Cambria offers both Assisted Living and a Memory Loss Unit. The Palisades describe their facilities as hotels with nurses. Palisades' Director Cheryl Bernera says retirement communities have to start operating differently because boomers who are retiring now are more active than past generations. Our residents want more wellness-related activities like exercise classes. Barasch also says that the newest generation to reach retirement age is savvy about their health.
Nothing is taboo.
They talk about mammograms, addictions and other health and age-related issues. Contractors like Raytheon started calling, asking what kinds of skills our people had, how fast could they type. But it got local officials and business execs to thinking. So with the help of the Texas Workforce Commission, they started putting packages together, identifying available workers, primarily unemployed high school and community college grads and military spouses. They began to realize these were the perfect workers for call centers and the emerging service industry sector.