One 78-year-old woman wanted to compete in a triathlon, so she headed over to the pool at her retirement community and joined a training team. Another 86-year-old woman logs 10 miles twice a week on one of the same retirement community’s spin bikes. That’s what a senior living community that also offers assisted living and skilled nursing care looks like today, reports considerable.com in the article “The rise of ‘cool’ senior living communities.”
Other communities have been created on or near college campuses, where residents can take classes, attend school concerts or sports games, hang out with students and get care if and when they need it. There are also the upscale high-rises that feel more like resorts or healthcare spas.
Active adult communities for those 55+ are transforming themselves into cool, desirable places to live a busy lifestyle. There are now two of Jimmy Buffett’s “Latitude Margaritaville” communities in Florida and another in South Carolina.
Today’s seniors don’t want a bland community, and their children don’t want to see their parents in one. Senior providers know that if they want to succeed, they must stand out from the competition. They’ve got their eye on the 76 million baby boomers who are prospective residents. They know that these prospects are radically redefining aging, just as they have every other stage of life.
An even bigger challenge — most people want to age in their own homes and not move at all.
More senior living communities are also offering opportunities for residents to interact with people of all ages. One community has programs for all ages, a Saturday pop-up café, and more than 40 organizations meet at the center regularly. The community has positioned itself as a gathering place for all members, young and old, to combat isolation and bring people together.
Some retirement communities are built on properties that are mixed-use with the same purpose of not isolating seniors. One community in Alabama will have a center for well-being, open to residents and the public, with physicians, nutritionists, wellness coaches, chiropractors and alternative therapies from salt rooms to infrared saunas. A co-working area and research space for partnerships between healthcare providers, local medical schools and universities and biotech companies will be offered.
For those with seawater in their veins, there is a cruise ship that has been retrofitted with more than 600 condo living units. For wine enthusiasts, one company in California’s Sonoma wine country is partnering with a Zen center to build a facility that will offer meditation classes, workshops and retreats, as well as independent and assisted living and memory care.
No matter what your interests are, chances are there’s a new, cool retirement community with your interests and lifestyle in mind.
Reference: considerable.com (May 24, 2019)“The rise of ‘cool’ senior living communities”
