What Will Senior Living Look Like Over the Next Decade?

Throughout history, the baby boomer generation has disrupted cultural norms, maintaining a reputation of positive disruption and reinvention. As a result, aspects of society have shifted to cater to their strong beliefs in values such as activism and freedom. For one, senior living communities look nothing like they did just a decade ago, and they’re bound to be at least a little different 10 years from now, when the next generation retires (Generation X, those born between 1965 and 1980).

Here’s how senior living lifestyles have changed over the years, what they look like now, and what may be in store in the near future.

Today’s Seniors Are Setting New Standards

For the most part, the previous generation of seniors looked forward to a quiet, peaceful retirement—a stark contrast to their formerly bustling daily lives. Baby boomers, on the other hand, generally don’t want a quiet retirement; they strive to continue their active lives, and many even want to start a whole new chapter by pursuing entirely new interests and careers. They’re also retiring later in life—nearly 20 percent of Americans over the age of 65 are still employed, according to the Pew Research Center.

For baby boomers, retirement is their chance to fulfill lifelong dreams. “They’re abandoning the long-standing notion that retirement is an abrupt end to full-time work followed by full-time leisure,” Catherine Collinson, founding CEO and president of Transamerica Institute and its Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, said. “Instead, they envision it as a flexible transition with continued work but more free time for personal pursuits.”

Freedom, independence, and choice have always meant a lot to this generation of Americans, and those priorities have carried over into their later years. Hence, they value autonomy in healthcare and beyond, with diverse opportunities in store for them throughout retirement.

Trends Affecting the Senior Living Landscape

The baby boomer generation has been known to revolutionize societal dynamics, and their attitudes toward senior living are no exception. Below, we detail cultural trends among those entering retirement and their impact on the senior living space:

Aging in Place

More and more adults prefer to grow older at home and receive home-based care, a lifestyle that’s referred to as “aging in place.” The National Institute on Aging defines home-based care as “health, personal, and other support services to help [seniors] stay at home and live as independently as possible.” This preference among boomers is one reason why senior living communities work so hard to provide a welcoming and homelike environment.

On the surface, aging in place seems preferable because it allows seniors to remain somewhere that’s both comfortable and familiar. For the most part, however, the benefits end there. 

For one, aging in place tends to cost more than staying in a senior living community and necessitates significantly more care considerations. Safety, mobility, medical care, and certain daily activities all require careful coordination and planning—all of which are taken care of in a senior living setting. 

Additionally, aging in place often means that the senior is alone the majority of the time, which can lead to isolation and depression and have a huge impact on overall health and well-being. Senior living offers a community of people and daily happenings that bring them together, plus professional support when they need it.

In 10 Years ...

One reason boomers opt to age in place is to remain close to their family and friends. This sentiment isn’t likely to change, so senior living communities must continue to cater to families and close-knit groups, offering plenty of opportunities to connect with each other and with surrounding community members. 

Even age-restricted neighborhoods will have to find ways to expand beyond the walls of their own community, including other age groups and demographics, to satisfy growing social expectations. 

Health Self-Management

As opposed to relying mainly on healthcare professionals or family members to manage care and treatment plans, seniors today are taking charge of their personal health. This applies not only to treating medical conditions but also to overall wellness routines. This attention to health self-management “may involve adherence to a diet, exercise regimen, and/or medication schedule, as well as coordination of a care network and use of medical technologies.”

Maintaining independence is perhaps one of the biggest concerns of older adults in senior living. Having the resources to manage and develop their own treatment plan in collaboration with qualified professionals gives seniors more control over their personal health and enables them to be better advocates for themselves in senior living. 

In 10 Years ...

Self-advocacy in personal healthcare has been an emerging trend since the dawn of widespread internet access. Because patients can quickly and easily search for information about virtually any health condition, they can perform the research necessary to form medical opinions of their own. Although it’s more than likely that the physician will always be the expert in the exam room, accessible medical research will enable patients, seniors included, to play an ever-larger role in their individual healthcare plans.

Healthcare professionals, including those who work in senior living, will need to accommodate this diligence by offering more elaborate explanations, detailed treatments, and alternative approaches to care.

A Holistic Approach to Care

Furthermore, boomers want to maintain control over their personal health and well-being. They expect reliable access to both general healthcare services and specialized care that addresses other aspects of wellness, including mental health services and alternative medicine, such as acupuncture. This participatory approach to healthcare aligns with boomers’ desire for autonomy and continued independence. 

Again, today’s seniors seek tailored care plans that don’t just focus on medical health but also all-around wellness. They know that being truly healthy means more than managing medications—it requires a personalized approach that takes the entire individual into account, not just their medical conditions. That’s why senior living communities such as Cedarhurst look at the whole picture of wellness, taking a holistic approach that incorporates delicious food, a variety of fitness classes, abundant social opportunities, and an array of activities.

In 10 Years ...

This trend is perhaps one reason why senior living communities have changed so much over the past 10 years. Traditional nursing homes and facilities focus almost entirely on medical health and ignore various other key aspects of wellness, including socialization and spiritual connection. Communities that consider the whole person by offering diverse programs and activities will grow in popularity; multiuse senior housing is already on the rise. This suggests that seniors both now and in the future will be more inclined to lead lives that satisfy the entirety of their wellness needs and will gravitate toward communities that support a holistic lifestyle.

The Role of Senior Living Communities

Senior living options have come a long way since the days of nursing homes and one-size-fits-all facilities. As the culture of seniors evolves, so do the priorities of senior living establishments. Senior living communities today offer residents so much more than a safe place to lay their head. They offer a sense of belonging and connection with engaging programs, premium amenities, and all the support seniors need to live out their next chapters exactly how they would like. 

Cedarhurst, for example, works to constantly adapt to the changing expectations of today’s senior population to ensure the environment we provide satisfies these needs. By offering community living, comfort, and high-quality care to every resident, we can be confident that they all have the opportunity to live the retirement of their dreams.

What Does the Future Look Like for Seniors?

For baby boomers, getting older is no longer synonymous with slowing down. Therefore, the senior living industry must adjust its approach to accommodate these new preferences, behaviors, and attitudes. Boomers want an active and fulfilling life throughout their later years, and this trend is likely to continue with Gen Xers and millennials as they age. 

Of course, no one knows for sure what the future holds. Luckily, exceptional senior living communities such as Cedarhurst offer virtually everything seniors need to thrive in their next chapter. Plus, these communities may be more affordable than you think. You can get an insider’s view into what goes into senior living pricing and help determine the costs by reading A Complete Guide to Financial Planning for Senior Living.