Category: Senior Living

By Eva Vigh | 8:00 am Dec. 11, 2018 CST
Link to original article

Since last year, Spring resident Monica Padgett said she has struggled to find affordable housing for her 80-year-old grandmother and mentally disabled uncle. The pair live in a senior living complex, but they need a cheaper facility that still provides the same level of care, Padgett said.

“When we started looking around for assisted living facilities in the area so [my grandmother]could live close by, it was impossible to find anything in her price range,” Padgett said. “It seems like there’s no options for them.”

Across Harris County, senior living costs have trended upward in recent years largely due to higher-end consumers demanding more amenities, said Gregory Shelley, director of the Long-term Care Ombudsman Program at Cizik School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. In Harris County, assisted living facilities can cost as much as $8,000 a month depending on the level of service and features, he said.

Ombudsmen advocate to improve the quality of life for residents in long-term care and work with consumers to find affordable housing.

“If money is a difficulty, there [are]still some viable options for folks,” Shelley said.

Meanwhile advocates and senior living facilities in Spring and Klein are working to offer more affordable rates and services while still accounting for senior needs, including rising medical costs and the demand for new services, such as technology classes.

“Across the board … [the cost for senior living has]been trending upward. It’s been coinciding with the cost of living. I don’t think it’s been anything drastic,” said David Chandler, executive director of Wood Glen Court Assisted Living on Cypresswood Drive. “Residents are still going to save a lot of money coming in versus staying at home, falling and injuring themselves.”

Growing needs
The elderly population in Harris County has been growing, and its needs range from financial assistance to memory care. From 2010 to 2016 the number of residents ages 65 and older in the nine ZIP codes that comprise Spring and Klein rose from 27,844 to 37,688—a 35 percent increase—according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

As of November, bills filed for the 2019 state legislative session affecting senior care include House Bill 288, which would increase the minimum monthly personal allowance, or money that Medicaid recipients may retain from their personal income, of an individual in a long-term care; and HB 284, which would require nursing homes to provide a written notice of whether it is certified in Alzheimer’s care.

Sam Harless, Texas House District 126 representative-elect, said he plans to support the needs of the growing elderly population, such as ensuring facility regulations are upheld.

“There’s a huge need for assisted living facilities … Our senior population is growing every single day out here. It’s affected a lot of our businesses in the community,” Harless said.

The Texas Department of Health and Human Services lists 36 assisted living facilities and 56 home health care agencies in the nine ZIP codes that comprise Spring and Klein. However, the area lacks nursing homes for Alzheimer’s and dementia care as well as ones that accept Medicaid-pending patients, or senior who have applied for Medicaid and are awaiting a decision, Shelley said.

In all of Harris County, Shelley said there are only three nursing homes with certified Alzheimer’s care units. One of them—Pathways Memory Care on Cypress Grove Meadows Drive—is in the Spring and Klein area.

The facility has a limited number of Medicaid-licensed beds, which can be an issue if a patient exhausts his or her private pay funds, said Angela Norris, senior vice president of business development at Stonegate Senior Living, which manages Pathways.

“It’s a challenge for folks. You want to make sure when you are admitting someone that they are able to stay there for the duration of the time they need care,” she said.

Lower-income options
Across the county the cost for senior living facilities has been increasing.

“The rough averages for assisted living locally have gone from about $3,000 a month in 2010 to $3,500 today,” Shelley said. “For nursing homes, it has moved from about $4,500 to $5,000 [a month].”

Several independent living options in Spring and Klein exist for seniors with lower incomes, including Louetta Village Apartments on Louetta Road. The affordable housing offers 116 units for seniors. To qualify for reduced rent, households must earn less than 60 percent of the area median income, according to Affordable Housing Online, which lists low-income apartments by ZIP code or city. The median income in Spring and Klein is $76,211, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Meanwhile some assisted living facilities in the area are trimming costs for tenants by including more services in their room and board fees, said Alane Roberts, elder care advisor for Assisted Living Locators Northwest Houston. The organization provides guidance on finding homes for the elderly.

“Most people need … medication management, and so a lot of places are starting to include that and maybe one or two additional very basic type services, [such as]help getting out of bed or help with dressing,” Roberts said.

Another cost-saving option is unlicensed residential care homes, which are not regulated by the state, Roberts said. The average monthly cost for a shared room in Spring and Klein is about $2,000, while a shared room in a licensed home can cost up to $3,500.

