Seniors Enjoy Fulfilling Careers in Retirement

When Pete and Janet Davisson moved last year to Maris Grove, an Erickson Living’s retirement community in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Mr. Davisson wondered if that also meant he should retire.

That thought didn’t linger too long, however. Davisson continues to do the job he loves.

Davisson had been involved in acquisition and disposition of real estate for some 20 years when, in 2003, he and two colleagues founded Jackson Cross Partners, a commercial real estate company headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

“Every deal, every personality is different. I love the variety,” Davisson says.

He also loves the challenges and looks forward to each new encounter. He’s worked for clients all around the world and done deals at both ends of the compensation range.

“This business is a straight-commission, high-risk, high-reward job,” says Davisson. “I’ve been able to handle the risks, and I love the rewards. The mental activity in itself is very rewarding about continuing to work.”

Davisson is part of a growing trend. Recent news reports reflect that seniors are employed at the highest rate in 55 years. And according to PEW Research Center, close to one in five individuals aged 65 and over continues to work every day.

When Davisson’s company began, it employed eight people. Now it employs 52.

“I really enjoy the interaction with clients and employees both,” Davisson says. “And I feel I’m doing something purposeful and meaningful because the fact that the company is going strong ensures that the employees have jobs. As long as you’re active and happy, I see no reason to retire.”

“The enthusiasm that community members like Pete bring to their work is obvious,” Executive Director Maureen Heckler says. “They’re active and involved in things they’re passionate about, and we’re happy that our lifestyle supports them in doing that.”

Amenities like the on-site continuing care neighborhood provide residents with peace of mind.

Community member Raina Sloan also appreciates the freedom she’s found at Maris Grove.

“I am having my every day, and long-term needs met effortlessly because Maris Grove provides wonderful programs to make that possible,” she says. But also, “I like that here you have the choice to live the way you want.”

For example, Maris Grove boasts six campus restaurants, but Sloan often cooks for herself in her apartment home’s contemporary kitchen.

She does marketing work for a New Jersey-based company and part-time modeling, but she’s also pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors right on campus.

“I love life, and to extend the work portion of the journey beyond the typical retirement years is a choice, a gift if you will. I cannot imagine being engaged in anything less than where life leads me as I follow my inner promptings,” Sloan says.

She’s putting together a television series to highlight energy healing modalities she’s practiced for years.

“I see the programs embracing how you can live your life more fully and authentically as you mature,” Sloan says. The programs will be filmed at and air on MG-TV, Maris Grove’s on-site television station.

Because staff handles all inside and outside homeowner responsibilities and amenities include more than 150 activities and groups, an on-site medical center and pharmacy, Davisson considers Maris Grove’s lifestyle to be easy living. “Everything is here,” he says.

Because he doesn’t like sleeping in, Davisson begins each day with his long-established 5 a.m. gym workout. The fitness center in Maris Grove’s Redwood Commons clubhouse is just 70 paces from the Davissons’ apartment.

Monday through Thursday Davisson alternates between his Wilmington office and his home office in the Davisson’s large two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with patio.

On Thursday evenings when he and Janet depart for the Jersey Shore, they leave their worries behind. Maris Grove’s round-the-clock security team ensures that on their return, things will be as they’d left them.

“I had no idea of what Maris Grove’s retirement living would be like,” Davisson says. “But exposure to new people, activities, and events opened my eyes.”

“We value the diversity that our employed residents bring to Maris Grove,” says Heckler. “Our maintenance-free lifestyle makes this an ideal place for working seniors.”

About Maris Grove: Maris Grove, one of 19 continuing care retirement communities managed by Erickson Living®, is situated on a scenic 87-acre campus in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. The community is located in Delaware County and is home to more than 1,600 residents. Additional information about Maris Grove can be found at MarisGrove.com.

Photo: Maris Grove resident Pete Davisson works at the commercial real estate company he founded.

Photo: Maris Grove resident works in marketing at a New Jersey-based company.

Photo credit: Jacqueline Kimball

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Written by Jacqueline Kimball

Media contact: Petra Shaw at 732-481-6081