How does living in a continuing care retirement community impact residents’ health and well-being?
More than 200 residents at four Acts communities are participating in a five-year study called AgeWell that aims to help answer this question.
The study measures the health and wellness benefits of living in a continuing care retirement community.
There are a number of reasons to believe that Acts and other continuing care retirement communities offer an opportunity-rich environment with programs, amenities, services and health care that support wellness, sense of community, and opportunities to find fulfillment. The AgeWell study is the first national study designed to quantify these benefits.
Acts is collaborating with the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging, Northwestern University, ASHA, LeadingAge, and 80 other continuing care retirement communities to measure residents’ self-reported health and wellness metrics through a survey taken annually for five years. Results are compared to a demographically similar sample drawn from an existing study of the general older-adult community.
Results for the first year are now available. Highlights include:
- On 20 of 23 measures of health and well-being, residents of continuing care retirement communities scored higher than a demographically-matched sample of the general older-adult population
- On almost every measure, Acts residents scored higher than both the average retirement community and the general population
Download the national report here