Senior living communities can take a range of forms, from independent living to assisted living and memory care, all of which are designed to meet the changing needs of older adults.
In the U.S., the baby boomer population — those born between 1946 and 1964 — is approaching a life stage that may dictate a move to one of these senior living options. By 2030, all baby boomers will have reached 65 years old, the threshold for retirement. Additionally, the U.S. Census Bureau has predicted that between 2023 and 2030, the population of those over 65 will grow by 18%. And those over age 75 will grow by 30%, notes LCS, a senior living management company. In short, demand for senior living options will only continue to grow.
To get a better understanding of the experiences of current residents in these senior living communities, U.S. News surveyed 754 U.S. adults who had moved into a senior living community within the year prior to the survey or had a parent or spouse living in such a community who’d moved there within the past year.
We asked how these individuals and their families navigated the process of researching and choosing a senior living community and what they thought of the community they moved into. Their key insights based on our survey follow.
[READ What Are the Levels of Senior Living?]
Attitudes and Assumptions Going Into the Senior Living Community Search
It’s no secret that starting a senior living community search can be daunting. We wanted to know how individuals and families approached this important task and what assumptions they held while researching their options.
Just over three-quarters of respondents (76%) said they had a positive attitude going into the process of choosing a senior living community, while just 1 in 10 (11%) said they had a negative attitude.
Challenges and concerns
Those who felt positive, however, were aware of the challenges facing seniors heading into a new living situation.
— Loneliness: More than 1 in 3 respondents (39%) said they knew someone who had become lonely since moving into a senior living community.
— Loss of independence: More than 1 in 3 respondents (39%) said they knew someone who had felt a loss of independence since moving into a senior living community.
— Cost challenges: More than 1 in 4 respondents (32%) said they knew someone who no longer had enough money to continue paying for the senior living community of their choice since moving in.
— Quality of health care: More than 1 in 4 respondents (31%) said they knew someone who had issues with the quality of health care offered at their senior living community since moving in.
— Issues with safety and security: More than 1 in 4 respondents (26%) said they knew someone who had issues with safety and security at their senior living community since moving in.
Going into their search for a senior living community, respondents’ top five concerns were:
1. The quality of care offered to residents (34%)
2. The safety and security of residents (21%)
3. The ability to afford costs over time (17%)
4. The ability to find an affordable monthly fee (12%)
5. The ability to maintain current friendships and activities (9%)
[READ: How to Find the Best Assisted Living Community Near You: A Checklist]
Researching Senior Living Community Options
We asked respondents how they researched senior living community options to ascertain which tools they preferred and which resources they found most helpful.
Preferred senior living community research tools and resources
Half of respondents (50%) said in-person tours of senior living communities were the most helpful means of researching a senior living community. More than a third (38%) said websites with information and reviews on multiple senior living communities were most helpful in their search, while a similar number (37%) found recommendations from family and friends most helpful. Nearly a third (31%) followed recommendations from a physician or another health professional while researching communities.
Just over 1 in 4 respondents (26%) said recommendations from a professional senior living adviser were most helpful in their search for a senior living community, while a smaller percentage (15%) said Facebook pages/profiles of individual senior living communities were the most helpful. (Note: Respondents were able to select up to three responses.)
When researching senior living communities online, respondents said the factors they found most important were:
— Information about health and safety measures (59%)
— Reviews from residents or family members (53%)
— Transparent pricing information (36%)
In addition, more than half (55%) said they read online reviews for every community they toured. Another third (34%) said they read online reviews for most of the communities they toured.
Senior Living Community Tours
As noted above, visiting and experiencing a senior living community in person was a critical element of how most respondents went about their research, and most toured at least one facility. More than 4 in 5 respondents (86%) toured at least three senior living communities, while 12% only toured one to two communities.
Respondents who toured senior living communities said the factors they most appreciated were:
— Clean and well-maintained premises (43%).
— Pleasant and welcoming staff (41%).
— Resident safety measures (39%).
Respondents also ranked the most important feature that made them feel a senior living community was safe and secure. Those included:
— Secure entrances and exits (22%).
— Emergency call systems (19%).
— Clean environment (15%).
— Overnight staffing levels (13%).
— Video surveillance (13%).
— Clutter-free environment (12%).
