When faced with the decision about whether to move to a retirement community or stay in the family home, many seniors may feel they’d be happier if they stay home, especially if they have no serious health concerns that require regular medical care.
But an in-depth study conducted by ProMatura International yielded results some may find surprising. ProMatura wanted to accurately gauge the health and well-being benefits of a retirement community and how living in a retirement community affects the health and happiness of senior residents.
This blog post details the findings of that study, which sheds a great deal of light on how a senior living community can enhance your quality of life and help you enjoy your retirement.
What Did the Survey Hope to Discover About Happy Seniors?
The survey was completed by almost 4,000 seniors from 81 different senior living communities. Its purpose was to gain insight about the quality of life experienced by residents in a retirement community and to see if there were real, measurable effects on the happiness and health of the seniors who live there.
A senior living community promotes the idea that moving to such a place will help you enjoy your retirement by offering such amenities as help with household chores, prepared quality meals, and organized activities for its residents to take advantage of. There are also the added benefits of safety, security, and quick access to health care.
All these features make senior living communities sound very appealing as a way to enjoy a happy retirement, so ProMatura set out to discover the facts.A summary of the survey results and the statistics quoted below can be found here.
Why Did Seniors Choose to Move to a Retirement Community?
The vast majority of seniors who chose to move to a retirement community rather than stay in their family home did so for many of the same reasons. Close to 90% of all survey respondents revealed their main reasons for moving were:
- Available service support 24 hours a day
- Easy access to facilities that make life easier, like dining, fitness and social activities
- An end to the constant burden of property maintenance
- Immediate access to in-home care when necessary
A Retirement Community Does Make for Happy Seniors!
The results of the survey painted a clear picture that living in a retirement community made for happy seniors living out some very happy retirement years. Fifty-five percent of seniors living in a retirement community stated their quality of life was higher than it was a year ago. That’s four times higher than responses from seniors living in a family home.
When seniors were asked about their feelings, the results were also telling. Seventy percent of respondents reported they “often enjoyed life” over the course of the last week before they were surveyed. This compares to 48% of seniors who did not live in a retirement community.
Clearly, retirement community residents were far more likely to be happier overall than seniors living in their family home.
Retirement Community Residents Are Often Healthier.
An important finding from the survey was that a majority of seniors reported their overall health has stayed about the same since they moved into their retirement community — about 61%. And over 80% of those who answered this question had lived in their community for about four and a half years.
This is significant because it’s common for seniors to report a steady decline in health on average over time. This positive health outcome is a primary indicator of quality of life.
Ten percent of those who responded stated their health had improved since they moved to their retirement community. This is largely due to having easy access to fitness facilities and organized group activities that promote exercise, like walking groups and supervised swimming, which are both healthy and have a low risk of injury relative to other forms of exercise.
Happy Seniors Are Socially Active.
The survey explored levels of activity as well. Social isolation is a known factor for negative outcomes for seniors. The effects of loneliness and inactivity, sometimes due to a lack of mobility or transportation, can have a serious impact on the health and well-being of seniors, as well as the immediate negative effect of missing out on the fun of social activity.
Residents of retirement communities were from two to five times more likely to participate in social activities of all kinds than seniors living at home. These activities include getting together with friends, eating meals in social groups, exercising and keeping to a fitness routine, spending time with family more so than they had in the past, and even trying new activities to learn and enjoy.
These are all factors that lead to health, happiness, and a higher overall quality of life.
Happy Seniors Are Surrounded by Safety and Security.
Residents of a senior living community were twice as likely to feel safe in their homes as those who lived on their own. And feeling safe is an important part of the day-to-day happiness of a senior.
Along with all the benefits listed so far, a senior living community offers its residents peace of mind. Ninety-three percent of senior living community residents felt they had a safety net in place if something went wrong, compared to 40% of other seniors. This security can especially be found in a Life Plan Community, or continuing care retirement community, where care will continue to be reliably given even as needs change over time.
Enjoy a Happy Retirement at Canterbury Court.
All these benefits lead to one clear fact. A quality senior living community makes for happy seniors. The quality of life you can enjoy at Canterbury Court in Atlanta, Georgia, is extraordinary. Our independent living options give you all the freedom and privacy you want, and our quality dining will have you enjoying fine meals with friends each and every day. And as your needs change over time, we’re here to care for you, so you can keep on living your very best life.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule a tour, contact us. We’d love to meet you.