The holiday season is upon us, and people are doing more than just shopping for Christmas or Hanukkah gifts—lots of senior living professionals are shaking up the industry by making strategic moves. 

Employers: Take advantage of our job board to look for some of the best and brightest in the industry. Post a job on the SHN job board for less than $1 per day, and attract local and national candidates through our system that leverages these postings throughout the SimplyHired network. Post a job now.

Looking for new opportunities in 2013? Look for senior housing jobs nationwide on SHN’s job board.

Margaret Wylde Chairs ULI’s Senior Housing Council

Margaret A. Wylde, president and CEO of ProMatura Group, LLC, is the new chair of the Urban Land Institute’s Senior Housing Council. Wylde, who has been involved with the council for eight years, will be at the helm in 2013-2015.

As chair, Wylde is responsible for the direction of the Council and ensuring that members get value from it. Overall, ULI’s product councils (of which the Senior Housing Council is one) “play a key role in ULI’s mission of providing leadership in the responsible use of land and creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide,” according to www.uli.org

Wylde said she appreciates the opportunity to further the goals of the Council, including applying research to innovative applications in land-use planning and participating in the exchange of information on the “state of the art” in the development in the development field.

Housing Colorado Welcomes Elisabeth Borden to Board of Directors

Elisabeth Borden, Principal of The Highland Group, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Housing Colorado, a statewide membership organization in support of affordable housing. Housing Colorado is the “unified resource in the state for affordable housing education, information, and advocacy.” Housing Colorado’s annual conference attracts over 500 attendees. The Highland Group is a market research and development planning firm based in Boulder, Colorado, focused exclusively on seniors housing and care communities. 

Silverado Senior Living Appoints New SVP of Community Operations

In her tenth year with Silverado, Michelle Egerer, M.A.Ed. assumes the role of Senior Vice President of nationwide operations for Silverado’s Memory Care Assisted Living communities. Egerer’s career in healthcare spans more than 30 years and includes management of startup and turnaround operations, involvement in mergers and acquisitions, and more than 20 years in executive management roles for a variety of behavioral healthcare organizations.

Egerer’s interest and involvement with dementia grew from personal experience with her grandmother’s progression through memory loss. She joined Silverado in 2002 as Administrator of Silverado’s Memory Care community in Costa Mesa, California, where she received numerous company recognitions including Silverado Community of the Year and Administrator of the Year.

She then continued onto successive roles as Senior Administrator, Regional Administrator and Regional Vice President, where she played an integral role in the startup of Los Angeles and Orange County-area Silverado communities and in the acquisition of Silverado communities from previous providers in other locations.

In addition to her impactful tenure at Silverado, Egerer volunteers on community and state Boards. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Alzheimer’s Association, Orange County Chapter, she is on the Board of the California Assisted Living Association and is active at a national level with the Assisted Living Federation of America.

Daniel Schwartz Joins New Perspective Senior Living as COO

Daniel Schwartz has joined New Perspective Senior Living, developer and operator of the Lighthouse senior living communities, as chief operating officer (COO) and a partner. Schwartz brings more than 20 years’ experience in health care operations including new development, turn-around and public, private and not-for-profit models. As chief operating officer, he is responsible for the business operations of 12 Lighthouse communities in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.

Schwartz comes to New Perspective Senior Living from Addus Healthcare, Inc., Palatine, IL, a home based healthcare company, where he was COO. Prior to Addus, Schwartz was senior vice president of North American Operations at Sunrise Senior Living, McLean, VA, a senior living company with 400 communities.

He earned a Master of Health Care Administration and a BA in psychology from George Washington University, Washington, DC.  He is adjunct professor at George Washington University, School of Public Health and Health Services. Schwartz belongs to several professional associations, including: National Long Term Care Emerging Leaders Summit Steering Board; founding member of the National Association for Private Duty Home Care and the Pennsylvania and Indiana Assisted Living Associations. He also is a well-known speaker at national professional forums.

Georgia CCRC Park Springs Welcomes Three Top Professionals to Management Team

Isakson Living recently welcomed three new team members to Park Springs, a continuing care retirement community in Atlanta, Ga. owned and operated by Isakson Living.

Jason R. Cronk is the new Executive Director, and he is joined by Stephanie Peoples, Park Springs’ new Director of Nursing, and Reggie Porter, Manager of the community’s state-of-the-art on-site Fitness Center.

Cronk has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Most recently, he served as Interim Executive Director for CRSA LCS Management, a division of Life Care Services in Des Moines, Ia., after spending a year as Senior Director of Operations for CRSA in Guangzhou in the People’s Republic of China.

Peoples, a graduate of Georgia Baptist College of Nursing at Mercer University, has served as Director of Nursing with Briarcliff Haven Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Atlanta for two years and before that, as VP of Health Care Services at Lenbrook CCRC.

Porter, who received his B.S. and M.S. in Kinesiology from Georgia Southern University, has worked in many areas of the fitness industry, including a position in the cardiac rehabilitation center at St. Joseph’s/Candler Medical Center.

Greater Yield Hires Diana Hueter as Senior Knowledge Leader

Diana Hueter has joined Greater Yield as a Healthcare Senior Knowledge Leader, bringing to the table a level of expertise in the ever-evolving field of healthcare. As a strategic business consulting firm, Greater Yield looks at businesses from an enterprise-wide perspective, analyzing the structures, tools, processes, management styles and other behaviors to identify and solve problems within the organization. Hueter will join Greater Yield’s new healthcare division team.

With more than 30 years in the field, Hueter has extensive knowledge of the healthcare sector, and experience implementing enterprise transformation solutions that achieve best-in-class operational performance. She has worked in workforce health, productivity, quality of care, and cost savings through compliance with evidence-based guidelines that deliver significant bottom-line results.

Prior to joining Greater Yield, Hueter worked with executives from Caterpillar, Dow, Ford Motor Company, Pfizer Health Solutions and Toyota Motors, implementing healthcare improvement initiatives. In addition, she facilitated a national think tank in the development of value-based healthcare processes, and produced an employer health asset management roadmap designed to help organizations execute better employee health initiatives.

American Seniors Association Retains Jeri Thompson as National Policy Director & Spokesperson 

American Seniors Association Holding Group, Inc. (AMSA:PK) today announced it has retained Jeri Thompson as its National Policy Director and Spokesperson.

Thompson is a prominent national political strategist with extensive experience in public policy, lobbying and public relations. Her career highlights include past assignments with the Republican National Committee, the Senate Republican Conference and, in the private sector, with global public relations firm Burson Marsteller. She is also a frequent commentator on politics, current events and family issues for a number of news organizations including Fox News, the American Spectator and the Washington Examiner.

