINES FEEL MOST IMPORTANT FOR OUR INDUSTRY?

I’d say the silver wave is finally here. The industry needs to find a way to address the discrepancy between supply and demand. There’s just not enough supply right now. According to NIC MAP, development rates are meeting only 25% of the pace necessary to sustain demand. Assisted living is also becoming more of a healthcare setting, and the increasing use of technology and AI is another hot topic.

WHAT’S A TREND THAT YOU THINK THE INDUSTRY IS OVERREACTING TO, AND ONE THAT’S NOT GETTING ENOUGH ATTENTION?

Going back to AI, it’s a hot topic right now, but providers need to be careful that the tech they adopt will solve the issues they’re facing. They shouldn’t be tempted by the shiny object. Not paying enough attention? Solo agers and the middle market. If providers don’t address the middle market, they’re leaving a big opportunity and money on the table.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MORE DRAMATIC CHANGES YOU’VE SEEN IN MEDIA ACROSS YOUR CAREER?

Social media has had a major impact on journalism, good and bad. What I find surprising is how quickly people will believe whatever they read online if it fits into their belief system. The rise of AI is also impacting journalism. But the bigger problem is the dramatic drop in trust and negative attention to mainstream media, which I find shocking and concerning.

HOW MUCH OF YOUR COVERAGE COMES FROM PITCHES VERSUS YOUR OWN IDEAS?

I would actually say it’s pretty equal. A good part of my morning every day is spent reading through email pitches and combing through websites for today’s news and going to associations. So it’s kind of a toss up.

WHAT MAKES A PITCH STAND OUT?

We have to write three stories a day, five days a week. I don’t have time to read through a long, drawn out pitch before I get to what you’re actually pitching. Get to the point right away. I prefer a quick email with a couple sentences and bullet points. And sometimes I get pitched one thing, but I take the story in a completely different direction.

WHAT DO YOU WISH PR TEAMS INCLUDED UPFRONT?

If you’re going to send me something under embargo, have someone available to talk about it immediately. Don’t tell me you’ll get back to me in a week or two. I’m either going to run with what you sent me or I’m going to move on. If you’re not ready, don’t send it.

HOW CAN PROVIDERS BUILD REAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH REPORTERS?

Be responsive. Virtually everyone is going to have an incident that draws negative attention. It’s okay to say you can’t comment, especially on pending litigation. Even better, talk about initiating an internal investigation. Create a statement you can share widely. If I know I can trust you to give me background, I can determine whether it’s truly worth pursuing.

Want to hear more from Kimberly? Check out the full episode of Roundtable Talk for more fresh perspectives. Watch new episodes of Roundtable Talk on the Varsity website and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.

The biggest growth opportunity in senior living isn’t at the luxury end of the market — it’s in the middle. As affordability pressures rise and expectations evolve, more older adults are looking for options that feel intentional, flexible and human, without the price tag or tradeoffs of traditional models. Yet much of the industry still isn’t designed to meet them where they are.

That tension was the focus of a recent conversation on Varsity’s weekly Roundtable, where we welcomed Matt Thornhill of Cozy Home Community for a thoughtful discussion on rethinking senior living for the middle market. Below are a few Fresh Perspectives from his discussion.

PEOPLE DON’T WANT “SENIOR LIVING,” THEY WANT A BETTER NEXT CHAPTER

Most older adults delay moving because today’s options feel like a concession, not a choice. Communities that position themselves as proactive lifestyle upgrades — not reactive care solutions — unlock demand years earlier.

CONTROL BEATS INDEPENDENCE EVERY TIME

Boomers aren’t clinging to independence, they’re protecting agency. Rigid schedules, programmed fun, and institutional rhythms erode appeal. The future belongs to models that let residents pilot their own day while still offering support.

THE ‘FORGOTTEN MIDDLE’ IS A DESIGN PROBLEM, NOT JUST A FINANCIAL ONE 

Middle-market senior living doesn’t fail because of demand — it fails because it’s designed like scaled-down luxury or dressed-up affordability. Right-sized homes, shared resources, and smarter delivery models solve more than subsidies ever will.

COMMUNITY DOESN’T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT, IT HAS TO BE ENGINEERED

Porches that face inward, smaller clusters, shared pavilions, and intentional onboarding tools all do the heavy lifting. If connection is left to chance, isolation wins. Design is the first community manager.

OWNERSHIP ISN’T THE GOAL, FLEXIBILITY IS

Whether rental or ownership, what matters is removing friction and risk. Nonprofit-owned, rental-first models lower the barrier to entry while still delivering stability, dignity, and real “home” energy.

SERVICES SCALE WHEN PEOPLE CLUSTER

Aggregating residents makes care coordination, wellness services, and even meals more affordable and efficient. Senior living delivered as a service, not a destination, flips the cost equation and expands access.

THE NEXT WAVE OF SENIOR LIVING WILL BORROW FROM EVERYWHERE ELSE

Universities, churches, municipalities, and healthcare systems aren’t competitors — they’re partners. Adaptive reuse, shared land, and co-branded ecosystems will drive growth faster than standalone campuses ever could.

