While senior living demand remains strong in 2026, operators are fine-tuning their approach to reach a growing cohort of solo-ager older adults without traditional family or caregiver support to ensure they are not left behind.
According to 2023 data from AARP, more than 24 million people aged 50 and older live at home. Of that cohort, 10% lived alone, were unpartnered and had no living children. An additional 11% had children but were estranged from them, while 13% had children they did not view as able or trustworthy to assist with their caregiving and support.
The AARP study also found that 71% of solo-agers said they would consider moving to a senior living community, and the industry has long competed for older adults aging in place. This cohort of older adults also has little or no care plan for ongoing living assistance at home, and senior living providers are positioning their communities to reach this group.
A key factor that senior living operators use to connect with solo-agers is highlighting a community’s ability to foster social connections through lifestyle and programming efforts. A total of 55% of older adults 50 and older surveyed by AARP said they sometimes or often lacked companionship; 43% reported feeling left out and 42% felt isolated.
“We aim to learn who the person is, what they enjoy and who they might naturally connect with. Sometimes it is as simple as introducing them to the right person at lunch, inviting them personally to an activity or connecting them with someone who has similar interests,” Arturo Correa, an Agemark Senior Living Executive Director, told SHN.
Correa, who manages Agemark’s Kingston Bay Senior Living property in Fresno, California, said operators must take time to understand each resident’s personal support network. At Kingston Bay, staff help prospective residents who are solo-agers navigate the emotional and difficult transition to senior living by managing downsizing, furnishing apartments and coordinating a move.
The team also plans for changes in acuity, and Agemark’s internal Community Support Guide helps staff direct these older adults to outside services such as legal planning, fiduciary services, Medicare, conservatorships, advocacy and care coordination.
Senior living providers including Agemark Senior Living, GardenSpot Communities, United Church Homes and 2Life Communities are taking steps to address this solo-ager cohort and reach more older adults about the social and lifestyle benefits of senior living.
Building early connections is critical in reaching solo-agers
Identifying whether an older adult is a solo-ager during initial outreach is critical to building connections that will spur a move into a community.
GardenSpot Communities uses a consultative move-in process that focuses on listening to the prospect’s story, and staff identifies aspects of their support network, their goals for senior living and their desired lifestyle. This is done to give solo-agers “agency and a voice” and to connect communities and prospects with a sense of belonging, according to GardenSpot CEO Steve Lindsey.
At GardenSpot Communities, solo-agers are often “planners” who want to “chart the course” of their senior living journey. The company’s cooperative living model helps connect solo-agers with communities at an affordable rate. The co-op homes are full and have a waiting list as demand remains strong, Lindsey said.
GardenSpot created a “new resident navigator” role to help older adults make the transition from living at home to moving into a community. The role asks new residents about their talents, hobbies and skills, which then leads to older adults being matched with interest groups and opens the door to greater social opportunities, Lindsey said.
“That really was one of the things that led us to develop our cooperative living program, which is filled with solo-agers who wouldn’t be able to afford to live at a typical retirement community but have a great life sharing lives together, living in community together and forming a new social network for themselves,” Lindsey said.
United Church Homes relies on service coordinators to help solo-agers transition to senior living as part of the organization’s NaviGuide program. Service coordinators meet with solo-agers one-on-one and seek to understand their needs, whether they are lifestyle- or health care-related, to make the move easier, according to COO Terry Spitznagel.
“I think socialization and the loneliness epidemic are among the things that may be driving so-called solo-agers to our communities,” Spitznagel said. “The role can be a game-changer for folks without traditional support networks, and social engagement is the catalyst.”
Explaining what the “next chapter” of life could look like for someone without traditional support networks is important, and sharing insights on programming and social opportunities for older adults is a critical piece in connecting with solo-agers, Spitznagel added.
United Church Homes created the “Abundant Living Club” to connect residents without large support networks with one another to find shared interests and hobbies, along with curated social gatherings and events.
‘Thinking differently’ about the next generation of senior living customers
It’s no secret that senior living is experiencing a shift in consumer habits and preferences as older adults seek more lifestyle and social offerings with the security blanket of care services.
The senior living industry must be “thinking differently” about serving baby boomers, and it’s incumbent on operators to connect with prospects quickly or risk missing out on welcoming new residents who are considered solo-agers.
“This is about how senior living organizations are going to evolve and whether we are giving people opportunities for social programming and events that connect them,” Spitznagel said.
2Life Communities created a “welcome buddy” program that pairs new residents with established, extroverted residents to help make the transition to senior living easier for solo-agers. They receive training and are encouraged to invite residents to programming such as lectures or special lunch events to build a social network.
“They’re really a facilitator, and they connect that person to others, so it’s not all just based on one relationship,” said 2Life Executive Director Myra Marshall.
2Life Communities’ operating model is designed to make sure that solo-agers do not fall through the cracks, and resident services staff play a critical role in supporting residents without traditional support networks, Marshall said. These staff help older adults navigate health care appointments, in-home services and complex situations such as financial exploitation or rehabilitation stays.
Leadership across all departments regularly meet to discuss who is moving in or out, which residents are receiving hospital or rehabilitation care and which residents, if any, need additional support. Another meeting focuses on identifying “at-risk” older adults who could be more susceptible to social isolation. Frontline employees, from maintenance workers who are regularly in apartments to dining staff who see residents every day at meals, are trained to flag changes such as sudden weight loss and withdrawal from social activities, Marshall said.
Future-focused: ‘Less on housing, more about culture and environment’
At GardenSpot, Lindsey sees the need for providers to adapt their operations to support solo-agers, framing the future as less about simply providing housing for older adults and more about culture and environment.
“It needs to be our goal to help people thrive, and senior living is an opportunity for people to give back in this next chapter of their lives,” Lindsey said.
Having structured staff positions that can assist people without a traditional support network will become critical in the coming years to replace a missing family advocate with staff who can “walk alongside them” during their transition to senior living.
For solo-agers in particular, Spitznagel said operators must focus on the first 30 to 90 days after a resident moves in, including multiple check-ins to ensure they have social connections and access to services as they settle into their new community.
“I think it’s really more about finding ways to partner with those people who do it well and create a network so that you’re able to create the plan for people and meet them where they are but have a communicative plan so that at least one person in the building is on the same page,” Spitznagel said.
In the future, Correa believes the industry will become “even better” at building support networks around residents and understanding the relationships among care managers, advocates, legal experts, community organizations and residents without traditional support networks.
“I think the communities that do this well will give solo-agers something extremely important: the ability to remain independent while knowing they don’t have to navigate aging completely alone,” Correa added.
