I know . . . blah, blah, blah, not Starbucks again. But . . . this is really important.

By Steve Moran

I know . . . blah, blah, blah, not Starbucks again. But . . . this is really important.

Over the weekend I read an article at Copy Blogger titled Why a Washington Post Editor Left to Work With Starbucks. Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks crossed paths with award-winning journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran from The Washington Post, liked his writing and asked him to come to work for Starbucks to do long-form storytelling.  

Schultz has a passionate commitment to use his influence and the power of Starbucks as a force of social change for the world. I would note that he has been very successful doing this and it has clearly benefited Starbucks at the same time.

Telling Veterans Stories

Schultz is convinced that long-form storytelling is a powerful way to bring about social change and awareness. His first big project is recently off the press, a book written by Chandraskaran that tells the story of 11 veterans who are continuing to change and impact the world long after they left military service.

Telling Seniors Stories

I have this dream that we as an industry would take on a project like this. That we would scour our residents and find a dozen or so who are continuing to change the world in profound and powerful ways. That through print – like this book – and through documentaries, we would tell those stories.

We would say to the world, Senior Living is not at all just some place you come to die in luxury and comfort. That Senior Living is the next chapter of your life, maybe even the most important chapter in your life.

The Benefits

We know without question, that many seniors . . . though not all . . . do better when they are living in a senior living community. Better socialization, better nutrition, better medication adherence and yet there is a huge negative perception about senior living. If we tell our story better, we will get younger seniors, our lengths of stay will be longer and occupancy concerns will diminish.

Let’s Do It!