The people we serve

What is a Perennial?

A Perennial isn’t defined by age. It’s a way of staying curious, connected and fully alive, at every stage of life.

Not a number. A way of living.

We could say “seniors”, “the elderly”, or “the over-65s”. But those words describe a date of birth, not a person. They flatten decades of taste, character and desire into a single category.

A Perennial is the opposite of a category. It is someone who keeps getting involved, keeps learning, keeps meeting people and keeps making plans, whatever their age. Later life, seen this way, is not a decline to manage. It is time to spend well.

That is who Assilva is for: people who still have a lot of living to do, and who would rather do it than scroll past it.

What Perennials have in common

  • Curious

    Still discovering

    New places, new people, new ideas. Interest doesn’t retire.

  • Connected

    Part of the world

    Friends across generations, and a life that happens outside the home.

  • Independent

    On their own terms

    Making their own choices, at their own pace, for as long as possible.

Where the word comes from

Term coined by Gina Pell, 2016.

The term was coined in 2016 by writer Gina Pell, who wanted a name for “ever-blooming, relevant people of all ages who stay curious and connected”.

The image is botanical: a perennial plant blooms, rests through the season, and blooms again, year after year. It defines people by how they live, not by the year they were born.

Why we build for Perennials

Longevity is giving people more time than any generation before them. Assilva exists so that time is spent on real experiences, connection and the things that make a life feel full, with the organisations that already care for them.

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