CREJ

24 / 24

Page 24 — Health Care Properties Quarterly — July 2017
While the Colorado Real Estate Journal continues to run a healthcare and senior care
news section in each issue of the newspaper, Health Care Properties Quarterly
features the most interesting projects and people, trends and analysis, and covers
development, investment, leasing, finance, design, construction and management. The
publication is mailed with the Colorado Real Estate Journal newspaper, a 4,000-plus
distribution that includes developers, investors, brokers, lenders, contractors, architects
and property managers.
Smith,presidentofSt. JosephHospi-the siteof its
Photo courtesyCooperthwaite Photography and Productions
nities in its design.
June 2016
The hospital
campus
redefined
 Market Reports
 Development &
Investment Updates
 Design & Construction
Trends
 Capital Markets
 Legal Updates
 and more
ADVERTISING
Lori Golightly | 303-623-1148 x102
SUBMIT EXPERT ARTICLES
Jennifer Hayes | 303-623-1148 x 106 |
MEDIA KIT & SAMPLES
READ THE NEXT EDITION:
Wednesday, October 18
RESERVE YOUR SPACE BY:
Wednesday, September 27
AD SIZES:
Quarter Page $395
Half Page $595
Full Page $995
Full Color $200 Additional
Frequency Discounts Available.
M agic. I’ve thought about it
over and over, and magic is
the best word to describe it.
When two people meet
and change each other for
the better – to me, that’s magic.
It’s the essence of the partnership
between Metropolitan State University
of Denver and Eaton Senior Communi-
ties, a senior living center in Lakewood.
For the last six years, MSU Denver stu-
dents studying health professions have
been interning at Eaton – in both clini-
cal and management roles.
Let me give you a firsthand account
and see if magic doesn’t come to
mind. A couple of years after this col-
laboration began, I was attending a
fund-raiser at Eaton. I took a seat next
to one of the residents – a sweet, gen-
tle lady in her 70s. After we exchanged
pleasantries, she began telling me
how the MSU Denver interns had
helped her. “They truly have improved
my life,” she said. “Now I’mmore
active, I do more things. I eat better.
I’ve lost weight, and I’ve even lowered
the amount of medicine I take.”
It was wonderful – such a moving
moment. I had always suspected this
partnership was something special,
but after hearing this lady’s words I
knew it was magical.
But the magic almost never hap-
pened – the whole partnership was in
jeopardy – at the very start.
Why? Students were wary. They, like
many, immediately conjured images
of gray walls, dim lighting, depressed
people, bland food, bad odors – and
all the other senior residence stereo-
types.
I personally knew it wasn’t true at
Eaton. I’d been there. It’s an aston-
ishing facility. The staffers are there
because they want
to be. It’s their life’s
calling. The staff
and management
are innovative,
always brainstorm-
ing and testing ways
to make life for
residents not only
better, but amaz-
ing. And, when
that happens, the
residents are there
because – yes – they
want to be there.
Not many senior
facilities can say
that.
I knew Eaton had
a bus it uses to take residents around
Denver. I suggested Eaton come to
MSU Denver, pick up a few of our
students and deliver them at Eaton’s
doorstep: a fieldtrip with a hidden
agenda.
It worked. After the students saw
Eaton, getting them to sign up was a
cinch. So far more than 20 students
have interned there. In fact, today
it’s one of our most popular options
among students.
One of those former interns – and
now an Eaton employee – is Kate
West. She admits she had her own
reservations about interning there.
“While I grew up with my grand-
parents in my life and a very positive
model for aging, I had also visited
nursing homes to sing as a child,”
she told me. “They were sad and
lonely places and I feared that Eaton
would be the same. I remember when
I walked through the doors for my
interview, one of the first things I
noticed was that it didn’t smell and it
was decorated so nicely.”
West, who’s a resident services
coordinator at Eaton today, adds that
her internship dispelled the myths on
aging and helped her cultivate “a deep
love for working with aging adults.”
West also believes the MSU Denver-
Eaton partnership is special primar-
ily because of the intergenerational
interaction. “The interns and residents
learn from each other, and that leads
to powerful conversations and rela-
tionships. Both the students and resi-
dents get to make a difference in each
other’s lives, and that’s the most valu-
able learning experience possible.”
Many MSU Denver interns at Eaton
serve as wellness coaches and work
one-on-one with residents to improve
their health via yoga, walking and
nutrition. Other interns studying
health care management work in
Eaton’s administration to develop
their business skills.
Of course, with aging baby boom-
ers, the field is ripe with employment
opportunities – one of the key reasons
we launched the program. Potential
employers regularly tell me they need
students with soft skills, and I think
that’s a big part of what our students
are getting – real-life, hands-on expe-
riences that develop those soft skills
that are critical in any work environ-
ment.
Honestly, it’s hard for me not to
overemphasize just how transforma-
tional this has been for students.
And Eaton’s CEO, David Smart, says
the same about the residents. They’re
clearly benefitting, too. A formal study
showed positive outcomes at practi-
cally every measure: They have better
health – both physical and mental –
are more engaged, active and fulfilled
with a renewed sense of purpose.
Smart adds the program also has
reduced operational costs (interns are
providing important services at low
cost and healthier residents require
less spending) and opened doors to
better finances because of increased
grant money – vital in an increasingly
competitive market for senior living
residences.
The partnership has been so suc-
cessful, LeadingAge, a nonprofit that
works on aging issues, gave MSU Den-
ver and Eaton a $50,000 grant to cre-
ate a guide to help other communities
around the United States replicate the
collaboration.
So sure, plenty of business and
economic benefits are blooming. But
for me, and I think for the students
and residents, and certainly the staff
at Eaton and for MSU Denver, it’s all
about the magic of people helping
people.s
Senior Housing & Care
Dr. Emily
Matuszewicz
Chair, Department
of Health
Professions,
Metropolitan State
University of
Denver
This month we
hear from MSU
Denver about a col-
laborative effort
between its students
and Eaton Senior
Communities that is
producing a valuable
cross-generational
experience for all
involved. In addi-
tion, this effort is
being recognized as
an effective private-
public partnership
model to reduce costs and improve
health outcomes.
Hayden Behnke
Blueprint Healthcare
Real Estate Advisors