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As the senior living industry continues to move toward wellness-based operating models, a new roadmap is out to help operators move from care-based communities with wellness offerings to wellness-based communities that also deliver care
“Wellness becomes the primary lens through which spaces are designed, staff are trained, programs are developed, services are delivered and success is measured,” International Council on Active Aging founder and CEO Colin Milner wrote in the ICAA’s Culinary Blueprint
Toward that end, the publication provides practical frameworks, assessment tools and implementation strategies to meet evolving resident and consumer expectations on wellness as older adults and families look for senior living communities that help people live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.
Among the best practices outlined in the blueprint:
- Modernize language:Replace institutional or clinical terms with hospitality-forward language across menus, signage, job descriptions and communications.
- Align operations: Integrate wellness into all levels of operations, including communications, staff training, care quality, and leadership and culture, and track the impact.
- Close the dignity gap: Maintain hospitality, food quality and resident choice regardless of care/service level and resident needs.
- Foster collaboration:Train staff members to see themselves as hospitality and wellness contributors, not simply service workers.
- Leverage technology and data:Use integrated systems to track resident preferences, menu data and wellness indicators for personalized service.
- Design matters:Create flexible dining spaces that serve as social wellness designations and support resident choice and belonging.
The report also recommends using pilot tests for new ideas, such as language changes, menu features and services. Once feedback has been gathered, operators can use it to refine progress and processes before scaling programs
Wellness emphasis growing
Continuing care retirement / life plan communities currently are evenly split on whether they identify as wellness-based with care and or care-based with wellness, according to think tank responses. By 2036, however, 76% of CCRCs expect to be wellness-based with care
Other findings show that 63% of senior living organizations and 57% of CCRCs reported that wellness is fully embedded in their strategic plans, and 26% of senior living communities and 30% of CCRCs said it is partially embedded
”Looking ahead to 2026–2028, respondents expect increases in staff who deliver wellness activities; activities / classes / programs; wellness budgets; wellness staff training and development; and technology to support it,” the report stated
Targeting wellness through culinary innovation
Informed by the Spring 2026 ICAA Culinary, Nutrition and Hospitality Think Tank, the blueprint includes expertise from senior living operators, executive chefs, registered dietitians, hospitality professionals, wellness leaders, clinicians and industry innovators. The goal is to help senior living providers modernize operations, strengthen cross-functional collaboration, improve hospitality across every level of care, and measure the business impact of culinary wellness
According to ICAA’s 2026 Trends Survey, 52% of senior living organizations now identify as wellness-based communities with care. ICAA data also shows that onsite lifestyle programs; onsite nursing / healthcare; and onsite culinary, nutrition and hospitality programs are the top three areas of wellness on which senior living providers focus.
“The future of senior living won’t be determined by whether organizations embrace wellness as a philosophy,” Milner said in a statement. “It will be determined by how deeply wellness is embedded into every aspect of the resident experience.”
