By: Greg Huntman, pi Architects 

More than ever, older adults see wellness as the path to healthy aging and longevity. As a result, they expect senior living communities to have the amenities, programs, facilities, and resources to support their goals. At the most recent Good People retreat, Shannon Radford, Dan Novelli, and Greg Hunteman talked about Success Through State-of-the-Art Wellness Centers and Programming. 

While healthcare practitioners and senior living professionals have long known that an active life contributes to healthy longevity, seniors are increasingly seeing that active living maximizes physical fitness, cognition, and socialization; helps prevent or delay the progression of chronic conditions; provides a sense of purpose; and elevates quality of life. They are seeking senior living communities that will help them meet and maintain these goals. 

Toward this end, the program presenters offered some keys to an integrated wellness program: 

• Comprehensive evaluation and access to an on-site medical clinic and physical/occupational/speech/cognitive therapy. 

• Recommended appropriate path with intervention such as a ‘Get Fit’ program, fitness classes, quarterly balance, pain, and memory screens, and individualized independent exercise plans. 

• Wellness programming that isn’t one-size-fits-all. Instead, it’s varied and flexible to meet a wide array of resident needs, interests, and abilities. 

   

It is important to remember, they stressed, that while seniors have health, wellness, and fitness goals, they also want to have fun. 

What does a cutting-edge wellness effort look like? Take the example of the Jim & Bess Blanchette Lifestyle Fitness Center. It consists of an array of amenities, including: 

• Group fitness studio 

• Saltwater fitness pool 

• Cardio equipment: treadmills/ellipticals, CyberCycles, recumbent bikes, spin bikes, rowing machines, and NuStep machines 

• Strength training equipment: free weights, functional trainers, and HUR strength machines

   

Opportunities to engage with others while enjoying exercise and activity are promoted via 75 fitness classes across the community every week. These include aquatic fitness, balance training, cardio/strength conditioning, and activity-specific classes (e.g., golf, ballet, line dancing, etc.). They also offer classes for special populations, including those with movement disorders, arthritis and osteoporosis, memory and cognitive issues, and fall prevention. 

Another example is Live Well Fitness and Rehab Center at Westminster Village West in Lafayette, LA. It features a lap/aerobics pool, as well as a warm-water therapy pool, along with cardio and strength training equipment. It is open to the public via a membership program, and residents and team members have 24/7 access. This last point is important – don’t forget about your team. At Westminster in Austin, TX, they have “The Tree House,” a centralized associate space with a full commercial gym and locker rooms, made-to-order meals, a quiet space, and work corrals. 

There are opportunities for strategic revenue generation from wellness amenities via efforts such as personalized training (one-on-one sessions for specialized health needs) and premium classes with a fee charged for specialized group fitness classes or specialized aquatic therapy. Some senior living centers have become a Certified Parkinson’s Care Community, where they offer evidence-based therapies, Parkinsons’-specific group exercise classes, monthly support groups and educational workshops, and amenities that stress the mind-body connection for people with Parkinson’s disease. 

What Residents Want 

One key to success is really understanding residents and tailoring wellness offerings accordingly. As Radford said, “For instance, only 10% of your population might actually do laps in the pool, whereas about 40% would be interested in water aerobics.” She suggested designing programs that stay on top of trends and the needs and interests of your residents. She said, “We have always been a very open department. We tell residents to let us know what they want, and we will make it happen. If they bring an idea to us, we will try it. If there is enough interest, we will add it to our schedule.” She added, “We want to make wellness activities something people enjoy and look forward to. We call our fitness center ‘Endorphin Island’.” 

Novelli said, “The whole goal is to create spaces people want and do it in an economical sense. We recently conducted a survey and found that residents understand the importance of looking forward and prioritizing wellness. We need to pay attention to trends and make sure we are providing key programs that are relevant and in demand.” This, he said, includes a focus on dining. People want a variety of dining options, he stressed, including delicious and healthy foods with locally sourced ingredients. 

Hunteman noted the need to develop a wellness center that meets resident needs and interests, even as these evolve or change over time. However, he emphasized that the center and its amenities must amplify the community’s marketing and branding goals, provide the flexibility necessary for growth and evolution, and excel at delivering programming that nurtures current and future residents’ body, mind, and spirit. 

Ultimately, the group concluded, the blueprint for wellness success involves: 

• State-of-the-art programming 

• Holistic wellness 

• High-tech integration 

• Intergenerational engagement 

• Senior living fitness spaces: Design and functionality 

• Maximizing impact, covering costs with service diversification.

   

“If you don’t lead, you will be left behind,” Novelli said. “We have to be at the forefront of what residents want, demand, and expect. Many have been members of country clubs and fitness centers, and they expect to maintain that level of activity as they move into senior living.” 

Radford stressed the importance of engaging prospective residents and promoting the wellness amenities your community offers. She said, “We’re still dealing with the stigmas about senior living. We have many residents who move in and say, ‘I wish I had come here sooner. I had no idea it was such an amazing place with a million things going on.’” 

Hunteman said, “This is the beginning of a conversation that we look forward to continuing at future retreats. There are so many cutting-edge approaches to senior living. Some are happening now, others are just in the planning stages, and still others are promising ideas with powerful implications moving forward.” He added, “We are excited to be part of this innovative, fast-changing time in senior living design and development.”