Jessica Wilson didn't set out to work with older adults.
In high school, she volunteered with them for fun. She enjoyed spending time with developmentally disabled adults over 26, people who'd aged out of the school system. But it never occurred to her this could be a career.
In college, she studied Jewish Studies, Political Science, and Music. Nothing remotely related to social work.
After graduation, living in New York City, something shifted. She found herself gravitating toward social work and enrolled at Hunter College.
That's when opportunity and timing collided.
The Hartford Twelve
This was years ago, but New York City was already ahead of the curve in noticing demographic trends. The aging population was growing rapidly. Meanwhile, most social work students were choosing children, families, and women's issues.
Hunter saw the gap and decided to do something about it.
The Hartford Foundation funded a specialized program: twelve students who would commit to studying aging. Take the courses. Write their thesis on aging. Complete a second placement in the field. In exchange, tuition paid plus a stipend.
Jessica was one of the twelve who said yes.
"I fell into aging work somewhat accidentally, but exposure made all the difference," she reflects.
Her first-year placement was at the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged. She loved it. More importantly, she discovered something about herself: she'd never worked in an institutional setting (no hospitals, no nursing homes), and she realized that's where she fit best.
Why Community, Not Institutions
The choice wasn't arbitrary. Jessica learned early that in hospitals, social workers often can't do what they know is right because Medicare dictates so much.
"I knew that system wouldn't work for me," she says. "The community setting allowed me to actually help people in ways that felt meaningful."
Before committing to social work, she'd even considered a master's in special education. She shadowed teachers to test the waters.
"I realized I didn't enjoy working with kids or the school environment," she admits. "I loved working with adults in the community, so social work made sense."
The MSW offered exactly the flexibility she needed. You can work with different populations or settings, become a director, shift focus entirely. Hunter is also known for producing community and agency-based social workers, not private practice therapists. The program emphasized community organizing, systems, real-world engagement.
All of it shaped her path.
The Grandmothers Who Showed Her What's Possible
But there was another source of inspiration, one that ran deeper than any academic program.
Jessica was very close to both her grandmothers. One was a Holocaust survivor who lived to 92. The other lived to 90, went back to college for a drama degree at age 70, and was still driving and maintaining her home into old age.
"They were incredible models of successful aging," Jessica says. "I still sometimes see clients who remind me of them."
She knows not everyone has positive experiences with aging relatives. She was fortunate that she did. Those relationships gave her a window into what aging could look like at its best: resilient, engaged, autonomous.
Reaffirmed Almost Every Day
Ask Jessica about a moment that reaffirmed her purpose, and she'll tell you it happens constantly.
"Honestly, I feel reaffirmed almost every day. The work is incredibly rewarding."
She runs four in-person caregiver support groups. Earlier today, one of the groups stopped mid-conversation to tell her how helpful she's been to them.
"That kind of acknowledgment is rare, but even when people don't say it directly, I know when I've made a difference."
When she does assessments, sends reports, walks families through difficult decisions, they tell her: "We don't know what we would've done without you."
Earlier in her career, she had jobs where if she didn't show up, nobody would notice. It was intense, bordering on burnout. But it taught her how essential this work can be.
The Hardest Part: Honoring Autonomy
The challenges come when working with people who are resistant or don't want help.
"I remind families and myself that adults have the right to make bad decisions unless they're legally determined incapable," Jessica explains.
Sometimes she knows exactly where a situation is heading: a fall, an injury, a crisis. And she has to let events unfold because people have autonomy.
"That's the hardest part."
But here's the twist: the most resistant clients are often the ones she admires most.
"Their feistiness is often what keeps them going. I always say: the day your 95-year-old mom stops fighting you is the day to worry, because that spark is part of what's keeping her alive. You have to honor that independence and adapt around it."
A Daughter for Hire
Jessica describes herself as a "daughter for hire."
She's the person who holds all the information, makes the calls, coordinates everything, and gives the family space to breathe. She's the connector among all the moving pieces: the doctor, the lawyer, the family, the community resources.
"Especially with older adults, there's so much to manage, and caregivers are often overwhelmed."
She doesn't have to be the expert in every discipline. She just needs enough knowledge to communicate effectively and know which pieces fit where.
"And above all, I empower the person at the center. I give options, not orders. If I force something, it backfires. If they choose it, they embrace it."
What Social Work Really Means
For Jessica, social work means empowering people to make decisions that improve their lives, even in small ways. It's about listening, understanding people's stories, being present.
"Social work feels like professionalized volunteerism in the best way," she says. "People don't respect you because of your degree. They respect you because you helped them, because you showed up, because you cared."
When someone refers another person to her based on their experience? That's the greatest compliment.
Advice for the Next Generation
Jessica's guidance for students and early-career professionals is clear: get as much real-world experience as possible.
"Out in the field, not just in clinical settings. Doctors' offices don't show you who people really are. Community-based programs, volunteering, internships that put you in people's homes or neighborhoods—that's where you learn the whole person, not just 'the patient.'"
Medical training gives you clinical hours. What people often lack are people skills: asking the right questions, engaging, listening, building trust.
"Without that, the best clinical skills in the world won't matter because patients won't follow through."
And don't chase hours just to fill a resume.
"Find experiences you genuinely enjoy. Passion matters."
She's blunt about the financial reality: "Social work doesn't pay much, so please don't go into it for money."
But if you love the work? "It's incredibly fulfilling. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd still do this work in some form."
The Accidental Career
There's something beautiful about Jessica's journey. She didn't plan to work with older adults. She studied music and political science. She volunteered because it was fun, not because she saw a career path.
But exposure made all the difference. A foundation scholarship. A placement she loved. Grandmothers who modeled what successful aging could look like.
Now, decades later, she runs support groups, coordinates care, empowers families, and honors the feisty independence of 95-year-olds who keep fighting.
She fell into this work by accident. But she's stayed because it matters.
Because every day, she gets to be the person families don't know what they'd do without. The connector. The listener. The daughter for hire who helps people navigate one of life's most complex transitions.
And in a healthcare system that too often fragments care and strips away autonomy, that kind of person-centered, community-based work isn't just meaningful.
It's essential.
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