[Senior Trend] Fierce Competition in the US Senior Industry② Volunteer Work and Community

Iboram, CEO of Third Age

The English word for 은퇴 (retirement) is retire. It literally means to change tires to keep going. This is not a pun; it actually comes from Re-Tire, meaning to replace old tires with new ones and live a life different from the past. This differs from the Eastern concept of ‘withdrawing.’ Samuel Ullman (1840-1924), an American businessman and poet known for establishing schools for Black children without educational opportunities and dedicating himself to marginalized people, wrote the poem "Youth" at the age of 78. He said that youth is not a matter of age (not a time of life) but a state of mind (a state of mind), and that youth is not a period in life but an attitude. Based on this belief that life is good and gets better, most American seniors look for volunteer work or activities to start the third act of their lives even in old age.

First, there are community-based Senior Centers. Starting from ‘elder clubs’ in the 1800s, about 11,000 are operating as of 2024. The age group ranges from mid-60s to the 70s and 80s generations. They share some similarities with Korea’s senior centers but also have differences. They are funded by government subsidies and general donations, with voluntary contributions from the elderly users of each center exceeding 3% of the total budget. Each center charges membership fees, but they are affordable even for low-income seniors. Many classes are offered free of charge. Warm lunches are usually provided. There are various physical health programs ranging from aerobics and fitness equipment exercises to Tai Chi and walking clubs aimed at preventing arthritis and falls. In addition to hobbies like knitting, line dancing, cooking classes, and making gift cards, wellness programs include nutrition classes, smoking cessation, and mental health care.

There are also opportunities for seniors to plan for the future. Programs teach how to create a meaningful life, boost self-esteem, cope with various issues that may arise in old age, and adapt to social changes. Among these, employment training is particularly interesting. Through the SCSEP (Senior Community Service Employment Program), seniors can work part-time at local nonprofit organizations. Volunteer activities linked through Senior Center classes include knitting blankets for the homeless and preparing meals for abandoned dogs, allowing seniors to contribute to society. They also learn about the structure, operations, and systems of nonprofits and use their previous work experience to connect with internships in office jobs such as marketing, accounting, and administration. The classes do not end with education but connect to real-world experience. While most work is voluntary, some seniors advance to paid regular positions based on their performance.

Moreover, the scope of care is broad. Although it varies by local center, places with high immigrant populations offer English practice and programs to help form initial local networks for seniors. The movie "Minari," starring actress Youn Yuh-jung, tells the story of a Korean immigrant family dreaming of the American Dream, portraying efforts to embrace people who cannot communicate and have no social interaction outside their homes. Additionally, multigenerational exchange programs are arranged in cooperation with local schools. For example, retired seniors teach gardening as a hobby, and those seniors in turn teach neighborhood children and teenagers about plants and vegetables. They engage in recreation together in community gardens, which are nonprofit organizations supported by city halls, where they grow and share pesticide-free vegetables.

In this way, American seniors naturally participate in local volunteer activities. Excluding activities by religious organizations, 25% of volunteers aged 55 and older are seniors?one in four. This is a significant difference from Korea, where seniors are often viewed mainly as objects of respect and care, resulting in fewer senior volunteer activities. AmeriCorps Seniors, led by the federal government, operates senior-exclusive programs. Both public and private sectors recognize the experience and capabilities of older adults as important social capital and expand opportunities for them to contribute to their communities. Thus, seniors secure a firm status as members and contributors who build communities together, rather than being a social burden requiring increased support. Furthermore, according to an article last month by Forbes Health, simply participating in programs with people from the same area at senior centers provides significant emotional benefits.

Lee Boram, CEO of Third Age