Every January, millions of Americans make resolutions—lose weight, save money, exercise more. By February, 80% have abandoned them. But for older adults, especially those in senior living communities, there’s a more profound opportunity than checking boxes on a resolution list: discovering a true sense of purpose that transforms daily life.
“I’m not a fan of resolutions because they are pipe dreams,” says Kelly Stranburg, Vice President of Healthy Aging and Longevity at Westminster Communities of Florida. She continues, “People often identify resolutions for things they know they want or should want to change. Purpose goes a lot deeper than that. It is something that drives us intrinsically.”
This deeper drive—what the Japanese call ikigai, or reason for being—matters more in our senior years than ever before.
Research from Harvard Medical School shows that seniors with a strong sense of purpose score higher on physical assessments, maintain better cognitive function, and experience greater overall well-being. The question isn’t whether purpose matters, but how to find it.
Why Do Resolutions Fall Short for Seniors?
Traditional New Year’s resolutions focus on behavior change without addressing the underlying question: Why does this matter to me? This superficiality explains why most resolutions fail within weeks. Seniors don’t need another list of “shoulds”—they need connection to something meaningful.
“Purpose changes as we age,” Stranburg explains. “Retiring changes your purpose again. [Residents] are going to figure that out within the senior living space.”
The senior living purpose isn’t about perfection or radical transformation. It’s about waking up each morning knowing there’s a reason to get out of bed. Recent research from the University of Texas at Austin found that helping others can actually slow cognitive decline in older adults, demonstrating that purpose-driven activities provide tangible health benefits beyond emotional satisfaction.
What Does True Purpose Look Like in Senior Living?
Mrs. Sharon Piety-Nowell discovered her ikigai for seniors after moving to Westminster St. Augustine. Now the community’s 2021 Volunteer of the Year, she serves residents at the health center, contributes to committees and Resident Council, greets visitors at the Lincolnville Museum of African American History, and builds houses with Habitat for Humanity.
“I find that volunteering not only gives me purpose and helps other people, but it also continues my longevity because it keeps me sharp brain-wise and physically also, so it’s a win-win,” Mrs. Piety-Nowell shares.
Her transformation illustrates what happens when seniors move from simply living to living purposefully.
The change isn’t just emotional—it’s physical, cognitive, and social. Harvard researchers studying the connection between purpose and longevity found that individuals with a strong sense of purpose had lower mortality rates and better physical function, including measures like grip strength.
The famous Nun Study, which examined the brains and lives of 678 Catholic sisters over decades, revealed similar findings. Nuns who maintained purpose through teaching, prayer, and service showed remarkable cognitive resilience, even when post-mortem brain examinations revealed Alzheimer’s pathology. Their purposeful engagement appeared to protect against cognitive decline.
Pathways to Purpose at Westminster Communities
Purpose doesn’t arrive fully formed. It emerges through exploration, connection, and support. Westminster Communities of Florida creates environments where residents can discover their unique senior living purpose through several pathways.
Let’s explore them!
Volunteering Within and Beyond the Community
“There’s a way to make a meaningful impact every time you walk out your door if you just pay attention to your neighbors and what they are saying and what they’re experiencing,” Mrs. Piety-Nowell notes. “You can always provide a meal; you can ask somebody to go to an activity with you. There are so many ways you can reach out and help your fellow community members.”
This outward focus—helping others rather than fixating on personal limitations—creates what researchers call a “purpose feedback loop.” The more we contribute, the more purposeful we feel, which motivates continued engagement.
Physical Wellness and Fitness Programs
Purpose and physical health are deeply interconnected. Westminster communities utilize the Senior Fitness Test (developed at California State University, Fullerton) to assess functional fitness in older adults and create personalized exercise programs. These assessments measure strength, flexibility, aerobic endurance, agility, and balance—the physical attributes needed for independent living.
“I wouldn’t be able to [volunteer throughout the community] if I weren’t exercising daily here in the community and feeling like I was keeping my body healthy,” Mrs. Piety-Nowell explains. “I really appreciate the fact that I have exercise programs readily available to me.”
The programs go beyond simple fitness classes. They represent a commitment to maintaining the physical capacity that enables purpose-driven activities, whether that’s building homes with Habitat for Humanity or greeting museum visitors.
