Overview of Single Gender Senior Living
The majority of senior living facilities of all types are designed for individuals of both genders. This includes 55+ communities as well as many assisted living centers. With that said, in more recent years, there has been an uptick in the number of assisted living centers that are gender focused. In other words, these assisted living facilities are dedicated to serving the needs of a single gender. With that in mind, there are some facts and factors to understand in regard to single gender senior living options.
Some Families Prefer Single Gender Assisted Living Facilities
One of the reasons why single gender assisted living facilities are getting a closer look in this day and age is because of family members of older Americans who are in need of assisted living services. The fact is that a notable number of families of older people have indicated that they are more comfortable with the idea of their older loved one living in a single gender rather than open gender assisted living facility. This particularly is the case with the adult children of senior women who are interested in moving into an assisted living community.
When questioned about their preference for a single gender facility for their mothers, these adult children of seniors nearly always list safety and security as their primary reason for seeking out this type of residential option for their mothers. The bottom line is that these family members believe that their mothers will be in a safer and more secure environment if they will be residing only with other women. The perception among these adult children of women in their Golden Years is that assisted living centers that include both males and females heighten the risk of potential harm to their elderly mothers,
Families of older women that have memory or related issues are particularly prone to seek out a single gender assisted living facility. They believe that a single gender assisted living option particularly is important for women with memory issues or facing the onset of some type of dementia.
Some Older Women Prefer Living in a Single Gender Community
Research does indicate that there is a notable percentage of single older women who have a preference for a single gender assisted living community. This includes cohorts of women who has been widowed, women who never married, and women who had marriages that ended in divorce. Women who indicate that they prefer living in a single gender community site a number of reasons for that determination:
- They indicate that they feel more comfortable in a residential environment that includes only people of the same gender
- They believe services at a same gender facility will be better tailored to their needs
- They state that they feel more safe and secure in a same-gender facility, a point that is discussed more fully in a moment
Perception of Enhanced Safety and Security in a Women’s Only Assisted Living Facility
As made mention just a moment ago, a good many older women believe that they will be safer and more secure in a single gender assisted living facility. These women typically make note that they have this feeling not because they fear living with members of the opposite sex. The main reason why they believe women only assisted living are safer and more secure is because they conclude that they are designed and staffed with the specific interests of women in mind.
LGBTQ Focused Assisted Living Centers
As more people have become open about their sexuality, including seniors in the LGBTQ community, a new type of single gender assisted living facilities is coming into existence. These are single gender assisted living facilities dedicated to serving the needs of the LGBTQ community in the United States, Europe, and in some other countries around the world.
At the present time, there is no precise tally of how many single gender assisted living communities exist to serve the needs of members of the LGBTQ community. In addition, there is no specific totals for those that serve members of the gay male versus lesbian male communities.
Single gender LGBTQ focused single living facilities extend beyond assisted living residences. They now also include 55+ communities in a growing number of locations in the United States.
Future of Single Gender Single Living Options
A significant increase in the number of single gender senior living options is not expected in the immediate future. With that said, the prediction is that these types of facilities will continue to increase in number at a steady if not significant pace.
The reality is that a growing segment of the older American population, together with their adult children, are beginning to appreciate that there are some clear and definite benefits associated with single gender senior living options. This particularly seems to be the case when it comes to single gender assisted living residences.