“They serve a very necessary market in the elder care space because there’s just a staggering amount of people that are aging that have little to no savings,” she said.

According to a representative from Patrick J. Wehrly Office, a financial planner on Spring Cypress Road, the average 65-year-old should have $650,000 in savings and $15,000 in emergency funds. However, the average 65-year-old in the Greater Houston area has only $50,000 and no emergency funds, the representative said in an email.

New services
Facilities in Spring and Klein are facing their own challenges, including recurring flood issues and increased demand for more services. Hurricane Harvey flooded many facilities along Cypresswood Drive—including Autumn Leaves of Cypresswood, Sycamore Creek Ranch and Atria Cypresswood. But following approval of the $2.5 billion Harris County Flood Control District bond in August, elected officials and local facility owners said they hope the worst flood events are over.

“Unfortunately it probably wasn’t the wisest thing to build assisted living close to Cypress Creek,” Harless said. “I am confident that the flood bond that passed will alleviate the flooding.”

In October, Autumn Leaves of Cypresswood, an assisted living memory community, reopened its renovated facility. The facility took on nearly 3 feet of water and had to evacuate its residents to its sister community, Autumn Leaves of Cy-Fair, said Michael Tanner, regional director of operations at Autumn Leaves.

“In the beginning it was hard. We had over 60 residents in one community,” Tanner said.

Tanner said the emergency evacuation plan was successful, but the facility will have alternate evacuation routes planned in the future in case its original route is flooded.

Meanwhile Wood Glen Court Assisted Living on Cypresswood Drive, which did not flood, is working to accommodate for its residents’ growing health care needs. Tenants are increasingly having more medically complex cases, such as congestive heart failure, Parkinson’s or diabetes, Chandler said. In November, the facility increased its nursing staff from five to seven days, he said.

Alongside rising medical needs, seniors are generally requesting more amenities, Chandler said. Six months ago Wood Glen Court unrolled a weekly technology class based on resident requests that teaches basic tech skills, such as how to use a cell phone.

Such services would have been rare a few years ago, but now that seniors are using email and social media to communicate and remain active politically, it is becoming more of a commodity, Chandler said.

“Our residents are active on social media; they go on Facebook,” he said. “During this recent election I saw [residents]using technology to engage with some of the people running for office.”

By Chris Wille
Real Estate Editor
Posted Nov 15, 2018 at 4:42 PM
Updated Nov 15, 2018 at 4:42 PM
https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20181115/texas-senior-living-developer-coming-to-venice

Options are independent living, assisted living and memory care

A Dallas-based national health care real estate firm is expanding its portfolio of Heartis-branded senior living communities into Florida.

Heartis Venice will have 182 units offering independent living, assisted living and memory care, a host of first-class amenities and expansive water views. The three-story, 191,000-square-foot structure, which will be at 1199 South Tamiami Trail, is expected to be completed in the summer of 2020.

Caddis, the developer, said Heartis Venice will offer a wide variety of amenities, including a swimming pool; landscaped grounds with walking paths, seating areas and pocket parks; a wellness center; beauty salon/barber shop; activity rooms; large, secured courtyards; multiple dining options with chef-prepared meals; and ongoing social and recreational activities.

Special services will include a community shuttle service, nurse-supervised staff, 24-hour emergency call system, housekeeping and laundry services, and assistance with personal activities.

The monthly costs for two levels of service compare favorably with national and local median prices. Heartis Venice rates start at $3,200 per month for independent living and $3,600 a month for assisted living. Caddis does not disclose other rates.

For comparison’s sake, Genworth has conducted its national Cost of Care Survey to help families understand the costs of varying types of care across the U.S. The 2018 survey, conducted by Carescout and covering 440 regions, is based on more than 15,500 completed surveys.

The Genworth Cost of Care Survey 2018 shows that the national median cost for an assisted living facility is $4,000 per month and a private room in a nursing home will cost around $8,400.

For the Sarasota-North Port-Bradenton region, those same median monthly figures come to $3,874 for assisted living and $9,885 for a private room in a nursing home, the survey showed.

Caddis said it will begin accepting reservations for Heartis Venice in the spring.

CEO Jason L. Signor said the company is well known for its Heartis senior communities in Texas but the company has been expanding into other areas of the country, including Illinois, Wisconsin and Georgia. Eleven of the 17 Heartis communities are in Texas.