Lifelong Learning and Intellectual Engagement
Many Westminster residents discover ikigai for seniors through intellectual pursuits. Programs aligned with the OSHER Lifelong Learning Institutes model provide opportunities for continued education, discussion, and mental stimulation. These aren’t passive activities; they’re chances to share knowledge, mentor others, and remain engaged with ideas.
Meaningful Relationships and Community Building
“This is like being on a college campus where you have instant availability of all the things you need: socialization, purpose, and people to support you if you’re going through something challenging,” Mrs. Piety-Nowell observes. “I think it’s essential that people who are aging have a community environment.”
Purpose often emerges through relationships. A casual conversation with a neighbor might reveal a shared interest. A committee meeting might spark an idea for a new program. The density of social connections in senior living communities creates countless opportunities for purposeful engagement.
How Does Westminster Support Your Journey to Purpose?
Finding your senior living purpose isn’t a solitary endeavor. Westminster Communities takes a personalized approach to helping residents discover what drives them. But how do we do this?
“Through a discovery process of getting to know the individual residents,” Stranburg explains. “Getting to know the residents is the most critical part of daily community life—meeting residents where they are. Everyone is in a different place in their own journey.”
This means team members invest time learning about each resident’s interests, values, former careers, hobbies, and dreams. They don’t impose a one-size-fits-all activity schedule; instead, they co-create opportunities aligned with individual passions and capabilities.
The community provides programming and amenities designed to support diverse expressions of purpose, from fitness centers and wellness programs to volunteer coordination and creative arts spaces. Resources like Total Brain Health programs help residents maintain cognitive vitality while exploring new interests.
Getting Started: Practical Steps
If you’re struggling to find meaning in this stage of life, Stranburg offers reassuring advice: “It is okay. With time and grace toward yourself, hopefully, together we can figure out what that is. But it is okay if you don’t know your purpose right now.”
The journey toward ikigai for seniors begins with small steps:
- Explore Available Activities: Attend different programs, classes, and gatherings. Notice what energizes rather than drains you.
- Connect With Neighbors: Purpose often emerges through relationships. Strike up conversations, learn others’ stories, and discover shared interests.
- Reflect on Past Passions: What activities made you lose track of time? What contributions felt most meaningful in your working years? Those clues often point toward a current purpose.
- Start Small: You don’t need to volunteer 20 hours a week or chair major committees. Helping one neighbor, attending one class, or trying one new activity can open unexpected doors.
- Give Yourself Permission to Experiment: Not every activity will resonate. That’s not failure—it’s discovery. Your senior living purpose might surprise you.
- Engage the Community Team: Staff members are trained to help residents identify and pursue purposeful activities. They know what programs exist, what volunteer opportunities are available, and how to connect you with like-minded residents.
Purpose as an Ongoing Journey
Purpose isn’t a destination you reach and then tick off your list. It’s an evolving journey that changes with seasons, health, interests, and opportunities. The resident who finds purpose through physical volunteering might eventually discover meaning in mentoring newer residents. The lifelong learner might transition from taking classes to teaching them.
What matters is the daily commitment to living purposefully by waking up each morning knowing that your presence, your contributions, and your connections matter. That awareness transforms senior living from simply aging in place to thriving in community.
Mrs. Piety-Nowell’s experience illustrates this beautifully: “It is very worthwhile, and you’re contributing to the larger society.” Her purpose extends beyond herself, beyond even her immediate community, creating ripples throughout St. Johns County and beyond.
This is the promise of senior living purpose—not a New Year’s resolution that fades by February, but an ongoing commitment to meaningful living that sustains and energizes through all the years ahead.
Discover Your Purpose at Westminster Communities of Florida
If you’re ready to move beyond resolutions to discover your true ikigai for seniors, Westminster Communities of Florida provides the environment, support, and opportunities to make that happen. Our communities throughout Florida are designed not just as places to live, but as launching pads for purposeful, engaged, meaningful living.
Schedule a visit to experience firsthand how our residents discover and live their purpose every day. Because the best time to start living purposefully isn’t January 1st—it’s today.
Contact Westminster Communities of Florida to learn more about our vibrant senior living communities and schedule your personal tour.
