What’s the Difference?: A Deep Dive into the Different Senior Living Options

Posted on | by Savannah Sokol
What's the difference?: a deep dive into the different types of senior living options

 

When you think ‘Senior Living’, what do you picture? Personally, my mind immediately goes to the assisted living facility my parents lived in for five years.  In reality, senior living is an umbrella term that is broadly applied to a wide range of housing communities that are designed to make life easier, safer, and more convenient as the resident ages. It’s not just one size fits all. As they age, many people begin to recognize the benefits of living in a community with people similar in age and activity level.  Because the umbrella term of ‘Senior Living’ is so often tossed around, many don’t realize the number and variety of options available to seniors according to their needs. Let’s talk about the four main options for senior living – starting with the newly popular Active-Adult-style communities.

ACTIVE ADULT

Active Adult is the latest entry into the Senior Housing realm and is the...

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Demand for Active Adult Housing Continues to Outpace Supply

Posted on | by Savannah Sokol

Active adult or age-restricted housing continues to experience strong growth, while multifamily housing development is showing signs of slowing. The active adult market hasn’t yet been flooded by national developers, leaving opportunities for real estate investors and developers who want to enter this exciting market. Active adult housing has experienced year-over-year growth every year since 2012 without any signs of slowing down, and with Baby Boomers beginning to retire and downsize, now is the perfect time to consider active adult.

Nearly all of the approximately 75 million Baby Boomers are already over age 55. As Baby Boomers begin to retire, many are looking to downsize and start a new lifestyle. However; most are not ready for assisted living or traditional senior living communities. Today’s seniors are looking for simpler lifestyles featuring single-story floor plans with little to no maintenance.  Community amenities like walking trails, clubhouses, and activities are located close to...

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The Douglas Company Completes Cincinnati’s First LGBTQ+ Retirement Community

Posted on | by Savannah Sokol

Holland, Ohio, November 29, 2022 – John Arthur Flats located in Cincinnati, Ohio is the first LGBTQ+ friendly 55+ affordable senior housing community in the city of Cincinnati. The modern building contains 57 units offering studio, and 1- and 2-bedroom apartments. The Douglas Company was selected as the general contractor for the $9.4 million development. This is the second project working with developer, Pennrose, LLC.

New Republic Architecture created a unique design with charcoal metal panels and a custom brick blend for the exterior. The 50,000-square-foot space consists of a 3-story building with elevator service. Impressive amenities include a fitness center, large community room, wellness center, on-site laundry room, a dog park, and an outdoor terrace. On-site social and medical services geared toward LGBTQ+ needs are also available to residents.

“We are proud to be part of this collaboration with the Northside’s development arm, Northsiders Engaged in Sustainable Transformation...

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Construction is Underway on Revolutionary Active Adult Community in Gainesville, Florida

Posted on | by Savannah Sokol

Holland, Ohio, October 20, 2022 – The Douglas Company, an industry-leading general contractor, is proud to partner with Discovery Management Group to build a revolutionary concept in senior living at Discovery Place at Celebration Pointe. Located in the heart of Gainesville’s Celebration Pointe development, this Experiential Living community will provide unique amenities and programming aimed at socialization, health, and fitness. Completion is expected in early 2024. This is the third project for Discovery Management Group that will have been constructed by The Douglas Company.

Architectural Concepts, Inc. designed flexible spaces that will feature 180 one- and two-bedroom smart apartment homes including dens, a nearly 4,000-square-foot rooftop lounge and entertainment area, a state-of-the-art fitness center and workout studio featuring on-demand fitness programs and a personalized fitness coach, hospitality-style gathering areas, a tech bar and coffee lounge, a grab and go bistro, a bark park and more. Residents will have...

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The Future of Senior Living

Posted on | by Savannah Sokol

Two weeks ago, I attended the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) in Washington, D.C. As always, it was good to see old friends and clients, and interesting to get a read on the industry. There were really no surprises, but it’s good to get intensive confirmation of what’s going on. 

Senior living development is really a somewhat bifurcated proposition at this point.  Though we are still building and have recently started a number of assisted living/memory care (AL/MC) projects, most of the developers are not bullish on this sector right now. Operating costs are up dramatically, interest rates and construction costs continue to rise, occupancies have not fully recovered, and rents have not yet risen to cover the increased expenses. There are some AL/MC developers that think that they just need to forge through, that it’s just a bump in the road and all will be good,...

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Capital Investment Remains Strong in the Active Adult Space

Posted on | by Savannah Sokol

Some developers and investors are unsure about committing to new senior living developments amid rising construction costs and interest rates, while others remain bullish on building new communities figuring that demand will be outpacing supply for the foreseeable future. I have even heard from some clients that they really push to get new developments going in this environment when other potential new projects may be holding off which gives them a leg up in a given market. 

One segment that continues to gain steam is active adult according to a recent article in Seniors Housing Business’ April Edition. Active adult communities target those 55 years old and older that are ready to rid themselves of all things associated with home ownership, but are young and healthy enough that they don’t require assistance with daily living activities. These communities are not as labor- or service-based as an assisted living community because they...

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Defining Active Adult Communities – Notes from the Interface Conference

Posted on | by Bob Ritter

Last month we wrote about how The Senior Housing Evolution Continues, specifically discussing the Active Adult concept. Last week, The Douglas Company attended an Active Adult conference hosted by Interface, where we heard from pioneers and visionary leaders in this new product. Three major conceptual questions stood out through all the sessions:

How to Define Active Adult?

While there is huge excitement about the space, there isn't a clear-cut, one-size-fits-all definition of what an "Active Adult" community really is, or for that matter, if the term "Active Adult" is going to stick. While time will probably resolve these issues, there is consensus on the place in the market - Seniors in their early 70s want to take advantage of the equity in their homes and sell them to downsize in an effort to reduce maintenance and find a new social circle. This is want-based, not need-based like other senior housing...

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The Senior Housing Evolution Continues

Posted on | by Bob Ritter

The resilience of active adult communities during the pandemic and resulting recession has resulted in many developers, operators, lenders, and equity investors taking another look at the product and determining how it fits their strategy for future growth.

Many skeptics have become supporters after seeing the performance turned in by active adult communities through 2020.  Active adult rental properties were already among the senior housing product types with the strongest performance prior to Covid-19.  But the segment outperformed all other types of senior housing during the pandemic according to data from Senior Housing News.  Active adult communities are outpacing Independent Living and attracting a younger and healthier demographic.

At a recent Active Adult Virtual Summit hosted by The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing (NIC), they shared the belief that active adult is taking over the role that Independent Living played in the continuum of care 20 years ago.  While dining...

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Active Adult – Leading the Way Post-COVID

Posted on | by Bob Ritter
Active Adult – Leading the Way Post-COVID

A somewhat new segment of rental active adult housing is showing signs of leading the way for senior living development post COVID.  Our estimating department is currently budgeting and pricing several active adult projects for multiple clients.  The product targets baby boomers in early retirement, looking to downsize, but who are years away from needing independent living or assisted living services.

Many seniors no longer want the maintenance and overhead of a large house, like the idea of increased socialization, but don’t require assistance with activities of daily living.  Active adult communities tend to command a premium over standard multi-family products, and because the residents are primarily retired, their incomes are somewhat insulated to swings in the job market and economy.  Another plus for developers, residents of active adult communities typically stay for five years or longer.

While the pandemic has impacted occupancy in all senior living sectors, several owners and operators...

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