"Make sure this doesn’t stay in Vegas.” That was the message from Dr. Roger Landry during the kick off to the 2017 Environments for Aging Expo & Conference, Feb. 26-March 1, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

During his presentation, “The Legacy of Cave Dwelling: What’s Next?” Landry reminded the Expo’s eclectic audience of designers, architects, interior designers, operators, and facility mangers that were in a powerful position to create meaningful environments that support seniors’ need to be healthy and fulfilled, and, ultimately, to age well. “You’re all aging, so this is about you, too” he said.

Landry, a preventive medicine physician, author, and cofounder of Masterpiece Living, started by taking a historical look at human characteristics, highlighting the elements that were important to societies prior to the Industrial Revolution, such as mobility. “We are creatures of movement, we are meant to move,” he said. He also discussed how our ancestors were always learning, had strong social networks and a slower pace of life, and were close to nature.

While much has changed in society, he said it’s still important to incorporate these characteristics into today’s senior living environments to create places that aren’t only pleasant and comfortable but also help people age in a better way. Through Masterpiece Living, Landry works with businesses to outline how to achieve environments that help residents grow, including physically, spiritually, socially, and emotionally. Those that meet these requirements can be certified as Centers for Successful Aging, with 16 communities in the U.S. achieving this designation to date. “It’s not just about the physical space,” he says.


Landry offered up a list of design and operational challenges for designers, architects, and operators to consider when approaching their next project, including:

  • How do we stimulate growth? Senior living environments need to stimulate movement and challenge people to move by including accommodations that make it safe to take risks without experiencing harm.
  • How do we engage brains? Landry challenged the notion that brain function automatically declines as we age, saying that cognitive function can remain strong if we work to use our brains. “Thoughtless ritual doesn’t help,” he said. “Shake it up. The brain responds to that.”
  • How do we encourage connection? Traditional approaches to senior living have been to isolate seniors, which can affect health. Landry says at our core, people need to be with people, which can lead to lower risks of heart disease, dementia, and cancer. “It’s critically important who you attract to be in that environment,” he says.
  • Can we help lower risk? Isolated environments that promote a sedentary lifestyle and isolate people can have an adverse effect on health. Instead, Landry says we want environments that help people pay attention to risks by making them come out of their environments to engage with others. Another key aspect is having people or programs in place that support efforts to get health checkups or promote exercise and healthy living to avoid know risks, such as diabetes.
  • Can we make acting your age a bad thing? Today’s senior population has different expectations for their lifestyles, including staying active, being technologically savvy, and engaging with their communities. “This new older adult wants to go out in a blaze of glory,” Landry said. He encouraged the audience to consider the spaces they’re designing and building and ask themselves, “What would you want?”
  • Why do you get out of bed? An important role of senior living environments is to inspire and stimulate seniors’ desire to do something meaningful. Intergenerational settings that connect populations together and give seniors opportunities to engage in new activities that stimulate their minds and bodies are ways to deliver on this goal.
  • What about fun? “When we laugh, we bring people to us and it helps our immune systems,” he said.

Landry noted that these ideas can serve as guiding principles to help project teams replace traditional views and expectations such as comfort and security with an emphasis on lifestyle and environment.

“The demographic is here, the research tells us what’s possible. We need to put that together,” he said. “Take the road less traveled.”