South Africa is experiencing a demographic shift, with its senior population steadily growing. Corene Breedt-Rammutla, Co-Founder and CEO of Circle Senior Living, is spearheading efforts to ensure that seniors can live with dignity and independence while enjoying a high quality of life. She is committed to making a meaningful difference in their lives.
“Motivation for this comes easily to me because I’ve such a strong ‘why’ pulling me forward,” Corene says. “I’m on a mission to revolutionize senior living, and nothing is going to stand in my way.”
A Life-Changing Experience
A qualified occupational therapist by trade, Corene has always had a passion for caring for people. However, a life-changing experience involving her grandmother, who was an important part of her life, ignited her love for senior living.
“She lived a very healthy life right until the end,” Corene shares. She wanted to die a dignified death in her own home, but her family thought they knew better and rushed her to the ICU. “That decision led to a lot of suffering and an undignified end to what was a wonderful life,” Corene says. She still deeply regrets that experience.
From then on, Corene committed herself to changing the landscape of senior living so that people like her grandmother could age with dignity, autonomy, and a sense of purpose.
Incredibly Proud of Circle Senior Living
When she began to focus on senior living, Corene realized that it had not at all evolved in terms of the model of care in South Africa. “We are still doing things in the same way that we did 50 years ago, and in many cases, the quality of care is compromised to protect investor returns,” she points out.
Corene co-founded Circle Senior Living in 2021. It is a boutique senior living brand with residences being developed in cosmopolitan locations in Johannesburg and soon in Cape Town. According to Corene, its vision is to pioneer a new methodology for senior living that focuses on care first and foremost, bringing safety, security, choice, community, personalization, and expertise around longevity to the table to transform what it means to age. “We believe we can achieve this while still nurturing a robust and sustainable business,” Corene says.
She is “incredibly proud” that they are the first facility in South Africa that is built from the ground up to accommodate an age-in-place model where the care comes to the resident, rather than forcing seniors to go through three or four traumatic moves – from independent living to assisted living, and then to full 24/7 care.
“We’ve only been open for a year now, so it’s still early in our journey,” Corene says, “but the fact that we have already been nominated as one of the leading retirement homes in the country shows that we have something really special here.”
A Series of Challenges
The journey from the initial idea to opening the doors of the first facility of Circle Senior Living took Corene and her business partner, Michael Sieff, 5 years, 2 months, and 28 days. According to her, the fundraising process was probably one of the most difficult things she has ever done. She explains that it was challenging because they were selling a brand-new paradigm shift in senior care. They had to convince investors not only to buy into their long-term vision but also to believe in the new model of care that they wanted to create.
Historically, there has been a big stigma around senior living communities. Corene points out that they are often viewed as a last resort rather than a lifestyle choice. “Redefining this is a significant challenge that we continue to fight for day after day,” she adds.
Another significant challenge they face is navigating the various regulatory requirements related to buildings, healthcare, and care imposed upon them by different departments. Corene highlights that they refuse to cut corners, which means that processes can sometimes take longer than they would like. They are confident that their upfront efforts now will pay off in the long run.
Lastly, they face a challenge in balancing affordability with a high-quality service. Corene explains that they want to be as accessible as possible; but, South Africa’s unique challenges around security, energy, sustainability, and economic disparity make it difficult for them to deliver on their dream offering at a price point that still makes sense. “This is where we want to use technology and new ways of thinking to make our operations more efficient so that we are more accessible to a broader market of seniors in South Africa,” she says.
To Become the Gold Standard in Africa
Corene points out that in most senior living facilities, care is completely separated from the business side of things. It is seen that at a vulnerable age, seniors are uprooted from their routines again and again because it suits the operator and it is better for business. This is what gives these facilities the stigma that they have. Corene and her team are striving to change that.
“At Circle Senior Living, care is at the core of everything we do,” she says. “We are willing to sacrifice a lot of our bottom line in order to deliver a care offering that we can be proud of.”
She and her team want to pioneer a client-centric business model that becomes the gold standard in South Africa, inspiring other operators to make changes in their businesses.
Focusing on a Few Competencies
Corene and her team have a big dream for Circle Senior Living. However, they recognize that they can’t do everything at once, especially when they are still a new entity in the senior living landscape. “So, we had to decide where we were going to focus our energy and attention first,” Corene says. By postponing many other aspects of their dream offering, they felt they could gain traction in the marketplace.
After much deliberation, they decided to focus first on functional buildings that could provide the full continuum of care. It is because they needed to build the brand and achieve a proof of concept, Corene explains.
