8 Senior Living Careers You Should Consider in 2024

Considering a job change to a career that is stable, has serious growth potential, and offers the opportunity to make an immediate impact on those you serve? Senior living careers offer all that and more. 

Here’s even better news: Senior living careers are diverse and interesting. Most people don’t need extensive experience or specialized education. You only need a heart to serve others, the desire to be a part of a team atmosphere, and a healthy dose of curiosity so that you can learn something new every day.

Let us introduce you to some senior living careers that are waiting for you in a Cedarhurst Senior Living community near you.

1. Caregivers, Med Techs, and Nurses

Senior living communities rely on exceptional individuals to lead the resident care experience. At Cedarhurst communities, we are always looking for caregivers, med techs, and nurses who sing to residents, tell them a joke in order to get them to smile, and who notice the small health-related symptoms that could be signs of illness. 

People in these fields work in both assisted living and memory care communities, serving residents with personalized support. Our caregiving team includes:

• Caregivers, the foundation of a senior living community, who are there to offer a helping hand and assistance to residents when they need it
• Med techs, who assist residents with medication management
• Nurses, who provide clinical care, develop personalized care plans, and communicate with physicians

It takes all of these clinical professionals working together to keep residents safe, healthy, and happy.

Caregivers are an important part of any senior living community, but there are many other careers in a senior living community that don’t include specific caregiving duties. 

Concierge Team Members

At Cedarhurst Senior Living, we’re always working to give residents and visitors an experience rooted in hospitality. The backbone of that hospitality approach is our concierge team. 

Our concierge team members are outgoing, ready to serve, and extremely organized. These professionals are there to greet residents by name and welcome visitors to the community, as well as support leadership team members as needed. Perhaps most importantly, the concierge team is there to answer questions and be a friendly face to residents who are looking to sign up for the wine tasting excursion next week, to find ideas of where to take a visiting grandchild around town, or to schedule a maintenance visit.

Do you love finding creative solutions to challenges, keeping things organized, and meeting new people? You could thrive in a concierge role.

Dining Team Members

At a senior living community, so much happens around the dining room table. Residents enjoy chatting with neighbors, tasting the latest menu addition, and fueling their bodies with nutritious meals that support their overall wellness. Depending on the community, residents can have dining experiences up to three times per day, making meals an important touchstone during the daily routine.

Our dining team members make the dining experience delicious and successful for everyone in the community, finding new ways to connect with residents through the food on their plates. Our dining team runs thanks to the work of cooks, servers, and leaders who have a passion for creating food that comforts and delights residents.

Do you love preparing food for others, throwing dinner parties, or simply creating new ways to gather with friends? A dining team career could be waiting for you.

Environmental Services Professionals

It takes many people working behind the scenes to keep senior living communities looking their best and operating efficiently. Environmental services professionals, such as housekeepers and maintenance workers, are solving problems long before residents or guests even see them.

If you’re skilled at a variety of building maintenance tasks, or if you take pride in keeping a home tidy and clean, environmental services at a senior living community could be your next best move. Even better, your job will have you meeting some of the most interesting seniors as you stop by to perform weekly housekeeping services or help them with a question about their thermostat.

Life Enrichment Professionals

Often known as the life of the party at any senior living community, life enrichment professionals are the ones planning and executing the events that happen daily in communities. 

These professionals understand the importance of getting to know a resident’s history, and they’re often the ones who know residents best at any given time. Life enrichment professionals also know how to:

• Plan a diverse activity calendar that focuses on whole-person wellness
• Wrangle a roster of involved volunteers
• Create family events that make memories that last for a lifetime 

If you are always up for trying something new, know that creating art is so much more than the finished product, and want to slow down to get to know everyone you serve, a career on the life enrichment team is calling.

Nursing Leaders

Assisted living and memory care communities are known for their around-the-clock caregiver support and assistance. These caregivers work hand-in-hand with licensed nurses who oversee medication management and clinical follow-up, and who ensure residents are feeling their best.

If you are a nurse who is looking for a way to leverage your leadership skills, an Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) role might be your next best step. The ADON plays a crucial role in educating and inspiring the caregiver team as well as partnering with local physicians to give the best care to residents.

You might be a good ADON candidate—or a candidate for any other nursing leadership position—if you are currently a nurse and are looking for a career where you stay in resident care but also have the chance to create positive change as a leader. Do you have great ideas about how you could change systems to be more efficient or make team morale a top priority? We want to hear from you. 

Business Office Team Members

Are you a numbers person who cares about the big and the small details of running a business? Do you love learning about new rules regarding insurance payments and working with Veterans benefits? 

Business office team members at Cedarhurst communities are there to literally keep our communities running. They handle everything from payroll to monthly payments to keeping all the teams within their projected budgets. As a member of the leadership team, the Business Office Manager is also a part of key decision-making meetings.

Sales and Marketing Professionals

The biggest cheerleaders in a community are often working in sales and marketing roles. These creative employees are social butterflies who are committed to creating meaningful partnerships throughout the greater community. 

They teach physicians and discharge planners about senior living, breaking stereotypes along the way. Sales and marketing professionals are also there to help potential residents and their family members begin the transition to senior living, ready to be a true friend and provide them with reliable information and TLC as they make their choice. 

If you love to meet new people and are a pro at forming trusting relationships quickly, take a look at the senior living sales and marketing field.

Learn More About Senior Living Careers

Senior living careers are waiting for you at Cedarhurst Senior Living. Discover what careers are available in our local and regional offices and apply today. We can’t wait to hear from you as we continue to grow our team of exceptional senior living professionals.

This post was originally published in May 2022 and updated in October 2023.