At Village North Retirement Community and Bethesda Terrace, the cameras are rolling—and the stars are residents with acting skills, spunk and surprisingly good dance moves. These two Bethesda communities have recently turned to an untraditional social media platform for this age group to engage their residents: TikTok.
What began as a lighthearted way to share glimpses of daily life with families has evolved into a powerful tool for challenging outdated assumptions about senior living. While Bethesda has long embraced other social media platforms, TikTok offers a fresh, creative way to showcase the reality of life in today’s senior living communities.
“I meet a lot of people who don’t really know the difference between nursing homes and independent living,” says Ashley Nelson, Corporate Sales Counselor at Bethesda Terrace. “TikTok is a fun opportunity to show that our residents are living vibrant, meaningful lives—and that choosing a retirement community doesn’t mean giving up your independence.”
Very few residents have the TikTok app, but they love being part of the filming. In one recent video at Bethesda Terrace, Ashley and Life Enrichment Coordinator Nikki Ross invited residents to form a circle for a group dance. The result was joyful and unscripted.
“We showed them the inspiration video, and they all thought it was so funny,” says Nikki. “We didn’t have any music, so they were just dancing to their own beat. We filmed it right after happy hour, so a lot of them got involved, and it became our most viral video yet with more than 250,000 views and 13,000 likes!”
At Village North, curiosity is growing. A few residents have started inquiring about the app and the process for making videos—and some have even started downloading TikTok themselves!
“We have two residents that absolutely love making the TikToks,” says Adrienne Loyd, Life Enrichment Coordinator at Village North. “They’re very interested in the process, always asking me how I edit videos and add voiceovers.”
Adrienne has started hosting watch parties for the residents, complete with popcorn, where residents can gather to watch the posted videos from both communities and discover popular trends themselves.
And it’s not just the residents who are enjoying the results—families are tuning in, too.
“I love when families see the videos, because it shows them that we’re having fun here,” says Adrienne. “It reassures them that their family member is in a place where they’re supported, valued and enjoying life.”
The TikTok accounts have also sparked interest beyond current residents and families. Both communities have seen an increasing number of followers and plenty of positive feedback. In some cases, touring families have mentioned seeing Bethesda on TikTok.
“One viewer even commented on a recent video, ‘When I retire, I’m coming to Village North!’” says Adrienne.
Follow Bethesda Terrace and Village North on TikTok and for more resident stories, visit Bethesda’s blog!
