Embrace the Power of Purpose for Healthy, Happy Residents
Numerous students have shown that a sense of meaning or purpose can positively impact health, including warding off Alzheimer’s, physical disabilities, and cardiovascular problems.
What can you do to promote purpose?
You may not know the name Burt Mustin, but you’ve probably seen him on TV in or in the movies. He’s appeared in over 150 film and television productions over the course of his career. That may not seem unusual or significant until you realize that he was 67 when he first started acting professionally. He then worked pretty much up until his death at age 92.
“Like most seniors, Mustin thrived on a sense of purpose.”
Like most seniors, Mustin thrived on a sense of purpose. Today’s senior living communities need to be creative about ways to enable residents to have meaning in their lives and value to their days. This may not mean a career in the movies, but it may involve opportunities for mentorships, volunteerism, jobs, entrepreneurial efforts, and creative expression.
Senior living residents “want to be involved,” says Heather Potts, owner of HP Consulting Solutions, “whether it’s serving on resident association boards, volunteering to plan activities, working with nonprofit groups, or other efforts.” She adds, “People want to work longer.” With that in mind, communities that want to attract active seniors need to have amenities such as a business center and 5G that will enable them to work and connect with clients and others.
Finding innovative ways to connect older adults who have so much to share with others “can be part of your value proposition,” says Pott. “It can be the soul of the community, especial with Baby Boomers who have a strong identity to their work and work ethic and want to be productive.”
The data backs this up. To date, most Baby Boomers are still working to some degree, and the oldest among them are staying in the labor market at the highest rate in more than 5 years. In 2018, for example, 29% of Boomers between age 65 and 72 were working or looking for work. This was true for both men and women. This suggests that moving forward, many of your residents will want to work. They will be attracted to communities with onsite office space, tech centers, galleries/art studios, workshops, and other amenities that enable them to work, create, earn, and contribute.
Innovative programs to nurture senior living residents’ sense of purpose include:
The International Council on Active Aging’s Changing the Way We Age® campaign, which encourages older adults to become ICAA Active Aging Champions to serve as role models and educators in their communities and beyond.
A “Man Cave, a program that encourages resident to continue pursuing individual interests from designing motorized racing land yachts and radio-controlled model planes and helicopters to a solar-powered robot.
A number of nonprofit organizations offer programs enabling seniors/retirees to connect with young people, students, and others for mentoring. For instance, seniorscorps.org connects seniors with at-risk children and youth with special needs though community organizations, and sccis.org lets people mentor by email to students develop their own career paths. If you have interested, engaged residents, you can even start your own mentorship program with schools and businesses in the community.
Of course, Pi Architects President Greg Hunteman, AIA, stresses, “Purpose isn’t one-size-fits all. Consider developing programs and initiatives that utilize and nurture your residents’ strengths and interests.” For instance:
Let leaders lead. Give leaders in your community an opportunity to facilitate programs that engage them and others. Some examples: start a community garden that includes a pop-up fruit/vegetable/flower stand on weekends; provide onsite child care for staff; establish a community band or string quartet that offers performances to community groups; hold art shows where residents who paint, draw, or sculpt can show/sell their work, and/or start a doggie day care program
Take talent to the people. If you have residents who love cooking, consider ways to harness their skills and let them share with others. They can bake pies to sell (and/or donate) during the holidays, hold baking contests/challenges, or create a recipe book to sell.
Greg stresses that design can and should promote purpose. This might include:
Indoor spaces with reliable bandwidth, outlines, and capabilities for work involving various technologies and tech tools (e.g., videoconferencing, conducting research) for residents. This might involve a single business center or a small suite of office spaces.
Rooms with natural lighting, cupboards, storage spaces, sinks, and other amenities for art/craft studios.
Outdoor spaces that enable a variety of uses: gardening/planting, walking/hiking, relaxing, meditation, bird-watching, etc.
A community kitchen with professional-level appliances and amenities.
Acoustic panels and other features to enable music, movies, lectures, and other programming, as well as quiet conversation, is large common rooms.
Rooms or spaces with the fixtures, outlets, and other amenities to enable pet grooming/care.
Let us help you create a community that promotes the power of purpose.
Contact us here or call us at 512-231-1910.
