Navigating Dating and Intimacy in Retirement Communities
There is an active dating scene in many retirement communities, but there are also reasons for seniors to be cautious about starting an intimate relationship.
CCRC Residents Report Higher Wellness Levels Despite Pandemic
When looking at a research report about the senior living industry, it’s useful to examine the findings with a critical eye. Does the sample size provide valid results? Were there additional variables that could have impacted the findings? Does the control group offer a true apples-to-apples comparison? For research on humans, longitudinal studies with larger [...]
A Senior Living Solution That Keeps Couples with Different Care Needs Together
A video that went viral last year highlighted an all-too-common issue. In the video, a British couple, both age 89, who had been separated by the pandemic, were finally reunited after months apart. Living in different long-term care facilities, they had not been permitted to visit one another amid COVID lockdowns. As restrictions eased, [...]
CCRCs Can Be Good for Seniors’ Mental and Physical Health
Although different people thrive in different environments, it’s hard to deny the research showing the health benefits often experienced by seniors who opt to move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC, also called a life plan community). For example, the 2018 Age Well Study found that, when compared to a demographically similar control group [...]
CCRC Residents Share Their Thanksgiving Gratitude
It has been a trying year for nearly everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought anxiety, loneliness, and sorrow, yet we’ve also seen countless examples of people lifting each other up and embracing (figuratively) what truly matters most in life. With this in mind, and as we celebrate Thanksgiving, I asked residents of several continuing care [...]
Could Political Divisions Hurt the Senior Living Industry?
Recently I’ve observed more prospective residents of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs, life plan communities) who are asking about the political affiliations of the resident population as part of the research process. And just this past week, I received a thought-provoking email from a resident of a CCRC. She was inquiring if I knew of [...]
Research Continues to Find Benefits of Retirement Communities
Are you on the fence about whether you think living in a retirement community (such as a continuing care retirement community [CCRC] or “life plan” community) is right for you? Do you think remaining in your current home is the better path to happiness during your retirement years? If you fall into either (or both) [...]
In a Good Place: Enjoying Retirement in a CCRC
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with two residents of Henry Ford Village (HFV) in Dearborn, Michigan. Let’s call them Dan and Mary. They were not a couple but had become friends over their time living in this continuing care retirement community (CCRC, or life plan community). I asked Dan and Mary the two [...]
Study Shows CCRC Residents ARE Happier and Healthier
I often talk and write about the many benefits that come with living in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC, or “life plan” community). Travelling to CCRCs across the U.S., I am fortunate to witness firsthand the ways so many of these communities enhance the lives of their residents, and also provide compassionate care if [...]
The Key Difference Between Social Isolation & Loneliness
A few weeks ago, Bluespire Insider, a marketing group that focuses on promoting senior living communities, hosted a virtual roundtable conversation about innovative ways to encourage social connections for residents of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs, or life plan communities), a subject I’m always interested in learning about. The roundtable was led by John Franklin [...]