The demographic of care homes is changing!

Baby boomers are widely associated with privilege as many grew up in a time of widespread government subsidies in post-war housing and education, and increasing affluence.

As a group, they were the wealthiest, most active, and most physically fit generation up to that time, and among the first to grow up genuinely expecting the world to improve with time. They were also the generation that received peak levels of income; therefore, they could reap the benefits of abundant levels of food, apparel, retirement programs, and sometimes even “midlife crisis” products. The increased consumerism for this generation has been regularly criticized as excessive.

One feature of the boomers was that they tended to think of themselves as a special generation, very different from those that had come before. Such is this shift of expectation that products and services need to rethink how they will meet these demands to satisfy this ageing generation.

For our care communities this adds pressure to the existing challenges of the modern care home, specifically how they meet these new choice expectations without excessive investment.

Dementia numbers increasing as baby boomers reach their eighties

About one in 20 people over 65 and one in four over 85 have dementia. At present there are about 800,000 older people with dementia in the UK, of whom 84,000 live in Scotland. Numbers are increasing rapidly as the population ages and will grow even more quickly when the baby boomers reach their eighties.

Until recently, dementia was an under-diagnosed condition, however rates of diagnosis are now improving, and people with dementia are increasingly being identified at the earlier stages.

It is anticipated that the demand from baby boomers and dementia residents, who will be expecting familiar levels of choice, will have an impact on how care homes develop their surroundings.

…And, this is a generation that doesn’t like to be bored.

The sterile retirement communities of yesterday are gone. Baby boomers want it all and they want it all in one place. In response to this generation, today’s senior living communities offer an abundance of activities, events, and opportunities – all designed to enhance the retirement experience.

As these changes evolve, care homes are adapting and responding to these higher expectations, and family members will also expect premium environments to reflect the freedom experienced by their aging parents and loved ones.

Expectations from yesterday’s youth will impact on quality and care furniture style expectations.

So, what can be done and how can care homes future proof themselves?

• Care homes are preparing with higher quality care furniture and furnishings to meet these baby boomer expectations.
• Baby boomer expectations are so much higher than their parents who experienced war and food rationing.
• Expectations include being able to order food whenever they want from a menu.
• …And, entertainment: Baby boomer residents will expect activities to keep them occupied
• Remember that care homes are often pitching at two generations, often with their interiors blended between modern and traditional, with emphasis on modern to appeal to the relatives.
• The need to look to professional partners to help find the right balance between budget and style will increase.

Among other companies, Furncare is responding to these challenges by developing premium bedroom ranges. Liberta Vie from Furncare is a brand that has been leading this change with luxury styled bedroom ranges, coming complete with a choice of pre-designed furnishings and colourways in affordable packages, and have a 10 working day turnaround.

Freedom, Enjoyment and Status are values that should be adopted to meet the future retirement needs and we believe that freedom, enjoyment and status should be a lifelong experience. With this in mind, we specialise in the design and manufacture of complete luxury bedroom packages and care furniture for care communities, with: 5 working day turnaround! 8 vibrant colour collections! 2 great range choices!

To view the latest styles to meet these expectations, please see our latest collections of luxury bedroom ranges:

https://furncare.co.uk/libertavie/ or call our specialist care team on 01603 664 900.

© DSDC 2013 Improving the design of housing to assist people with Dementia. University of Stirling.

© 2019 Leisure Care https://www.leisurecare.com/resources/baby-boomers-and-senior-living/