Why Your Pool's Lifeguard Is More Likely to Be a Senior

Throughout the United States, older adults and retirees are serving as lifeguards amid a mounting shortage of teens looking for summer jobs, and an increase in seniors needing additional money to make ends meet, according to the Washington Post . "There's this idea out there among teens that work isn't such a cool thing anymore — and so who's replacing them in the workforce? Older Americans, 55 and up," says Drexel University Professor Paul Harrington. The American Lifeguard Association is recruiting seniors to counter a dearth of younger applicants, while pools and beach clubs are increasing salaries and easing physical requirements. Pool management companies have long relied on foreign students who work as lifeguards on summer visitor visas, but Jennifer Hatfield with the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals cites a "dramatic decline" in visa approvals this year.