Thoughts of staying healthy often default to getting lots of exercise and eating right. But physical health is only one piece of the prosperity puzzle; supporting every aspect of wellness means being proactive about health management and setting yourself up for healthy living from all angles — not just physiological.
Each dimension of health is interdependent and must be considered when developing a wellness plan, a construct known as integrative wellness. This holistic approach to health looks at the whole person, including their needs, goals, attitudes and behaviors.
When a plant isn’t thriving, we modify its surrounding environment, not necessarily the plant itself. Although human functioning is a bit more complex, we can apply the same principles to improving our own well-being by aligning it with the concept of wellness real estate. Wellness real estate, which marks the intersection of environment and longevity, is a set of principles that guide us in creating a healthy living environment for ourselves and our communities.
The following article offers a detailed look at wellness real estate, its research-backed advantages and the ways in which Life Plan Communities embody it through the HumanGood mission.
Wellness real estate is a practice that focuses on the relationship between the built environment and the natural world.
More specifically, the Global Wellness Institute defines it as “built environments proactively designed, built and operated to support the holistic health of occupants, visitors and the community.” It conceptualizes wellness as a number of interconnected principles, all influencing one another and heavily dictated by surrounding environmental conditions.
Unhealthy environments negatively impact all aspects of health, not just physical. Put simply, wellness real estate is an expert-backed movement to prioritize holistic health in our surroundings. Research from the Global Wellness Institute shows that up to 90% of our disease risks, health outcomes and longevity “depend on environmental and lifestyle factors rather than our genes.”
This concept is championed by forward-thinking healthcare and design visionaries, such as Dr. Gautam Gulati, founder of The Well Home. Dr. Gulati emphasizes the pursuit of "bioharmony" — a state achieved when our living spaces are intentionally curated to align essential lifestyle factors like sleep, mindfulness, and environmental safety to optimize our overall healthspan.
Sedentary lifestyles, poor diet and chronic stress (to name a few) are direct results of subpar wellness real estate, yet these living conditions are increasingly normalized. The truth is that the designs and locations of many homes, workplaces and neighborhoods can encourage lifestyle choices that result in illness, anxiety, isolation and unhappiness on an unprecedented scale. This proves that people need spaces that are intentionally designed to support all dimensions of health, which we outline in more detail below.
When we are proactive about our health, we are considering how each dimension of wellness interacts with the others (known as integrative wellness) and making an effort to address each of them individually in an effort to boost healthspan. Life at a HumanGood Life Plan Community (sometimes known as a continuing care retirement community or CCRC) implies each of these needs is reliably met for each and every resident, a promise that’s represented by our formula for living your best life: Connection + Well-being + Security.
The following four pillars make up the foundation of holistic health, each symbolizing a different essential, integrated aspect of wellness:
Physical wellness is often what comes to mind when people think about their personal “health,” and it’s certainly a huge part of healthy living. It includes your safety and biological functioning, including mobility, accessibility, physical security and comfort. Other relevant considerations are environmental exposures and health care, such as through the prevention and management of chronic conditions.
Despite being one of the more “obvious” pillars of wellness, intentional efforts must be made to design spaces that satisfy physical health needs. Life Plan Communities achieve this in a variety of ways, such as through:
Safely designed living spaces with features such as grab bars, zero-threshold showers, and even flooring
Access to wellness clinics right on campus
24/7 security and emergency response
Safe and reliable transportation options for those who no longer drive
But physical health and safety make up only one piece of a much bigger picture — your body, brain and mind all need support in the pursuit of better health, which is where the remaining three pillars come in.
Meaningful, mindful movement and nutrition go hand in hand, and together, they make up the second pillar of proactive wellness. This dimension of physical health prioritizes exercise, movement and the consumption of nutritious foods through a well-balanced diet. It focuses on developing ways to avoid a sedentary lifestyle, find a fitness regimen that makes you feel good and secure access to the resources necessary to stay in shape, such as proper exercise equipment and programming.
For example, Life Plan Communities ensure residents’ nutrition needs are met in several ways. Residents enjoy balanced, chef-prepared meals made with locally sourced ingredients and served three times daily. Diverse menus, flexible dining options and access to on-campus nutritionists make eating right a breeze.
