Top Senior Living Trends for 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly shaped and transformed the senior living industry. New trends have emerged, and senior care communities have had to pivot and rapidly respond to changing priorities and requirements.

The SeniorTrade 2022 Trend Report examines these changing trends and highlights the top trends for 2022.

Senior Living as a Service

According to the report, senior living as a service focuses on custom solutions that support seniors where they are, such as the services offered by senior living communities. This trend indicates that seniors aren’t looking for one-size-fits-all solutions, and that personalized, customized options are in much greater demand. Services need to encompass housing, wellness, healthcare, and personal care, and the lines between senior living and aging in place are increasingly blurring.

The evolution of senior living as a service highlights the need for senior care communities to truly focus on tailoring their programs to the individual needs of residents. Encompassing seniors’ individual interests and goals can help communities to provide appealing services and stay competitive.

Affinity Communities

The report also highlights a growing focus on affinity communities, where residents may share certain interests or other factors like a common race or religion. When a group of residents shares something in common, this deeper connection can help to create a sense of community, combatting loneliness and establishing a sense of belonging.

Given the popularity and benefits of such communities, it’s likely that we’ll see an increase in affinity communities, like wellness and regenerative communities.

Power of Purpose

Senior care communities should also take note of the power that having a purpose plays in seniors’ lives. The report details the value that retirees put on having a purpose, and their willingness to volunteer for that purpose.

Having a purpose carries several benefits for seniors, including reduced pain, fewer sleep challenges, fewer chronic diseases, and an increased likeliness of being physically active. Senior care communities can help residents to find a purpose and can look for ways to give residents influence, emotional connection, and a sense of belonging. Most retirees want ways to use their talents and knowledge to help their communities and society, and senior care communities can play a key role in helping to facilitate that connection.

Inclusivity

The report also highlights the importance of diversity when it comes to senior living. Barriers to community diversity in senior living include limited diversity in leadership and the fact that religious and ethnic affiliations can make a community appear to be exclusive. While most senior living leaders recognized the importance of creating an inclusive, diverse community, less than 50% of senior living management felt that their senior care community’s racial and ethnic distribution reflected the distribution in the surrounding area.

There isn’t a quick fix to diversity, and it’s important that company executives spend time in the field to truly understand the problem and demonstrate their commitment to making their community more inclusive.

Important Lessons for Senior Care

The trends highlighted in this report are important for the senior care industry. Senior care communities can use these trends as guidelines, preparing for the changes that are to come and ensuring that their communities are meeting the changing resident needs and wants. This report is full of detailed information and provides an excellent way for senior care professionals to “check in” and make sure that their own predictions and plans are on par with the industry’s changing direction.

Paige Cerulli

Paige Cerulli is a contributing writer to i Advance Senior Care.