“Our nationwide brand expansion has provided seniors with lavish new living options,” Signor said in the announcement about Venice.

Caddis launched the Heartis senior living brand in early 2013.

Jud Jacobs, executive vice president development and partner, said Heartis Venice will be in an ideal location.

“Heartis Venice is being built on Roberts Bay and will be surrounded on three sides by beautiful views of the ocean,” he said. “Plus it will be near restaurants, hotels, historic downtown Venice and Venice Beach and within walking distance to Legacy Trail, a 12-mile bicycle and walking path.”

By Lemor Abrams November 13, 2018 at 6:59 pm Filed Under:Camp Fire, Paradise

PARADISE (CBS13) — Search and rescue crews worked for hours Tuesday at the site of an assisted living home, known as Heritage Paradise, which was reduced to a pile of rubble by the Camp Fire.

Crews wore special gear and gloves so they could go in with their own two hands, moving large pieces of blackened furniture, charred wheelchairs, and gurneys out of the way to get to the victims who may be buried underneath it all.

David Ramey is a volunteer with Nevada County’s search and rescue team. He says he’s used to searching for missing hikers, but never has he sifted through ash and debris in search of human remains.

READ: Horse Survives Camp Fire By Jumping Into Someone’s Pool To Escape The Flames

“It may be that it got too hot and we’re not going to find anything, but you never know,” he said.

The search is so vast that volunteers are getting a lot of help. Firefighters joined the grim search effort, many of them, just off the front lines.

Cal Fire Spokesman Manuel Garcia said fatigue really sets in for the firefighters. Garcia says the Heritage Paradise site was just one of the thousands of properties that still need to be searched.

“Everyone has to work together to accomplish the mission,” he said.

ALSO: THE LATEST: Camp Fire Grows To 130,000; Six More Found Dead

It’s a mission Ramey hasn’t even started to register.

“Right now I don’t think it’s set in the emotional part of it. I’m still kind of looking at this as rubble but that might change at some point,” he said.

For now, he said there’s a lot more work to be done. Crews said they did not discover any bodies at that site on Tuesday. But six more human remains were found in Paradise homes, bringing the death toll to 48.

By Jenna Lawson – Staff Writer
https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/local/the-end-long-dream-senior-living-community-celebrates-opening/ZyMjvi4HnMaXQaHZ5j9WKN/

A $10 million dollar senior living development on the site of the former Community Hospital is complete after over a year of construction.
The project created nearly 50 units and is Springfield’ first “pocket neighborhood.”

Construction on Community Gardens started in Sept. 2017 near the intersection of Burnett Road and East High Street.

“It’s the end of long dream of creating a really special senior community for Springfield,” said Neighborhood Housing Partnership’s Executive Director, Tina Koumoutsos, during a grand opening celebration Tuesday.

Koumoutsos said the community is designed to get neighbors to interact with each other. Several front porches face each other and sidewalks connect each unit.

There are also no steps anywhere in the community, so it’s able to be accessed by anyone.

“It’s gonna be a great for our seniors to age in place and I think it’s gonna be a great asset to Springfield,” she said.

She said the need for senior housing in Springfield is very real, and the waiting list to live in Community Gardens reflects that.

“We have over 500 potential residents on a waiting list for a project like this,” Koumoutsos said.

Rents for the units will be based on three tiers of incomes and the cost of utilities will be reduced.

Koumoutsos and the Neighborhood Housing Project helped to lead the project, along with several other community partners including Ian Maute, the Vice President of Development for Buckeye Community Hope Foundation.

“It really was kind of screaming for something to be built here,” he said.

Maute said there were 50 units constructed in the first phase of construction, and on Community Gardens’ grand opening — 40 of those units were already occupied with the rest expected to be filled within the next two weeks.

The City of Springfield, also a major partner, called the project a huge win.

“This is the type of stuff our community needs. These are the types of projects that are gonna help us move our community forward,” Springfield Deputy City Manager Bryan Heck told a crowd of people who gathered for the grand opening. “There were several challenges along the way, but as Springfield does we came together as partners, as a community and found solutions to those problems.”

Getting state tax credits to finance the project proved to be one of those struggles. The first application was submitted and first denied in 2016. That’s when the Neighborhood Housing Partnership partnered with other groups like the Buckeye Hope Community and NeighborWorks America — and tried again.

