University Of Michigan Spin-off Program Aims To Help Improve Longevity In Senior Living

A research-based independent aging program spun off from the University of Michigan aims to improve longevity for older adults, including those residing in senior living communities.

Founded by five scientists and clinicians with decades of aging research experience among them, HealthyLifetime is an eight-week program offering one-on-one coaching to support longevity and lifestyle management for older adults.

The startup currently has five clients, including senior living providers, and is seeking to scale by targeting partnerships with providers through long-term care insurance arrangements and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.

A unique aspect of the company’s assessment tool is its focus on longevity and actionable steps to improve one’s health independently, compared to other health risk assessments.

“Our program is built around showing that longevity and high-functioning longevity is possible, but you have to know what’s important, how to improve and how to stay on that journey,” said HealthyLifetime CEO Kathleen Potempa in an interview with Senior Housing News.

Potempa said she felt the aging services and health care industries are “a bit of an awakening” around keeping older adults independent for longer and living fulfilling lives.

Senior living operators have shifted in recent years to focus on more holistic wellness services, lifestyle amenities and programming geared toward greater resident independence.

Co-founder Gene Huang said the company is positioning itself to build a “consequential business” capable of serving senior living providers and health care companies involved with aging services. For example, Huang said the HealthyLifetime program fits seamlessly with the goals of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) by helping residents age across the continuum.

“We’re really trying to scale that, and we don’t want people to accept that decline as a given. It’s something we know can have a meaningful impact for individuals and organizations,” Huang said. “The trick is to get organizations to see that benefit.”

Branching out from the University of Michigan, a renowned research hub for aging studies, was prompted by the co-founders’ desire to grow beyond providing research-based insights to directly improving the quality of life for older adults, Huang added.

The HealthyLifetime platform is structured around physical activity, social interaction, sleep quality and other factors that “holistically look at independence,” Huang noted. The program offers customized assessments and recommendations for each older adult, using the platform to bring together “many different resources,” Huang said.

Currently, HealthyLifetime is seeking early-stage growth capital to expand the company’s services and reach more older adults.

“Longevity is something that you can actually do a lot about,” Huang said. “There may be nothing you can do about that, but your ability to live independently is something that we can truly affect.”

The post University of Michigan Spin-Off Program Aims to Help Improve Longevity in Senior Living appeared first on Senior Housing News.