If you picture the people living in retirement homes as dull and sedentary, think again!
Many seniors are perfectly capable of leading full and active lives well into their 70s, 80s, and even 90s. Now, thanks to one of the cutest new TikTok trends ever, we have “grandfluencers” to prove that age really is just a number.
Grandfluencers are just like regular influencers, except they’ve got life experience that makes them a bit more skeptical about internet trends. There are a few different TikTok accounts that focus on senior living, but there’s only one partially-scripted TikTok channel that shows seniors being this hilarious. It’s called Retirement House, and it’s unlike any retirement community we’ve ever seen!
Retirement House is the brainchild of 20-somethings Adi Azran and Brandon Chase. When Adi saw a TikTok video of an unusually hip grandmother spouting a trendy catch phrase, he got the idea to make a show about older influencers acting like young people. He told Brandon, and they decided to hold an open casting call to hire six seniors to pretend to live in a “content house” similar to the ones young influencers use.
Six actors aged 70 to 85 were cast to play the characters Larry, Curtis, Mabel, Eugene, Rose, and Bubbe. Most of these folks have never acted before, though a few dabbled in theater in their younger years. They shoot Retirement House in a rented mansion in West Hollywood, California, where they tackle current TikTok trends, jokes, and challenges for the amusement of a much younger audience.
To be clear, most of the time these seniors don’t have a clue what those TikTok trends really mean, but that doesn’t stop them from giving them the old college try. Plus, they have a fabulous time while doing so!
@retirementhouse Hope this helps
♬ original sound – Retirement House
“Seniors have been left out of the spotlight in the entertainment industry,” said Adi.
Thanks to TikTok’s format, seniors are finally getting the attention they deserve! Even though TikTok users don’t usually like scripted content, fans make an exception for these characters because these grandpas and grandmas seem to be having so much fun.
Brandon also thinks seeing seniors leading full lives makes them feel better about their own futures.
“The bottom line is that people want to see that when they get old, they won’t be boring,” he said.
As for the actors, they’re having the time of their lives! They all hope their videos help young people see that there’s life after retirement, and it can be a blast.
“You see so many stories of older people that are not happy, because as you get older, you lose friends, you lose relatives, you don’t have people to share your life with,” said Reatha Grey, who plays Rose. “We’re actually building shared memories together – and it’s on videotape.”
“I come into work and laugh all day long. I just can’t stop laughing,” agreed 85-year-old Gaylynn Baker, who plays Mabel. “We’re changing people’s minds about what it means to age by having fun.”
Adi and Brandon are hoping the show gets picked up as a television series. With more than 3.8 million fans on TikTok, we’d say they’re on the right track.
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