Press Releases

Advance Planning is Key to Senior Living Transitions, Happiness and Late Life Satisfaction, New Report Suggests

ILC-USA and Atria Senior Living Group Publish Scientific Consensus Conference Report

NEW YORK (September 14, 2009) – For older persons seeking the right senior living setting, advance planning for a thoughtful transition provides the key to what experts call “life satisfaction and late life happiness,” says a new report issued this week by the International Longevity Center-USA under a grant from Atria Senior Living Group, Inc.

Findings in the report suggest that a senior living community may be the best choice for ensuring independence by taking advantage of supporting amenities such as meal preparation, housekeeping services, social activities, transportation, fitness facilities, and health care resources.

The report, Transitions to Independent Living Communities: Life Satisfaction and Late Life Happiness, is a first of its kind analysis based on the work of a panel of experts including physicians, geriatric and gerontological specialists, public health scholars, nurses, social workers, senior living officials and others. The panel convened by the ILC-USA and fully independent in its views, drew on studies of subjective well-being (SWB) research that probes factors that lead to happiness and satisfaction in later years as well as the collective professional experience of those participating.

“As older people decide they can no longer manage a home with all of its requirements and demands, independent senior living is an important and often highly desirable setting, even though they might prefer staying at home. At a time when caregivers are hard to find and when the physical work associated with an apartment, house or yard can be overwhelming, this is clearly a venue worth considering,” said Dr. Robert Butler, president and CEO of the ILC-USA.

The consensus report addresses the challenges and advantages inherent in relocating for older Americans who opt for senior living communities. It outlines factors that independent and assisted living community leaders should consider when planning for supporting the multi-phase transition process of their clients, including ensuring quality of life through and during the crucial first few months following a relocation.

Other elements discussed include what it means to become a “new resident,” how one can measure happiness and life satisfaction in older people, and how to combat negative images of senior living communities perpetuated by the media to create a welcoming environment supportive of adult independence.

“As we age, we need our home environment and community to support our quest for a meaningful life through staying physically active, remaining in close ties with friends and family and doing what brings us individual happiness, such as volunteering or teaching peers a new skill—anything that keeps us actively engaged mentally and physically,” said Dr. Butler.

Julie Harding, chief operating officer of Atria Senior Living Group, Inc., which sponsored the panel and report, said “more systematic research on senior living transitions will greatly inform older people and their families as they make new living choices and will assist staff members in assuring a successful experience in a new environment.”

Public attitudes toward independent and assisted living may be impaired by stigma associated with negative images of nursing homes and fear of lack of control when growing older. Recommendations in the report state how senior living communities can promote true independence and a chance for personal growth.

As Dr. Butler said, “These living options represent a continuum. Some are not much different than an apartment where a younger person might live. Others involve skilled nursing care, and some are largely custodial.”

“Combatting the negative societal images that falsely link senior living communities with losing independence is productive and necessary for all of us in our rapidly aging society,” he says, and the report offers insight into how older individuals and couples can approach transitioning to a new community with optimism.

Examples of expert suggestions in the report for elements in a new framework include:

The happiness or “subjective well-being” of older people is enhanced greatly by preserving and strengthening a sense of agency (or control) in their own lives and ultimate destiny.
Residential transitions to senior living communities should be viewed in the context of a series of phases, from initial consideration and interest through the post-relocation period and eventual outcomes where independence and life satisfaction can be maximized.
Physicians and gerontologists are advised to take initiative to routinely discuss independent and assisted living options more often and earlier on with older adults and their family members, especially if needs are not currently being adequately addressed in the private home.
Participating in activities that promote integrity – the creation of one’s personal story of experiences – is an important task in older adults’ life development and pursuit of life satisfaction

“The key to maximizing the positive effects of our senior living community approach on overall life satisfaction is to acknowledge the individual differences among our residents,” Ms. Harding explained.

The report is based on a scientific consensus conference held in June 2009 at the International Longevity Center. The session aimed to “download” knowledge and experiences from leading experts in public policy, consumer advocacy, health care, and social work from such organizations as Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, the National Association of Senior Move Managers, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, Atria Senior Living Group, Inc. and New York Presbyterian Hospital.

The conference and resulting report are part of an ongoing project on life satisfaction for older adults transitioning to senior living communities through an alliance between the ILC-USA and Atria Senior Living Group, Inc.

Experts participating in the conference series include:

Ron Adelman, M.D.
Medical Director, Irving Sherwood Wright Center on Aging Weill Cornell Medical College and Co-Chief, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at the New York–Presbyterian Hospital

Robert N. Butler, M.D.
Founding President and CEO, International Longevity Center–USA

Mary Kay Buysse
Executive Director, National Association of Senior Move Managers

Thuy-Tien L. Dam, Ph.D., M.D.
Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

David Dworkin
CEO, ConductorciseTM

J. Ryan Fuller, Ph.D.
Director, New York Behavioral Health

Barry Gurland, M.D.
Sidney Katz Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University and Director, Columbia University Stroud Center for Studies of Quality of Life

Julie Harding
Chief Operating Officer, Atria Senior Living Group, Inc.

Kathryn Haslanger
Vice President, Community Benefit and External Affairs Visiting Nurse Service of New York

Jaclyn Kelly, Ed.M.
Co-founder of The Wiz Quiz

Leonard Kelly, Ph.D.
Research Scientist, Center for Studies in Education and Human Development, Gallaudet University and Co-founder of The Wiz Quiz

Colin Milner
CEO, International Council on Active Aging, Vancouver, B.C.

Victoria Raveis, Ph.D.
Co-Director, Center for the Psychosocial Study of Health and Illness and Associate Professor, Clinical Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University

Jennifer Rehm
Executive Director, Atria Glen Cove, New York Atria Senior Living Group, Inc.

Khristine Rogers
Vice President, Active Aging Atria Senior Living Group, Inc.

Eileen Rossen, Ph.D., RN
Associate Professor, Community Practice Department University of North Carolina, Greensboro

To download the full report, Transitions to Independent Living Communities: Life Satisfaction and Later Life Happiness, or purchase a hard copy, visit www.ilcusa.org/publications, or see our current home page on the project at www.ilcusa.org.