Senior Living Facilities: Most Desired Features?

A recent survey provides insight into how seniors and their adult children may weigh the merits of senior living facilities.

When it comes to finding a retirement community, the seniors who will live there are not the only ones involved in the decision-making process; their Adult Child Influencers (ACIs) are often involved in the research and sales process for senior living facilities. And there are aspects that are of more/less importance to these two audiences, according to a new study from the market research team at Zion & Zion, a full-service marketing agency in Tempe, AZ.

This study, conducted by the Zion & Zion market research team, was based on a nationwide survey of 1,021 seniors (age 75+) and their ACIs investigating what features and amenities each group considers important when selecting a senior living community, and what conclusions can be made about the difference in marketing to each audience. Here are few highlights:

  • While 35% of seniors believe access to healthcare is important when choosing a retirement community, 56% of their adult children view it as critical — a significant 21% difference.
  • Similarly, 44% of seniors say that security and safety are important, but their adult children came in much higher at 57% — a statistically meaningful 13% difference.
  • Off-property elements are also of noteworthy consideration: 46% of seniors think that nearby businesses (such as banks, shopping, and grocery stores) are important considerations, but only 38% of their adult children see this as worthy of consideration.

Shown here are the survey results indicating importance of senior living community features (with responses from the seniors and their ACI’s combined). Authors of the study are Aric Zion, MS; Morgan Gardea; Peter Juergens, MA; and Thomas Hollmann, MBA, PhD. The full report can be viewed at the Zion & Zion website.

senior living facilities
Source: Zion & Zion