It was rejected again, but then the state reconsidered its application and was eventually approved.

Many of the community partners expressed their excitement about what’s next on the agenda.

A second phase of Community Gardens will be developed. Other partners in the project include the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, NeighborWorks America, River Hills Bank and Kapp Construction.

by: Andrew Warfield Lee-Collier Editor

The “silver tsunami” is building and forward-thinking companies are providing customers with a new level of residential product.

This allows this large demographic to ride the wave into the sunset in a manner that caters to their accustomed lifestyles without drowning in costs associated with the expensive buy-ins of continuing care retirement communities or the responsibilities of property ownership.

These new-era active adult lifestyle communities, which are more like luxury apartment complexes but with wider range of amenities and resident care services, are becoming more available in rental units. They require no buy-ins, such as those charged by continuing care retirement communities, where the cost of entry can run from $500,000 to $2 million.

Bruce Rosenblatt, owner and CEO of Senior Housing Solutions of Lee and Collier counties, says he has observed a discernible shift in his clients’ preferences toward simple rental, luxury residences.

“There is definitely a trend for more independent-style housing with a variety of amenities for people who don’t want to put down a large upfront entrance fee but still want the services and the lifestyle these new kinds of communities offer,” says Rosenblatt. “When you have assisted living in the same community, that provides peace of mind that if you begin to need care, you don’t have to move out.”

The simple rent model, Rosenblatt says, also offers flexibility not available in the CCRC model, or even in active adult single-family communities where buy-ins for the former and invested equity in the latter limit flexibility. And the rates, he adds, are competitive within the senior housing space.

“Things change, and if you’re not putting down $100,000 on a house in an age-restricted community or paying an expensive buy-in, if you don’t like where you’re living, you can just move out,” says Rosenblatt.

Colin Marshall, an executive in Fort Myers behind one of the newest non-CCRC communities, agrees that the model is a bit outdated.

“You don’t need to take large sums of money from people to promise them good service and to provide a continuum of care,” says Marshall. “Once you are in our continuum of care, you are our priority. And we do it for nothing more than a rental agreement. People have things happen in life even after they retire, and they need to have that flexibility to make those changes. When you are locked into an agreement that is a half a million dollars or more, change becomes very difficult to deal with. If you ever feel like this isn’t the kind of environment for you, you give us 30- to 60-days notice and you’re out.”

Like a hotel
Among the newest market entries in Southwest Florida in this model is Amavida, set to open its 32-acre, 600,000-square-foot community off Gladiolus Drive in Fort Myers. At 460 units divided among independent living duplex cottages and apartments, assisted living and memory care units, Amavida is among the largest 55-plus rental communities in the region. It also marks the initial foray into the active adult and assisted living space for London, England-based private equity giant Quadrum Global, with U.S. offices in New York City and Miami.

Quadrum Global has invested more than $120 million into developing Amavida. Officials believe the lifestyle, vast amenities, dining and recreational options and luxury hotel atmosphere will result in a fundamental shift in senior living.

The company tabbed Marshall, a 23-year industry veteran, to oversee construction and operations of the prototype, a model he says will be repeated, but locally customized, nationwide. Marshall is president of the Quadrum’s Senior Living Management Division.

With a choice of markets in Florida to build the first Amavida, Marshall says Fort Myers made the most sense.

“It boils down to location, demographics, anticipated utilization, the number of units the market can tolerate, how to amenitize and how does location lend itself to those amenities,” says Marshall. “This site has high visibility on a high-traffic road to the beach on a corridor that needed more life.”

The site was a rare find, he adds, because of its direct access to the expansive Lakes Park to one side with a preserve on the other, lending privacy with no adjacent neighbors. In addition to the residential community, Amavida is entitled for 100,000 square feet of commercial and retail space fronting Gladiolus Drive for use by residents and the public.

“None of the other sites we looked at had these advantages,” says Marshall.

Amavida, like other recent entries in the local active adult rental community market, doesn’t require an expensive buy-in in exchange for a continuing care contract.

Not that Amavida could be considered cheap, but, says Rosenblatt, it is priced competitively with communities that offer similar lifestyle and services. In addition to a community fee of $3,000, residents sign an annual rental agreement. Monthly rents range from $2,695 to $6,000 for independent living, $3,445 to $4,645 for assisted living and $6,000 for all-inclusive memory care. Rents in independent and assisted living are for one occupant. A second occupant is an additional $750 per month.

