This is not your parents’ senior living facility

How demographic shifts are driving change in senior living facilities
The number of older Americans is on the rise. In 2034, Americans aged 65 years or older will for the first time outnumber children under the age of 18. These shifting demographics are challenging ideas about the ideal living environments for people as they age. Intergenerational living environments, which some research has found are associated with higher life satisfaction and lower mortality rates, are becoming more common as a result. In recent years, intergenerational communities have been developed on college campuses such as Arizona State University and Lasell University, and some senior living facilities are also opening themselves up to the public in ways that may be less noticeable to younger demographics. As Fast Company reported recently, the North of Main Café in Bellevue, Wash. looks like a typical urban coffee shop serving up espressos and pastries, but if you look closely, it’s connected via an internal entrance to the Watermark at Bellevue, a 110-unit assisted-living facility. Such businesses are aiming to provide natural opportunities for people of different generations to interact.
Even for senior living facilities without a purposeful intergenerational component, there are innovations underway to support the needs and interests of the Baby Boomers who will be moving into these communities. Foodservice Director reports that Restaura Hospitality Group is among the companies looking to bring the latest developments in technology and culinary to dining operations for senior living communities. They are focusing on building active senior living communities rather than skilled nursing facilities. In the process, they are taking cues from the work being done at the MIT AgeLab, which conducts multidisciplinary research into translating technologies into practical solutions to improve people’s health and allow them to be active throughout their lives. Such changes may have the indirect effect of making these communities more appealing to the families and friends of residents as well.