Moving To A CCRC Changes Activity Patterns

Recently we reviewed an interesting study about person's who move into a continuing care retirement community. Our take is: the changes in their activities are very positive! See the article below and consider the results for you and your family.

How does a living environment affect a person’s quality of life? A research team chose the concept of therapeutic landscapes, which they defined as “how place, and a person’s relationship to place, is related to health and well-being” as the basis for their exploration.

STUDY: A group of 116 people who moved into the independent living section of a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) completed questionnaires before and one year after they moved. The respondents, average age 78.9 years and two-thirds women, answered questions about their engagement in 20 activities, such as housework, reading or watching TV, hobbies or gardening. About two-thirds reported being in very good or excellent health.

FINDINGS: New residents did not change their overall levels of activity, but they did change the types of activities they engaged in. Both before and after moving, reading and watching television topped the list of activities they engaged in most frequently. After moving to the CCRC, there was an increase in selected social and cultural activities, such as attending concerts and parties, watching movies and joining meetings. There was a decrease in household activities, such as grocery shopping and housekeeping. There was also a decrease in email communication. A higher score of total activity was a significant predictor of satisfaction with the community.

COMMENT: The authors suggested that one of the reasons for the changes in activity patterns was the CCRC itself, where services such as housekeeping and restaurants are available, as is easy access to social and cultural activities.

SOURCE: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 25(2):117-132 (June 2010)