Thompson signed a three-year agreement with American Seniors that includes strategic consulting, media relations, alliance building and governmental relations. She lives in McLean, Va. and is the mother to two children, Hayden and Samuel. She is married to former U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate Fred Thompson. She was born in Hastings, Neb. and raised in Naperville, Ill.

Constant Care Family Management Hires Community Relations Director 

Autumn Leaves of Sugarloaf, an Alzheimer’s and memory care community under construction in Metro Atlanta, has named Divine Taylor community relations director. Taylor will expand her focus as the company develops an additional five or more Alzheimer’s and memory care communities in the Atlanta area. Taylor brings more than 10 years of experience in sales with effective relationship-building skills and a portfolio of success.

Taylor is joining Constant Care Family Management from PQC International, a management consulting firm for which she most recently served as the director of sales and client relations for four years. There she managed a national sales team covering North America in four regions with sales representatives in each. Taylor earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in communications from Bowie State University.

Autumn Leaves of Sugarloaf is currently under construction and scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2013. The nearly $10 million project is the result of a partnership between The LaSalle Group, The Frost National Bank and Silverado Interests, and it will create 200 jobs.

Constant Care Family Management Names New VP of Sales & Marketing

Constant Care Family Management, the property management company for Autumn Leaves memory care communities, has named Laura Kislowski vice president of sales and marketing. Kislowski brings more than 25 years of senior housing and health care experience to the team. Kislowski will oversee the sales and marketing operation at the more than 25 Autumn Leaves Alzheimer’s and Memory Care Communities across the country.

Kislowski joins Constant Care Family Management from Springpoint Senior Living where she most recently served as senior vice president. Kislowski spent five years with the company, and prior to that role, she spent 25 years working in the senior living industry. Kislowski has a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Fullerton where she graduated Cum Laude.

Smith Senior Living Names New Chairman, Board Members

George E. Petraitis has been elected to a five-year term as board chair of Smith Senior Living, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving seniors since 1924.
He succeeds Robert A. Berghoff. The Smith board also elected Steven J. Murphy vice-chair and named Anne Z. Schaible, M.D. a new board member.

Petraitis joined the board of Smith Senior Living more than 10 years ago. As president of LaMantia Architects Inc., a division of LaMantia Design and Construction Company in Brookfield, he has shared his experience in architecture, design and sales during a period of unprecedented growth and expansion for Smith retirement communities. He studied architecture at University of Illinois in both Champaign-Urbana and Chicago.

Ashby Ponds Announces Susan Fix as New Dining Services Director

Susan Fix recently joined Erickson Living’s Ashby Ponds retirement community as the new Director of Dining Services. As the Director of Dining Services at Ashby Ponds, she will oversee a staff of 180, as well as the operations in the two dining establishments at the community. Some of those staff include high school students from Loudoun and Fairfax counties who work in a variety of dining service capacities including as servers, restaurant assistants, utility workers, and service coaches. 

Fix has more than 30 years of experience working in the hospitality industry. During her 18 years with Marriot, she worked as the General Manager of food services at Marriott’s International Headquarters in Bethesda. From there, she became a District Manager for Sodexo Marriott in Northern Virginia where her primary focus was strengthening the retail and dining services on the AOL campus in Dulles, Va., as well as for 20 other Fortune 500 corporations in the area.  Following her tenure with Marriott, Fix spent four years as the Resident District Manager for Sodexo USA at Western Washington University.  

Fix graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and English, along with postgraduate work in Business Administration. She holds multiple certifications from Sodexo including Customer Service Excellence, Spirit of Diversity, Clients for Life, Mentoring, and EEO & Affirmative Action. She also has a ServSafe certification.

Saratoga Retirement Community Appoints Cathy Schumacher as Executive Director

Saratoga Retirement Community, a 37-acre, not-for-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in the Silicon Valley, is pleased to announce that Cathy O. Schumacher, RN, BSN, MBA, has been appointed to the position of executive director. 

Schumacher earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Portland, Oregon, and acquired her Master of Business Administration degree from California State University Long Beach. For the last 10 years, she has worked in retirement community management, first as Director of Nursing, then Risk Manager, and finally as Executive Director of a not-for-profit CCRC in southern California. Previously, she served as a nurse for 17 years, including a position as lead and staff nurse at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in southern California, and later worked for seven years in her own geriatric care management firm.

Rob Pfauth Joins EUA As Senior Project Manager

EUA is pleased to announce that Rob Pfauth has joined the firm as a senior project manager in the firm’s growing Living Environments studio.

Pfauth comes to EUA with an extensive background in senior living and has a commitment to cultivating and nurturing client relationships and a passion for serving our aging community. He brings national experience and has worked on projects across the continuum of care in ten states encompassing over two thousand dwelling units/beds.

Pfauth’s growing list of awards, publications and speaking engagements are a testament to his talent and expertise. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Society for the Advancement of Gerontological Environments (SAGE), and has been active in the AIA Design for Aging Knowledge Community. His most recent speaking engagements include “What the Development Team Sees in Today’s Markets,” for LeadingAge Washington and “Going Green: Greening Your Budget,” for LeadingAge Florida.

Pfauth received a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University and a Master of Architecture from the UCLA School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Prior to joining EUA, Pfauth headed LifePLACE Designs, an independent senior living consultancy. Some of his most recent project engagements include Phase Two improvements at Emerald Heights in Redmond, Wash., expansion of the Glenmoor Health Center in St. Augustine, Fla., and the Felician Village repositioning in Manitowoc, Wisc.

Nova Witkowski Hired as Leo A Daly’s Director Business Development for Atlanta Office

The Atlanta office of international architecture, planning, engineering, interior design and program management firm Leo A Daly welcomes Nova Witkowski, ACHE, LEED® AP, as director of business development. In this role, Witkowski will be responsible for initiating and maintaining contacts with key clients and industry representatives in the local market.

Previously, Witkowski worked in business development and design-build project management for GMK Associates Inc., a planning, design and construction project management firm based in Columbia, S.C., where she managed healthcare opportunities and fostered partnerships among dozens of owners, designers and construction teams. Her client portfolio includes Duke University, Durham, N.C.; Laurens County Health Care System, Clinton, S.C.; Colquitt Regional Medical Center, Moultrie, Ga.; and Floyd Medical Center, Rome, Ga.

Witkowski received her Associate of Applied Science degree in architecture from Onondaga Community College, Syracuse, N.Y., and Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects and served on the Atlanta Board of Directors from 2010-2012, and a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the American Society for Healthcare Engineering and the American Hospital Association.

