She's 90 and helping her peers as a caregiver. Workers over 80 say helping each other is the best job they can get

Shortly after one of her recent weekday chair yoga classes at a nursing home, Barbara Brown, 83, recalled when she asked participants to take a deep breath and exhale. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman moving her hands and feet.

"She never moves," Brown whispered to herself. She had noticed she barely reacts to others anymore.

But seeing her participate in class, Brown looked on in awe. "It's working."

As she taught the class in Richmond, Virginia, how to do a seated twist, she looked up and saw a mass of moving arms, nodding heads, and beaming grins. For an hour, those who otherwise live fairly sedentary lives became exuberant learners.

It's sometimes strange for Brown to think that, at her age, she can pay her bills by teaching her peers, many of whom are less healthy than she is. Some have memory loss; others can barely get out of their chairs. Brown, a former accountant, said she always prioritized a healthy lifestyle, but still knows she's lucky to be so spry.

"Helping others is giving me more life," says Brown, who has taught since 2009. "I stay in the moment, not looking back or regretting. My time is spent creating. What can I do now to create a better life and to help others have a better life?"

Many of the nearly 550,000 Americans 80 and older who still work are employed in roles that improve the lives of their fellow 80-year-olds. Over 12,500 work as personal care aides, according to a Business Insider analysis of Census Bureau data. Other common jobs include physical therapists, registered nurses, drivers for medical institutions, and nonprofit work focusing on older Americans. Some work in education for older Americans, such as teaching AI or leading community events.

Over a dozen of the more than 175 workers age 80 and older who spoke to Business Insider this year are among them. Some said they have a purpose in helping their peers live more fulfilling lives. Others could not find any other job and needed to secure something to stay financially stable. As some put it, they were among the only jobs that wouldn't discriminate against older workers.

These jobs often aren't high-paying and are physically demanding. Home health and personal care aides earned a median hourly wage of under $17 in 2024.

As the population ages, the US is facing a shortage of workers to care for older Americans. Bradley Schurman, a demographic strategist who studies aging populations, said particularly in more rural areas, demographic shifts have increased the need for positions such as caregiving, which he sees as opportunities for older workers.

Seth Sternberg, CEO of Honor, a healthtech company focused on aging, said that because the US is aging faster than it ever has, the only way forward is to figure out how to help people live at home. Nursing homes in the US are about 85% occupied, he said, while only 4% of people 65 and older live in them, and nursing facilities aren't being built at a quick enough pace. Family caregivers perform well over $800 billion in unpaid labor, he added.

Sternberg said companies and nonprofits nationwide are looking for whoever they can find across the age spectrum to serve as paid caregivers. "We do not have enough facility capacity, and we do not have cheap enough ways for people to be able to age at home," he added.

The 80+ healthcare workers serving patients of the same age

Barbara Ford, 83, spent over three decades working in nursing and hospice care, assisting people around her age in their final months, days, or hours. When her own health got worse as she entered he 80s, she decided to move behind the scenes.

Over a year ago, Ford, who walks with a cane, transitioned to a healthcare agency to help with paperwork, mostly auditing charts and checking nurses' notes. Her husband, 87, recently retired as a bus aide.

"The older you get, the more you realize that we all need help," said Ford, who lives in Virginia. "We can't go through this life alone. In helping, you get back tenfold what you give."

Ford said that money has been tight, so the extra income goes toward dinners out and other expenses. She was able to assist her children and grandchildren financially over the years and has few regrets about how she handled her money.

Many workers in their 80s who need the income gravitate to healthcare roles, as they often pay more than retail or nonprofit positions. Some healthcare workers in this demographic said the rewards of the work outweigh the risks, though at 80, lifting patients or helping them walk is precarious and taxing.

Some financially stressed workers told Business Insider that they were considering a paid caregiving role, relying on their experiences caring for a loved one. Lakelyn Eichenberger, a gerontologist and caregiver advocate at Home Instead, which hires older Americans as in-home caretakers, said organizations should try to match care workers with patients they can most effectively help, based on their skills, abilities, and schedules.

