Have you been searching for a career that fulfills your passion to make a difference while offering opportunities for growth and a healthy lifestyle?
Senior living is a growth industry with a wide range of rewarding careers including caregiving, nursing, resident services, dining and culinary, management, building maintenance and housekeeping, sales, marketing, spiritual care and more – even salon stylists! All these professions – and you – can benefit by focusing on opportunities in senior living.
Creating Lasting, Caring Experiences
Senior living is a career path guaranteed to provide experiences to carry with you throughout your professional journey and contribute to personal growth. Through compassionate care and strong bonds with residents, you’ll see yourself grow in ways you might not otherwise have expected. In a recent market survey, when assisted living team members were asked what they enjoyed the most about their job, over 60% said it was caring for and relating to residents. As one person shared, “They are the reason I come to work.”
The endless connections you make at work in senior living will quickly make it a second home for you. From assisting residents and providing for their physical and emotional needs to developing personal attributes of compassion and empathy as you work with residents, you’ll learn about values, perspectives, and even culture from the generations you meet.
Making a Lasting Impact
The senior living industry aims to improve the lives of older adults, as well as their families and loved ones. Responsibilities in a community can vary; you may be a caregiver ensuring a resident’s health and safety, or you may be leading engaging activities or programs for residents to participate in.
Regardless of where you serve in a community, you are providing a personal service to seniors and providing families with peace of mind knowing their parent or loved one is receiving trusted care and attention. Some residents get few visits from family or friends, so care team members become like family to help with socialization and alleviate loneliness. Not only does socialization positively affect their happiness and improve mental health – it helps yours, too!
Creating a Welcoming Environment
Research has found one of the main benefits of working in senior living comes from the satisfaction of being needed, as well as the emotional connection that comes from feeling emotionally close to residents. In addition, relationships with residents help improve the quality of care, which in turn makes a work environment less “stressful” and teams stay together longer due to these emotional connections.
Working with individuals who put others’ needs before their own creates a warm, compassionate environment. This type of environment can also help foster your own passions or goals, making for a more welcoming and rewarding job experience.
Strengthening Valuable Skills
Two of the most significant benefits of this industry are the knowledge gained and skills acquired. Fortunately, the skills and knowledge are applicable not only at work but in our everyday lives. Whether it’s caring for another person, administrative tasks or event planning, the senior living experience can allow for professional and personal growth. For instance, as you navigate the schedules of each resident, you’ll gain experience in time management. In addition, you’ll build communication skills with care teams, residents, and their families. You’ll also learn accuracy and attention to detail as you complete tasks according to community guidelines and policies.
Enjoying Unique Days
A vibrant career in senior living (in any capacity) might just be the soul-affirming change and charge you need. Careers in senior living keep things fresh and engaging. In this line of work, every day presents a new opportunity to grow closer to residents while developing your interpersonal skills. You might share a special meal with a resident one day and help a family transition their loved one to the community life the next. In short, a career in senior living is anything but boring.
Senior living will help you realize your potential in an environment where there’s enthusiasm for helping others and lifelong learning. Many people who start entry-level senior living careers pursue further education, adding skills that move them up the ladder into executive management. You owe it to yourself to explore career options to make your work more meaningful and rewarding. A career in senior living can be a satisfying path worth exploring.
If you want to explore a career in senior living, contact Village Manor in Bowling Green at 270-796-6643 or visit ChristianCareCommunities.org/careers.
-submitted by Village Manor
