Longevity: Innovative Approaches to Senior Living for a Thriving Future
Holding Space for a longevity community image
People are aging in good health. For the first time in humanity, there are five generations living together, it's something that has never happened before. Globally, life expectancy increases every 10 years, and Nicola Palmarini, director of the National Centre for Ageing in the UK, said during a recent webinar, that we are moving from an aging society to a longevity one. He explained, “There isn’t just one way to live healthier longer lives. Each one of us has their own. We now understand that aging is a much more malleable process than what we have thought before, meaning that we can do a lot to influence our process of aging.” He added, “It’s time we start looking at things from a different perspective."
Replace with better imagery of a longevity campus.
So, what does that mean for senior living communities? According to Palmarini, there is a real estate revolution happening that senior living owners, operators, designers, and others need to know about. He suggested, “People living in a completely different way, surrounded by people who can sustain them. This is changing the idea of retirement communities and how we envision what is happening in those spaces.” These are “longevity buildings,” he offered, where people are living healthier and longer and supported by a layer of services.
Among other insights about longevity from the webinar:
Longevity impacts many industries, not just senior living and health care. It also affects architecture (for senior living and beyond), real estate, transportation, and entertainment. There likely isn’t one industry that is not somehow affected by this shift, and they are all working to understand the impact of longevity and plan and strategize accordingly.
In senior living, we are moving from housing that provides basic services to spaces that foster engaging communities and healthy spaces, and promote leisure options and opportunities.
While people – particularly seniors – talk about wanting to live somewhere else and are aware that they are likely to want and need certain amenities and supports as they age, the “hassle factor” often keeps them from moving forward. It will be important to help them get past these factors and see how a move will enable them to maintain their priorities: functioning with maximal independence, continuing (or even strengthening) relationships with family members and friends, trying new adventures, keeping valued possessions, etc. At the same time, seniors prioritize safety in their home and their communities; and they want to be safe and protected from natural disasters.
There are a few major shifts in terms of the senior housing market. First is the evolution from traditional “old folks’ homes” to vibrant communities that promote living. Second is the proliferation of innovative spaces focusing on wellness and multiple generations living together. Third, there’s a growing public interest in smart home technology and other high-tech home solutions that enable people to age in place. However, this tech will never replace human connections. Overall, dignity is the “guiding star,” suggesting a need for communities that truly understand human behavior and enable generations to live and engage naturally. This means starting with the residents’ experiences and creating spaces that adapt, grow, and use technology to strengthen rather than replace human relationships.
According to one survey, 76% of people have positive views about older adults, but 57% believe society isn’t showing enough proper respect for this demographic. Bringing back the value of interdependence and connections between generations grows communities.
We're moving from a more institutionalized one-size-fits-all to a more customized senior living/housing market where we need to develop a variety of facility types and sizes and more mixed-use models. This will be challenging, as it’s very different than the way things have been done in the past.
The senior living industry needs to build trust and expand its capabilities based on communities’ and residents’ needs. This requires adaptable offerings, such as à la carte amenities and services, along with clear transparency about the value residents receive for their investment.
The longevity concept is gaining traction as a driver of housing solutions for older adults in the public and private sectors. Watch for growing trends such as housing for people 65 and older in the same building with public spaces such as libraries. “We’re coming to a paradigm shift,” said Palmarini, adding, “We can’t keep thinking and designing and offering things the way we did before.” This means, for instance, not being reactive to what is happening. City leaders and others everywhere need to become more proactive. This includes looking at social determinants of health in a broader way and creating/repurposing communities that provide health care and nutritional support and services, engagement and socialization opportunities, transportation, and safety efforts that older adults need to thrive and live longer.
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