Lifespace Communities Hires Sales Associate for Deerfield Retirement Community

Deerfield Retirement Community has named Dan Reeves as sales associate for this continuing care retirement community, owned and operated by Lifespace Communities, based in Des Moines. Reeves is responsible for educating purpose-driven seniors about the benefits of choosing a Life Care community.

Reeves has more than 35 years of experience in marketing and sales. Prior to joining Deerfield, Reeves was an independent insurance agent, specializing in Medicare Advantage, Supplement and Special Needs plans. He has also worked at Citi Home Equity, and owned and operated Grooms and Reeves Associates, Inc., a commercial and residential property management and cleaning business.

Reeves is a graduate of Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in liberal arts.

Matt Summerville Named as Executive Director of Autumn Leaves of Sugarloaf 

Autumn Leaves of Sugarloaf, an Alzheimer’s and memory care community under construction in Metro Atlanta, has named Matt Summerville executive director of the community. Summerville’s role will expand regionally with the development of additional Autumn Leaves communities in the area. In his position, Summerville will assume responsibility for charting the company’s entry and growth in a new market, developing brand awareness, supervising community operations, and meeting the needs of seniors and their families.  Autumn Leaves of Sugarloaf exclusively serves families living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Prior to joining Autumn Leaves of Sugarloaf, Summerville was the executive director for Emeritus, a senior living community in Sandy Springs, where he led regional move-ins and total consensus growth. Earlier in his career, Summerville also served as community relations manager for Atlas Healthcare and Hospice. Summerville studied economics at the University of Georgia.

Ziegler Hires Senior Living Investment Banker

Ziegler recently announced the hiring of Tad Melton, who is joining the investment bank’s senior living investment banking team as a director in the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic region, operating from Ziegler’s newly established wealth management office in Richmond, Virginia.

Melton joins Ziegler after a highly successful career in healthcare and senior living finance with BB&T and UBS Paine Webber; bringing more than 16 years of investment banking experience to the Ziegler team. In that time, Melton has served as a day-to-day banker on approximately $2.75 billion of financings for CCRCs, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities and hospitals, including startups, repositionings, refinancings, acquisitions and divestitures. A lifelong Virginian from Harrisonburg, Melton is a graduate of Randolph-Macon College, where he studied Economics and History.

The Heritage at Brentwood Welcomes New Executive Chef Jonathan King

The Heritage at Brentwood, a Life Care Services community, has named hospitality and fine-dining expert Jonathan King as Executive Chef. King brings a lifelong passion for cooking and more than 10 years of culinary experience to developing menus and creating exceptional cuisine for residents and guests at the independent senior living community.

The Heritage’s food and beverage team provide residents with several options to share meals and special occasions with friends and family, including room service, parties in private dining rooms and unique menus for special occasions.

King began cooking as a child, experimenting in the kitchen and watching cooking shows. After earning his degree in culinary arts at Volunteer State Community College, he completed a three-year apprenticeship at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention through the American Culinary Federation. King continued with Gaylord in various positions, as junior sous chef at Cascades American Café, senior sous chef and executive chef in room dining and Jack Daniel’s, and executive chef at Solario, Gaylord’s Mexican-theme venue, before overseeing culinary operations for the restaurants in the Delta Atrium. King also worked as sous chef at the popular Nashville restaurant Bound’ry.

The Palace Group Promotes Josh Cabrera to Executive Director for Newest Community

The Palace Group has promoted Josh Cabrera to the role of executive director of the new Palace at Coral Gables which will open in spring, 2013.

In this position, Cabrera will supervise the luxury community’s varied department managers including hospitality and food service, operations, maintenance and activities. He is responsible for implementing the policies and procedures established by The Palace Group to assure residents the highest level of customer service and care.

Cabrera brings nearly 15 years of senior housing experience to this leadership position having joined the company in 1999. He began his career at The Palace while attending Florida International University where he received a degree in business administration. He is also a licensed assisted living administrator.

Most recently Cabrera was the general manager of The Palace Gardens in Homestead, one of the company’s assisted living communities, having been promoted from Director of Administration and Customer Service for The Palace Renaissance, the company’s Kendall assisted living community. Cabrera has been the recipient of the company’s prestigious Manager of the Year award seven times.

UMRC Welcomes New Executive Director for Heritage Foundation

United Methodist Retirement Communities, Inc. (UMRC) a nonprofit leader in senior residential and healthcare services, has selected Wendy Brightman as the Executive Director of its charitable arm, the UMRC Heritage Foundation.

In her new position, Brightman will lead fundraising efforts and oversee the Foundation’s staff. The UMRC Heritage Foundation focuses on raising funds to support the benevolent care program for residents in need of financial assistance to remain in their UMRC home and to support additional operating needs of UMRC.

Brightman brings more than 12 years of fundraising and leadership experience to UMRC. Most recently, she served as Managing Director of Ele’s Place in Ann Arbor. Her previous experience focused on healthcare, social service and education development roles in Michigan and Ohio.

Oak Grove Capital Welcomes Paul Barrett as SVP in New Boston Office

Oak Grove Capital, a leading national provider of real estate financial services, announced that Paul Barrett has joined the St. Paul-based mortgage lender as senior vice president. Barrett will focus on new loan originations and will lead a new office that Oak Grove is opening in the Boston market.

Barrett’s experience over the past 25 years has bridged both the public and private sectors, ranging from community and business development, to economic policy, to capital markets and fund development. Prior to joining Oak Grove Capital, Barrett was the Northeast director for the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, a $4.5 billion fund that invests in multifamily housing developments across the country. Barrett has also previously held positions as the director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the Rhode Island State Secretary of Economic Development, and the chairman of Bank Malden.

The post Movers & Shakers – People and Positions for December 2012 appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Construction: Planned 

Senior Housing Plan in Palo Alto Raises Local Concern

Palo Alto city officials are preparing to rule on a development that has stirred local anxieties—a project including 60 housing units for low-income seniors, Palo Alto Online reports.

The City Council will consider approving a zoning change that would allow the nonprofit Palo Alto Housing Corporation to build the project at a former orchard site at 567 Mayfield Avenue. 

If approved, the Housing Corporation would be able to develop the site at a much higher density than existing zoning would allow. 

The city had already loaned the Housing Corporation $5.8 million to purchase the proposed site.

But even with the benefit of more senior housing, the proposal has angered local residents, with hundreds attending recent public hearings on the project, citing traffic concerns surrounding a nearby school section.

Others have argued that the neighborhood doesn’t have enough amenities to accommodate seniors, however, from the standpoint of city staff, these concerns are “overstated” and “misguided.”

The planning commission voted 4-1 to support the zone change. Several commissioners noted that the property will be redeveloped anyways and that the underlying zoning is already fit to accommodate 34 single-family homes. 

