According to U. S. News and World Report, for the next 20 years, about 10,000 baby boomers will turn 65 each day. Today there are approximately 40 million senior citizens, but that number is expected to increase to 89 million by 2050.

By that year we will also have a substantially smaller proportion of working people supporting an increasing number of retirees. Today the ration of working age citizens compared to seniors over 65 is 5:1. By 2050, the ratio will drop to 3:1. Knowing all of this should be a great incentive for care companies to create cultures designed to nurture and support the employee base that will provide consistent quality care.

Living Well Lodges is on the very cusp of challenging the corporate structure to make strategic decisions that are in the best interest of its employees. At first glance it may seem we believe in coddling employees. Our real belief is that employees can't support extraordinary care programs for our elders until we first support them.  Living Well Lodges truly believes that the best company to care of elders is the one that figures out how to best care for the team that has to do that job. Eventually, the entire healthcare industry will be competing to hire great people. Those who don't have a plan for getting and keeping those employees will be "up the creek".  

Today, for Living Well Lodges, this is a dream in progress. It takes years to build the culture we envision, especially in a plush economic market that allows employers the privilege of neglecting their employees. But, we believe our seniors are worth the effort.