By Leigh Ann Hubbard
It’s an open secret: A lot of people who work in senior living … hope they never have to move in.
But what would make them want to? Anything?
Is the loss of independence (real or perceived) an insurmountable downside? How about the cost? The idea of feeling cramped because you’ve downsized? The fear of being “warehoused” or locked away?
Could anything overcome worries like this?
Has your community figured out something?
One Community’s Answer
What if moving in were a “want-to,” not just a “need-to”? Mirabella at ASU is trying to make that happen. The Foresight team recently got a tour. I wrote about on LinkedIn here. Here are some highlights:
- It’s on the campus of Arizona State University.
- It’s integrated with the university in all sorts of ways.
- Each resident chooses how they interact with campus and students.
- There are opportunities for intergenerational friendship and mentorship.
- There are opportunities to create high-end art.
- It’s dog friendly.
It’s the kind of community people could want to move into at any age: purpose, autonomy, creative expression … dogs.
Your Answers
Of course, the downside to many forward-thinking communities like this is the expense. Most people can’t afford the rates.
But what if we played the brainstorming game, where there were no wrong answers — nothing impossible? If we all pondered what would make us want to move into a senior living community, what would we come up with?
For me, it would have to do with nature, animals, volunteering, affordability.
How could we bring elements of what we dream of into communities right now — maybe even at low cost?
Or maybe you’ve already done that? We’d love to hear about it.