“The traffic from such a development could be far worse than that of a senior-family complex,” said Michael Alcheck, a Palo Alto planning commissioner.

Fort Wayne, Ind. Senior Housing Project Sets July Groundbreaking

A 16-unit, $1.6 million affordable senior housing complex should begin construction this July in Fort Wayne, Indiana, reports News-Sentinel.

The third senior housing project the Fort Wayne Housing Authority has taken on in the last four years, the Southside Senior Villas at 7200 John St. are expected to be in line with recently developed housing in the area such as the Village at Brooklyn Pointe.

To qualify for residency, seniors must fall within the 50% of lower area median income level, a figure calculated by Housing and Urban Development for the Fort Wayne area.

For new housing, the target range for income is lower, between 30%-40%. 

For a one-person household in 2013, the target income range translates to $21,700 yearly income for the 50% levels and just $13,000 for the 30% level.

The building is anticipated to be environmentally certified to LEED silver standards, and already has a about 500 families on its waiting list.

While Southside Senior Villas can only accommodate up to 32 seniors, about 12% of Fort Wayne’s population is age 65 or older, according to 2010 U.S. Census data.

Funding sources for the project include $300,000 from the city of Fort Wayne; $350,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis; $819,450 from Fort Wayne Housing Authority; and Star Financial making up the remaining $130,500. 

Construction should not last more than a year, according to Scales.

Isakson Living Plans New $200 Million Georgia CCRC

Isakson Living, an Atlanta-based developer with ties to Cobb County, Georgia has filed for rezoning and announced plans to build a continuing care retirement community (CCRC).

Inspired by Isakson Living’s Park Springs CCRC in Stone Mountain, Georgia, the 53.7 acre site in East Cobb County will cater to residents aged 62 and older. 

The site for this new potential CCRC is located at 3540 Roswell Road in Marietta, adjacent to East Cobb Park.

Isakson’s proposed CCRC is the first such community to apply for a rezoning under the Continuing Care Retirement Community District—a code Isakson Living helped develop along with other representatives from the development community, local government leaders and Cobb County residents.

“This type of retirement living is not currently available in Cobb County,” says Kevin Isakson, partner of Isakson Living. “Our goal is to build a ‘lifeline community’ that will enable current residents to stay in the area as they grow older.”

The proposal includes 837 independent living units and 150 healthcare units. Enhanced dining, activities, entertainment, fitness and wellness amenities will also be included in the community’s design.

The community will also feature on-site healthcare services including assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing. 

If everything goes as planned, construction could begin as early as next summer with the first phase completed in Spring 2016, according to Isakson. 

Old Florida Hotel to Undergo Assisted Living Transformation

The developer of a 63-bed assisted living community in New Smyrna Beach, Florida is currently in talks with three companies interested in transforming the city’s first hotel into senior living, reports The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Tentatively named the Alba Court Retirement Center at 115 Washington St., the community could begin construction by the end of this year for a completion date by end of 2014, according to developer Paul Ashe.

The site for the prospective project is currently owned by former Mayor Jim Vandergrifft and his wife Pamela, who applied for a little more than $107,000 in Community Redevelopment Agency for the project.

The Vandergriffts plan to sell the site to Ashe for $600,000, according to an agenda item summary sent to the City Commission from CRA Director Tony Otte’s office.

The three-story Alba Court Retirement Center would bear the name of the Alba Court Hotel that once occupied the site when it was first built in 1895.

Whether the name sticks could depend on which company is eventually selected to run the facility, according to Ashe, who says he has talked to two national operators and one local operator. 

Concordis Senior Living, a for-profit company that operates several communities in Central Florida including Hampton Manor and Ormond Beach, is one of the companies Ashe is considering.

The assisted living community will cost about $5 million and will employ between 15-24 people.

Proposals for NJ Affordable Senior Apartments Continue

A public hearing will be held this week before the Newton Planning Board for a proposal to build an affordable senior apartment complex on Union Place, reports New Jersey Herald.

RPM Development is proposing a four-story, 65-unit apartment building that would be restricted to people55 and older. The building plans include 1,600-square-feet of retail space and a 2,200-square-foot senior citizen center.

The building would have frontage on Spring Street for the retail and center, and would stretch along Union Place to just short of Trinity Street.

The section of the proposed development nearest to Spring Street is currently a parking lot for the Newton Parking Authority, and 27 of the new spaces under the senior complex will be given to the authority.

The $15 million project would take about a year to build and is seeking a tax relief status from the town, known as Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT). PILOT would give a substantial tax break for the first 15 years of the agreement, with the next 10 years increasing to full payment.

Approval from five of the seven regular town board members is needed for the project’s passage.

If approved, the vote will be memorialized with a formal resolution at the Planning Board meeting on June 19.

O’Reilly Development Co. Outlines Missouri Senior Project

O’Reilly Development Company intends that its Adams Dairy Senior Community will help make the transition into a senior living community easy for residents, reports the Examiner.

The Blue Springs Planning Commission of Missouri approved the concept plan for the Adams Dairy Senior Community on Monday.

The 13.6-acre property will be divided into four separate lots, the first of which will be open space and storm water detention. The second lot, which will be the largest at just more than 8 acres, will include the senior community.

The final two lots will be reserved for a retail/office building to house medically offices that will assist the facility.

Once completed, the 55+ community will have 178 units. The first phase of the project will include 76 independent living units and 32 memory care units. Independent living rooms will be a mixture of studio, one bedroom and two bedroom units. The second phase will see the addition of 40 units, which all be divided among memory care and assisted living units, depending on the need.

Amenities will include a commercial kitchen, theater, gymnasium, men’s den, nurse stations, beauty shop, library and family dining area.

Real Estate Developer Unveils Senior Living Project Under New Brand

Dallas-based Caddis Partners LLC, a healthcare real estate development firm, announced today the launch of its senior living brand, Heartis, as well as the first community to be developed under the new brand in Cleburne, Texas.

The new brand name derives from Caddis’ commitment to fostering a home-like atmosphere, playing off of the saying, “Home is where the heart is.”

Heartis Cleburne is being developed on 15 acres at 902 Walter P. Holliday Dr. in the South Fort Worth suburb—an area Caddis officials note is underserved in terms of senior living options.

The hilltop site will provide residents with pleasant views of the surrounding countryside and Lake Pat Cleburne, and is not far from Texas Health Resources Cleburne Hospital.

Austin, Texas-based architectural firm Katus, the Dallas office of MAPP Construction and Houston-based Amegy Bank round out the development team behind the Heartis community. 

