Editor, The Spotlight:
We read with interest, the column in your Sept. 12, issue titled “Think senior living for career start” by Dwayne Clark. The column highlighted the fact that the senior living industry is one that will have a greatly increased need in upcoming years. In addition, it explains that working with seniors might be just the unexpected rewarding career someone might be looking for!
It’s important to note that careers in the senior living industry have stereotypes attached that don’t always match the reality. For one, like the article states, “senior living” does not just include the high skilled nursing homes that many people automatically associate with “senior living.” Many facilities are filled to capacity with vibrant, active, working adults that have simply decided to downsize their homes and live in a community where the resources they need will be right at their fingertips.
Colonie Senior Service Centers is an organization that owns and operates independent living facilities as well as a number of different programs and services aimed at keeping seniors of any age active, healthy, and independent. Our organization boasts an energetic group of employees that vary in not only career background, but also age.
We have employees (and volunteers) as young as 16 working in our Senior Dining program serving meals, and we have 20somethings working in the administrative office and in programs. We have employees from every generation, including senior citizens, who came from the corporate world, retail industry, banking, and other career fields that are quite different from where they are now.
We couldn’t agree more with the author’s statement that “these are thriving, active, lively places of business that are also fun, rewarding places to work.” CSSC employees enjoy the freedom of being able to get up from their “desk jobs” to go have lunch with seniors, sing karaoke, or simply sit and have a conversation with a senior to hear about their interesting lives and experiences. We all stand to learn something from our community’s older generation, who, like Clark said, is “chock full of fascinating stories and wise counsel!”
Employees of Colonie Senior Service Centers, Inc.
