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7 Takeaways from LeadingAge 2014: Redefining Age

October 28th, 2014 by Catie McMenamin

Chuck Tobin and Joe McCoy have returned from Nashville and the LeadingAge 2014 Annual Meeting. They were entertained by The Band Perry, Delta Rae and Ashley Campbell. They watched the documentary I’ll Be Me about Glen Campbell’s struggle with Alzheimer’s. They heard speeches from Simon Sinek and Ellen Langer. Sounds like a tough few days!

Here are 8 takeaways from the conference:

1. 80% of seniors will live in their homes as long as possible. CCRCs, you need to embrace the seniors on your campus AND in your community.
2. Appeal to a younger generation by bringing in food trucks and guest chefs.
3. Stop calling your community a facility. It’s the F word!
4. For-profit growth is outpacing nonprofit growth in senior housing at nearly eight times the growth rate, according to Zeigler.
5. It is time to alter negative language and perceptions related to age and aging. LeadingAge Board Chair David Gehm said: “We need to look beyond the number and recognize that age, something all of us do every day, is a process. We each age with experiences and emotions unique to who we are, not where we fall on the age spectrum.”
6. The CCRC is “the longest-standing, most successful managed care plan in the country,” according to LeadingAge President and CEO Larry Minnix. “Future success will call for offering a variety of financial models to give people flexibility and make CCRCs appealing to a wider economic demographic.”
7. If you don’t plan for the future, you don’t have one. Non-profits need to adapt, change, innovate and serve more people.

What were your takeaways?