Heartis communities will be developed and owned by affiliates of Caddis Partners, with management provided by Eugene, Oregon-based Good Neighbor Care, which currently has operations in Texas and seven other states.

Heartis Cleburne is scheduled for completion by next summer, according to a release from Caddis Partners.

Construction: In Process 

L.A. Senior Apartments to Celebrate Phase One Grand Opening

A grand opening will be held this week to commemorate the completion of the first phase of the Linda Vista Senior Apartments in Los Angeles, reports Multi-Housing News Online.

The senior apartments represent the first phase of a $43 million redevelopment of a former railroad hospital, Linda Vista Community Hospital, which shuttered operations in 1991. 

The hospital, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, has served as a backdrop for the filming of television programs and motion pictures for the last 22 years. 

Located at 630 St. Louis St., the Linda Vista Senior Apartments were specifically developed to help provide care for Boyle Heights senior citizens. 

The recently completed first phase transforms a former nurse dormitory into nearly two-dozen affordable apartment homes.

The Linda Vista Senior Apartments is one of the major multifamily properties funded by the City of Los Angeles Neighborhood Stabilization Program through the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD).

Construction: Completed

Unity Health System Opens Last Phase of Senior Living Complex

Unity Health System has opened the most recent phase of its expansion project—a senior living complex in Greece, New York, reports Greece Post. 

The Villages at Unity, located on the Unity Park Ridge Health Care campus, now offers the James J. Bell Sr. Hamlet and Memory Care Community, which opened earlier this month.

The 20-apartment memory care facility offers enhanced services for seniors facing memory loss, according to Don Felter, president of Unity Senior Housing. 

Depending on the level of care needed, seniors will be able to transition between the Villages’ independent living community, assisted care apartments, the new memory care community and Unity’s 80-bed skilled nursing home at Park Ridge Living Center.

The opening of the memory care community is part of a four-year expansion project for The Villages at Unity, which is expected to be complete in July.

Miami Health System Remodels Independent Living Common Areas

Miami Jewish Health Systems recently renovated the common areas of their independent living facility, Irving Cypen Tower. 

Located on the campus of Douglas Gardens in Miami and near the Design District, the newly remodeled senior community not features sleek decor in a modern style. 

New furniture, carpeting and more in the cafeteria, dining room and lobby provide a relaxing atmosphere for socializing, the health system said in a release.

Senior residents at Irving Cypen Tower can request a 540-square-foot studio suite or a 600-square-foot one-bedroom suite.

The community features amenities and services such as weekly fitness, music creative writing and weaving classes; pool with ramp access, fitness center and library; community center synagogue; on-campus medical clinic; as well as scheduled outings to local shopping, banking and medical appointments.

Spectrum Opens New Community for Albuquerque Seniors

Spectrum Retirement Communities officially welcomed residents to Palmilla Senior Living, the company’s first senior community in Albuquerque.

The 133,000-square-foot community’s independent living and assisted living residences war first to open, ranging from studio-sized suites to two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,000-square-foot duplex units.

The memory care wing at Palmilla will open within the next month, according to a release from Spectrum. The company is currently taking deposits for a limited number of available apartments across its many living options, all featuring is month-to-month rental program.

Palmilla Senior Living also indues a number of health and wellness programs to keep seniors healthy and active—including on-site personal care services and licensed providers of physical rehabilitation, speech and occupational therapies.

Other lifestyle amenities include outdoor gardening areas, a resource library with computer area, a full-service salon, day spa and a theater. 

Affirmed Housing Group Celebrates Grand Opening of Solterra

Affirmed Housing Group will host a grand opening ceremony for Solterra, an affordable residential development for seniors. The event will be held at 131 Chambers Street in El Cajon, California.

The mixed-used development would have 49 units designated for adults aged 55 and older, including 46 one-bedroom and three two-bedroom homes.

The community’s on-site amenities include a computer lounge, gated and covered parking as well as a community room. Energy-sustainable features for the community include resident access to Solterra’s electric car, a 2013 Nissan LEAF.

Access to the “flex car,” according to Solterra President and CEO James Silverwood, will allow residents to experience a car-free lifestyle while still enjoying the occasional benefits of a private vehicle.

Written by Jason Oliva

The post In the Pipeline: Senior Housing Construction Projects (6/12/13) appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Construction: Planned

Isakson Living Resubmits Rezoning Proposal for $200M Project

Isakson Living resubmitted a rezoning request for a senior living community in Cobb County, Georgia, after withdrawing its initial request earlier this year due to mounting opposition to the proposed development, reports The Marietta Daily Journal.

Original project plans would have included building the $200 million senior development near East Cobb Park, featuring 837 independent living units and 150 “health care units.”

The new plan reduces the number of housing units from 987 to 843 total units, comprising of 749 independent living units and 94 health care units with one-, two- and three-bedroom homes for seniors age 62 and older.

Floor plans in the new proposal are expected to range from 900 to 2,500-square-feet. 

The earliest the Cobb Planning Commission would consider a vote on Isakson’s rezoning request is February. 

$50 Million Mixed-Use Development to Include Senior Housing

Project plans for a $50 million mixed-use development also looks to include senior housing on the east side of Ford Lake in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, reports Crain’s Detroit Business.

Senior housing would be located on a 14-15 acre parcel, with the mixed-use development that includes 600 apartment units, commercial and restaurant space taking up a 90-acre parcel. Developers are also planning to include a 27-hole disc golf course on the property.

Owner of the Lake Shore Apartments, Newport Beach, California-based Delaware Lake Shore LP, says the first phase of construction could begin by the end of next year.

Cedar Rapids Backs Proposals for Four Senior Housing Projects

The Cedar Rapids City Council on Tuesday backed seven proposals to build affordable housing, four of which are senior housing, reports local news outlet KCRG.

One of the proposals includes the renovation of a historic apartment building to include 84 units of senior housing, called Commonwealth Senior Apartments. Indianapolis-based TWG Development and Chicago-based Landover Development are the developers behind the project.

Another proposal is for Sonoma Square, which will be 48 senior housing located at Ellis Boulevard NW and J Avenue NW. High Development, headquartered in Cedar Rapids, is tackling this development. 

Neighborhood Development Corp. of Cedar Rapids and MetroPlains LLC based in St. Paul, Minnesota, are developing the Second Avenue Senior Apartments proposals, which will include 30 units of senior housing. 

Cincinnati-based Miller-Valentine Group will build the fourth senior housing proposal in Cedar Rapids. The Cypress Senior Residence will feature 51 units of senior housing at 12th Avenue SW and Jacolyn Drive SW. 

The total cost to build all of the projects, totaling 320 residential units, is $52.9 million. The Iowa Finance Authority will make tax-credit awards for the projects in the spring. 