Rents include all meals for assisted living and memory care and two meals per day for independent living, whose units have full kitchens; access to three on-site movie theaters, fitness centers, spas, salons and resort-style pools; choice of three restaurants where residents order from menus; bars; a coffee bar; and a variety of recreational opportunities.

It represents a lifestyle, Marshall says, that honors the residents’ lifetime of work.

“We’ve been called disrupters in this space because we do want to do it differently,” says Marshall. “We think the way it’s been offered until this point is something we could do better. We felt we could provide something that acknowledged our residents’ lifelong achievements in terms of when they are ready for the next chapter in their lives they will have something that honored that experience, and this is it.”

Allure of Alloro
In Sarasota, meanwhile, Troy, N.Y.-based United Group expects to soon close on the site of its planned Alloro at University Groves, a 183-unit active adult apartment community on University Parkway, just west of The Mall at University Town Center. The company has operated in the age-restricted active adult, choice-based housing sector for more than 30 years. It has been developing in Florida since 1983, and owns and operates Sandlewood Village in Naples and Diamond Oaks in Bonita Springs.

“There is a huge need within the market,” says United CEO Michael Uccellini, whose company’s portfolio includes senior, student, apartment, commercial and mixed-use properties. “There are almost 30,000 seniors located within the primary market who could live there. People get to the point to where they are looking to rightsize and are looking for a community that offers friendship and companionship.”

“Rightsizing” at Alloro is defined as 90 one-bedroom apartments from 708 to 1,038 square feet; 86 two-bedroom units from 1,081 to 1,512 square feet; and seven two-bedroom penthouse suites from 2,017 to 2,232 square feet. Rental rates have yet to be finalized, but they will begin around $1,750 per month with an overall average of $2,500 per month.

Alloro will be fully amenitized, including a 14,000-square-foot clubhouse with commercial kitchen, dining room and bar. The Naples and Bonita Springs properties are similarly appointed, amenitized and priced.

“Our product does not exist in the Sarasota market, and it typically doesn’t exist in a lot of the markets we go into,” says Uccellini.

“We started out in the affordable space and then moved into market rate in the mid-1990s when we noticed that the silver tsunami was coming,” adds Uccellini. “The majority of the seniors in any of our communities are middle income, and 70% of them are people who sell their homes, and now they have more freedom to travel.”

No cookie-cutter strategy
Whereas United Group’s product design is essentially an age-restricted, highly amenitized apartment community, Quadrum Global’s Amavida line caters to an all-inclusive lifestyle. Marshall likens it to a cruise ship that never leaves port.

Amavida has three swimming pools, the largest overlooking a pond with a view toward the community entrance. Its coastal contemporary architecture is consistent throughout, as are all the finishes, from the duplex cottages through the memory care units. In addition to meals at the restaurants, residents are entitled to weekly laundry service, even though all independent living apartments are equipped with washers and dryers.

“We approach Amavida from three points: service, environment and audience appreciating what you do,” says Marshall. “If you check those boxes, you are on the way to serving those aging in place. That class of individual is more discerning and their expectations are greater. They don’t want cookie cutter, and that’s essentially what the industry has given them thus far.”

Operating a 600,000-square-foot, all-inclusive, fully amenitized and partially licensed senior community requires a large staff. In addition to outside vendors providing some services — such as spa, salon and some dining — Marshall says Amavida will employ about 175.

While demand is outpacing labor supply in the industry, the allure of Amavida, Marshall says, has drawn great interest for employment, adding it’s not uncommon to receive 200 applicants for a single position. In addition to the overall atmosphere, perks include access to health care from in-house medical staff with no copay.

“There is an inherent shortage of talent in the senior living space because the industry has grown so quickly and faster than the demand for employment has been able to keep up with,” Marshall says. “But when you build a community like this, prospective employees are looking at it the same way our prospective residents are. When we go out and look for talent, we haven’t had to look hard or far because we are getting those calls on a regular basis.”

Also appealing to employees as well as residents, says Marshall, is the coastal contemporary design, with wide, brightly lit hallways, expansive windows and high-end finishes that suggest a resort lifestyle.

