Happy Monday and an early Merry Christmas from Creating Results! Take a break from last-minute Christmas shopping and read our last Monday roundup of the year.
In this week’s most clicked content, LCS Development provides their insights on what will be the top six senior living design trends in 2018. In this week’s most shared item, Saul Levmore states his case in favor of mandatory retirement in an article for Next Avenue.
Most Clicked: Senior Living Design Trends to Look for in 2018
Whether you’re breaking ground on a new senior living community or getting ready to undertake a large-scale renovation project, it is necessary to know what features your current target market is expecting to see in your community. Joel Bleeker, Director of Design at LCS Development, has offered six design trends, approaches and tips that are expected to be prevalent at continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in 2018.
Here are two trends that we found particularly interesting:
- Provide for Choice: Today’s 50+ consumers are used to having a variety of options and will not want that to change once they move into a senior living community. Failure to provide options that prospective residents are expecting could result in them taking a pass on your community in favor of one that offers more choices. Think about areas of your community where you can give residents the power to choose. For example, make sure certain elements of apartments are customizable and that residents have a say in the finishes for their cabinets, countertops and flooring.
- Focus on Wellness Areas: In today’s senior living community landscape, it is not enough to just provide an apartment and meals for residents. Communities that don’t have occupancy issues cultivate an active lifestyle for residents. While the initial investment is high, building wellness areas, such as fitness centers, in your community, is a step in the right direction towards providing an active lifestyle for residents. It provides them an avenue to pursuing their passions.
An ad made by Creating Results for North Hill emphasizing the community’s PurposeFULL Living philosophy.
The Creating Results team agrees with the design trends that Bleeker listed in the article. Many of our clients are well ahead of the curve regarding oncoming market demand. For example, for years, North Hill, a CCRC in Needham, Massachusetts, has championed the PurposeFULL Living philosophy in its community.
PurposeFULL Living offers North Hill residents guidance, resources and opportunities to pursue what is important to them. The community’s WellSpring Landing is a hub for wellness. With an art studio, fitness center, greenhouses and more, North Hill has created an environment where residents not only have a place to live, but a place to thrive.
To add to that, North Hill also offers several ways in which residents can customize their homes with their own personal touches. We firmly believe that going the extra mile to create a community that offers homes rather than housing is what sets great communities apart from good or average communities.
Click here to read the full list of senior living design trends for 2018.
Most Shared: The Argument for Mandatory Retirement
Is it time for employers to consider implementing a mandatory retirement age? While many people may see this as a form of age discrimination, Saul Levmore, Graham Distinguished Service Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School, stated his case for why having a mandatory retirement age may not be as bad as we are led to believe.
In an article written for Next Avenue, Levmore suggests building an agreed upon retirement age in employment contracts. For example, if a law firm were to hire a 55-year-old, it would be up to the two parties to mutually agree on a mandatory retirement age for the employee, for example, 65 years old.
Levmore’s argument is that companies would be more willing to hire older employees knowing that there is an agreement in place for them to retire at a designated time. Once they retire, the company would be able to make room for new employees with fresh ideas, while the retiree could then open their own business or look elsewhere for work; the negotiated-upon retirement age would be specific to the company, not the workforce.
While we understand Levmore’s thought process, the Creating Results teams believes that people of all ages have much to contribute to the workforce and that they shouldn’t be gently pushed aside just because they’ve reached a certain age. While new ideas in the workplace are always welcome, there is no reason why we can’t find ways to combine those ideas from younger workers with the experiences of those who have been in the workplace for 40+ years.
One thing we’ve learned is that a good percentage of people ages 65+ want to continue to work, and while Levmore’s ideas don’t prevent older adults from working, they do require them to start over. If someone has been working at a company for a long time, they may want to see out the rest of their career there, but without the restriction of having to retire at a certain age. They should have the opportunity to do just that if they are still working at a high level.
Click here to read Levmore’s case for mandatory retirement in its entirety.