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Mather Institute provides complimentary resources on topics related to the growing fields of aging, wellness, trends in senior living, and more. These informative resources provide current research and innovative practices to those who impact the lives of older adults.
Senior Living Trends
SEEKING SOLITUDE
Senior living residents differ regarding how much time they prefer to spend by themselves and with others, and it’s important for communities to recognize what is important to both the social seekers and solitude seekers. This report explores motivations for solitude—both positive and negative.
Learn MoreThe Age Well Study ReportYear 4 Findings
This in-depth study focuses on factors associated with Life Plan Community residents’ stress and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, including individual and organizational characteristics.
Learn MoreThe Age Well Study ReportYear 3 Findings
Learn about associations between Life Plan Community residents’ happiness and life satisfaction and their individual personality traits, resources, communal factors, and behaviors in this in-depth study.
Learn MoreThe Age Well Study ReportYear 2 Findings
Learn associations between Life Plan Community residents’ individual characteristics and their healthy behaviors and overall health in this groundbreaking study.
Learn MoreThe Age Well Study ReportYear 1 Findings
Get an in-depth look at the positive effects that living in a Life Plan Community has on multiple aspects of residents’ health and well-being in this groundbreaking study.
Learn MoreCoaching Review:Older adults' motivators and barriers to holistic wellness and wellness coaching participation
Learn to identify motivators and barriers to resident participation in behaviors that support their whole-person wellness.
Learn MoreBaby Boomers at Work:Work, Wellness, and Retirement Considerations of Baby Boomers Employed in Senior Living
This study offers insights on older employees’ views of work, wellness, and retirement, and provides recommendations for senior living providers to continue supporting these individuals in their careers.
Learn MoreStumbling Blocks:Identifying and Overcoming Older Adults’ Barriers to Physical Activity
This study offers insight into barriers to older adults being more active, including beliefs regarding physical activity, individual physical ability, and psychosocial factors, and how to overcome those barriers.
Learn MoreNational Survey of Resident Expectations Regarding Transparency & Decision Making in Life Plan Communities
A survey of Life Plan Community management reveals what today’s Life Plan Community residents expect regarding transparency of information and input.
Learn MoreBrain Health
20 Brief Brainy Bits
Discover facts about brain health that are quick and easy to share with older adults.
Learn More7 Brainy Bits:
The Most Recent News on Brain Health
Learn what the latest research has confirmed about how people of all ages can improve cognitive function and even reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s disease through certain lifestyle behaviors.
Learn MoreResilience
10 TIPS FOR STAYING HOPEFULHOPE FOR HEALTH
Research has proven that people with a hopeful outlook tend to be more likely to practice healthy lifestyle behaviors, and to feel optimistic about the future. Fortunately, you can help the older adults you serve boost their “hope factor” with simple, research-based strategies. Here are 10 tips you can put to use today to foster hope in yourself and others.
Learn MoreWell-MeaningThe importance of finding a sense of purpose during a pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions had an unprecedented impact on older adults’ routines, access to social supports, and stress levels. Learn some surprising details about how those 50 and better found meaning and fulfillment.
Learn MoreLife Plan Community Staff-Resident Storytelling
Discover how a storytelling program involving staff and residents of a Life Plan Community increased empathy and yielded benefits beyond improved relationships.
Learn MoreFocus on the PositiveEnhancing Resilience by Savoring Positive Experiences
Discover how older adults can improve their resilience and psychological well-being through simple exercises that encourage savoring positive experiences.
Learn More10 Tips to Boost Your Happiness
Research shows happier people report having better physical health and psychological well-being. Discover tips that increase happiness by savoring positive experiences.
Learn MoreWorkforce Wellness
“May I Help You?”Engagement and Emotional Labor in Frontline Senior Living Employees
Learn strategies frontline employees can use to maintain a consistent positive demeanor to improve their emotional health and, by extension, employee engagement and retention.
Learn MorePerceptions of Aging
MESSAGE MATTERSUsing Messages about Aging to Promote Wellness among Older Adults
This study offers insight into the effectiveness of specific types of messaging on older adults’ motivation to participate in physical activities and other wellness programming.
Learn MoreSenior Living Employees’
Perceptions of Aging and Why They Matter
Find out how perceptions of aging held by senior living employees affect the well-being of the residents they serve.
Learn MoreSelf-Fulfilling ProphecyHow Perceptions of Aging Affect Our Later Years
Learn how older adults’ perceptions of
aging—and their self-perceptions—can have serious effects on their health, behaviors, and even longevity.
Positive Perceptions of Aging
Discover how research shows that older adults with positive perceptions of aging live longer, make more friends, enjoy greater life satisfaction, and much more.
Learn MoreLife Lessons and How to Savor ThemCreating Positive Perceptions of Aging in Older Adults
Learn how investigators were able to enhance older adults’ perceptions of aging by asking them to savor “life lessons” that they learned as they grew older.
Learn MoreTrends & Innovation
INNOVATION AT WORK 2022Promising Practices Recipients That Are Reshaping the Aging Services Industry
Get inspired to change things up and adapt a fresh approach. Here, nine innovative programs, approaches, and ideas offer transformed ways to serve older adults. The Promising Practices Award recipients include a resident-led emergency-preparedness program for independent living residences, and a technology-based fitness approach that takes resident workouts to the next level.
Learn MoreINSPIRING NEXT PRACTICES: 2022 INNOVATIVE RESEARCH ON AGING AWARD RECIPIENTSRECENT RESEARCH THAT CAN TRANSFORM AGING SERVICES
Mather Institute provides at-a-glance summaries of award-winning research from the past year, offering fresh, evidence-based ideas for senior living and aging services industries.