Until this summer, Betty June Harp, 91, cared for older clients near Louisville, Kentucky. She made them breakfast, got them out of bed, bathed them, and dressed them. Some died while she was caring for them. One died in her arms.

For much of her life, Harp worked on a dairy farm and at a day care nursery, though when she entered her 80s, she pivoted again to private home care. She became a Care Pro at Home Instead in 2021, following her husband's death, and worked primarily for the satisfaction of helping others age with dignity, rather than for the money. Harp recently moved into a Christian care community and continues to play the organ at her country church, where she has played for 65 years.

"I cared for them like they were part of my family," Harp said.

When the only job you can find is helping your peers

Three years ago, Charles Smith, 87, was unsure what to do. He desired to return to work to supplement his and his wife's $40,000 in annual Social Security, but a spinal cord injury left him partially paralyzed. He applied for hundreds of jobs during his mid-80s, but none would bite, despite his resume spotlighting the four industrial water treatment businesses he ran.

In 2023, he started a full-time job with the Lancaster County Office of Aging in Pennsylvania. The pay was about $30,000 a year, much less than what he had made previously. He does administrative work on home assistance, Meals on Wheels, and physical therapy. It's the most fulfilling job he's ever had, he said, and the extra income has eased some financial stress.

"Whenever I think I've got problems, I just take a look at some of the people whom we provide services to, and then I realize my problems fade into the background," Smith said.

Some older Americans have found employment at care organizations that aim to match seniors with specific roles. Ardith Weber, 84, works part-time as a senior medical patrol worker in Kentucky, speaking about Medicare to older people in the community, and as an assistant for an anti-poverty organization that helps Americans pay their utility bills.

She secured the job through the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which helps low-income adults aged 55 and older find employment. She enrolled with her husband Jack after facing unexpected home renovation costs.

"I need to be around people; if I'm not, it does things to my mental health. I don't want that to happen," Weber said.

Helping their peers in untraditional ways

Some jobs help older Americans in indirect or atypical ways. One man runs a venture capital firm that invests in companies focusing on healthy aging. Another runs a freelance handyman business, and most of his customers are older. A few do yard work, financial management, or real estate sales for older clients.

Mike Plummer, 81, and his wife, 74, don't need to work for money, but he's made it his mission to teach his colleagues at REI about aging well.

Plummer, who works two days a week in the store's action sports department, was the only worker over 65 when he first started, but now there are four others.

"We call ourselves the Silverbacks," Plummer said. "One of the guys is into social connections, and he's really good at helping young people and mentoring them. One woman is a retired Navy captain who works in the bike shop."

In 2019, Plummer designed a store survey about how joyful his peers felt at work. He found that older workers were more content at work and less motivated to get promotions. He made it his goal to educate his coworkers about healthy aging, and he contacted an author to give a workshop at four stores in Florida, including his own.

"We both get asked a lot, 'Why are you still working? You don't need the money,'" he said. "But in your 70s and 80s, friends are dying or have medical issues, and you lose that social connection."

Ken Stern, founder of the Longevity Project, said that the US should look to countries like Japan and South Korea, which more regularly offer alternative career paths for older workers, such as those that help their peers. Some countries abroad stress social connection more in the aging experience, which could better integrate older workers into their communities.

Mel Lange, 81, has played his part. by driving lower-income older Americans to and from medical appointments. Lange, who lives in a small town in Missouri, couldn't find another job after his time in construction, so he went to work as a driver for a medical transportation provider.

He works about 20 hours a week and relies on the $500 to $1,000 weekly income to pay down his car bill and supplement his VA pension and Social Security, the latter of which is about $1,000 monthly.

"I love talking to people and hearing about their trips. I have a good reputation here," Lange said. "It's a tremendous job for senior citizens."

Agnes Applegate contributed reporting.

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