“I think anybody who comes in and looks at this community says, “Wow it’s amazing,” says Marshall. “They haven’t seen anything like this. Typically when you walk into a senior living community you know you are in a senior community. To that extent, we avoid calling it senior living. We simply call it Amavida living.”

By D’Ann Lawrence White, Patch Staff
Via: https://patch.com/florida/carrollwood/senior-care-provider-makes-200-million-investment-tampa-bay

TAMPA, FL — ChenMed, a leading primary care provider, plans to open 10 new Dedicated Senior Medical Centers in Tampa Bay, a $200 million investment.

The announcement coincided last month with the opening of Dedicated’s newest center in Largo, 7050 Ulmerton Road. Another grand opening is planned Oct. 17-18 for a Dedicated center in North Tampa, 1901 Fletcher Ave.

ChenMed first introduced Tampa Bay Medicare-eligible seniors to Dedicated centers in August 2017 when it opened facilities in Clearwater, Tampa and St. Petersburg.

“We’ve seen burgeoning local demand for the affordable VIP care that Dedicated physicians and care teams consistently provide,” said Dr. Gordon Chen, ChenMed chief medical officer. “Remarkable organic growth, prompted by happy patients referring in family members and friends, is why our first three Tampa Bay centers attracted over 1,300 members in just six months, and then about doubled membership during our second six months of operation.”

ChenMed operates about 50 Chen, Dedicated and JenCare Senior Medical Centers serving diverse elderly populations in seven states. It emphasizes prevention and services, offering on-site specialists and medication dispensing, door-to-doctor transportation and more face-to-face time with primary care physicians. Dedicated centers bring affordable health care to more Tampa seniors at little to no cost to patients.

“For more than 30 years, ChenMed physicians have been practicing medicine differently,” said Dr. Gaurov Dayal, ChenMed president of new markets and chief growth officer. “Our PCPs share their cell phone numbers with patients, encouraging immediate calls and/or walk-in appointments whenever they might not be feeling well. Our doctors are passionate about honoring seniors with affordable VIP care that delivers better health.”

Dr. Chen encouraged seniors and caregivers to attend the grand opening of the North Tampa center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and meet the Dedicated doctors.

“Come see how we effectively detect and manage high-risk diseases; deliver VIP service; and reduce hospital sick days,” he said. “Come learn how we personalize care to help folks keep doing what they most enjoy with the family and friends they most love.”

Dedicated will create 70 new jobs at the Largo and North Tampa center, and hundreds of jobs over the next five years, including physicians, clinical support staff, administrators and community engagement specialists.

The new centers also are being supported by Turner Impact Capital, one of the nation’s largest social impact investment firms, through the Turner Healthcare Facilities Fund.

“Turner Impact Capital is delighted to be helping ChenMed accelerate the openings of high-quality medical facilities for under-served patient populations,” said Bobby Turner, CEO, Turner Impact Capital. “The Turner Healthcare Facilities Fund is well-positioned to invest up to $500 million in community-serving healthcare facilities to measurably improve patient health, increase patient satisfaction and reduce disparities in healthcare outcomes in disadvantaged communities.”

by: Jody Gastfriend
Via: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jodygastfriend/2018/11/02/what-millennials-really-want-to-know-about-caregiving-for-their-parents/#6f155ea06724

Not long ago, I was invited to speak—virtually—to an audience that you wouldn’t normally think of when you think about aging: young professionals. And yet this group, just beginning the arc of their careers, turns out to be incredibly thoughtful and curious about what awaits them at the end of their careers, as well as how they can plan now for supporting their aging parents. We shouldn’t be surprised: Millennial caregivers now make up 25% of unpaid family caregivers—or about 10 million nationwide. But those employing and managing Millennials in the workplace may be startled by just how deeply their young charges are already thinking about planning ahead. And their questions, below, may offer as much insight as my answers.

(A special thanks to all the staffers and questioners at The Skimm, the uber-trendy Millennial newsletter that hosted my “Ask Me Anything” on “Caring for Parents as a Young Professional.”)

Q: As a millennial who might not have children of my own, I have a lot of anxiety about who will care for me when I get old. How can I prepare for this? I know money is a factor, but money can’t buy the level of genuine love, care, support, and advocacy that family provides. I look at how much my mom does for my grandmother, and I panic thinking about what will become of me if I don’t have someone to do those things for me.

