Evolving to meet a customer who’s not willing to settle 

For more than 75 years, WesleyLife has held fast to the belief that everyone should experience the opportunity to live a life of continued growth and meaning — and to pursue joy, regardless of physical, social, or economic circumstances. 

But “joy” connotes different things to different people, and creating opportunities to pursue it necessitates meeting people where they are.

And where they are — and where they want to be — is home, however it might be defined for each person. 

A well-publicized study by U.S. News and World Report told us recently that the vast majority of adults surveyed — 93 percent! — plan to remain in their homes as they age. As many people know WesleyLife for our Communities for Healthy Living, they might have assumed that was not great news for us. 

On the contrary: It was very good news, as it placed us in the enviable position of knowing exactly what our audience wants, and allowed us to broaden our already vast network of home-based offerings to design a solution for those who want to continue to seek and experience joy in the places they love.

WellAhead: Support and Preparation

That solution came in the form of a Continuing Care at Home (CC@H) membership program designed to help people proactively focus on their health and well-being at home while enabling them to financially plan for potential services and care down the road. This unique program, called WellAhead, allows WesleyLife to continue to support the independence, health, and well-being of older adults wherever they call home — and wherever they want to continue to call home.

With a financial premise based on capitation, the program also assures members that if they do need an enhanced level of care at some point, they will be able to access it immediately from WesleyLife at no cost other than membership and monthly fees.

The program is proving popular, and we think the reason for that is simply the desire on the parts of many to experience joy … or, to put it more specifically, not to settle for a lack of joy simply because they’re entering a new phase of life. 

Revolutionizing the Experience of Aging

We’ve said it for years and we’ll say it again: Aging with choice should be a right, not a privilege. The year on a birth certificate should have no bearing on a person’s capacity for joy, nor on their opportunity to experience it. “We talked for years about moving into a community, but when it comes down to it, we’re really happy at home,” WellAhead member Patty LaGree, of the Des Moines area, says of herself and her husband, Kevin. “We kept thinking, we should move. But why remove yourself from an environment that contributes to your well-being?”

We agree, Patty. And we’ll keep our foundations firm as we continue evolving along with the people we serve, supported by the strength of our commitment to be the most dynamic and inclusive champion to revolutionize the experience of aging. We owe that to our customers, to those we’ll encounter in the future, to each other — and to anyone else who’s not willing to put joy on the back burner.

Visit wesleylife.org/wellahead to learn more.