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July 1-July 14, 2015 — COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL — Page 37
Senior Housing & Care
Nancy Schwalm
Independent and assisted living
communities are caring for residents
with more complex health care
needs than just a few years ago.
Implementing protocols to manage
these higher-care needs can help
lower the
communi-
ty’s liability
risk and
increase
its capacity
to retain
residents.
Statistics
from the
2010
National
Survey of
Residential
Care
Facilities
through
the Depart-
ment of
Health and Human Services revealed
that 50 percent of the assisted living
residents have three or more chronic
conditions, and 42 percent of them
have Alzheimer’s disease or other
forms of dementia.
Today’s senior-living provid-
ers must evaluate their caregiving
capabilities and develop protocols
and design features for those resi-
dents with more chronic health care
conditions. Safety features such as
wanderguard systems to prevent
unsafe elopement, and cameras
or pendants to assist in monitor-
ing residents at risk of falling are
now becoming more important fea-
tures. With decreased mobility and
increases in wheelchair, scooter and
walker usage, having adequate space
for storage and assisted mobility is
key to a functional design. Offering
robust wellness, rehabilitation,
nutritional, nursing and clinical sup-
port programs is a great program-
matic feature to help keep people
active and engaged in preventative
health efforts.
There is a great opportunity to
partner with post-acute, acute care
and physician partners to develop
specialized programs for top chronic
disease areas that can impact
resident transitional needs, such
as developing a diabetic education
and support group, offering a car-
diac rehabilitation exercise class or
providing weight management pro-
grams.
Jill Vitale-Aussem
It makes sense that people want to
avoid the traditional nursing home
and, in fact, the original concept of
assisted
living was
not to be a
stepping-
stone to
the nurs-
ing home
but to take
its place.
Meeting
these
increased
needs
requires a
combina-
tion of
proper
design, a
new view of operations as well as a
cultural shift within the community.
Design should include the features
that will allow people to remain
as independent as possible. Wider
door frames, raised toilet seats, grab
bars and minimal flooring transi-
tions are all key, even in residential
living, where features like back-
ing in walls to support grab bars
should be included to meet future
needs. Programming and opera-
tions must shift as well. And it’s not
just about increasing staffing levels.
Incorporating technology, science-
based programming for successful
aging, therapy and systems to man-
age chronic disease are imperative.
Even with all of these structural
and operational changes, however,
we will not be able to successfully
meet the needs of higher-acuity resi-
dents co-existing with more “well”
residents unless we focus on creating
cultures of inclusivity which people
are honored and respected no matter
what physical or cognitive challenges
they are living with. In our current
community cultures, people with
higher-care needs often are shunned
by their neighbors. This ostracism
has a devastating effect on not only
a person’s emotional well-being but
also their physical health, leading to
a devastating downward spiral and
higher care needs.
Trudy J. Stephens
Although current data supports
the idea that both independent liv-
ing and assisted living settings will
continue to experience rising levels
of acuity,
I believe
it will be
impor-
tant not
to let this
trend blur
the line
between
these
potentially
very differ-
ent prop-
erty styles.
Designing
and build-
ing IL
apartments
that will
support the transition to assisted
living acuity levels may appear to
be a smart business decision with
the potential for slowing move-outs
by those who have higher needs.
However, many of the active genera-
tion beginning to arrive on our door-
step do not accept that assisted liv-
ing needs will have an effect on their
lifestyle and will not even accept
the visual image of simple grab bars
in apartments. These prospective
independent living residents desire
a residence that does not reflect or
alert them to their future needs. A
consciousness in both private space
and common space design features
that promote the independence fac-
tor, even if only an emotional sub-
conscious thought, will be rewarded.
Assisted living community design
will be even more challenging as the
reality of physical needs trumping
lifestyle desires is experienced by
very discriminating former indepen-
dent living residents. The history of
providing assisted living residents
with similar private and common
space design features in a smaller
footprint may prove to be the stan-
dard no one wants to admit works
best. The key to finding a way to
meet rising acuity needs without
diminishing the perception of inde-
pendence may lie in the subtlety
of space reinvention, not original
design.
Kimberly Erickson
As seniors’ needs progress in
senior living communities, and
the overall care levels increase, an
Nancy Schwalm
Chief business development
officer, Vivage Quality Health
Partners
Trudy J. Stephens
General manager, The Carillon
at Boulder Creek, a Leisure
Care property
Jill Vitale-Aussem
Vice president of operations,
Christian Living Services
“Perhaps
one of the big-
gest factors in
financial and
operations suc-
cess is ensuring
that services
and pricing are
appropriately
matched to the
service needs
of residents. As
the acuity levels
and correspond-
ing service needs of residents in
our communities continues to rise,
developers and operators must
respond effectively through both
design and operations. Thanks to
these four contributors for shar-
ing their insights.”
MODERATOR:
Elisabeth
Borden
Principal, The
Highland Group
by Jennifer Hayes
A $16 million senior commu-
nity is coming to Parker.
Crown Point LLC, comprising
local developers Steve Cerson-
sky, Michael Zeitlin and Kath-
erine Ellman, and the principals
of Vivage Quality Health Part-
ners, has started construction
on its latest senior community
– Crown Point Assisted Living
and Memory Care.
Located across from Parker
Adventist Hospital at 19160
Cottonwood Drive, near
Parker Road and E-470, the
100,994-square-foot community
is expected to be complete by
June 12, 2016.
Vivage, a senior living man-
agement company that operates
assisted-living, memory care
and post-acute facilities in Colo-
rado, will manage and operate
the Parker community. Crown
Point Assisted Living and
Memory Care will feature 123
assisted-living apartments and a
26-unit memory care residence.
“We are pleased to be able to
offer our recognized high-qual-
ity services to families in the
Parker area,” said Jay Moskow-
itz, chief executive officer for
Vivage. “We bring a Colorado
community feel to each of our
senior living residences, invest-
ing in our people and facili-
ties, and drawing on the best
research and practices in per-
sonalized service that provides
optimum choices and enhanced
living experiences.”
The facilitywill offer enhanced
independent and wellness ser-
vices for seniors as well as a
cutting-edge memory care com-
munity designed for people
with Alzheimer’s disease, other
dementias and related memory
impairments.
The teamof LeeArchitects and
Erin Johnson Interiors designed
the facility with a “Colorado
modern” feel of wood, stone
and natural earthscape colors.
Crown Point Assisted Living
and Memory Care includes all
private rooms with many unit
design options available and
will be divided into two sepa-
rate “neighborhoods.”
Features of the facility include:
a large, open vaulted central
entrance allowing for natural
light; a spacious lobby with
grand piano and hearth area;
high-efficiency, individually
zoned climate control system;
state-of-the-art safety and secu-
rity system; private bathrooms
in all resident rooms; multiple
homelike areas for residents to
engage with others, including
a library, business center, ice-
cream parlor, TV lounges/the-
ater room, coffee bar, spa and
salon, and dining and activity
areas; and a large outdoor court-
yard with walking paths, gar-
dens, covered areas and conver-
sational fire pit patio area.
The facility received final
approval from the town of Park-
er April 29 and will employ 80
individuals when completed. s
Work will finish on the Crown Point Assisted Living and Memory Care
facility in June 2016.