Life Plan Communities also provide access to on-campus fitness centers: designated areas equipped with machines and programs designed to promote better balance, mobility and more. In fact, there are numerous avenues for residents to stay active, including pools, walking paths, group classes, personal training sessions, pickleball courts and fitness clubs.
Mental health is another crucial, yet often overlooked, dimension of wellness. But everything we experience begins in the brain, which means it essentially lays the groundwork for your entire sense of well-being. This pillar encompasses connection with nature, beauty, awe and delight, in addition to rest, solace and sleep.
To satisfy this aspect of health, we must feel we have a purpose in life and find the meaning in our personal journeys. We also need to make an effort to pursue lifelong learning, conscious mindfulness practices and spiritual traditions.
Life Plan Community living accommodates these fundamental needs by providing diverse opportunities to nurture emotional health, including both solo activities and group offerings. Each community also offers numerous lifelong learning opportunities, such as visits to cultural sites and workshops to develop new skills, plus designated spaces for creative arts and experimentation.
Campuses are purposefully designed to maximize views of the surrounding natural landscapes, including beautifully landscaped gardens, fruit orchards, lush groves, and even stunning ocean views. Public spaces incorporate biophilic interior design for a calming atmosphere, and apartments are configured to maximize natural light to help regulate residents' sleep-wake cycles.
Life Plan contracts satisfy a foundational element of psychological wellness: security. For one, residents have the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have access to care options if they ever need them. Life Plan contracts also provide invaluable financial predictability. Because most of the costs of living (e.g., meals, home maintenance, transportation) are included in the monthly price you pay, you can take a breath knowing many of your essential needs are covered.
As social beings, humans need to maintain meaningful and diverse connections with others. Despite the networking benefits of modern technology, many tend to depend too heavily on this form of connection, leading to isolation. To stay healthy, people need physical places in which they can meet with others and nurture social connections.
The social health aspect of wellness real estate focuses on prosocial design: intentional, open spaces for interacting and engaging in large and small groups. This final dimension of wellness prioritizes inclusion and diversity through functions such as local community involvement and tech-based connectivity. Prosocial architecture intends to provide the setting and resources necessary for people to confidently connect with their community in productive and purposeful ways.
Life Plan Communities are built around socialization potential, providing residents with various opportunities to meet and bond with others. These opportunities include events with people you love and programs with fellow residents and neighbors, which may include instructional workshops, classes, lectures and outings.
Plus, communities are architecturally designed to facilitate casual social interactions, such as sharing a meal at one of the multiple dining venues, grabbing coffee at the bistro, or enjoying happy hour on the patio or bar. Campuses even feature intergenerational spaces to inspire connections that extend beyond the borders of the campus.
While many senior living communities concentrate on physical health above other aspects of wellness, HumanGood Life Plan Communities take a holistic health approach through what we refer to as whole-person programming. By considering every dimension of health in addition to basic biology, HumanGood supports the whole picture of resident wellness. This integrative wellness philosophy is summarized in HumanGood’s formula for living your best life: Connection + Well-being + Security.
Life Plan Communities inspire human connection and community by removing the barriers of isolation, creating a village effect where neighbors become a built-in support system and sparking a collective sense of belonging.
Life Plan Communities support physical and emotional well-being by integrating proactive wellness programs, walkable campus designs and fitness amenities, encouraging an active lifestyle that keeps residents both physically resilient and emotionally grounded.
Life Plan Communities promise safety and security with 24/7 team member presence and a welcoming neighbor network and by offering a continuum of care that gives residents access to higher levels of living if necessary.
Your environment has a significant effect on all dimensions of health and wellness. And although maintaining physical wellness is incredibly important, it only scratches the surface of a holistic health lifestyle. Healthy living goes beyond physical safety, and it starts with your surroundings.
At HumanGood, we’re committed to creating intentional, integrative spaces to inspire healthier, happier residents. Explore other ways to live better as you age with Your Best Life: A Holistic Guide to Senior Wellness.