The Parkway Senior Living Executive Director Shares How She Got Her Start in Senior Living

Senior living has certainly changed over the past decade. An industry that once provided very little hands-on care has blossomed into a wonderful option for older adults. It now provides varying levels of assistance with residents’ activities of daily living, while arranging many opportunities for socialization and community. I am fortunate to work for Arrow Senior Living leading The Parkway Senior Living team. I would like to share a little about my journey to becoming a senior living leader.

I fell into senior living on accident. I had been working as a regional training coordinator on the human resources team for a national company when I found out my position was being eliminated. A mentor of mine had made the transition into the senior living world and she recommended me for a position at one of her sister communities. I have been in love with senior living since that day in 2014. I stay in senior living because it is an industry in which you can do any “job” or “task” that you love, and the result is assisting someone who needs it. The ability to provide for others is what keeps me in senior living.

I have worked at several different senior living companies, and even took a brief hiatus from Arrow Senior Living. However, I came back because they are the only ones doing it right. Arrow puts so much emphasis on the individual, not just the individual resident, but the individual employee. The core values of the company are unique and inspire me to do better every day.

The senior living industry has seen a bit of a shift over the last few years. Residents are waiting longer to make the move into senior living and there seems to be more emergent moves. The need for senior living continues to grow and the level of acuity continues to creep. The senior living industry will have to stay at the forefront of technology advancements to find ways to stay ahead of that acuity creep and find ways to continue to deliver an even higher standard of customer service. Doing so will increase the relationships senior living communities are able to build with their prospective residents and their families.

If someone is considering a career in senior living management, I would tell them, you can work in culinary, maintenance, operations, or human resources in almost any industry. The impact you can make in senior living sets your career path ahead of all others. It is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding paths you can take.

Arrow Senior Living and I invite you to reach out and learn more about a career in senior living. Working in this industry can be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. Whether you’re interested in caregiving, management, or another aspect of senior living, there are a wide variety of roles available that allow you to make a positive impact on the lives of older adults and their families.