Mobility is essential to independence in late adulthood. Recent SilverAssist data show that over 40% of prospective senior living community residents use mobility aids, like canes, walkers, or wheelchairs. While mobility challenges can impact the ability to perform other activities of daily living and life tasks, senior living communities help bridge that gap. Here, we’ll discuss SilverAssist’s findings on the mobility needs of prospective senior living residents. We also offer insight on leveraging this data in your community to help families see how senior living community services meet their needs and preserve residents’ self-reliance and independence.
A January to May 2024 SilverAssist survey collected responses from over 25,000 individuals online who were actively looking for senior living solutions for themselves or a family member. Survey respondents were interested in a range of senior living options, including assisted living, independent living, nursing homes, and memory care. The data showed that, depending on the type of community, one-third to two-thirds of all potential residents need mobility support in some way. Incorporating these findings into conversations with potential residents can offer tangible data showing that senior living communities not only know what older adults need but that they meet those needs in a way that helps protect residents’ self-reliance and independence.
What help do prospective senior living residents need?
Over 25,000 survey responses showed an interest in care, from independent living to nursing home care. Almost 60% of survey respondents looking for assisted living used mobility aids, such as a cane, walker, or wheelchair. About one-third of respondents interested in independent living used these mobility aids, and almost half of people interested in memory care used them.
The data on those searching for nursing homes told a slightly different but equally important story: While 40% of potential nursing home residents used mobility aids, an additional 13% of the respondents were bedridden. This data helps convey the level of need that nursing home residents typically have and also gives us an indication of communicating with potential residents, which we will discuss next.
| Type of community sought | Number of respondents | Percentage who used a cane, walker, or wheelchair |
| Assisted living | 8,505 | 59% used mobility aids; an additional 1.7% were bedridden |
| Independent living | 8,209 | 30% used mobility aids; an additional 0.13% were bedridden |
| Nursing home | 4,999 | 40% used mobility aids; an additional 13% were bedridden |
| Memory care | 3,350 | 47% used mobility aids; an additional 2.6% were bedridden |
How the community helps the prospective resident
This dataset shows that senior living communities can help prospective residents in two important ways. Next, let’s explore these impacts and how community professionals can leverage this information to drive facility occupancy.
Seniors are among peers with similar needs in the community
At least one in three residents interested in a senior living community uses a mobility aid. This means that a group of four residents having dinner together in the facility dining room will likely have more than one person with similar mobility needs. In other words, no resident is alone in their needs; they are among peers going through similar situations.
Communities can leverage this data to show that prospective residents are not alone in needing help with certain activities of daily living. In fact, they’re likely to become friendly with other residents who need similar or more services than they do. It’s no wonder that senior living facilities are referred to as “communities”: They are home to a group of peers who are all at various stages of the senior experience. Camaraderie and connection can go a long way, and delivering that somewhat esoteric notion with tangible data can help drive home the message that the new resident will not be alone in their needs.
Community services meet residents’ needs, preserving their independence
The goal of senior living community services is to bridge the gap between what residents need to do on a daily basis and what they can do independently. In other words, the services meet each resident at their ability level and empower them to be as independent as possible.
With this in mind, communities can use the mobility needs data to demonstrate how their services preserve the independence of their residents with various needs. Knowing the needs of those considering becoming residents can inform the direction of the conversation before it even starts.
Safety measures exist not only to keep residents from getting hurt but also to empower them to engage in activities they like with comfort and success. With 59% of potential assisted living residents using mobility aids, pointing out these seemingly obvious safety features in ways that amplify their accessibility to independence can help potential residents see the opportunities in a community: Wheelchair-accessible doors that lead to outdoor courtyards, multiple elevator locations, and push-button emergency bells in every residence are just some of the common safety features that support residents’ abilities to do what they want to do when they want to do it.
When talking with a prospective independent living resident, highlighting features such as pull cords in the bathrooms or flat room transition strips on the floor could accentuate the built-in features that support someone’s fall prevention efforts. Independent living candidates may not need extra services, but knowing about your community’s thoughtful built-in safety features could go a long way in sparking their interest in becoming a resident.
Ambulating, or walking around, is one of the cornerstones of activities of daily living. For example, bathing becomes more challenging when walking to the bathroom or moving around in the shower requires the help of a device. When almost half of potential memory care residents have mobility challenges, proactively discussing mobility supports and safety measures will preemptively answer families’ questions about ADA-accessible bathrooms and showers. Memory care communities often highlight their safety features that prevent wandering, which is a crucial and unique element of memory care services, but it’s also important to highlight practical safety features to demonstrate how residents with mobility challenges can perform everyday tasks safely.
Senior care mobility support meets many residents’ challenges
When community professionals consider the array of facility services and features, the cutting-edge, evidence-based programming and service offerings often stand out to potential residents and their families. The built-in mobility support that senior care communities provide is integral to health, wellness, and the preservation of resident independence — whether the support is a service offering or a thoughtful safety feature in the building.
It’s important that seniors and their families remember the seemingly small tasks and personal care activities individuals must do every day, even when they have mobility challenges. Including the discussion of how your community supports residents’ mobility challenges will likely answer questions the touring family has yet to think of. Discussing how you support your residents’ mobility is essential, as it’s also a discussion of how you protect and preserve your residents’ self-reliance and independence.
