Food continues to be a hot topic in senior living. Television personalities like Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern ignited the modern “foodie” culture. Their meals dripped with excitement and worldliness. Under such influences, aging Boomers have high expectations for their dining options. Senior living experts will have to keep up with costs and trends to appease them. Rising Costs Food costs are at an historic high. Prices have risen an average 2.6 percent each year over the last 20 years. Long term, prices will continue to rise. A survey  by senior living association Argentum reveals that 51 percent of industry decision-makers agree that their average food costs increased in the past year. Organizations are seeking alternative methods improve cost efficiencies. Local Sourcing: Cost-Saving, Community Friendly Local food sources provided one way for 29 percent of organizations to cut costs. By decreasing storage and transportation expenses, locally-sourced foods can cost less. More than 75 percent of respondents currently offer locally-sourced produce. Nearly 55 percent offer locally sourced animal proteins. Local sourcing also appeals to the current trend in foodie culture that cherishes farm-to-table preparation. This more sustainable option promotes in-season, small batch fare. The quality of such local foods is more easily controlled and verified. Additionally, local sourcing reflects a growing concern for local economies. Nearly 25 percent of respondents that serve local produce do so to support other neighboring businesses. For 15 percent of senior living communities, locally-sourced goods are a point of differentiation against competitors. Stop Food Waste to Slash Costs Worldwide, over one-third of food  is wasted. Americans alone toss up to 40 percent of their food purchases into the trash. Decreasing food waste ensures that food fills bellies instead of trash cans. Nearly 40 percent of respondents are using food waste tracking to...

Conflicting research has many housing professionals—and house hunters—wondering if the nation has reached an affordability crisis or not. There are a few factors that influence why reputable sources are coming up with such different perspectives. Is there an affordability crisis? First American Financial Corp says no. A recent research summary posits that while home prices and mortgage rates have been increasing, the nation isn’t near crisis mode. CoreLogic’s Home Price Index reports that home prices increased 7 percent year-over-year. The Primary Mortgage Market Survey issued by Freddie Mac shows the recent mortgage rate has increase to its highest since 2013. First American Financial Corp suggests that the nation is not in crisis mode because while home prices and mortgages rates have increased, incomes have also increased. Most states have reached income levels that exceed their 2007 peak. Many incomes are higher than they’ve been in more than a decade. The organization’s conclusion: there is no crisis, just a casual decrease in affordability. Additional factors It’s not just home prices, mortgage rates, and incomes we must consider. Non-housing cost of living increases play a practical role in housing affordability for households. These costs have been rising for most of the nation, with six cities experiencing the steepest increases. GOBankingRates lists Atlanta; Denver; Eugene, Ore.; Nashville; Portland; and Seattle as cities with the highest spikes in non-housing cost of living. Healthcare, groceries, transportation and utilities are among the expenses that consume residents resources and contribute to the inability to afford housing. While incomes have increased over the years, housing costs have increased faster. The rising cost of non-housing expenses make affordability more challenging. An earner spends 29.1 percent of their income on a median-priced home. The established recommendation for affordability is 30 percent of income, which brings the average wage earner...

As the Baby Boomers head into their retirement years, a new market for senior housing is opening up – niche residential communities that cater to active older adults. Concept living, based around activities like education, recreation, or belief systems, is a hot trend. With today’s seniors enjoying longer life expectancies than ever before,  the option to have full, active lives after retiring is an opportunity for residential project developers.  Older adults might want to downsize from the large single family home where they raised their kids and lived out their careers, but they don’t want to give up any freedoms. In fact, the more affluent are often seeking high-mobility housing options, where a supported residential lifestyle can be combined with frequent travel to visit friends, family, or see the world. Some industry experts even anticipate that over time, the housing and care options for adults over 65 will morph into two distinct markets.  Rather than the awkward combination of independent and assisted living we see today, there will be more independent offerings for each life phase as the 78 million Baby Boomers come of age. A recent study found that many Boomers are unhappy with traditional retirement communities and seeking more innovative options for their later years. Here are a few of the concepts that communities are using as an entry point to attract active senior residents. Life-long learning: These programs, in which seniors live near or on a college campus and can attend classes at free or reduced cost, are popping up at colleges all over the country. A trend-setting model was established 12 years ago on the campus of Lasell College in Newton, Mass. Today there are 225 residents, most of whom live independently and take college classes – the community even...