The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare. The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of behavioral health, senior housing, skilled nursing, home health, and hospice care. To see this year’s Future Leaders, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/.
Shannon Novak, Senior Managing Director of Marketing at Arrow Senior Living, has been named a 2024 Future Leader by Senior Housing News.
To become a Future Leader, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be a high-performing employee who is 40-years-old or younger, a passionate worker who knows how to put vision into action, and an advocate for seniors, and the committed professionals who ensure their well-being.
Novak caught up with Senior Housing News to talk about her bittersweet entry into senior living, the evolution of technology and how working in the industry has been a “wild” and sometimes “bumpy ride.”
What drew you to this industry?
I feel like the industry had its plan in place for me before I even knew it existed. I visited the local nursing home with my mom a lot as a kid, and it hit every stereotype we fight today. The residents there were lonely. The smell was … not great. It left me feeling sad, even at 5 years old. Fast forward to my first time visiting an Arrow community, and I literally cried. The community was so clean. The memory care was so thoughtful. I knew I’d found where I was supposed to be.
What’s your biggest lesson learned since starting to work in this industry?
Your expectations of senior living are not reality. Until I was in senior living, I didn’t realize how much of what I thought I knew was based on stereotypes, and I have never had more fun being wrong. I learn new things and hear new stories and meet new people every day. Senior living is a source of joy. It’s a place to thrive. And the residents living in these communities are vibrant and absolutely full of life.
If you could change one thing with an eye toward the future of senior living, what would it be?
Senior living is constantly evolving, and I love being on the ride. What I want to change isn’t about the trajectory of senior living itself. If I could change one thing, it would be the perception of senior living now and in the future. I want to see people embrace it, and I want to see it become more accessible.
What do you foresee as being different about the senior living industry looking ahead to 2025?
I see a stronger focus on connection as technology helps to bridge the gap and automate the processes that pull team members away from direct care. Technology is no longer coming. It’s here. And we will all be better for embracing it early and as often as possible.
In a word, how would you describe the future of senior living?
Revolutionary
What quality must all Future Leaders possess?
Empathy. Almost anything else can be taught, but you, at your core, have to believe in and care about people to be a successful leader.
If you could give advice to yourself looking back to your first day in the industry, what would it be and why?
Brace yourself. When I started in senior living six years ago, I couldn’t have even begun to guess where I was headed or what I would encounter. It’s been bumpy. It’s been wild. And every moment has been worth it.
