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— Health Care Properties Quarterly — September 2016
Senior Housing & Care
DEVELOPING? BUYING? SELLING?
A
full service real estate brokerage
focused exclusively
on the
Senior Living industry
nationwide.
Our specialization is in the
acquisitions and sales of needs-based
Senior Living
which includes Independent Living, Assisted Living,
Memory Care, Nursing Care/Rehab facilities, and vetted land sites.
W
hat is your idea of a senior
living community? Is it
old frail people sitting
around watching televi-
sion all day, eating their
meal off a plastic tray, going back
to their room and not being seen
until the next meal? Well as a baby
boomer and someone that has been
caring for seniors almost 30 years
that is not what I want for me or
anyone else. In my present role, I
am responsible for helping devel-
opers, financial groups, builders
and the community understand we
don’t want the same old ideas.
Our lives are tied to our smart
phones, smart watches, iPads,
navigation systems, internet, voice
dialing, etc. Why do I bring these
items up in an article about senior
living? Because these things don’t
stop when you move into a 55-plus
community. In fact, more and
more people over the age of 55 are
demanding to have high-speed
Wi-Fi internet anywhere on site,
business centers, theaters to stream
movies, massage/spa facilities,
bistros and all-day dining services
with more than one option. Learn-
ing doesn’t stop with retirement, it
allows you to explore more options
and keep up with your grandkids.
So by offering classes on site, with
the help of local high school and
college students willing to help you,
keeps residents up to date.
What would a typical day look
like when I retire?
I would prob-
ably still wake
up around 5 a.m.
and decide if I
want to get up or
not. When I did
decide to get up,
it would be to get
dressed in my
workout clothes
and head down-
stairs to the gym.
My wife would still
be sleeping most
likely (she is not a
morning person).
Workout a good 30 minutes, go in
the Jacuzzi or steam room, shower,
dress and head to breakfast. I would
sit at the breakfast by myself read-
ing the news on my iPad or talk to
one of the other residents at the
breakfast counter. I would then
order a breakfast for my wife and
take it back to the room for her.
After she was ready to start the
day, we would see what activities
were planned on the in-house TV
channel or my iPad. Then we would
decide if we were going to attend
one or more of them with our new
friends.
Eating properly prepared and
nutritious meals every day can be
a challenge. Choices are what we
have had all our lives, so why stop
now? In the community I choose,
you can stay in your room and pre-
pare a meal or go to the bistro/café
and order a sandwich, salad or go to
the main dining room and be wait-
ed on by friendly staff who want to
make my day brighter.
How many of us dread going to
the doctor? What if the doctor came
to you either in your room or the
on-site clinic? Having a nurse on
staff to take your vital signs, answer
questions about your medications,
check your weight or that small
rash on your arm would make any-
one’s day. If you do need to see a
doctor it can be done via telemedi-
cine in the clinic. The doctor can
look at your rash and have dialogue
with you as if sitting in their office.
They would then be able to pre-
scribe something to ease your dis-
comfort or order further testing.
What about activities through-
out the day that don’t stop at five
when the staff go home to keep
me active? I want someone who
is trained in recreational therapy
to conduct a yoga class, proper
stretching, walking groups, day trips
to the theater, theme parks, casinos,
overnight trips to the mountains,
cruises, etc. I want someone to keep
my mind stimulated with word
challenges, physical challenges and
contests with other communities,
the chef to demonstrate new reci-
pes and techniques in preparation
and plate presentation.
The ideas and questions that I
have been describing in this article
in some of your minds may be far-
fetched and unachievable. I would
say that is an unfair assumption
and you should tour some commu-
nities before deciding. All of these
areas and services are presently
being designed not only in brand
new communities, but also some
communities are allocating capital
dollars to redesign and remodel
to keep up with residents’ needs,
desires and the competition.
Am I ready to move into a senior
living community? No, I am not.
But I am looking to the future and
saying “What do I want when I get
there?” We need to be on the cut-
ting edge now as we design these
communities. Do you remember 20
years ago the technology we had
and thought was so fantastic? Now
look at us, you can carry a phone,
computer, navigation, make pur-
chases and video chat all with an
electronic device in your pocket.
The generations following behind
us may outlive us by 20 years just
as many in our generation outlived
their parents and they outlived
their parents. Am I looking forward
to retiring someday? Yes, I am, but
I do not want to see my future in
an apartment watching television
all day. I want to enjoy my life, my
wife, kids and grandkids with no
worries except to get my foot on the
floor each morning and start my
day.
s
Mark D. Osweiler
Vice president of
senior housing,
Vivage Quality
Health Partners,
Lakewood