At some point in the future, they intend to return to all their other ideas around peripheral businesses and services, such as assistive devices, memory care, technological integration, longevity research, and so on. “But for now, we are laser-focused on just a few competencies – a decision that has been very important for our growth,” Corene says.
Multiple Roles – Mother, Wife, and Leader
Corene sees herself as a mother and a wife first. She says she has decided to be very hands-on with her family, especially while her daughter is still young. She has accepted that her work will have to fit around that number one priority. As a result, she finds herself in the 3 a.m. club that so many working mothers find themselves in. According to her, she uses those early hours when no one else is awake to get ahead of the day’s to-do list. She does not see this as a chore; instead, she sees her dual roles as an absolute blessing.
“With a ‘why’ as strong as mine, it’s a joy to be able to juggle both, building a family legacy that I’m proud of, while also working towards a professional mission that can make a significant impact in the lives of so many,” Corene says.
As a leader, she strives to be in tune with the unique personalities of everyone who works with her. This helps her understand what they need in terms of balance. Corene points out that she is raw and authentic with them, and when she sees that they need time out, she makes sure that happens. “But it’s not a one-way street, we are always learning from each other,” she adds.
As a team, they try to take moments to celebrate the small successes, recognize the glimmers of joy in their daily lives, and support each other when things feel difficult.
“In senior living, you deal with a lot of joy but also a lot of heartaches, and the only way to manage that dichotomy is, to be honest with each other and see each other as human beings first, and colleagues second,” Corene says.
Managing Personal Stress
Corene leads an organization that is a pioneer in the field of senior living. As she walks on a path that not many have walked before in South Africa, she encounters unprecedented challenges. While this can be stressful, she remains calm and undaunted.
A woman of faith, she believes she is not carrying the load alone and that a path has already been carved out for her. This thought brings her great calm. “With that as my foundation, I then try to manage my personal stress through a commitment to self-care,” she points out.
She explains that this means different things to different people. For her, this could mean enjoying a good book, spending time with her family, taking short breaks to recharge mentally, or just putting the cell phone away and sitting still for a moment.
What Is Success?
Corene’s definition of success has evolved over the years. In her younger years, as so many others do, she measured success in terms of career milestones, financial assets, work recognition, and so on. “But as I’ve got older, I’ve realized how hollow all of that is,” she says. Now, she views success more holistically – being able to maintain a sense of balance and fulfillment in her life.
She explains that it is about being present for her family, maintaining her health and relationships, and using her work as a vehicle to make an impact in the lives of the people she serves.
As a mother to a child, she also now thinks a lot more about creating a legacy through mentorship, leadership, and motherhood – demonstrating a strong moral compass, unquestionable integrity, and a desire to positively influence everyone she comes across.
The Future of Senior Living
Corene notes that senior living is on the brink of wholescale transformation because of the significant demographic shifts in their population. Some of the trends that she foresees include:
Personalized care and services. The one-size-fits-all approach is completely outdated. Future senior living communities will need to offer highly personalized care and services that cater to the unique needs, preferences, and lifestyles of each resident. This means a much greater emphasis on person-centered care models where every resident has more control over their daily lives and the services they receive.
Integration of technology. Technology is going to play a bigger and bigger role going forward with telehealth, remote monitoring, smart home technology, AI-driven tech solutions, and more. Therefore, leaders must be tech-savvy and open to using new tools that create operational efficiency, without replacing the human touch which is so important in a world where social isolation is such an issue.
Wellness and preventative care. The future of senior living will have an increased focus on wellness and preventative care, rather than just managing illness. Leaders should advocate for holistic approaches in integrative fitness, nutrition, social engagement, and mental health, which should all serve as core components of senior living communities.
Community integration and social connectivity. Families are now scattered all over the world so it is crucial that one creates opportunities for social engagement and community connection to fight against the loneliness epidemic.
Financial accessibility. One has to continually work to find ways to balance affordability with delivering a top-tier service. To do this, leaders must be proactive, see opportunities for innovation, and embrace the change while still being grounded in the reality of care.
Corene notes that senior living is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world, offering many opportunities for innovation and disruption. “We’ve barely scratched the surface in terms of reimagining what is possible in senior living,” she points out. “There is so much potential to transform the lives of our elders.”
Message to Aspiring Leaders
“This work has to be a calling, it can’t just be a job,” Corene tells aspiring leaders interested in the senior living industry. She advises them to have a deep commitment to improving the lives of others because they will have to deal with a lot of heartache along the way.
“You have to be able to blend passion, empathy, patience, and resilience in your day-to-day work,” she adds. “If this lights you up, then you’ll find it the most rewarding and purposeful career in the world.”
