As an advisor to executives, entrepreneurs and investors in the senior care industry, I am always concerned to understand — and try to influence — the public’s and the market’s view of the senior population. This is an enormous market opportunity. A striking statistic about the growth of the senior population: the U.S. Census estimates there will be 834,000 centenarians in 2050. Senior care is a unique industry; it evokes the concern everyone should share that their parents, grandparents and themselves will be in good hands when they reach the latter stages of their lives.
A recent invitation to join the founder and staff of Juniper Communities later this summer at the Burning Man, an annual gathering that takes place in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, has prompted me to reflect on senior communities — as a business and an important part of our society. The 2016 Burning Man camp is entitled Aging Insurrection: Joining the Generations.
The editor of Senior Housing News, other senior living entrepreneurs, thought leaders and a group of 55-87 years old will be building a camp from scratch at the celebration from August 28th through September 5th.
Juniper Communities, a company headquartered in Bloomfield, NJ that invests in, acquires, develops and manages long term care facilities, applied to have a camp at Burning Man. Its goal is to combat ageism and changing perceptions about stereotypes and biases about aging. Juniper is focused on healthy aging. Their tag line is “being alive in all seasons of life.”
In the remote, harsh Black Rock Desert environment, resources are limited. As a result, attendees choose to work together to build temporary camps, art, and community. The event will be an innovative canvas for self-expression that is open to exploring new ideas about aging and testing old paradigms. Attendees spend all year planning for the event.
Here’s what’s striking to me — the principles espoused by Burning Man founder Larry Harvey closely parallel business leadership best practices. They include:
- Inclusion: inviting all to participate, connecting people, breaking down barriers of isolation and creating interaction.
- Self-Expression: encouraging everyone to use their unique gifts.
- Communal effort: promoting communication and interaction.
Burning Man actually reflects an ethos that entrepreneurial CEO’s know well; transformative change occurs only by tapping into peoples’ hearts and minds to elicit deeply personal participation.
Another similarity, embracing change. Burning Man celebrates the simple notion that people have permission to be whoever they want to be and achieve their full potential. Those attending our camp believe that age is just a number and that Baby Boomers will change the definition and perception of aging. Progressive business leaders are always ready, when the facts warrant, to break old models, even ones that have made them successful in the past.
Current research shows that an atmosphere of inclusion and outreach in senior communities is what creates higher occupancy and therefore financial success for its owners. Juniper’s senior communities embody these principles, which should be more broadly considered in building of senior living communities over the next decade.
One more similarity between Burning Man’s philosophy and business best practices: instilling a sense of personal responsibility and desire to make a difference, balancing self-reliance with community and interaction.
Burning Man 2016 will hopefully be the beginning of other thought provoking and paradigm shifting events about what it means to age optimally. Anyone interested in the business opportunity around providing community-focused care to a rapidly growing senior population should see the links embedded in this post for more information and consider joining the cause. And business leaders might consider how this eye-opening experiment in community activism relates to what they do every day to move their organizations forward.
About the Expert
Sue Lehrer has more than 25 years providing business development to professional service companies including banking, accounting, law, service and staffing firms. Click here to learn more about Sue or contact her.
Newport Partners have distinct executive operating experience running businesses in many industries.
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