Priority Access Should Ease the Transition to Senior Living
By Chris Barstein, Campus Executive Director, Meadow Ridge
Over the past 13 years of working in senior living, I’ve experienced firsthand something remarkable: people’s lives being transformed when they move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). When seniors join CCRCs, which offer a continuum of care, they gain immeasurable benefits emotionally, physically, intellectually and even spiritually. They connect with friends, try new activities, surround themselves with caring people and no longer need to deal with the day-to-day challenges of maintaining a home. The community offers respite from social isolation and can make life vibrant and engaging.
Isolation is not a small problem to solve. A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found that one in four adults 65 and older experiences social isolation, and the U.S. Surgeon General has called loneliness an epidemic. In my experience, it also influences one of the biggest decisions many older adults will make: whether and when to move to a senior living community.
While the benefits of community living are real and clearly visible, it’s understandably difficult for some seniors to make the move. It’s a significant milestone that can bring feelings of loss: saying goodbye to a beloved home and longtime neighbors and accepting other changes that come with aging. Consumer research from myLifeSite backs this up. It found that 37.3% of respondents cite the comfort and independence of their current home as one of the most common reasons for delaying a move to a CCRC.
As a professional in this field, I feel a real responsibility to help ease these concerns for seniors and offer a sense of control over their next step. I believe this is a shared responsibility across our industry. The senior living industry invests great thought and care into the resident experience, including programming, dining, fitness, wellness, personalized care and lifelong learning. These important elements all exist because of our dedication to helping people live full, connected lives once they arrive. That work matters and should continue. We must also recognize that when people are considering the move to a CCRC and bearing the uncertainty of leaving their home, those months or even years before move-in are an important part of their senior living community experience.
Getting to Know a Senior Living Community Before Moving
As with any major change, having information about what’s ahead can ease concern and inform better decisions. At Meadow Ridge, one way we provide support is through our Priority Access Club. Meadow Ridge is often at or near capacity, like many other CCRCs, and programs like this allow future residents to reserve their preferred home when it becomes available, while getting to know the community. The larger purpose, as we see it, is to begin connecting future residents with their potential neighbors and community well before move-in day, thereby reducing concerns and instilling a sense of empowerment to take control of their next chapter. It provides peace of mind for their families, and for residents, it’s reassurance for their future.
Priority Access Club members are invited to attend lectures, join art classes, share meals with residents and use select fitness, wellness and recreation amenities. Additionally, guests are invited to spend a night in one of the community’s guest suites, offering a firsthand look at what the community has to offer. They get to know the campus, the people and the rhythm of daily life before their move-in date arrives. By the time they move in, they already recognize neighbors and associates, know their way around campus, and feel like they belong. Some of the unknowns that tend to stall a decision, like whether they’ll fit in or whether a place will feel like home, have often already been answered through firsthand experience. Just as importantly, this waiting period gives future residents time to prepare for their move on their own schedule, coordinating logistics without feeling rushed.
Supporting the Transition to Senior Living
No single program is going to resolve concerns for everyone. But the hesitation shown through research, including the fear of the unknown and the difficulty of picturing a new life before you’ve lived it, is a problem senior living communities are uniquely positioned to solve.
Importantly, personalized assistance should be bolstered once someone is ready to move to campus. For example, every incoming resident at Meadow Ridge works with a dedicated move-in coordinator to ease the transition. The coordinator handles details, including flooring, paint, finish selections and move logistics, allowing new residents to focus their time and attention on the transition itself rather than the mechanics of it.
Rethinking When the Senior Living Experience Begins
Senior living has always been in the business of helping people live well, and that responsibility starts well before residents receive their keys. Handled correctly, the waiting period can be the first real chapter of someone’s life in the community. A chapter built not just around a deposit, but around a relationship.