A: Thank you for this very important question. You are not alone. There’s even a term for it: elder orphans, or someone who is aging without family available to help with caregiving. The majority of people over 65 will need some type of long term care in their lifetime so it’s good you are thinking ahead. Yes, finances are important. Planning for the financial aspects of care by considering long term care insurance or saving for your care needs down the road are worthwhile options to consider. It might be helpful to work with a financial advisor to make the best choices given your particular situation. As you age, you may want to think about living in a community that will provide you with support and emotional connection. For example, there are communal living options such as taking a roommate (sometimes in exchange for household or caregiving duties) as well as senior living communities with built-in services that cater to a wide range of needs. You may also want to develop a network of friends and neighbors who can mutually support one another and pitch in when someone needs help.

Q: My parents are the type that always say, “I never want to be in a nursing home.”What if my parents need a nursing home and they refuse to go? How do you balance the requests of your parents with what is actually best for them as they get older?

CA Senior Living LLC has started construction on Atria Westminster, a five-story, 137-unit senior living community at 9560 Sheridan Blvd. about 10 miles northwest of Denver.

Atria Westminster, expected to open in early 2020, will offer 107 assisted living apartments, 30 memory-care studios and an attached single-story dining and amenity wing. Assisted living units will range from 410 SF studios to 970 SF two-bedroom units. Memory-care studios will range from 275 SF to 310 SF.

“Building on the tremendous success of our senior living community in Englewood, which is slated to open in 2019 and marks our entry into the Colorado market, we are excited to bring another top-notch senior living offering to this rapidly growing region,” CA Senior Living President Ben Burke said. “With a convenient location just off the Denver-Boulder turnpike, we expect Atria Westminster to appeal to a wide population of older adults seeking a modern, lifestyle-oriented housing option that provides a full continuum of care.”

The property will have 50K SF of indoor and outdoor amenity space, including a formal dining room, a bistro-style pub, a fitness center, a theater and various activity rooms. Outdoor amenities will include landscaped courtyards, a walking garden and community sculpture. A rooftop lounge will have views of the Rocky Mountains and an adjacent golf course. Courtesy of CA Senior Living LLC Atria Westminster’s amenities include landscaped courtyards, a walking garden and a rooftop lounge with views of the Rocky Mountains.

Louisville, Kentucky-based Atria Senior Living will operate the community. Atria, which operates more than 225 locations across the United States and Canada, promotes well-being for its residents through a whole-person approach to aging that emphasizes exercise, connection, nutrition and goals. Specially trained caregivers will help with medication management and daily activities such as bathing and grooming, if needed. Through Atria’s signature Engage Life program, residents also will have the opportunity for continued learning, personal growth and fulfillment.

Residents and families requiring memory care will receive specialized services in the community’s secure Life Guidance neighborhood, which draws on each resident’s history while building strong staff-resident relationships.

“Across the U.S. and Canada, we serve a population of seniors who are discerning in their preferences and want to remain physically and socially active — like so many older adults in Colorado,” Atria Senior Living Senior Vice President Abby Figueroa said. “We’re proud to deepen our commitment to the Denver area and expand our relationship with CA Senior Living with Atria Westminster.”

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/denver/news/senior-housing/ca-senior-living-building-137-unit-community-in-westminster-94166?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

FT. MYERS, Fla – It’s not what you imagine when you think about a 55 and older community.

Amavida is a 460 bed resort style living center on Gladiolus Drive will cater to seniors who may have varying levels of needs.

“That care environment will run all the way from someone whose independent to someone in memory care,” said President of senior living for Amavida, Colin Marshall.

That includes people suffering from Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

In addition to the one on one care these patients receive, they are given special watches. The devices, known as Skynet, allow them to be tracked in the event they get lost.

They can also call for help and staff will know their exact location.

“I think its great, because if you do fall, all you have to do is press a button and someone will come and get you, it’s very helpful and reassuring,” said future resident Joanne Compton.

The staff at Amavida say this technology is just one of many aspects of their community that allow seniors to live an independent life style, yet still have someone nearby to help if they need it.

Swimming, a gym, and access to Lakes Regional Park, are all part of the amenities residents will enjoy, as is round the clock care for those who aren’t as active.

“There is definetly a demand for these types of environments, the demand has been steadily increasing, while our elder population has been increasing, it’s going to continue for probably the next 15 years,” said Marshall.

Amavida officially opens December 1st.