Retirement homes of the future


In the last fifty years, a lot has changed for Baby Boomers and seniors. In the 1960s, cars were bigger and homes were, on average, smaller.

And because Baby Boomers and seniors have grown along with these changes, more assisted living and Alzheimer’s Care communities across North America are tailoring their homes to be more attractive to their residents.

As reported recently in the Orlando Sentinel newspaper, one Arizona community, CantaMia, has built a 30,000 square-foot building which offers its residents two swimming pools, exercise classes and even a kitchen for making healthy meals.

Another community, Glen Arm, Maryland-based Glen Meadows, features a ‘Masterpiece Living’ program which has a full array of health and diet options for its residents.

But some communities are yet to catch up.

“We have no fitness equipment. We have a horseshoe pit nobody uses and a shuffleboard court,” Don Kovac, executive director of Oviedo, Florida-based Lutheran Haven, told the newspaper. “I don’t think the boomers are going to want a shuffleboard court.”

According to the media source, senior living communities ranging from lower-income facilities to luxurious homes are all re-inventing themselves to better suit seniors’ needs.

Across the United States and Canada, it appears this trend will one day spread to all senior living communities.