Guest Blog by Jasmine Hathaway
As a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), what’s your primary motivation in serving your clients? For many of you reading this article, it’s likely as simple as providing peace of mind to a vulnerable population. For others, it may be even more personal: Maybe you have a parent, grandparent, or loved one who’s been taken advantage of and you want to prevent that from happening to others. Whatever comes to mind for you, I have a feeling your primary driver is rooted in a deep desire to provide genuine care and holistic support for the older adults you serve.
CSAs are a special group of people. You’re charged not only with responding to the many issues that may arise, but also with knowing what’s coming down the road. And in working with an aging population, a great deal of that future planning involves death and loss.
You’ve likely heard of the “silver tsunami” — the phrase that was coined to describe the vast numbers of baby boomers aging into retirement and beyond. The first “wave” of boomers hit 65 in 2011. The eldest of that group still living are 78, while the youngest boomers are turning 60 this year. This demographic made up roughly 21% of the US population in 2023 — and to put these numbers into an even more tangible perspective, there were roughly 25 million more babies born in the boomer generation in the United States than there were in the silent generation that came before them.
So, we understand why the baby boomer generation got its name — but what does all this mean for CSAs?
Simply put, the realities of death and loss are looming. Not to mention, the sheer population difference between boomers and the silent generation means that you’ll likely be met with a higher demand for senior services of all kinds.
Adding after loss services to an already robust list of offerings is not only something your clients will benefit from, but a significant opportunity for your business. Today, I’d like to share information about the emerging industry as a whole, as well as provide specific ways becoming an after loss professional will make your clients’ lives (and your own life) a little easier.
What Is an After Loss Professional?
An after loss professional is exactly what you might guess: It’s a person who steps in to assist with all of the to-dos that pile up after the loss of a loved one. As an after loss professional myself, I work with widows/widowers, surviving children, executors, and others to streamline things like estate cleanouts, the filing of necessary paperwork and documentation, and general coordination between all involved parties, among other tasks.
How Becoming an After Loss Pro Can Benefit Your Clients
Whether a client is dealing with the loss of a spouse, adult child, or another cherished friend or family member, grief can take a toll. Without turning this article into a journal on the cognitive effects of grief, I’ll say that it’s fairly common knowledge that grief can have a significant impact on executive functioning. Essentially, this means that even your sharpest, most organized client could become incapacitated by grief.
By adding after loss services to your offerings, you’ll be able to support your clients through the administrative and logistical tasks that fall to them after a loss and provide a wide range of additional benefits, including:
- Being prepared for what’s ahead. The reality is that you’re working with an aging population, and death and loss are very real issues that will inevitably impact every one of them. By becoming an after loss professional, you’ll learn how to help clients take steps that can make their loved ones’ lives easier when they pass.
- Having a tech expert. Sure, baby boomers are more tech-savvy than generations before them. But as technology advances at an ever-increasing pace, clients may not know how to file digital documents, manage multiple forms of electronic communication, or establish digital legacy settings on their devices, among other needs. As an after loss pro, you can take the frustration out of these to-dos.
- Working with you — their trusted CSA. You know your clients. Why refer them to someone else? Your clients work with you because they trust you and value your credentials as a CSA. As an after loss professional, you’ll be better positioned to continue serving your clients after a loss, rather than referring them elsewhere. This ensures your clients are receiving the care you know they deserve and simplifies their interactions, minimizing the likelihood of complications and duplicated efforts.
How Becoming an After Loss Pro Can Benefit Your Business
As a CSA, you may already offer some of the services I mentioned above — but if you’re not marketing those services, you may be missing out on connecting with prospective clients who are looking for help as they navigate one of the most difficult moments in their lives.
Individuals looking for support as they deal with the loss of a loved one may find you through different avenues than your traditional clientele. Whether through connections with other after loss pros or through online searches for help in this nascent industry, branding yourself as an after loss pro may create a new referral source for your services.
The Future of After Loss Services
I mentioned it earlier in the article, but the baby boomer generation makes up tens of millions more of our population than the silent generation did. This means that as people who work with older adults, it’s incumbent upon us to be prepared for the inevitability of death — and to understand that the sheer numbers we’re dealing with will far surpass anything we’ve ever seen before.
It’s my expectation that as more and more people experience and learn about the advent of after loss services, they’ll become the norm. I can’t tell you how frequently people who are learning about the industry for the first time say, “Man, I could have really used that when I was dealing with the loss of my mom/dad/grandmother/sister/aunt/uncle…”
Death is an unfortunate and challenging reality for every one of us. But death’s inevitability doesn’t make it any less painful for the people navigating a loss. Having the knowledge and skills to confidently guide your clients during one of the most difficult hurdles they’ll be faced with is just one more way you can accomplish your mission of providing compassionate care as a CSA. In short, we know without a doubt that the need is there. It’s up to those of us serving our senior population to fill it.
About the Author
Jasmine Hathaway is a co-founder of PALS (Professionals of After Loss Services), which brings together professionals who are passionate about filling the gap in support for families struggling to manage the administrative and logistical tasks of settling an estate while grieving the death of a loved one. PALS provides online education to teach others how to become after loss professionals, a membership, and a business affiliate program for this burgeoning community.