Varsity’s Roundtable is a weekly virtual gathering of senior living marketers and leaders from across the nation. For updates about future weekly Roundtable gatherings, submit your name and email address here. 

QUOTES

“We take seriously our role of keeping providers informed and helping them make a difference in their work.” (Kimberly)

“The industry needs to find a way to address the discrepancy between supply and demand. There’s just not enough supply right now.” (Kimberly)

“Providers need to be careful that the tech they adopt will solve the issues they’re facing. Don’t be tempted by the latest shiny object and be sure to do due diligence.” (Kimberly)

“What I find surprising is how quickly people will believe whatever they read online if it fits into their belief system.” (Kimberly)

“A healthy dose of skepticism is critical these days.” (Kimberly)

“Our writers have to write three stories a day, five days a week. I don’t have time to read a long, drawn-out pitch before I get to what you’re actually pitching. Get to the point right away.” (Kimberly)

“If you’re going to send me something under embargo, have someone available to talk about it immediately. If you’re not ready, don’t send it.” (Kimberly)

“It’s okay to say that you can’t comment, especially on pending litigation. Even better, you can talk about initiating an internal investigation regarding an event.” (Kimberly)

“Assisted living is moving to more of a healthcare model, whether the sector wants to admit it or not.” (Kimberly)

“I told my husband I was going to quit my job of 20 years and go to work for this publication. He just about lost his mind. I knew this is what I wanted to do, and I went for it. It’s worked out great.” (Kimberly)

NOTES

Kimberly is a content editor at McKnight’s Senior Living, where she covers the business, workforce, policy and innovation shaping senior housing. With a background in journalism and public relations, she brings deep industry context and a sharp editorial lens to aging services.

McKnight’s Senior Living is one of the industry’s most trusted B2B publications, delivering news, insight and analysis for senior housing leaders nationwide. The publication recently earned a Neal Award, considered the Pulitzer Prize of business-to-business journalism.

Kimberly previously spent more than 20 years in public relations and daily journalism before joining McKnight’s in 2019, just as the pandemic reshaped senior living. Her experience on both sides of the media relationship informs her practical guidance for providers and PR teams.

The “silver wave” has arrived, with demand for senior living far outpacing new development and supply.

Assisted living is steadily shifting toward a healthcare model, including value-based care and deeper clinical integration.

Staffing challenges are evolving from pay and bonuses to culture, recognition and meaningful engagement.

AI and technology can help, but providers must avoid chasing shiny tools that don’t solve real problems.

Solo agers and the middle market represent growing populations the industry still underestimates.

Trust in media is declining, making skepticism, accuracy and transparency more critical than ever.

Successful media pitches are concise, timely and supported by immediate access to knowledgeable sources.

High-performing operators rely on data, active industry engagement and leadership that listens and communicates openly.

Season 1 of Roundtable Talk set out to challenge everything we think we know about aging and ended up reframing what’s possible across an entire lifetime. Check out the recap episode here. 

Across more than 20 conversations, Varsity’s aging and longevity podcast brought together gerontologists, policymakers, innovators, artists, journalists, and senior living leaders who are reshaping how we live, work, and contribute as we age. From public health and technology to purpose, creativity, and community, each guest added a vital layer to a more hopeful, human-centered narrative of longevity.

The season opened with cultural icons and truth-tellers like Garrison Keillor and Mo Rocca, who reminded us that humor, curiosity, and engagement don’t fade with age—they sharpen. Terry Farrell brought a deeply personal perspective on reinvention and authenticity, while Diane Harris and Dr. Sara Zeff Geber tackled the realities of solo aging, financial longevity, and planning for independence without fear.

Leading voices in aging science and public health—including Dr. Linda Fried, Dr. Louise Aronson, Dr. Kerry Burnight, and Dr. David Katz—challenged ageism head-on, reframed frailty and wellness, and made a compelling case for focusing on health span, not just life span. Their insights made it clear that aging well isn’t accidental—it’s systemic, behavioral, and deeply connected to how we design communities and care.

Innovation emerged as a recurring theme through conversations with Rick Robinson, Laurie Orlov, Dr. Tom Kamber, and Rob Liebreich, who explored how technology—from AI to digital literacy to cognitive health tools—can support independence, connection, and dignity when designed with older adults, not just for them.

The season also spotlighted bold models for aging with purpose and belonging. Andrew Carle and Lindsey Beagley explored university-based retirement communities and lifelong learning as antidotes to isolation. Barbara Sullivan highlighted the power of grassroots villages. Bridget Weston showed how older adults are fueling entrepreneurship through mentorship, while Brian Fried proved creativity and invention have no expiration date.

Rounding out the season, industry leaders like Larry Carlson, Scott Townsley, Marvell Adams Jr., Peter Murphy Lewis, and Dr. Robyn Stone confronted the hard truths facing senior living, caregiving, workforce sustainability, and inclusion, offering both critique and optimism for what comes next.

Season 1 of Roundtable Talk set out to challenge everything we think we know about aging and ended up reframing what’s possible across an entire lifetime.

