HaroldUrman
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Jan 7, 2009, 1:41 PM
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Resident Satisfaction with Independent Living
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Results from the Vital Research National Database
By Harold N. Urman, Ph.D
Life is good for most residents of independent living communities according to data from Vital Research. Results show that residents are very satisfied with many aspects of daily living. Findings are based on the Vital Research national database of Independent Living Residents’ satisfaction with quality of life. The database includes survey results for more than 16,000 independent living residents.
The Vital Research Independent Living database includes responses to 84 quality of life questions. The questions are organized into 12 domains and a measure of overall satisfaction with quality of life.
From the analyses of the last five years of data from the national database, Vital Research found the satisfaction scores for nine domains were over 90%, while scores for the three remaining domains (Communication, Dining, and Community Involvement) were above 80%. Overall, 92% of residents were satisfied with their quality of life in Independent Living. When asked whether residents would recommend the retirement community to a friend, 96% reported that they were “very likely” or “somewhat likely”. A trend of increasing levels of satisfaction appears when looking at summary satisfaction scores over time. The table shows the overall satisfaction scores for each of the 12 indicators and the overall summary score.
There are some interesting differences in satisfaction levels between residents with varying characteristics.
- In general, men and women rated their satisfaction equally. However, women were more satisfied with Administration while men were more satisfied with Environment, Dining, and Transportation.
- Satisfaction with Community Involvement decreases with age. In particular, residents reported that they are alone more often and have fewer interests outside the retirement community. Vital Research looked at age in five year intervals starting with age 65. In general, satisfaction decreased by two to three percentage points for every five year increase in age until age 85 when satisfaction rates became more stable. Satisfaction increased slightly among residents 100 years of age and over.
- Residents living in a community for less than one year were more satisfied overall as well as with Administration, Communication, and Dining than were residents who had been at a community more than one year.
Satisfaction with the following areas of independent living was most strongly related to total Quality of Life:
- The administration at each community
- Competence of staff
- Quality and variety of food and the atmosphere of the dining room
- Communication between residents and staff
Though there are areas for improvement, residents of independent living communities appear to be very satisfied with their quality of life.
Harold N. Urman, Ph.D. is an educational psychologist and co-founder of Vital Research, a consulting firm specializing in research and evaluation. Established in 1982 and based in Los Angeles, Vital Research is a national research and consulting firm with expertise in senior living services satisfaction measurement.
Additional research for this article was provided by Nora E. Douglas, Ph.D., Senior Researcher/Project Manager for the Senior Services division at Vital Research.
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(This post was edited by HaroldUrman on Feb 10, 2009, 9:34 AM)
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