Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal — Owners, Developers & Managers — January 31 - February 13, 2014 — B H ealth C are
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By Glenn Ebersole, P.E., Hollenbach Construction, Inc. Seven strategic actions to influence & define the design & construction of senior living communities
65 every day. Baby boom- ers are Amer- i c ans bo rn between 1946 and 1964 and that is a pop- ulation of 76 million peo- ple. And that W
OW! There are more than 10,000 baby boomers turning
makeup of senior living hous- ing in recent years. A lower percentage of units dedicated to assisted living is happening because more assistance with daily living tasks is provided in independent living units. 3. Provide opportunities to integrate residents into the local community. One way for senior housing developers to integrate and immerse seniors into their surrounding communities is to make available the amenities within senior housing develop- ments to the general public. For security purposes, these
facilities—dining areas, well- ness centers, meeting spaces, etc. are designed with separate entrances, one for the public, and one for residents. They can also be equipped with reconfigurable furniture to accommodate various types of events—lectures, musical pro- grams, films, and so on—that create opportunities for resi- dents to meet and mingle with their neighbors from the sur- rounding community. 4. Design and build tai- lored/customized features and amenities into the fa- cility.
The senior housing market is competitive. Filling new or renovated independent and assisted living/personal care projects is a challenge. Average occupancy rates in senior hous- ing have been hovering in the 90-93% range over the past few years. Owner/operators of the facilities would like to see rates in the mid- to high-90s. Senior housing projects can and do add interior common spaces for residents to pursue hobbies. Amenities such as woodshops, arts and crafts rooms, and spas are being requested. Providing such
distinctive elements could be even more essential to success in the senior housing market. The use of focus groups and brainstorming with the owner, the architect, the interior designer, the landscape archi- tect, and the rest of the team inspires innovation. 5. Provide memory care services. Seniors continue to live longer and longer and this means more people will become susceptible to cognitive disabilities. There- fore, senior housing projects are experiencing an increased continued on page 18B
Glenn Ebersole
number translates to approxi- mately six million boomers that will need generation-specific housing. So the demographics are very positive for the senior living housing market segment. Senior living housing is usually defined as residential housing with a minimum age require- ment, usually age 55— and can include: senior apartments; independent living; assisted living; personal care; memory care; nursing care; and con- tinuing care retirement com- munities. What will happen to influ- ence and define the design and construction of the senior hous- ing market? Here are seven strategic actions that I believe will influence and define the design and construction of the senior housing market. 1. Change the perception of senior housing. A stigma associated with traditional nursing homes and assisted living facilities still ex- ists because of an institutional appearance with shared rooms and bathrooms. Older people have a great fear of being forced to share a very vulner- able time of their lives with a stranger. That challenge is also an opportunity. Creative and sensitive design can help erase some negative preconceptions. Conveying a non-institutional look is a must. Designers must tailor and customize spaces to meet the demands of seniors who want to keep physically & mentally fit. 2. Enable seniors to age in place. In general, today’s seniors want to stay in their own homes or apartments for as long as possible. The model of people retiring at 65, living indepen- dently as long as possible, and then going to a nursing home is history. In today’s world, people live much longer and there is an undefined and unclear period that could last decades when seniors can live semi-independently. This factor has significantly changed the
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