HumanGood CEO Outlines Vision to Reimagine Senior Living and Care

More than 400 HumanGood leaders, team members, board members, resident representatives and strategic partners gathered for our annual symposium—The Big Connect—to explore what it means to be innovative in the senior living and care industry.

During the meeting held in La Jolla, California, HumanGood President and CEO John Cochrane shared his vision for how HumanGood will help seniors live their best lives possible. John focused on a key question about what successful aging means in today’s market and our place in the senior living and care industry moving forward.

“We must be faster, more creative and more agile in translating consumers’ needs, expectations and desires into products and services that more closely align with how they want to live,” he told the audience at the March 6 event. “In other words, we must be more innovative. And that innovation must be rooted in a deep, empathetic understanding of our customers, their needs and desires.”

For HumanGood, he said this innovation will come to life by focusing on three strategic initiatives:

• Reimagine the Life Plan Community
• Grow the organization’s commitment to affordable housing
• Develop solutions for the middle market 

HumanGood is reimagining its communities to create more personalized, meaningful services for residents, John said.

“We are adapting to shifting circumstances to meet the needs of our residents so they can live their best lives possible,” he said.

“We’ve identified two groups of people who we can serve. We call them meaning seekers—those looking for purpose—and connections seekers—those looking for deep, personal relationships. Our approach is to open our doors and invite the community in, to be more socially conscious, to use technology to understand our residents and to create financial solutions.”

In addition, John shared how HumanGood is redefining its approach to dining in its communities by partnering with Morrison Community Living and Bon Appétit Management Company. The new dining strategy will, among other things, offer residents fresh menus, sourcing sustainable food from local farms to promote a healthy diet at all levels of care.

At the meeting, Fedele Bauccio, CEO and co-founder of Bon Appétit Management Company, shared in a presentation more about the new approach to dining in our communities. Among other acclaimed speakers at The Big Connect, we were fortunate to have:

• Joseph Bamberger, an affordable housing expert and associate clinical professor at UCSF School of Medicine, who discussed housing as healthcare. 
• Denise Lee Yohn, a brand leadership expert, author and professional speaker, who spoke about what “brand as a business” really means in practice.