With all the attention paid to aging in place, there are also important new developments in community living, such as “senior living” facilities or retirement communities. The goal, after all, isn’t the location itself — your home or a new residence or community — it’s whether that location supports a higher quality of life, and as much independence and choice as possible. The real issue is: does this location help me, as a SuperAger, to “get older without getting old?”
The “senior living” industry is well aware of the new demands and expectations of their emerging client base, whether they’re defined as Baby Boomers, SuperAgers or some other descriptor. The longevity revolution is profoundly affecting their products and services, and we’re always keeping a close eye on how they’re responding. This article is a very useful summary of some of the major trends for 2024.
1. Fostering connections with the community: “Senior living facilities can no longer simply be places where (people) go after retirement to live in isolation.These facilities must be placed where seniors not only can socialize with each other but also can interact with their surrounding communities.”
2. Planning for aging in place: There are now almost 2,000 continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in the USA, also called “life-plan communities.” The idea is to offer multiple housing options, from independent living to assisted living to memory care and short-term rehab, “to allow older people to move through the stages of aging, all within the same development.”
3. University-based senior living communities: More than 100 CCRCs operate on or near college campuses, in 30 states. “At these developments, seniors, many of whom are alumni, can take classes, teach, and mentor students. And with dwindling student populations, colleges and universities can gain revenue by leasing or owning the senior living buildings.”
4. Providing amenities for active adults: “For many, growing older doesn’t mean growing feeble — so senior living facilities shouldn’t just treat residents as patients. Facilities are serving the active adult demographic by providing gyms, swimming pools, walking and biking paths, and other fitness options.”
5. Aiming for the quality of a high-end resort: “Senior living facilities are finding they need to up their game when it comes to the amenities they offer. Increasingly, they’re offering more luxe amenities. These can include casual and formal dining, indoor fitness centers, outdoor fitness activities, day spas, and medical clinics.”
6. Providing more health and wellness options: “Facilities are prioritizing more nutritious food options among many other health and wellness features and amenities. These can include healthy indoor air quality, robust fitness options, outdoor gardens, and walking and biking paths.”
7. Avoiding institutional-looking designs: “Facilities are looking less like institutions, and more like communities — inside and out …” Developers are trying to create more of a village feel, so that residents “can walk out of their units and be part of a community.”
8. Adopting modern technology to keep residents connected: “As baby boomers move into senior living, they’re bringing all their devices with them. They’re also bringing an expectation that their new housing facilities will support their tech needs. In response, senior care organizations are upgrading their network infrastructure and broadband — and even hiring tech concierges to answer residents’ tech questions.”
9. Mitigating financing challenges with more front-end planning and efficient design and construction: This point deals with the developers not the residents, but it’s important. The financing of these developments can be a struggle, what with high construction costs, high interest rates and onerous requirements from local jurisdictions that stretch out the approval process. In response, developers are looking at more efficient design and construction, including modular builds and repeatable building and operational layouts.
“10. Looking at adaptive reuse opportunities: Another response to high costs of land and construction, and high interest rates, is to explore “adaptive reuse” of existing buildings, like empty or underused office buildings.”
Check out the whole article, because it gives examples of each of these points, as well as photos. It looks like this is a very dynamic sector, and we’ll certainly keep you up to date on the latest thinking an specific projects worth a look.