Communities specialize in keeping seniors busy
Those interested in a senior community, either for themselves or a family member, will have questions about the various services and amenities offered.
Some communities have swimming pools and fitness centers. Others organize trips for shopping and entertainment outings. Others still offer on-site benefits like college courses or hair and spa services.
The types of accommodations and services offered at senior communities throughout the suburbs are all over the board. So once you choose the general geographic area where you want to live to be close to family, friends or a job (yes, some seniors living in these communities still have careers!), it is time to look at each community’s housing and service offerings.
Those who want to be as independent as possible and basically enjoy a maintenance-free home, not a unit in a large building, will want a community that offers townhouses or villas that are attached to a small number of similar units and have their own private garages.
The Garlands in Barrington, The Moorings and Luther Village in Arlington Heights, Villa St. Benedict in Lisle and Wyndemere in Wheaton are examples of communities that offer this type of home in their housing mix. And the financial side of the equation at these types of communities range from outright ownership at Luther Village to buy-ins and monthly fees at The Moorings, to monthly rentals at others.
The residents of these homes enjoy the same benefits as those living in the big building units in most communities. They just have a little more independence and a private garage, which most consider a big perk. But on the flip side, they have to brave the elements to enjoy activities, facilities and meals offered by the community.
Seniors who want an independent lifestyle but one in which they can just walk down the hall to find someone to converse with or play a game of cards should choose a unit in a larger building. These generally have one or two bedrooms, one or two baths, a living room/dining room and small kitchen. Many, but not all, also have balconies.
The Devonshire in Hoffman Estates primarily offers this lifestyle, although it also offers a 30-unit assisted living area on the top floor. The 246-unit Devonshire building is located on the campus of St. Alexius Medical Center where its residents can take advantage of many of the benefits of a continuing care retirement community without having the usual buy-in, said Tim Sullivan, director of sales and marketing.
“We offer everything from studio apartments to two-bedroom units with full kitchens, including dishwashers,” Sullivan said. “Many of the people who live independently in our building would be in assisted living in other communities but they can conserve their funds and remain independent here because we offer so many add-on independent living services at The Devonshire.”
Run more like a condo association than a typical senior living community, The Devonshire offers its residents an abundance of choices on everything from the number of meals they have provided each month, to the places Devonshire transportation takes them, to the activities, clubs and events offered.
“Residents tell us that it is like living on a cruise ship that is docked. Food is a big deal and all of our baked goods, except sandwich bread, is baked in our kitchens and our meats and fish are brought in fresh regularly. Nothing is frozen. In addition, we bring in top entertainers who are headliners in Lake Geneva or on cruise ships.”
On-site amenities at The Devonshire include a restaurant-style dining room, a convenience store with snack shop, a fitness center, a stocked fishing pond and walking paths. While there is no on-site swimming pool, residents are regularly transported to the nearby South Barrington Club where they may swim and take part in water-based classes and activities.
Most communities offer the option of this kind of independent living in a large building setting, but it is often on a larger campus which separates the seniors from the community at large and has at least one dining room.
The Garlands in Barrington is a premium property where people buy into a lifestyle, said Susan McCormick, lead residency counselor. They refer to their residents as “members” and offer four restaurants. Some are open to the public; some require reservations; some feature cocktail lounges; and all offer different price ranges and menus.
The Garlands also has a bank, movie theater, performing arts auditorium, indoor swimming pool, gift shop, fitness center (with a personal trainer) and spa. All of the services and use of the facilities is included in the monthly fee except the spa services, which include manicures, pedicures, massages, barber services and beauty salon services. And continuing education classes, as well as bus and limousine service, are also offered.
The Garlands is a full continuum of care community that offers all levels of care from independent living to skilled nursing. Many of its residents move in originally because they want a maintenance-free, turnkey lifestyle where they can travel without worry, knowing someone will take care of their home and cars and collect their mail, McCormick said. The larger community is welcomed into The Garlands, as local clubs meet there and the public is able to attend noncredit Harper College classes there and eat at the restaurants.
Villa St. Benedict, similarly, has a partnership with Benedictine University across the street. Residents can audit classes free on their campus or attend the occasional free class held at Villa St. Benedict. For some of the university courses, Villa St. Benedict offers daytime bus service to Benedictine’s campus. The partnership also extends to having the Villa St. Benedict fitness center staffed by Benedictine University students enrolled in their clinical exercise physiology program. They serve as personal trainers at Villa St. Benedict, a service that is included in the residents’ monthly fees.
