By Rachel Hill
While walking through the Expo Hall at the AHCA/NCAL conference last week, I ran into a good friend. As we caught up, I asked how their experience had been so far. They paused, smiled, and said something that stopped me in my tracks:
“Every interaction here just feels really intentional.”
That line stayed with me.
As I reflected on my own experience, I realized I felt the same way. From the sessions I attended to the conversations in hallways and networking events, there was this collective sense of purpose — a desire to create real change and walk away with tangible ideas to make it happen.
It made me ask myself a bigger question: What does intentionality in senior living actually look like?
Is it better-designed buildings?
Mental health support for our frontline staff?
A more strategic approach to opening new communities?
Or technology that isn’t built just because it’s “cool,” but because it truly serves older adults?
It also made me think about my own relationships — the connections I’ve built and nurtured over nearly five years in this space. My hope is that when I meet people, our conversations feel warm and meaningful.
Yes, I go to conferences to network and create content. But I also go with a deeper goal: to be intentional — to engage consistently and genuinely with the incredible people who have welcomed me into the senior living world.
Because if we all approached not just senior living — but life — with more intentionality, imagine what kind of outcomes we could create together.
