By Rebecca Wiessmann

This article is based on a conversation with Bill Pettit, Co-founder of Black Dog Capital Advisors. Watch the first episode here.

The senior living industry is headed for a collision. We’ve spent decades perfecting communities designed for the Silent Generation — and baby boomers want absolutely none of it.

“I’ve spent thirty years in this business, most recently building Merrill Gardens, and I can tell you: what worked for our parents’ generation won’t work for boomers. Not because boomers are difficult (though they can be), but because they’re fundamentally different in ways that make our traditional models irrelevant,” says Pettit.

A Different Family Story

Here’s the thing most people miss: every generation before boomers was born into a larger family than the one they created. They had more siblings than children. They grew up in crowded households, helping raise younger brothers and sisters, understanding caregiving from an early age.

Boomers flipped that equation. They were born into smaller families — often just two or three kids — then had larger families themselves. This created broader, more diverse support networks that shaped how they think about community.

The result? Boomers aren’t interested in age-segregated living. Previous generations found comfort in communities where everyone shared similar life experiences. Boomers, shaped by multi-generational families, want to live among different age groups, not apart from them.

They Don’t Think They’re Old

Here’s another reality that drives operators crazy: boomers don’t think of themselves as old, even when they are.

Previous generations more readily accepted “age-appropriate” activities and services. You could design programming around the assumption that people in their seventies and eighties wanted specific things. Boomers reject that categorization entirely. They maintain more active lifestyles and harbor higher expectations for independence well into their senior years.

This isn’t denial — it’s identity. Boomers spent their lives rejecting authority and embracing individualism. They changed American culture. Now we expect them to quietly accept our one-size-fits-all approach to senior living? Not happening.

What They Actually Want

Through his new venture, Black Dog Capital Advisors, Pettit is betting the future looks radically different. “Not because I’m visionary, but because I’m listening to what boomers are actually telling us,” he explains.

They want to age where they live — in the communities they’ve been part of for decades, not shipped off to some campus far from everything they know. They want choice and flexibility, not bundled services they don’t need. They want hospitality and community, not medicalized environments that remind them daily that they’re declining.

Most importantly, they want affordability. The industry’s drift toward serving only affluent seniors isn’t sustainable. When senior living costs $4,000-7,000 per month or more, we’ve essentially locked out the vast majority of American seniors. As boomers flood into retirement, this affordability gap will only widen.

The Hard Truth

The question isn’t whether the industry will transform — it’s whether we’ll transform quickly enough. Boomers won’t wait for us to figure it out. They’ll either force us to adapt by voting with their wallets and feet, or they’ll create alternatives outside traditional senior living altogether.

“I’m optimistic about the future. The demographic wave is undeniable, and there’s enormous opportunity ahead. But capturing it requires humility and a willingness to question everything we thought we knew,” Pettit says.

The communities that thrive will be the ones that recognize boomers for who they actually are — not who we wish they were. That starts with understanding just how different they really are from every generation that came before.