They are the progeny of post-war America and they are called “baby boomers” because they number so many.

So many investors that the world’s economy boomed for most of their adult lives and so many that market analysts long-feared their retirement as an end of prosperous times.

Most boomers have already retired.

“Here’s an interesting fact, for the first time ever, the old outnumber the young,” said Kippi Waters, director of Peninsula Homecare Cooperative.

“Traditionally in our culture, there is a generation of usually women, taking care of our elders. But the baby boomers didn’t have that many children as compared to previous generations so we don’t have that population stepping up to take care of them.”

This necessity, she said, became the mother of her 2015 invention that is the Co-op.

“Jefferson County has the oldest population in the state of Washington,” she noted. According to Washington population data, the county’s share of persons 65 and older has risen from 26 percent in 2010 to 42 percent in 2022.

“When I first started, and I’ve been doing this for about 20 years, my peers were mostly women my age, in their 40s and 50s, We’d raised our babies and had our fling with cooperate America. Most of us were searching for more soul-centered, meaningful work.

“A lot my peers did the caregiving for the silent generation and now they’re all retiring. It was a huge caregiving pool so there is a necessity to reach out to younger generations,” Waters explained.

That outreach has seen success as she can see the median age of caregivers dropping.

“I think we inspire them with the idea of having a job where their voice is heard, their opinions are respected and that any decision that impacts the culture, the direction and the success of the business, everybody has a say, everybody has a voice.” Waters explained that the cooperative is part of a new paradigm for the health care industry and one that is desperately needed.

“Traditionally, health care workers are under paid and under valued. Their opinions, their beliefs and philosophy of care, traditionally are not listened to nor respected. In a cooperative, the caregivers become owners of the company. Caregivers may have responsibilities in the administration of the business as well as the opportunity to run for the board to govern this organization,” said Waters.

An organization, she added, that creates policies for fair and sustainable employment practices.

“We have an organization where caregivers have a voice in and a vote on those policies,” she said, which is beneficial to the caregiver. “There is the ability to feel empowered and you have more opportunities to expand your career.”

Waters said she finds it very exciting to educate people in the concept of a worker/owner cooperative.

“This isn’t a new concept. Cooperative ownership and democracy in the workplace are concepts we’re not used to seeing. We’re not taught about them in school.

“When I talk to young people about cooperation and collaboration, I think it strikes a cord of excitement in them. I think that is a core value that younger generations hold dear — the value of a community of common goals and also work that has an almost spiritual meaning — caregiving as a career is very heart-centric. It appeals to something very deep inside of them.”

Waters said she believed that the state-required 75 hours of training can be daunting but hopes that young people see it as an investment in a career.

“Once you have a caregiver license in the state of Washington, you will never be out of work.

“And it’s meaningful work that you feel good about doing at the end of your day, that you’ve made a significant contribution.”

For more information, www.phc.coop.