Historically, senior living facilities were focused primarily on providing health services for those at an advanced age. However, the idea of senior living – as well as the facilities designed and built to accommodate this population – has changed significantly in recent years. This evolution has been especially evident as the Baby Boomer generation has aged into the primary users of senior care facilities.
While a health-focus permeates and perhaps still dominates the overall philosophy of senior-living facilities, an increasing number of today’s residents demand a much broader range of amenities and luxuries than past generations. This modern mindset among aging citizens continues to drive much of the evolution in the design and construction of these environments.
After the introduction of Medicare and Medicaid in the mid-1960s, accommodations for the aging split into several types: the prior method of health care (nursing homes), senior housing (seniors-only communities), hospitality (a more relaxed, resort-like setting) and hybrid (a mixture of the old-style treatment and the new trend of comfort).
The result was the emergence of more carefree facilities for older generations. Instead of concentrating on providing nursing and care for seniors who were sick, these new facilities were focused more on helping residents enjoy retirement with people of the same age.
A leader in healthcare and senior living facility construction, Granger Construction has been at the forefront of this evolution.
“There’s been a pretty significant change in the overall philosophy of senior living facilities,” said Jon Upton, project director and healthcare market segment leader for…
This article was sourced from Granger Construction.