Residents of life plan communities (also called continuing care retirement communities) reported more healthy behaviors and scored higher on positive measures of emotional, social, physical, intellectual and vocational wellness than did older adults living in the community at large in newly released one-year data from the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging’s Age Well Study.
Life plan community residents, according to study findings, pursue more intellectual activities such as reading, games, trainings or other educational offerings, and they use social media and meet with friends more often than older adults in the community at large. Life plan community residents also reported greater satisfaction with life, more physical activity, increased personal connections, higher frequency of volunteering, more optimism, greater life purpose, better self-reported health and fewer chronic conditions.