Learn MoreINNOVATION AT WORK 2021Promising Practices Recipients That Are Reshaping the Aging Services Industry
Create your own “next practice” based on groundbreaking programs, products, and ideas that offer fresh approaches for better serving older adults. Learn from nine 2021 Promising Practices Award recipients.
Learn MoreINSPIRING NEXT PRACTICES: 2021 INNOVATIVE RESEARCH ON AGING AWARD RECIPIENTSRECENT RESEARCH THAT CAN TRANSFORM AGING SERVICES
Discover Mather Institute’s top picks for applied research that has important implications for the senior living and aging services industries.
Learn MoreInnovation at Work 2020Promising Practices Recipients That Are Reshaping the Aging Services Industry
Learn from 2020 Promising Practices Award recipients, including a creative program that reinforces COVID-19 safety measures, and a partnership providing on-site counseling for residents.
Learn MoreInspiring Next Practices: 2020 Innovative Research on Aging Award RecipientsRecent Research That Can Transform Aging Services
Get an overview of the most relevant research published in the past year from the 2020 Innovative Research on Aging Awards.
Learn MoreInspiring Next Practices: 2019 Innovative Research on Aging Award RecipientsRecent Research That Can Transform Aging Services
Get an overview of the most relevant research published in the past year from the 2019 Innovative Research on Aging Awards.
Learn MoreInnovation at Work 2018Promising Practices Recipients That Are Reshaping the Aging Services Industry
Discover 11 Promising Practices Award recipients from 2018, ranging from a boxing-based exercise program that really packs a punch for those with Parkinson’s, to a smart pilot program for using smart home technology in senior living.
Learn MoreInspiring Next Practices: 2018 Innovative Research on Aging Award RecipientsRecent Research That Can Transform Aging Services
Get an overview of the most relevant research published in the past year from the 2018 Innovative Research on Aging Awards.
Learn MoreInnovation at Work 2017Promising Practices Winners That Are Reshaping the Aging Services Industry
Learn about the six Promising Practices Award winners from 2017, including an organization recognized for innovative training programs for older adults with behavioral health concerns.
Learn MoreInnovation at Work 2016Promising Practices Winners That Are Reshaping the Aging Services Industry
Discover five Promising Practices Award winners from 2016, ranging from breakthroughs in brain health to empowering residents to become educators.
Learn MoreRevealing Research: 2017 Innovative Research on Aging Award RecipientsRecent Research That Can Transform Aging Services
Get an overview of the most relevant research published in the past year from the 2017 Innovative Research on Aging Awards.
Learn MoreOther
FOOD FOR THOUGHTOLDER ADULTS’ VIEWS ON HEALTHY EATING
This overview provides real-time data about how people age 55+ view healthy eating, including their interests, knowledge, motivations, and barriers. Learn how, when it comes to nutritious diets, there are ways to transform older adults’ good intentions into healthy practices.
Learn MoreGoing GreenENVIRONMENTAL ENGAGEMENT & FUTURE OUTLOOK AMONG OLDER ADULTS
Explore the attitudes and outlook of people age 55+ toward issues from climate change to recycling to water consumption, with more than 90% of study participants indicating climate change is real.
Learn MoreHope at Work
Discover how a hopeful outlook can impact older adults’ healthy behaviors such as getting regular exercise, stopping smoking, eating a nutritious diet, and more. Find out how hope also plays a role in feelings about the future and views of one’s own health.
Learn MoreTHE VALUE OF VOLUNTEERING
Learn how different types of formal and informal volunteer activities affect older adults’ life satisfaction, and which underutilized charitable actions carry the most benefit for the volunteer.
Learn MoreAutonomy, Affiliation, & AchievementThe “3 As” & Older Adults’ Mental Health & Well-Being
Based on a survey of 500+ older adults, this research brief explores the extent to which participants’ needs for the universal psychological drivers of autonomy, affiliation, and achievement were being met during the COVID-19 pandemic—and the relationship between these needs and mental health.
Learn MoreWith Age Comes StrengthA Snapshot of Older Adults’ Mental Health during the Pandemic
This timely research brief provides a nuanced understanding of older adults’ experience of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, including surprising details about how those 50 and better found meaning and fulfillment.
Learn MoreAdvantages and Disadvantages of No and Low Dues Villages
Get the latest insights into significant differences between no and low dues Villages and other Villages, as well as recommendations for Villages that are considering charging low or no dues.
Learn MoreNon-Participation Trends in Village Membership
Get the latest insights into why people drop out of Villages or decide against joining in the first place and learn ways Villages can evolve to appeal to a wider variety of older adults.
Learn MoreCollaborations in Research:Partnering to Create Ways to Age WellSM
Get a snapshot of the research Mather Institute is conducting with partners at universities, all with the goal of improving aging services.
Learn MoreWhat motivates us?Motivators of healthy behaviors: Survey findings
Discover what people today reveal about what motivates them to engage in healthy behaviors, and get an interesting glimpse into how we all choose to participate in healthy behaviors (and why).
Learn More2017 National Survey of Research EntitiesConducting Applied Studies in Aging
Download a comprehensive, up-to-date summary that can be used to develop or refine your organization’s aging research programs.
Learn More2016 National Survey of US Villages
Find out what researchers learned from conducting a survey examining the current characteristics of Villages in the US that bring together older adults who have a mutual interest in aging in place.
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