Health, wellness, a sense that support and care are not far away – these are the feelings that many senior living companies are trying to evoke among residents inside their communities in 2025.
Recent data on the baby boomers shows that they overwhelmingly desire communities that can keep them independent and active and self-sufficient. In order to attract the next generation of residents, senior living operators and their partners are packing communities with new amenities that cater to those desires, from putting greens and pickleball courts to spas and fitness facilities.
Incoming senior living residents also desire preventative health, and companies are meeting those wants by building medical facilities into their campuses that offer services such as genetic testing.
One company currently serving even more baby boomers than traditional senior living operators is Greystar, which is among the largest operators of active adult in the U.S. with multiple brands aimed at different market segments.
“We’re targeting the boomer generation, which I always say was the original ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ generation,” Tiffany Goodman, senior director of real estate of active adult at Greystar, said during a panel at the recent Senior Housing News BUILD conference in Dallas.
Greystar isn’t the only company grappling with the changing desires of a new resident base. FellowshipLife and Sunshine Retirement Communities also are building new amenities into their communities with an eye on active and health-minded customers ahead.
Catering to boomers who want to stay active
Health and wellness are priorities for Basking Ridge, New Jersey-based FellowshipLife. The nonprofit on its various campuses has a fitness center and outdoor amenities including a putting green, pickleball court and basketball court, all to attract prospective residents looking for an active lifestyle.
“That gets a lot of attraction and interest, and really attracts those people that want to be fit and well for their future and retirement years,” President and CEO Brian Lawrence said.
FellowshipLife is focusing its efforts not just on wellness, but also hospitality to attract baby boomers entering the industry. At its Fellowship Village community, the operator has a 257-seat community theater that hosts off-Broadway performances, ticketed performances, plays and bands that are open to the public.
Coming to the community has another benefit in that it creates a pipeline of interest for future residents.
“I can’t express what a great marketing and brand awareness tool that is,” Lawrence said.
FellowshipLife also extends its community presence through medical options, such as a physician medical practice right on its campuses, where the public is invited in to be proactive with their medical care. Part of the practice includes genetic counseling, Lawrence said, which allows them to see what might need to be addressed in their care.
As an active adult company, Charleston, South Carolina-based Greystar caters to residents with an average age of 71 and are therefore less likely to need care services. Greystar is challenged in that it must entice residents to move into its communities for no other reason than they want to. That means that the company is not only competing with other active adult operators, but also older adults aging in place at home.
To attract new residents, Greystar’s communities typically include amenities such as advanced fitness centers, spas and medical components for proactive health care.
The cornerstones of the company’s communities are “expansive” common areas with clubhouses averaging between 10,000 and 14,000 square feet. The operator invites clubs and community organizations to utilize those spaces.
The company is building out a new community in Dallas with a 6,000 square foot fitness center also slated to serve the public. Some of the operator’s buildings are also mixed use, and partnering with additional businesses helps bring in additional interest while reducing the overhead cost of operations.
Although Greystar’s residents are on the younger side compared to independent living, the company is “heavily focused” on building communities with fitness centers and health spas.
“We have some assets that are adding medical components to be very proactive with health and expand the life cycle of their stay with us,” Goodman said.
Bend, Oregon-based Sunshine’s dining venues act as a draw for the public. The company has added grab-and-go stations to communities that are utilized not only by residents but the public and nearby workers who stop by, according to Stephen Eatman, vice president of Sunshine Retirement.
Sunshine’s dining venues can also be used for private events, and are used for specialty dinners and wine tastings. Because the operator strives to hire restaurant chefs, it also encourages them to showcase their fine dining skills.
“It’s a great way to get the stigma off of senior living food,” Eatman said. “We’re giving that experience to the public.”
Building around constraints
Like other operators in 2025, all three operators must balance meeting resident preferences with the need to stay on an operating budget.
Sunshine weighs budget constraints and the age of the community when undertaking a new amenity addition or change.
“A lot of times we’ll start with one company that’s going to be doing the construction on 10 apartments, and then, for whatever reason, we get through five of them, and we have to switch companies,” Eatman said.
Due to the age of buildings in Sunshine’s portfolio – with the oldest having opened about 46 years ago – the company doesn’t always have ample space on which to expand.. Eatman noted that upgrading one of the company’s dining rooms to bring it up to modern aesthetics cost around $1 million.
And looking ahead, Eatman believes now is the time operators need to be upgrading what they have to offer because “most of the industry is behind.”
Capital constraints are the primary factor for Greystar, which is resulting in downsizing communities to ensure they underwrite for development. To help get around this, Goodman said the company looks to “maximize its spaces” with flexible, multiuse options that can be changed based on consumer demands.
In order to overcome the present challenges, particularly in terms of costs, Lawrence said there is a need for full alignment amongst the organization, including leadership, boards and residents.
“You’ve got to invest a lot into these improvements. You have to have a culture of reinvestment,” he said. “I think that would be a very important focus to have to make sure everyone is on the same page about what needs to happen to be successful, not only today, but for the next five and 10 years as well.”
The post Health, Wellness, Care: How Greystar, FellowshipLife, Sunshine Retirement Are Enticing the Boomers appeared first on Senior Housing News.
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