Environments for Aging talked to Perkins Eastman’s J. David Hoglund, chief operating officer, and Emily Chmielewski, associate and senior design researcher, about the firm’s latest survey on the state of senior living. Here they discuss some of the findings and the changes ahead in the senior living market.

Environments for Aging: Perkins Eastman’s survey on the state of senior living is titled “An Industry in Transition.” What’s the biggest change you see happening in 2017?
J. David Hoglund: The most significant [is] senior care providers aligning their operations with healthcare systems and other organizations such as community colleges, which is creating new partnerships and business models in the marketplace. Offering an array of dining options, comprehensive fitness programs, great design, and the like are all important pieces to the puzzle, but to remain truly competitive, building strategic alliances within the community is more important than ever.

This is your third in a series of industry surveys to senior living providers, with the majority from the not-for-profit sector. What other shifts did you see between 2015 and 2017?
Emily Chmielewski:
There was an uptick in interest for urban, intergenerational, co-housing, and university-based options (all of which speak to the growth in partnerships and affiliations). If our crystal ball is right, residences in the future will be largely community-based or part of a larger network of services that support a range of lifestyle options. Aging-in-place and aging-in-community, coupled with an “apartment-for-life model,” appear to be on the upswing, as well.

What’s driving interest in urban, intergenerational, co-housing, and university-based options?
Chmielewski:
There’s been growing interest for some time, but with baby boomers reaching retirement age at staggering rates every day, it’s coming to a head. Continuity of lifestyle is definitely one of the driving factors, particularly in urban markets. As important as strategic partnerships have become, it’s a natural fit in cities where healthcare services, institutions of higher education, public transit, and all variety of amenities are already in place. And since the world’s population is increasingly urban-based, creating more urban senior living models is something of a foregone conclusion.

What are the obstacles to meeting the demand for these housing options?
Hoglund:
The obstacles are numerous, but the biggest challenge is designing for choice. The market is continually evolving and is now more interested in providing residents with a variety of amenities that fit all kinds of lifestyles, social calendars, and healthcare needs. Designing environments that are sustainable and meet those needs is no easy task, and that’s where the Center for Healthy Living (CHL) comes in. CHLs, which are designed as inclusive community centers with holistic wellness and various programs, address many of the biggest issues facing the industry today, including longer life expectancies, shifting demographics, and an evolved definition of health that considers not just living longer, but living long and well. Because they’re versatile by design, they’re also great resources for communities that wish to incorporate whole-person wellness into their programming.

How will increasing market competition change the industry and affect design standards in senior living?
Hoglund:
We think there’s room for growth in all sectors—from urban and community-based independent living models to at-home services, assisted living, and skilled care—but for-profits are filling in niche markets with all manner of new and progressive designs, which tend to be more context-driven; specialized design that pays homage to historical area architecture or incorporates elements of biophilic design. While it’s true that for-profits present a unique challenge to not-for-profit care organizations (i.e. bigger marketing budgets, deeper pockets to fund more diverse programming and services), we believe that newfound levels of competition will raise the bar of design standards for all. For example, not-for-profits typically have older campuses and facilities they can innovate and reposition, allowing them the flexibility to incorporate new ideas and trends, like farm-to-table culinary options and Montessori-inspired memory care programming.

Five years from now, where would you like to see the conversation in terms of senior living environments?
Hoglund:
We’d like it very much if we’re no longer calling it “senior living,” but rather, something that’s more inclusive (maybe, “design for all”?) and reflects environments where everyone, regardless of abilities, is well supported by highly functional and beautiful settings. In recent decades, we’ve moved away from the labels “retirement home” and “nursing home.” It’s about time we did the same with senior living, because what the industry does is so much more.

For more information on the survey, visit http://perkinseastman.com/white_papers.

Anne DiNardo is executive editor of Environments for Aging. She can be reached at ANNE.DINARDO@EMERALDEXPO.COM.