Presbyterian Home Proposes a New CCRC in Bel Air, MD

Faith-based nonprofit Presbyterian Home of Maryland plans to develop a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Bel Air, MD, reports The Baltimore Sun.

The CCRC would be the first for Maryland’s Hartford County and would feature 700 units on a 58-acre development site.

Phase one of construction looks to include about 200 units in a mix of independent, assisted living and skilled nursing apartments, according to an attorney affiliated with Presbyterian Home of Maryland in The Baltimore Sun article.

A community meeting will be held Monday to discuss a number of different approvals required for the project.

Construction: In process

The Waters Senior Living to Open New Community in Minnesota

Minnetonka-based The Waters Senior Living will operate and manage a 175-unit community that will open in late 2014 in Rochester, Minnesota. 

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Grandbridge Real Estate Capital LLC recently closed a $27.8 million first mortgage construction loan on The Waters on Mayowood project. 

Located near the renown Mayo Clinic, The Waters on Mayowood will include 70 assisted living units and six enhanced care suites within a four-story building encompassing 276,000-square-feet. A four-story independent living wing with 71 units and a two-story memory care wing with 28 units will also be included within the community.

Amenities include a dining room, wellbeing center, day spa, library, creative arts studio, club room with golf simulator and a spiritual center that will host a variety of wellbeing-focused activities, programs and services. 

Sagora Senior Living Breaks Ground on New Texas Community

Fort Worth, Texas-based operator Sagora Senior Living and The Covenant Group broke ground this week on a new senior community in Westworth Village, Texas. 

The Westmore community will accommodate 137 residents in 74 assisted living units, 40 independent living units and 23 memory care units. The community will also feature Care Complete, an enhanced assisted living care program, according to a release from Sagora Senior Living. 

The parent company, The Covenant Group, currently owns and operates 14 independent and assisted living communities in Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Florida. 

The Westmore is expected to open in the summer of 2014. 

Construction: Completed

Historic Mississippi Apartments Transformed into Senior Housing

Non-profit organization the National Development Council announced Wednesday the completion of Aeolian Senior Housing Development in Vicksburg, Mississippi. 

The project is the result of the acquisition and rehabilitation of Aeolian Apartments, a historic four-story building featuring 60 units. The rehabbed building has 48 one-bedroom/one bath units with 700-square-feet and 12 two-bedroom/one bath units of 730-square-feet. 

Better Mississippians will provide support services to the building’s residents at no extra cost.

In addition to low income housing credits, the property has also received federal historic credits and state credits. 

Written by Jason Oliva

The post In the Pipeline: Senior Housing Construction Projects (12/5/13) appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Construction: Planned

Isakson Living $200M CCRC Delayed Again

A $200 million senior living project from Isakson Living has been delayed again following the rescheduling of a zoning hearing by the Cobb Planning Commission of Cobb County Georgia, reports the local Patch.

The delay, according to Patch, was due to the commission’s decision to appoint a committee to re-evaluate the continuing care retirement community (CCRC) zoning category. 

Isakson Living recently resubmitted a rezoning request in December for the project, which plans to feature 837 independent living units and 150 “health care” units.

The rescheduled hearing date before the Cobb Planning Commission has been slated for May 6 and May 20. 

New Hampshire Assisted Living Community Plans Expansion

Webster at Rye, a skilled nursing and assisted living facility in Rye, New Hampshire, is planning a major expansion that will increase the number of units for both its assisted living and nursing segments, reports Seacoast Online.

The nonprofit organization is currently seeking zoning approval to add 39 new assisted living apartments to the preexisting 27 currently on site; and up to 26 nursing home rooms. 

The community also plans to expand its skilled rehabilitation gym and create a new memory care unit. 

Webster at Rye is currently asking the local Zoning Board of Adjustment for special exception to construct the additions.  

Upscale $14 Million Independent Living Community Planned for Detroit

Presbyterian Villages of Michigan and Hartford Memorial Baptist Church are teaming up to offer an upper-end independent living community for seniors age 55 and older, reports Detroit Free Press.

The two organizations will break ground on the $14 million project, dubbed Hartford Village, this summer at 7 Mile and the Lodge Freeway.

Hartford Village will consist of 45 apartments and 39 cottage-style units that will feature a one-car garage. 

Units will have balconies or patios, transportation and 24-hour security on the premises, with apartment leases beginning at $1,000 a month. A $500 security deposit will also be required. 

The development will be located near the Northwest Activities Center and will include a community room with a full kitchen, a fitness room, beauty salon, library, computer room, among other amenities. 

NorCal Investment Company Plans Senior Housing Developments

Alamo, California-based Private Capital Investments plans to develop senior housing on two vacant parcels in San Luis Obispo County, reports Santa Maria Times.

The company is currently seeking a lot line adjustment and conditional use permit to construct a 96-unit assisted living community and a separate 36-unit senior apartment complex. 

Of the 96 assisted living units, 15 beds would be reserved for “transitional or light memory care individuals, while 22 beds would be dedicated to persons requiring memory care.”

The proposed development is scheduled for a February 3 hearing before the County Subdivision Review Board.

Cannon, an engineering firm based in San Luis Obispo, is representing Private Capital Investments.

Construction: In process

MedProperties, The Lasalle Group to Begin Texas Memory Care Construction

Dallas-based real estate firm MedProperties Holdings LLC and Irving, Texas-based The LaSalle Group will soon begin construction on a 46-bed memory care community in Austin, Texas. 

The one-story Autumn Leaves of North Austin will be a 27,000-square-foot residential care community located approximately one-half mile west of Texas State Highway 183 at the corner of Anderson Mill Road and Swan Drive. 

The LaSalle Group will operate the community under its Autumn Leaves brand upon completion.

Construction for The Autumn Leaves of North Austin is scheduled to begin this month and will be completed in 12 months, according to a release from the companies.

This project marks MedProperties’ third investment with The LaSalle Group and the fifth in its second discretionary fund, the $150 million MedProperties Investment Partners LP.

Texas Gulf Bank is providing construction financing for the development.

Developers Prep for $7 Million Senior Housing in Kansas City, MO

Landmark Investment Group is currently preparing $70 million worth of development that will include a senior housing project on the campus of a Kansas City, Missouri, outpatient hospital, reports Kansas City Business Journal.

A $7 million, 46-unit independent living complex for seniors ail kick off development on Research Medical Center’s Brookside campus, as soon as federal affordable housing tax credits are secured, a representative from Landmark told KCBJ.

The project will be called Rockhill Greens Senior Living, and developers intend that it will “catalyze further development” on the 13-acre site. 

