By Healthcare Facilities Today

Continuing care retirement community (CCRC) facilities are pulling out all the stops to create a more home-like feeling, to make aging boomers feel more comfortable in making the transition while also retaining a better sense of community. A combination of the housing market crisis and “aging in place” trends has kept many boomers at home, according to an article in the fall issue of Environments for Aging magazine.

One trend that Mitchell S. Elliott, chief development officer, Vetter Health Services of Elkhorn, Neb., sees as driving assisted living designs is smaller, more intimate living environments. Elliot said that smaller living spaces, combined with decentralized staff work areas, enable the caregiving team to deliver higher quality, relationship-based care, the article said.

“Residents in senior living facilities are no longer content with the standard multipurpose room where they can play cards or attend holiday parties, or the standard dining room with marginal food and a rigid schedule,” said Sheila Bosch, director of research, Gresham Smith & Partners of Tampa, Fla., in the article. 

Facilities’ central dining halls are being replaced by smaller dining areas designed as restaurants, and the former single exercise room with gym equipment has become a fitness and spa facility.

The more trendy facilities are also incorporating display cooking, where seniors can enjoy watching their food be prepared, as well as gourmet take-out and fast food options, according to the article.

Read the article and view the image gallery.