From the President: Spanning The 'Abyss'
If you start with the premise, as we do, that all older adults should have the opportunity to live a full life of connection and purpose in a dynamic, supportive environment — which we call aging in community — then there is a moral imperative to offer that chance to all older adults. For more than 50 years, 2Life Communities has offered this for older adults with incomes low enough to qualify for government subsidy. For just as many years, the private market has provided that opportunity for those who are wealthy. Yet those in the middle have been and remain closed out. And this gap, or “market abyss,” is only increasing as the wealth gap in this country grows after years of stagnating middle-class incomes.
A lot has been written about the lack of opportunity for middle-class older adults, but very little is being offered. That’s not totally surprising — there’s a bit of a catch-22 element: We can’t rely on our typical sources of revenue (government subsidies and philanthropy) and to provide the same level of care that we do, we would need to charge prices that are out of reach for the middle market.
But at 2Life, we couldn’t give up. After years of soul-searching, we had a breakthrough idea: Why not recognize the economic value each older adult can bring to community? By providing a platform for every resident to volunteer time, we create meaning, share aspirations for this phase of our lives, draw upon the creativity and wisdom of all community members, and reduce staffing costs. Along with some other thoughtful adjustments to the typical model, we found a way to make aging in community accessible to at least a large subset of those in the middle. (And we’re committed to continuing our work to completely close the gap). So, we’re creating Opus.
We are in mid-execution of the Opus concept and already it’s generating a lot of interest on the national stage, with folks following us closely with the hope of replicating. There are opportunities to become a resident by joining our Priority Depositor program now, and to be an investor or donor. (Imagine your name being associated with this true market innovation and let me know of your interest).
Why do we call this “Opus”? The definition of the word is “a creative work that makes a difference in the world.” It’s also often translated as “masterpiece.” We believe that when an older adult comes to live at 2Life, they bring a life of experiences, curiosities, wisdom, and aspirations. Our job is to help each resident weave together the strands of their life-to-date to create a next phase of life that builds a personal masterpiece. And we believe that each individual masterpiece is enhanced by sharing the journey with others — just as in a Beethoven symphony, each instrument’s part is made more beautiful by the other instruments. A magnum opus, if you will. All of our precious elders deserve nothing less.