The focus of the development is to construct a continuum of care campus that includes not only independent living, but also assisted living and skilled nursing facilities as well, the article notes. 

Landmark purchased the site for approximately $1.5 million from HCA Midwest and paid to have seven campus buildings demolished to make way for development.

Midwest Division-Partners for Change LLC, an HCA Midwest affiliate, is serving as master developer for the Research Brookside campus project.

Construction: Completed

Alabama Assisted Living Facility Opens After Year-Long Delay

Decatur ALF Group LLC’s Westminster Assisted Living has finally begun operating after more than a year since it was originally planned to open, reports Decatur Daily.

The 40-bed facility started moving in its first residents during early November. Though developers initially anticipated a completion date of June 2012—following the project’s announcement in September 2011—development had been delayed due to a change in contractor and architect. 

The 30,282-square-foot Westminster features 24 assisted living beds, 16 of which will cater to residents with dementia. Each 400-square-foot room includes a studio kitchen, flat-screen TV and computer area. 

Average monthly rates to live in the community range from $3,350 to $5,100. 

While developers announced initially that the construction costs would amount to approximately $8 million, they did not disclose the final price tag to Decatur Daily.

Written by Jason Oliva

The post In the Pipeline: Senior Housing Construction Projects (1/9/14) appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Planned

Vermont CCRC to Build $10 Million Expansion

The Cedar Hill Continuing Care Community, a continuing care retirement community located in Windsor, Vermont, announced this week its plans to build a $10.6 million addition.

The 42,000-square-foot, two-level building addition will house a 20-bed memory care unit and will also double the community’s capacity of its independent and assisted living units to 41 apartments.

The memory care wing will comprise 12 private apartments and eight semi-private apartments.

The expansion will increase the community’s total square footage from 18,000 to 59,720-square-feet.

Congress Construction is the project’s construction manager. MacKenzie Architects of Burlington, VT, designed the project’s expansion.

The completed facility is expected to open in January 2015. 

Isakson Living Donates Acres to Park for $200 Million Project

In Atlanta-based Isakson Living’s ongoing quest to develop a $200 million CCRC in Georgia’s Cobb County, the senior living provider has recently donated several acres back to East Cobb Park in an attempt to appease the project’s critics, reports The Marietta Daily Journal.

Isakson Living gave 9.5 acres to East Cobb Park as a “piece offering” to those who claim that the 843-unit senior living project is too big for the area and “inappropriate for the tract of land neighboring a public park,” the article writes.

The donated land would double the size of East Cobb Park and also provide a buffer between the Isakson community’s residential buildings and adjoining property owners.

The provider initially planned for a 987-unit community, but has since scaled down the project plans and rezoned in attempts to garner approval from the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

$6.5 Million Jehovah Assisted Living Planned for Pennsylvania

Developers in Allentown plan to begin construction on a $6.5 million assisted living community exclusively for Jehovah’s Witnesses, reports Lehigh Valley Business. 

Local company Serfass Construction Co. will build the Legacy Place Cottages assisted living and memory care development. 

The project will feature two single-story buildings totaling approximately 30,000-square-feet.

The community is owned by Jah-Jireh Homes of America, a nonprofit faith-based organization that cares for aging Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Developers anticipate project completion at the end of the fourth quarter.

In Process

Erickson Living CCRC Expanding in Colorado

An expansion project is currently underway at a Colorado CCRC managed by Erickson Living.

The expansion of the Highlands Ranch community, dubbed Wind Crest, features the addition of McHenry’s Cross, a new residence building that will house 102 apartment homes.

The addition will offer 22 new floor plans varying in size and style, from luxury two-bedrooms to modest one-bedroom units. 

Several notable design features include wood floors, the absence of walls separating kitchens from living space, as well as the use of islands or peninsulas, which designers intend will give the apartments more of an “open feel.”

Other design features include grant countertops, stainless steel appliances, brushed nickel hardware and a combination of recessed and pendant lighting in the kitchens. 

About 85% of the McHenry’s Crossing apartments will also feature balconies. 

Amenities include a new community restaurant, coffee shop, spaces for group activities, movie theater, classroom and fitness room to complement the existing on-site fitness center at Wind Crest.

Dallas-based firm JHP is the architect on the project.

McHenry’s Crossing will open in November 2014, a spokesman from Erickson told SHN. 

Completed

Luxury $250 Million Mixed-Use Senior Complex Opens in Minnesota

Presbyterian Homes & Services recently opened a second building at one of its communities in the Minneapolis suburb of Wayzata, a $250 million mixed-use senior complex, reports Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. 

The Promenade at Wayzata features two buildings, Superior Block and North Block. 

The former is a 90-apartment building that opened in October and is currently fully leased, while the later is a 58-apartment that is 97% leased since opening in December. 

North Block also features 76 assisted living and memory care units, which are about one-third full, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Biz Journal report. 

The North Block also features a restaurant, cafe, library, a two-story atrium conservatory, a movie theater, beauty parlor, convenience store and wellness center equipped with a swimming pool and fitness equipment. 

Rents for the luxury senior communite range from $1,665 to $5,150 per month, after a fully-refudnable entrance deposit of $95,000 to $586,000. 

Unit sizes range from 740 to 2,300-square-feet.

The Roseville, MN-based Presbyterian Homes & Services, is a non-profit organization with senior living communities in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. 

Fresno Affordable Housing Celebrates Grand Opening

The Fresno Housing Authority celebrated the grand opening of a new affordable senior housing development this week in California, reports The Fresno Bee.

Bridges at Florence is a 33-unit apartment complex for seniors with annual incomes between $12,050 and $24,120.

The project developed as a partnership between the housing authority, equity investor PNC Real Estate, the city of Fresno and the nonprofit King of Kings Housing Development Corporation based in southwest Fresno. 

Written by Jason Oliva

The post In the Pipeline: Senior Housing Construction Projects (2/6/14) appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Homestead Assisted Living Welcomes New Director

Homestead Assisted Living, formerly Prairie View Assisted Living, has named Gloria Rink, registered nurse, as executive director.

Rink has been with Homestead since 2008, serving as resident care coordinator, and is the longest-serving employee at the facility. Prior to working at the community, Rink was the evening head charge nurse at Creston Nursing and Rehabilitation before being promoted to nurse manager in 2008. 

She has been working toward a nursing degree through an online program offered by Clarkson College in Omaha, Neb., but is now considering changing her focus to health care leadership and business administration. 

Covenant Village of Cromwell Names Executive Leadership

Covenant Village of Cromwell, a faith-based, not-for-profit continuing care retirement community (CCRC) administered by Covenant Retirement Communities, announced that it has confirmed its new executive leadership team, including Executive Director Pamela Klapproth, Sales Director Margaretann Foster and Facilities Operations Director Michael Hamel.

