Senior Spotlight: Benefits Of Small-Home Senior Living

2022 is almost here and we are tracking the senior housing trends projected to emerge and evolve in the new year. This week, we wanted to share an update from Senior Housing News with regards to ‘small-home senior living’ – a niche product poised to expand based on interest from potential residents and investors.

What is small-home senior living?

Senior Housing News explains that the “biggest difference between small-home senior living and other senior housing communities is scale. While a standard independent or assisted living community might have anywhere between dozens and hundreds of units, a small-home community has far fewer.” Typical small-home communities may have 12-16 residents. Each has their own home and the layout could be a single-level site with a dozen residential properties or a high-rise building with small-home wings on multiple floors.

How is it different than traditional senior living communities?

In the small-home concept, the lifestyle model is one in which a smaller group of residents are living together. The environment is generally more ‘controlled’ with lower staffing ratios and a greater ability to meet individual needs & preferences. Think small-town life vs. urban density. 

What are the benefits compared to traditional senior housing models?  

Proponents of small-home housing cite multiple benefits including: a close-knit community in which deeper connections are forged among residents & staff, the bandwidth to gear technological support towards individual resident needs and a greater ability to protect against viral exposure and risk since there are fewer people. Some projects cite staff ratios such as 1 caregiver per 4-5 residents, which is less than many standard senior housing communities.

How does intergenerational living fit in?

The benefits of small-home models with regards to affordability, community support and health/wellness outcomes can benefit individuals and families of all age brackets, thus intergenerational development conversations often occur in conjunction with senior living updates. Industry experts believe that future small-home models will include a push toward intergenerational models in which facilities include recreation types for children, teens and older adults.

What role does technology play in small-home living?

Majestic Residences, one small-home developer, actually “employs a suite of technology that includes specially formulated aromas meant to evoke good feelings and emotions, robotic pets, sensors that can detect incontinence and virtual reality headsets.” Lower staff to resident ratios also enable more feedback and support in hearing what residents want in smart technology and empowering them to learn to use it.

Could you see yourself in a small-home community in retirement? Is it an option that would be ideal for a parent or grandparent in a certain stage of life? We definitely think there are benefits and look forward to seeing how this trend grows and adapts in 2022 and beyond!

Resources Used:

How Small-Home Senior Living Could Evolve In 2022 and Beyond

How Intergenerational Living Is Shaping New Senior Housing Models Post-Pandemic

All my best,

Bobbi Decker
DRE#00607999

Broker Associate
650.346.5352 cell
650.577.3127 efax
www.bobbidecker.com
NAR Instructor….“Designations Create Distinctions”
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