As the United States contends with an abundance of vacant or functionally obsolete commercial buildings and a shortage of affordable senior housing, a growing solution is emerging: adaptive reuse. Developers are converting idle schools, underused malls, empty office towers, and aging hotels into thoughtfully designed senior living communities. This approach helps address housing demand while … Read more

A continuing care retirement community (CCRC), also known as a life plan community, is a senior housing option that combines independent living with access to higher levels of long-term care, such as assisted living and skilled nursing, if those services become necessary. Beyond the social and wellness benefits of life on campus, CCRCs offer residents … Read more

From time to time we highlight senior living–adjacent topics that are serious in nature, including mental and behavioral health, to spark important conversations that can be difficult to start. The pandemic’s more than two years have strained people in many ways. Worries about staying physically healthy overlapped with financial and employment concerns, child care and … Read more

What comes to mind when you hear the term “independent living”? The phrase can mean different things to different people, and even within the senior living industry it’s used to describe a wide range of living and care situations. That ambiguity can create confusion when seniors and their families are evaluating housing options. Below is … Read more

When considering a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), prospective residents benefit from understanding the broader market. At myLifeSite, we often get questions such as: Who are the largest CCRC providers? What portion are non-profit versus for-profit? Which regions have the most CCRCs? And are most CCRCs standalone communities or part of multi-site organizations? The following … Read more

What is your attitude toward the aging process? Do you see it as a meaningful stage of life to be embraced, or as an unwelcome burden to be endured? Recently I read an inspiring 2017 reflection by oilman T. Boone Pickens in which he describes his experience in what he calls life’s “fourth quarter.” After … Read more

In last week’s blog post, I wrote about 90-year-old oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens and his inspiring attitude toward growing older despite recent health setbacks. Pickens encourages being “the eternal optimist who is excited to see what the next decade will bring.” He adds: “I remain excited every day, engaged and thrilled in the office … Read more

In last week’s post, I explored how a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), also known as a life plan community, or other senior living environments can appeal to both introverts and extroverts. That discussion reminded me of a recent NPR segment highlighting how making new friends as an adult—especially later in life—can be surprisingly difficult. … Read more

Location matters in real estate, and it matters just as much when it comes to accessing quality healthcare for older adults. Recent research highlights clear geographic differences in senior healthcare across the United States. In addition to the state rankings for long-term care services, a new analysis looks at which states — including Washington, D.C. … Read more

I travel frequently across the country giving presentations about senior living choices, including continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), often called life plan communities. During these visits I meet both current residents and people considering a move to a CCRC or other senior living option. Hearing both perspectives is always illuminating. When I speak with prospective … Read more