What matters, and what matters most? Exploring resident satisfaction in continuing care retirement communities

Purpose Resident satisfaction is a catalyst for continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) to enhance their competitiveness in the expanding senior living market. CCRC attributes play an imperative role in resident satisfaction when older adults reside in these communities. The purpose of this study was to identify the attributes that affect CCRC resident satisfaction and quantify their relative levels of importance. In addition, the impact of resident satisfaction on word of mouth (WOM) and satisfaction with life was examined. Design/methodology/approach The proposed hypotheses were tested by performing structural equation modeling on the data collected from 332 CCRC residents throughout the USA. Findings The study results revealed that all 10 of the CCRC attributes identified in this study significantly influenced resident satisfaction. Sociopsychological factors had the strongest influence on resident satisfaction, followed by cost and value, medical services, availability of activities, food and beverage services, design, rooms, management and staff, location, and spiritual environment. The study results further indicated that resident satisfaction had a positive impact on WOM and satisfaction with life. Practical implications This study provides significant practical implications for CCRC owners and operators to help them better identify the types of CCRC attributes and their relative levels of importance for resident satisfaction. Originality/value This study is one of the first comprehensive studies to identify CCRC attributes associated with resident satisfaction and examine the impact of resident satisfaction on satisfaction with life within the senior living field.