I am on this Quixote-like quest to find ways that seniors living in senior living communities can continue to live purposeful lives.

By Steve Moran

If you are a regular reader of Senior Housing Forum you know I am on this Quixote-like quest to find ways that seniors living in senior living communities can continue to live purposeful lives. My belief is that if this were a major initiative of senior living providers it would do 4 things:

  1. Seniors would be happier and healthier living in senior living communities,

  2. More seniors would choose to move into senior living communities.

  3. Seniors who live in communities would have longer lengths of stay.

  4. All of this would make senior living more profitable and reduce marketing costs.

This is an all-winners, no-losers proposition; but I recognize it is easier said than done.

Expert Knowledge

Several months ago I heard a presentation by Sharon Emek who founded an online job board  WAHVE that today is very narrowly focused on matching “vintage” insurance professionals with insurance firms that can benefit from their considerable expertise and experience.  

Like many business sectors, the insurance industry has a rapidly aging workforce, which means a great deal of expertise is leaving the business and not being replaced fast enough. On the flip side these retiring professionals are ready to slow down, but not stop all together. They want to travel, spend time with kids and grandkids, volunteer and pursue hobbies.  

Frankly, some of these people are not financially quite ready for full-time retirement and would like to have or even need to have some supplemental income.

And . . . creating a perfect fit, the industry is desperately in need of this expertise.

The Senior Living Play

At level one, it may be that you have a resident who was in the insurance business and would love to hear about this site.

Above and beyond, I can’t help but believe there could be a huge business opportunity to create a job matching site for seniors who have all kinds of expertise and skills and large and small employers who are in need of the services of people who have a track record of success in a number of fields.  

Think in terms of freelance sites that connect western companies with workers in low paying parts of the world. Tapping into seniors in this country would be so much better. Fewer challenges with language barriers and time zones. It would be much easier to know exactly what you are getting.

Maybe as a starting point you could even hire or contract with some of your residents to help with your community. Would it be cool . . . and an amazing selling point if all of your salespeople were residents . . .

What do you think?

Also you can listen to the interview here: