![\"Small](\"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/25-0731-s2p-2025cfi-800x600.jpg\")
Photo caption: Small home designs foster joy, connection, and purpose – key themes of the 2025 CFI Conference on combating senior loneliness.<\/em><\/p>\n
The conference will explore how innovative, human-centered housing models, such as small homes, cohousing clusters, and shared neighborhood amenities, can help rebuild the social fabric in cities and suburbs alike. EverTrue Laclede Groves, in Webster Groves, MO, is an example of\u00a0a traditional long-term care environment that has been converted into individual households and apartments, reimagining what it means to live and age with dignity, connection, and purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis report is a clarion call, but it\u2019s not news to those of us in the small home movement,\u201d said Susan Ryan, CEO of CFI. \u201cFor nearly two decades, we\u2019ve seen how intentional environments\u2014homes designed to foster community and purpose\u2014can transform lives. The WHO findings validate what we\u2019ve long known: connection is a cornerstone of health.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the WHO report, loneliness and social isolation is on the rise, with one in six people globally experiencing loneliness, which contributes to over 871,000 premature deaths annually and significantly impacts both mental and physical well-being.<\/p>\n
Dr. Kelly Tremblay, who is an advisor to the WHO and to CFI, says, \u201cThe WHO found strong social connections can lead to better health and longer life, and that\u2019s what the small home movement is showing as well,\u201d said Tremblay. “I\u2019m heartened to see the serious attention being given to the health impacts of loneliness and isolation and to be part of meaningful, local efforts to foster real connection.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tim Dolan, who started Dolan Memory Care Homes over 30 years ago, explained, \u201cPeople thrive in homes, not institutions. That\u2019s why every one of our 17 memory care homes is intentionally designed to feel like a real home\u2014with open kitchens, shared meals at a single table, and safe access to the outdoors. When people feel at ease, they connect more easily, and that sense of connection is essential to their well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n
About Center for Innovation<\/strong><\/p>\n The Center for Innovation (CFI) is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming aging services through person-directed practices, community connection, and culture change. As the parent organization of The Green House Project and Pioneer Network, CFI brings together two leading voices in eldercare reform to create empowering, person-directed services and support for all older adults. For more information, visit: https:\/\/cfi2025.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n Learn more about the WHO\u2019s report on social connection here: https:\/\/www.who.int\/news\/item\/30-06-2025-social-connection-linked-to-improved-heath-and-reduced-risk-of-early-death<\/a><\/p>\n
![https:\/\/www.Send2Press.com\/300dpi\/25-0731-s2p-2025cfi-300dpi.jpg<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto caption: Small home designs foster joy, connection, and purpose – key themes of the 2025 CFI Conference on combating senior loneliness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. LOUIS, Mo., July 31, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — As global recognition of loneliness intensifies following a landmark World Health Organization (WHO) report identifying loneliness as a public health crisis, the Center for Innovation (CFI) is convening leaders from across the country to showcase bold, evidence-based solutions. At the 2025 CFI Conference, held August 11-14 in St. Louis, senior care innovators will explore how small home models, including the nationally recognized Green House Project, are working to reduce social disconnection through intentional design and urban innovation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10100,"featured_media":128113,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[134,12804,61,455,530,197,353,14997],"tags":[20403],"class_list":["post-128114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-editorial-news","category-ap","category-health-medical-news","category-long-term-care-news","category-missouri-news","category-event-news","category-senior-citizen-news","category-st-louis-business","tag-eldercare-reform","has-post-title","has-post-date","no-post-category","no-post-tag","no-post-comment","has-post-author"],"acf":[],"views":4252,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10100"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128114"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128120,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128114\/revisions\/128120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}](\"https:\/\/www.Send2Press.com\/300dpi\/25-0731-s2p-2025cfi-300dpi.jpg\"){kind=link}