— Secure outdoor spaces (6%).
When researching senior living facilities, finding up-to-date cost information for a specific facility can be a critical task. Nearly 3 in 4 respondents (73%) said it was easy to find accurate pricing information for senior living communities, while just 1 in 10 respondents (10%) felt it was difficult to find accurate pricing information.
Respondents were also asked about their pricing preferences. More than half of respondents (56%) said they preferred an all-inclusive model, while nearly 1 in 5 respondents (19%) said they preferred an a la carte model, paying only for what they need.
A quarter of respondents (25%) said they were concerned about costs over time and would be willing to pay more upfront to guarantee continued access at a predictable price.
Deciding Between Senior Living Communities
When it came time to start narrowing their list of options, respondents were asked how they weighted various factors and what was most important to them. More than half (53%) said care and wellness services were most important, followed closely (51%) by safety and security. Only about a third of respondents (33%) cited cost and value as their most important deciding factor.
Additionally, 29% said a community providing “a homelike environment” was most important when researching and comparing senior living communities.
Respondents also cited the following top five health and safety considerations they weighed when deciding among their final choices of senior living communities:
1. Number of caregiving staff hired per resident (38%).
2. Hours of caregiving per day (33%).
3. Clearly outlined COVID-19 community prevention strategies (19%).
4. Staff masking requirements (5%).
5. COVID-19 infection rate data shared (5%)
[Read: 11 Signs Your Aging Parent Needs Senior Care]
Recent Senior Living Community Resident Experiences
With the big decision made and the resident moved in, we wanted to know how respondents felt about their selections.
Respondents’ top five concerns about senior living community life now were:
1. Quality of health care (22%).
2. Safety and security (20%).
3. Ability to maintain friendships and activities (17%).
4. Running out of money (14%).
5. Loss of independence (13%).
All of those concerns can be worrisome, but the vast majority of respondents’ selections aligned with or exceeded their expectations. More than half of respondents (56%) said their senior living community offered the level of care they expected, while more than a third (39%) said their senior living community offered greater care than they expected. A mere 1 in 20 respondents (5%) said their senior living community fell short of offering the care they expected.
We also wondered how safe respondents felt in their new homes. Nearly all of the respondents (99%) said they felt safe at their senior living community. More than 2 in 3 respondents (67%) said they always felt safe at their senior living community, while about 1 in 3 respondents (32%) said they usually felt safe at their senior living community. Only 1% of respondents said didn’t feel safe at their senior living community.
Nearly all respondents (98%) said they trusted the staff at their senior living community to care for their well-being.
Most respondents were happy with their choice and said they were doing well socially. A majority of respondents (94%) said they had made friends since moving into their senior living community. More than 4 in 5 respondents (86%) did not regret moving into their senior living community, while just 1 in 10 respondents (14%) did regret their move.
Finding the Best Senior Living Option
Searching for a senior living community can be intimidating. There are so many options, and comparing one to another can be time consuming and challenging. But as many respondents discovered during their own searches, there’s no replacement for good, old-fashioned research. Touring a community you’re considering moving into, for instance, is a good way to get a sense of whether it’s a good fit. Many people did that in addition to researching online and checking reviews of individual communities. These data indicate that most people did their homework and carefully weighed their decision using several different resources.
The key takeaway throughout this process is to ask all the questions you possibly can before signing on the bottom line.
Find the best senior living communities near you
If you’re just beginning your journey to select the right senior living community for yourself or a loved one, you can begin the research process with U.S. News’s location-guided online search tool of top-rated senior living communities to discover a great place near you.
Methodology
Between February and March of 2024, we used third-party survey platform Pollfish to survey 754 U.S. adults age 35 and older who, at the time of the survey, had moved into a senior living community within the year prior or had a parent or spouse living in such a community who had moved there within the past year.
Of the 754 people who responded, 64% identified themselves as male, and 36% identified themselves as female.
All polled U.S. adults reported that they were very involved in the senior living community decision-making process. Responses were collected and weighted to reflect the current U.S. population by achieving equal distribution with known population characteristics.
For more information about our consumer survey findings, don’t miss our upcoming webinar, “What Matters Most: The Search for Senior Living,” scheduled for June 18, 2024.
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Senior Living Experiences: 2024 Survey Report originally appeared on usnews.com
