How Life Plan Community Living Promotes Aging Well

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the US has about six million residents living in some type of community setting—and the number of seniors choosing community life is increasing. Living in a retirement community has become a popular option for active older adults because of a new emphasis on active adult independent living. In fact, the name “Life Plan Community” is replacing the name “Continuing Care Retirement Community” to reflect an increasing emphasis on living well rather than on care.

The AARP reports that our nation’s nearly 2,000 retirement communities offering a continuum of care provide different types of housing options and care levels depending on residents’ changing care needs. The availability of multiple tiers of care is one of the advantages of living in a life plan retirement community. But what are other advantages? And how does a larger campus community have the potential to better serve its residents?

An extensive, medically reviewed article in U.S. News & World Report from January, 2024 cites evidence from numerous medical and financial experts on the advantages of living in a Life Plan Community (LPC). Additional data from the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, The Mather Institute (Age Well Study) and other sources note LPC benefits:

• Financial Advantages, particularly for younger seniors
• Sense of Security, stability, and peace of mind; no home maintenance; levels of care options
• Transportation and other services, such as housekeeping, laundry, and meals
• Socialization, cultural events, activities, lectures, happy hours, excursions, many opportunities for interaction
• Focus on Wellbeing, fitness centers, group exercise classes, preventive care, nutritious food
• Amenities, pools, cafés, art studios, gyms
• Campus Features, such as woodlands, lakes, gardens, walking and biking trails
• Convenience of keeping one’s friend connections and medical care providers without having to move if care needs change

An August, 2024 article in the International Journal of Hospitality Management notes that a sense of community drives seniors’ satisfaction with how and where they live. Social connection comprises the core of community, and is critical to our wellbeing as humans. This is particularly true for older adults, who can suffer disproportionately the negative health consequences of social isolation.

The National Association of Activity Professionals, a nonprofit organization that certifies those working in senior living settings, notes the following ways to enhance residents’ sense of community:

• Provide activities and events
• Create common areas
• Provide access to technology
• Create intergenerational opportunities
• Form clubs based on shared interests
• Involve residents in decision making
• Encourage volunteer work

The greater the variety of activity options, the greater the chance of a resident finding and engaging in something of interest—and reaping the physical and emotional benefits.

The abundance of resources provided by a larger community means more choices and more benefits for residents; a larger LPC simply has more resources. A March, 2024 report by the nonpartisan research organization NORC at the University of Chicago notes the following findings:

• Residents of senior living communities live longer than seniors living in the community at large
• Senior living community residents also benefit from more health services
• Preventive and rehabilitative care is more readily available for residents of senior living communities

In addition, a multitude of scholarly sources supports the research-based relationship between social connection and emotional and physical wellbeing for seniors. In fact, Dr. Amit Shah, geriatrician and internist for the Mayo Clinic, says that loneliness and social isolation among older adults are health risks as great as obesity and smoking.

The transitions that are a normal part of aging make maintaining existing connections and creating new ones more challenging. This is why community living is so critical to the wellbeing of seniors: the proximity of others who can share in the transitional life events that they themselves are experiencing. Natural empathic connections ease the challenges of aging and provide opportunities for mutual support and resilience.

The New England Journal of Medicine reports that participation in leisure activities is associated with a lower risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Larger LPCs are able to provide a greater number of leisure activity choices, such as book clubs, gardening, art and exercise classes, thus creating more chances for engagement.

In short, the ways to create and enhance community connections are more prevalent in a larger community: residents of larger communities benefit from an ever stronger sense of bonding because there are more people with whom to build connection and a greater likelihood of finding friendship among those with common interests.

In addition, larger communities are able to offer a greater number of amenities, such as exercise classes, excursions, and organized events, all of which create opportunities for social interaction, common ground, and support.

Larger LPCs offer more than a greater variety of amenities and events. The term “economy of scale” usually refers to companies reaping the benefits of a larger size or scope of their enterprise. This concept, however, can also apply to senior living communities—with the residents realizing the benefits:

• More housing options, greater variety of floorplans, styles, and opportunity for personal choices
• Lowering of overall fees because costs are distributed among a greater number of residents, creating efficiency in administration and resource allocation
• Greater accessibility to healthcare and other services because of larger number of staff members
• Access to more lifestyle choices, volunteer opportunities, and chances for intergenerational interaction
• Ease of aging in place because of accessibility of levels of care and greater chance of specialized care on campus
• Convenience and ease of access to care, amenities, friends, transportation, and activities on campus

The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry adds that LPC residents who enjoy greater physical health also experience higher cognitive function and improved mental health. Living in a community with the resources to deliver preventive care and other health care options translates in better overall health for residents.

A July, 2024 article by the nonprofit American Seniors Housing Association highlights the benefits residents of senior living communities enjoy. Included among those benefits is a sense of security in the knowledge that needs and wants—from medical care to friendships to engaging activities—are provided for. And larger LPCs are better able to provide the convenience, choice, and life enrichment activities that facilitate aging well.

Come explore Plymouth Harbor and learn more about this extraordinary community where all of these benefits and more are provided to residents. Call 941-365-2600 to schedule your private tour and discover why life truly is better on Sarasota Bay!