A future-ready senior living model built on longevity economics
VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- ICAA releases the report "Wellness: The pathway to longevity," a future-ready senior living model built on longevity economics
As the science around longevity accelerates and consumer expectations shift toward longer, healthier, more purpose-driven lives, thought-leaders from across senior living came together at the 2025 ICAA Wellness Think Tank to answer a critical question: How will the global longevity movement reshape the future of senior living?
The Think Tank's conclusions were unequivocal: Wellness is the pathway through which longevity becomes possible—as well as the economic engine on which the future of senior living must be built.
Longevity is here—but healthspan is falling behind
The Think Tank report highlights a world undergoing dramatic demographic transformation. By 2050, adults ages 65+ will outnumber children for the first time in human history, and the global longevity economy will surge toward $96 trillion. Yet the gap between lifespan and healthspan continues to widen, with the United States facing the largest divide among 183 countries, where individuals spend an average of 12.4 years in poor or declining health.
This reality underscores the urgent need for environments that extend vitality rather than simply extend years.
Recent Pew Research findings reveal that Americans now aspire to live to age 91, signaling a powerful cultural shift toward even longer living—with higher expectations for wellbeing, purpose, autonomy and engagement. But this aspiration also sharpens the national imperative: to transform longer lives into better lives by dramatically improving healthspan.
"The future of senior living isn't defined by housing or healthcare—it's defined by healthspan, life engagement and the wellness strategies that deliver measurable outcomes, meaningful experiences and ultimately, longer, better lives," said Colin Milner, CEO and Founder, International Council on Active Aging.
Senior living: The new infrastructure of longevity
Think Tank delegates agreed that senior living is uniquely positioned to become the real-world delivery system for longevity. Communities already possess the core elements that longevity science identifies as fundamental to extending healthspan: Nutrition and culinary medicine; physical activity and movement; social connection and emotional intelligence; cognitive engagement; and supportive, biophilic and wellness-oriented environments.
What's been missing, the report notes, is the unified strategy that integrates these elements into a seamless, measurable longevity ecosystem.
Wellness delivers a strong economic ROI
According to McKinsey Health Institute findings included in the report, every $1 invested in healthy aging produces $3 in economic value—a compelling confirmation that wellness is not a cost but an ROI-positive growth strategy. Senior living communities that embed wellness into operations see lower healthcare utilization; extended independence and reduced high-acuity transitions; stronger occupancy; longer length of stay; improved workforce morale and retention; greater market differentiation.Metrics such as falls prevention, transportation programs and access to outdoor environments were identified as high-ROI interventions that directly strengthen both resident outcomes and operational performance.
A new framework for longevity-ready communities
To prepare for a longer-living population, the Think Tank introduced a Longevity-Ready Framework, shaped by research from the MIT AgeLab, Milken Institute, and ICAA tools and standards. Senior living leaders are urged to evaluate their readiness across eight domains: health, home, finance, caregiving, community, activity, transitions and social connection.
The report outlines five organizational imperatives for building a longevity-ready enterprise:
- Adopt wellness-driven longevity as an enterprise strategy.
- Use readiness audits and benchmarks to identify strengths and gaps.
- Equip staff as wellness and longevity navigators.
- Measure what truly matters—vitality, engagement, purpose and wellbeing.
- Partner with academia, technology innovators, and health systems to scale impact.
The cost of inaction is rising
By 2030, 71% of senior living operators expect to identify as wellness-based communities. Those who fail to evolve risk diminished relevance among Boomers and Gen X, who increasingly view wellness as a baseline expectation—not an added benefit.
The Think Tank emphasizes that wellness is no longer a department—it is a business strategy, a cultural mandate, and the foundation of a senior living model built for the longevity era.
Media Contact
Colin Milner, International Council in Active Aging, 1 6047634595, [email protected], www.icaa.cc
SOURCE International Council in Active Aging
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