The Future of Senior Housing + Care / Annual Report

Will innovations in design and construction and technology transform senior housing over the next decade? 

For the past few years the Senior Living Innovation Forum has released wide-ranging reports examining the future of the industry. For 2020, we decided to narrow our focus on a few areas we believe will have the biggest impact on the future of seniors housing:

• Modular Design, and how it facilitates affordable housing options.
• Smart Homes, including Robotic Apartments.
• Advancements in CareTech, pinpointing the ways in which wearables, telemedicine and other developments will help elders live better quality lives.

This year's report features seven insightful sources: Hasier Larrea, founder and CEO of Ori Living, the leading creator of robotic interiors; Dr. Bill Thomas and Ana Pinto da Silva, Founder and CEO (respectively) of Minka; Mark Skender, CEO of Chicago-based Skender Construction; Dave Wessinger, co-founder and President of PointClickCare; Ron Galloway, healthcare futurist and author; and Jan Garde, founder of The Embassies of Good Living, a global co-living concept.

Highlights from the Report:

• By 2030, about 75% of construction projects (across all sectors) will be modular, predicts Skender, who adds, “We’re waiting for senior housing industry leaders to see the benefits of our approach. I think they’ll be coming around very soon.”
  
  
• Design innovations like Ori’s robotic interior products and systems will allow seniors to remain in – or even return to – dynamic urban environments, living in smaller, more affordable and easier to manage housing.
  
  
• Smaller, modular models like Bill Thomas' Minka, will not only provide an affordable option for the middle market, but allow elders in their 80s and even 90s to remain independent longer.
  
  
• Discrete Assistance will be one goal of The Embassies co-living model, enabling residents to pick and choose the level of care they receive, often without their neighbors knowing they’re receiving assistance.
  
  
• Telemedicine, voice assistants, and wearables will transform the lives of seniors over the next ten years, according to futurist Ron Galloway. “The Apple Watch can add two years to your life.” he said. "Meanwhile, Apple’s AirPod earbuds will offer similar features, measuring heart rate, blood volume, respiratory rate and temperature."
  
  
• “Putting Tech First” will become the industry mantra. Artificial Intelligence, IoT and advanced Electronic Health Records (EHRs) will all improve quality of care, Dave Wessinger says.

These really are just some of the highlights of our 2020 report. Though serious, industry-wide challenges remain—from recruiting a strong workforce to affordable housing options for the middle market—we’re optimistic that a number of innovations featured in our report will boost longevity and enhance quality of life over the next decade. It will be fascinating to see how the industry optimizes these developments. 

"The Future of Senior Housing + Care” is available here.