Senior living facility residents experience significant health benefits

Senior living facility residents experience better health outcomes than their peers, according to a study by National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care (NIC) and University of Chicago NORC.

Researchers analyzed Medicare fee for service data from 2016 to 2023 to track how health outcomes, care utilization, and costs changed for residents. The study found that seniors are hospitalized at high rates before they move-in to senior housing, but afterwards they experience fewer hospitalizations and have reduced healthcare costs.

Senior living communities that provide preventative care contribute to improved quality of life for residents and reduced costs. By the third year of living in a senior living community, hospital admissions dropped from one in three residents to one in four residents and emergency department visits dropped 14%.

By year three, costs dropped 24%, with hospitalizations and emergency visits declining, and these improvements were sustained through year six. Much of the benefits are likely due to an increase in primary and supportive care visits during the first year as chronic health conditions are stabilized, leading to long-term health improvements.