Across more than 20 conversations, Varsity’s aging and longevity podcast brought together gerontologists, policymakers, innovators, artists, journalists, and senior living leaders who are reshaping how we live, work, and contribute as we age. From public health and technology to purpose, creativity, and community, each guest added a vital layer to a more hopeful, human-centered narrative of longevity.

The season opened with cultural icons and truth-tellers like Garrison Keillor and Mo Rocca, who reminded us that humor, curiosity, and engagement don’t fade with age—they sharpen. Terry Farrell brought a deeply personal perspective on reinvention and authenticity, while Diane Harris and Dr. Sara Zeff Geber tackled the realities of solo aging, financial longevity, and planning for independence without fear.

Leading voices in aging science and public health—including Dr. Linda Fried, Dr. Louise Aronson, Dr. Kerry Burnight, and Dr. David Katz—challenged ageism head-on, reframed frailty and wellness, and made a compelling case for focusing on health span, not just life span. Their insights made it clear that aging well isn’t accidental—it’s systemic, behavioral, and deeply connected to how we design communities and care.

Innovation emerged as a recurring theme through conversations with Rick Robinson, Laurie Orlov, Dr. Tom Kamber, and Rob Liebreich, who explored how technology—from AI to digital literacy to cognitive health tools—can support independence, connection, and dignity when designed with older adults, not just for them.

The season also spotlighted bold models for aging with purpose and belonging. Andrew Carle and Lindsey Beagley explored university-based retirement communities and lifelong learning as antidotes to isolation. Barbara Sullivan highlighted the power of grassroots villages. Bridget Weston showed how older adults are fueling entrepreneurship through mentorship, while Brian Fried proved creativity and invention have no expiration date.

Rounding out the season, industry leaders like Larry Carlson, Scott Townsley, Marvell Adams Jr., Peter Murphy Lewis, and Dr. Robyn Stone confronted the hard truths facing senior living, caregiving, workforce sustainability, and inclusion, offering both critique and optimism for what comes next.

The following is a guest blog entry from Larry Carlson. Larry is an advisor, board member, and author of Avandell: Reimagining the Dementia Experience. A longtime CEO in senior living, he now writes and speaks about helping older adults finish strong — living with purpose, vitality, and impact in their third age.

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Evelyn begins every morning with a ritual. She walks to the garden courtyard just after sunrise, coffee in hand, and tends to the flowers she planted last spring. “It’s funny,” she said one day, “I thought I was just helping the staff with the garden. But these mornings…they help me.”

Her comment captured something profound: legacy isn’t built at the end of life — it’s lived in the everyday choices that give it meaning.

Legacy Is Not a Monument

When people hear the word legacy, they often think of something grand — a foundation, a building, a name etched on a wall. But legacy, in its truest form, is about influence that outlasts effort.

It’s the ripple effect of kindness, wisdom, and faithfulness that shapes others long after we’re gone. For older adults, that legacy is expressed not through what they’ve achieved, but through how they continue to live now — through mentoring, listening, volunteering, or simply showing up with grace.

Why This Matters for Our Field

If you work in senior living, you’re surrounded by legacy every day — though it doesn’t always announce itself. It shows up in quiet acts:

• A retired teacher helping a neighbor relearn to read after a stroke.
• A group of residents teaching English as a second language to staff who are new to the country.
• A widow leading a grief group because she knows the terrain of loss.

These aren’t “programs.” They’re expressions of purpose. And when communities make space for this kind of living legacy, they move beyond hospitality — they become incubators of meaning.

From Activities to Agency

Most communities excel at creating activities. Fewer help residents create agency. Agency doesn’t mean expecting residents to carry the weight of running a community. It means honoring their capacity to contribute — to lead where appropriate, to share what they know, and to shape the life of the community in ways that give meaning to their days.

When residents are given the chance to lead, share, or shape what happens next, something shifts. They stop being consumers of experiences and start being co-creators of community life. That’s when vitality and belonging grow — and when marketing gains authentic stories that resonate with prospects and families alike.

Ask yourself:

• Are our residents seen as participants, or as partners?
• Do we celebrate what they still give, or mainly what they receive?
• How often do we invite them to shape the story of the community itself?

The answers to those questions reveal whether we’re truly helping people finish strong.

The Power of Storytelling

Living the legacy daily means telling stories that show what purpose looks like in real life.It’s the resident who teaches art again after decades away, the couple who celebrates their 60th anniversary surrounded by friends, or the quiet volunteer who prays over every new arrival.

These stories remind prospects — and team members — that senior living isn’t about ending well; it’s about living fully.

Closing Thought

Legacy isn’t a line in an obituary. It’s a daily practice.

Every day, we have the chance to help someone rediscover meaning, contribute to others, and live with vitality. When our communities nurture that kind of purpose, we’re not just offering care — we’re helping people write the most meaningful chapter of their lives.

That’s the heartbeat of Finishing Strong.

About the Author

Larry Carlson is an advisor, board member, and author of Avandell: Reimagining the Dementia Experience. A longtime CEO in senior living, he now writes and speaks about helping older adults finish strong — living with purpose, vitality, and impact in their third age.