Wyndemere, The Moorings and Luther Village, on the other hand, all offer generous campuses that are more club-like, featuring private dining rooms and private facilities like fitness centers, swimming pools, computer labs and billiard rooms.
The Moorings, for instance, has a 45-acre campus with a gatehouse entrance where visitors are greeted and offered directions. They have 300 independent living residences made up of villas and mid-rise building apartments and they also have room for 150 people in their assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care and rehabilitation center.
“It is not an overwhelming number of residences, but it seems to be just the right size for making new friends,” said Mary Kay Bochenek, director of marketing. “Residents have the opportunity to make several different groups of friends with different interests.”
“Thanks to a wonderful sense of community and many opportunities to socialize, people flourish here,” she added. “Some of our residents have been here ever since we opened 22 years ago.”
The Moorings offers an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, computer labs, billiard room, large entertainment room, two dining rooms, a library, game areas, a chapel and an arts and crafts room. They also have a large outdoor area set aside for residents who like to garden and extensive walking trails around their dual lakes.
Asbury Court in Des Plaines has yet another model. It was originally a hotel and a five-story addition was put on 11 years ago. It offers affordable, gracious living, said Ellen Mostardini, co-marketing director for Asbury Court.
“There is a very different atmosphere when you enter the door at Asbury Court. There is an immense warmth here,” she said.
Asbury Court offers activities and trips to residents of its 375 rental apartments. Three meals a day in a spacious dining room, housekeeping and all utilities except for the phone are included. Additional services for basic activities of daily living can be purchased a la carte’, or as a complete package, from a health care agency housed in the building or you are free to choose any health care agency of your choice to meet your needs. Additionally, Asbury Court accepts Medicaid and is part of the Supportive Living Program, for individuals 65 and older.
Once assistance is needed with bathing, dressing and medication reminders, some senior communities encourage residents to add on assistance in their current unit at an additional fee while others encourage them to move into assisted living apartments. Sometimes these apartments are a bit smaller than other apartments since the resident often has trouble moving around and a smaller space is more workable. But usually, the only difference is that more assistance is given the resident with daily living. They still participate in activities as they are able and enjoy the community amenities.
Asbury Court encourages residents to age in place and extra services are available as needed. Many of the others consult with the senior and their family members to decide when the resident needs to move into an assisted living unit.
Alexian Village of Elk Grove, on the other hand, features only supportive living in its 114 studio apartments. This is assisted-style living with a financial safety net. Seniors and their families have peace of mind knowing that if they deplete their financial assets and can no longer pay their monthly fee, the community can accept reimbursement from Medicaid for their care and service payments, said Pat O’Connor, regional director of sales and marketing for Pathway Senior Living.
The VIVA! (long live) programming which Alexian offers sets them apart.
“We look at the aging process from a wellness and ability standpoint, not from a weakness and disability standpoint,” O’Connor said. In keeping with this philosophy, residents of Alexian Village have gone horseback riding and overnight camping at a camp in Bartlett geared for disabled children. They were able to participate in fishing, canoeing, tie-dyeing, campfires and many other traditional camping activities that they hadn’t enjoyed in years.
“We like our staff to get to know our residents on a social basis to enrich everyone’s lives,” she added.
Heritage Woods in Huntley features only assisted living, but has three different levels of assistance as someone ages. Basic rent includes three meals a day, snacks, housekeeping, medicine reminders, bathing assistance twice a week, 24-hour staffing, activities and bus transportation. Those needing the second or third level of care pay more but stay in their current living arrangements.
Skilled nursing and memory care units in the communities that offer them like The Garlands, The Moorings, the Luther Home at Luther Village and Wyndemere — can feature private or semiprivate rooms, depending upon the community. They are tightly regulated by the state, so services are pretty uniform with 24-hour nursing care and full assistance.
Depending on the philosophy of the community, however, the experiences offered can vary. For instance, residents of the skilled nursing unit at The Holmstad in Batavia have the opportunity to go on an overnight “vacation” twice a year. A small group of residents and staff take a trip next door to a retreat house where they stay overnight, make s’mores in the fireplace, sing around the fire, hold reminiscences about women’s lives during the 1950s, cook together and even do the dishes.
“Through our ‘life connect’ philosophy, we try to keep the person with us as connected to who they were their entire life as possible through special treats like our vacations,” said Jeanne Heid-Grubman, health care administrator for The Holmstad.
Incidentally, since the atmosphere can vary greatly from facility to facility and the issue of private room versus semiprivate room can be a deal-breaker for some people, it is smart to ask to see all of a community’s facilities when taking a tour. Chances are, you may spend some time in one of those units some day and you don’t want to be unhappy with the atmosphere when you get there.