Life Plan community residents tend to experience greater emotional, social, physical, intellectual and vocational wellness than their counterparts in the greater community, according to preliminary first-year results of a study of more than 5,000 residents of 80 such communities in 29 states.
“One of the strongest points coming through is that life plan communities are places where older adults are able to find tremendous opportunity for aging well across multiple dimensions of aging,” Cate O’Brien, Ph.D., assistant vice president and director of the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging, told McKnight’s Senior Living on Tuesday.
She was speaking of the Age Well Study by Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging and Northwestern University, longitudinal research that is evaluating the effects of living in life plan communities, also known as a continuing care retirement communities, on residents’ health and well-being. The study will measure residents’ self-reported health and wellness through a survey taken annually for five years.
Results are being compared with a demographically similar sample drawn from the Health and Retirement Study conducted by the University of Michigan. Interviews with some residents are helping to interpret the findings and determine additional questions for the future, O’Brien said.
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Westminster Village and the ISU Department of Built Environment are collaborating on an interior Design Challenge. Students of architecture and interior design have been given 2 senior living apartments to re-construct, furnish and decorate as part of their course curriculum.
Students met with Westminster Village residents serving as “clients” last month. This week, Westminster residents traveled to the ISU School of Technology to see the students in action, creating architectural drawings and putting together the decorative palates.
A total of 9 design proposals are being built. Student teams are formally presenting each for consideration on Thursday, September 13th at 9:00 a.m. at Westminster Village. The resident and staff committee will choose which designs will be executed and unveiled for the public to tour during the Design Challenge Showcase in December.
“The project is an opportunity for Westminster Village to connect the generations and connect the campuses. Our senior residents and the young students have really enjoyed working and learning together. We are also pleased to give these students a real life project to add to their portfolio,” shared Kate Webster, Sales & Marketing Director for Westminster Village.
The Course: IAD351 Studio 3: Universal and Corporate Design – This design studio includes both Interior Architecture Design (IAD) and Architectural Engineering Technology (ArET) students. These are 3rd year students. Most are IAD majors and will pursue an Interior Design license and work in residential or commercial design related jobs. The ArET students, in addition to the design courses, also take construction management courses giving them options to pursue employment in the design or construction management fields.
ISU contact: Andrew Phillip Payne, PhD, M.Arch., Associate AIA, Chair and Professor of Built Environment, College of Technology, Indiana State University 812.237.3267 andrew.payne@indstate.edu
For more information please contact Kate Webster, Sales & Marketing Director, (812) 242-4611
For bright minds and engaging personalities, speaking on topics that affect senior adults everyday, you can count on the Speakers Bureau we’ve assembled at Westminster Village. Our professionals are prepared to discuss topics ranging from nutrition and fitness to skilled nursing and long-term care, as well as general health, wellness and rehab.
This article was featured in the March edition of Valley Health Resource Magazine.
