Wellness anchors the new model of senior living by Patricia Ryan, MS

There is no question that with the pandemic's arrival, all the staff and leadership at independent living, assisted living and memory care communities immediately took action to protect the health of residents and maintain their well-being. What is less certain is how communities will define themselves as they navigate through the starts and stops of emergence into life as the virus continues. For the senior living industry, the COVID-19 crisis has perversely created a major opportunity for reinvention. ... Responding to the ICAA Call to Action to reclaim health and well-being for older people by integrating wellness throughout organizational strategies and operations, thought leaders at the ICAA Forum May 2021 gathered to frame a new model of communities that will reach "middle income" individuals. Forum colleagues recognized that structuring amenities and services by the dimensions of wellness ... would reach a larger group of people at younger ages (about 70+) with solid incomes and streaks of independence.