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Wellness Benchmarks Report: How Wellness Programs Can Improve Senior Living Communities

Published On 10.26.18

By Anthony Ruggeri

Director of Senior Living Partnerships

My grandfather lives in a senior living community.

He is tough – a blue-collar Italian man from Philadelphia. He is a veteran, a first-generation immigrant, and still one of the sharpest people I have ever met. He is 90 years young.

He is stubborn. While I can speak highly of his cognitive prowess, his function is another story. He currently owns two power wheelchairs. While one is being used, the other is charging. Physically, he has declined dramatically over the years and a prominent contributing factor is his sedentary lifestyle. Every time I visit, he is lying in his bed or on the couch watching TV. I ask him if he is being active. He assures me that he exercises regularly. But I can clearly see the resistance bands that I provided him years ago hanging on his rocking chair, collecting dust.

As earlier stated, my grandfather lives in a senior living community. He has had multiple falls over the past couple of years, and a majority of them have landed him in a skilled nursing facility for an extensive length of time.

THE SENIOR LIVING CHALLENGE: PROPERLY DOSED EXERCISE AND ACTIVITY FOR THE OLDER ADULT

Senior Living executives face many challenges. One of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to motivate residents to become more actively engaged in wellness activities. Teams must determine which activities to implement based on the number of participants, functional outcomes and return on investment. Increasing resident engagement helps promote physical, cognitive, and spiritual wellness, leading to better overall quality of life.

The International Council on Active Aging/ProMatura Wellness Benchmarks Report is a research report demonstrating the business advantages of lifestyle and wellness programs implemented in Continuing Care Retirement communities, Assisted Living communities, Independent Living communities, and Memory Cares communities. Examining the six takeaways from the report, rehabilitation practices are shown to have a significant impact on providing senior living operators with the tools they need to positively impact their residents and communities.

1.) THE LINK BETWEEN RESIDENTS FEELING HEALTHY & PARTICIPATING IN ACTIVITIES

Benchmark communities promote an active lifestyle. There are a number of multi-dimensional programs that a community can provide to give residents interesting and purposeful activities each day. Participation in these activities is related to how well a person feels. If a resident is sedentary and weak, the chances of active participation decrease.

Rehabilitation promotes an active lifestyle by increasing function to allow for more engagement in ADLs and community mobility. A structured routine of getting up and moving based on evidence-based clinical treatments will promote willingness to participate. The healthier a person feels, the more likely they are to take part in activities provided by their community.

2.) TO SUCCEED, SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES NEED EVIDENCE-BASED WELLNESS PROGRAMS

Wellness lifestyle programs are one reason why residents move in. Purposeful programs inspire resident satisfaction. Over 40 percent of older adults choose their community based on the wellness programming that is offered. Due to the competitive nature of the business, many SLCs partner with or include their own rehabilitation to distinguish their model.

An effective rehabilitation practice will offer a wellness continuum as part of a holistic approach to resident health. Physical Therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology, exercise physiology, and consistent up-to-date clinical education for staff, can help separate a great SLC from an average one.

3.) COMMUNITY SATISFACTION IS TIED TO WELLNESS PROGRAMS

Resident satisfaction and quality of life depend, in part, on wellness lifestyle offerings. Over 75 percent of residents say that participation in a wellness program has made them more satisfied with the overall community.

Socialization is extremely important for anyone in any living situation. Wellness should not only focus on physical health but also allow residents to feel comfortable in their environment through social activities with other residents. Fun social activities will allow residents who may take longer to get adjusted to a new living situation feel more comfortable. If residents are enjoying their environment, they are more likely to become engaged in purposeful activities focused on their physical and cognitive health.

4.) LONG-TERM BENEFITS OF WELLNESS PROGRAMS FOR SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES

Effectively delivered wellness activities help residents feel healthy, and well-designed physical activity programs aid the ability to live independently. It is important for a rehabilitation practice to establish a motivating culture within the community that will engage residents and encourage them to participate.

Many times, participation is a result of the personalities delivering the wellness programming in a community. If residents are participating and feeling as though they are in good to excellent health, they are generally going to feel an increased sense of satisfaction with their community.

The better a resident feels about their living situation, the more likely they are to make a referral.

Executive directors must understand and apply the value of an evidence-based wellness program for residents and the long-term benefits it will have for the community.

5.) THE ADVANTAGES OF EDUCATED STAFF

Programs led by educated staff lead to resident satisfaction with the program and the community. As previously stated, an effective rehabilitation practice should provide evidence-based clinical education to the staff. Well-educated staff will have a better understanding of identifying potential fall risks, applying safety precautions, and decreasing their chances of getting hurt while transferring residents. Executive directors do not want their residents or staff to get injured. Providing consistent education can help reduce resident hospitalizations and staff injuries due to improper body mechanics.

It’s not easy to get everyone in a senior living community to participate in wellness programming. The best approach is to have a multi-dimensional continuum of care along with activities that interest a broad number of residents. The quality of the wellness programming is equally as important. An effective rehabilitation practice believes in proactive, evidence-based treatment to increase resident engagement. This leads to increased LOS, improved resident satisfaction, and a healthy, comfortable and fulfilling experience for residents of a senior living community.

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