Pamela Klapproth brings to the position more than 15 years of leadership and senior living experience. As executive director, she is responsible for the overall management of the senior living community. 

Prior to joining Covenant Village of Cromwell, Klapproth held similar leadership positions at area retirement communities and skilled nursing health care providers, including Stoneridege, Seabury and Genesis Health Care.

Margaretann Foster brings to the position 11 years of experience in sales and marketing of CCRCs and eight years of sales management and leadership. As sales director, she is responsible for maintaining occupancy and sales for the community. 

Before joining Covenant Village of Cromwell, Foster exceeded and maintained sales and occupancy goals in similar positions at area retirement communities, including Masonicare Ashlar Village and Elim Park Baptist Home, Inc.

Michael Hamel brings 20 years of operations management experience to the position of director of facilities management. Before joining Covenant Village, Hamel held similar position at senior living communities and health care providers, including Alzheimer’s Resource Center of Connecticut, Benchmark Senior Living and Athena Healthcare Corporation. 

In these roles, Hamel developed productivity metrics, maintained compliances with federal, state and OSHA regulations, educated departments on building systems and oversaw construction projects.

Bell Tower Residence Hires New Administrator

The Holy Cross Sisters have announced the hiring of Pat Sherley as the new administrator at Bell Tower Residence Assisted Living in Merrill, Wis.

Sherley began her career in hospice and has previously served as director of community relations, helping to build a new hospital and clinic in Hudson, Wis. She has also worked for the Chamber of Commerce as director of communications and programming. Most recently, Sherley served as administrator at Red Cedar Canyon Assisted Living in Hudson.

Windsor Park Names New Sales Director 

Theresa A. Jordan has been named sales director at Windsor Park, a CCRC in Carol Stream, Ill., administered by Covenant Retirement Communities. 

In this position, Jordan will develop and implement the sales and marketing program for the retirement community’s 290 residential retirement apartments, 62 duplex homes, 85 assisted living residences, 16 memory support assisted living residences and a 77-bed skilled nursing center. 

Jordan brings to Windsor Park more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience in the senior living industry. Previously, she was a consultant at Jordan and Company, a private practice sales and marketing firm in Naperville, Ill. Prior to that, she was regional director of sales at CRSA/Life Care Services in Des Moines, Iowa. 

Atlanta CCRC Hires New Management, Staff Members

Park Springs, an Atlanta CCRC owned and operated by Isakson Living, has added four new team members to its staff. 

Susan Mahoney has joined Park Springs as director of sales and marketing. She has more than 17 years of experience working in sales management functions with a variety of CCRCs throughout the Southeast. Prior to joining Park Springs, she ministered to senior adults and families with Immanuel Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Fla.

Suzanne Baker has joined as the CCRC’s new residency counselor. She has experience in senior housing and real estate, having previously served as community sales leader with Holiday Retirement-Iris Place in Athens, Ga. She has also worked as commercial sales team and marketing manager with The Baker Group, and with Coldwell Banker Jackson Realty, both in Monroe, Ga. 

Daniel Ellis has joined as Park Springs’ new plant operations director. Previously, Ellis was general manager – multi-services with Sodexo Corporation in Atlanta, responsible for building maintenance, housekeeping and plant operations. Other experience includes positions in facilities management with Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville, S.C., Gainesville State College in Watkinsville, Ga., and Life Care Center in Hilton Head, S.C.

Tracy Walling has joined the CCRC as human resources director. She comes to the position from Atlanta’s Shepherd Center, where she served as HR manager. Her background in human resources also includes positions with AFC Worldwide Express and Ernst & Young, both in Atlanta.

Written by Emily Study

The post Movers & Shakers — People and Positions for September, Part II appeared first on Senior Housing News.

David Eskenazy Named President of Merrill Gardens

David Eskenazy has been named the president of Merrill Gardens, the company announced today. He replaces Tana Gall, who announced earlier this year that she was leaving the company to pursue other interests. Eskenazy will assume his new role effective immediately.

Eskenazy brings to the position more than 25 years of experience in operations. He was most recently chief financial officer at Aegis Living. During his five-year tenure there, he oversaw operations, finance, accounting, property development, financial planning and analysis, IT and investor relations.

Eskenazy also brings 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including nine years as chief operating officer for the R.C. Hedreen Company with oversight for the Seattle Hilton, Madison Renaissance and Grand Hyatt Seattle hotels.

He also serves on the board of directors for Outerwall (NASDAQ: OUTR), the operators of Coinstar, Redbox and ecoATM kiosks.

“I am confident that David will be an excellent leader for Merrill Gardens,” said Bill Pettit, president of the R.D. Merrill Company, parent company of Merrill Gardens. “I am impressed with his vision, expertise in team leadership and assembling talent. His strengths are his passion, creativity and strategic thinking and those are the abilities needed to successfully guide our company.”

Merrill Gardens is an owner/operator of assisted living retirement communities throughout the country. The company consists of 31 operating and development communities in five states. 

Essex Communities Welcomes Executive Director

Essex Communities, a Nebraska-based developer and operator of senior living communities, has announced the hiring of Kevin Blom as executive director of Mission Square, an independent living community located in Mission, Kans.

Blom joins the Essex Communities team with six years of senior housing experience in the western suburbs of Kansas City. Most recently, he held a leadership position with Shawnee Hills Senior Living in nearby Shawnee, Kans. In addition to his senior living experience, Blom has nearly 20 years of sales experience from across a diverse spectrum of industries.

Kandu Capital, Bloom Senior Living Hire Industry Veteran To Lead Operations 

Kandu Capital, LLC and its operating company, Bloom Senior Living, announced recently that they have hired 30-year industry veteran Benjamin Pearce to lead senior living operations as its chief operating officer.

Pearce, a Johns Hopkins University and New York University professor and award-winning author, will embark on a multi-year and multi-step process with Bloom to be the industry leader focused on culture, customer service, training, resident-centered health care and operations.

Over his three-decade career, Pearce has designed, developed, opened and managed more than 200 senior living communities in 33 states totaling nearly $1 billion in revenue for both startup and mature, private and publicly traded independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing and continuing care retirement community (CCRC) companies.

Most recently, Pearce was the vice president of operations (Eastern District) for Holiday Retirement, overseeing operations and marketing for 71 independent and assisted living communities, serving 9,000 senior residents, located in seven regions across 14 states and spanning six time zones.

Prior to Holiday, he was the president and CEO of a privately held company, Potomac Homes, overseeing 15 communities dedicated to caring for seniors with Alzehimer’s and dementia.

Pearce also served as senior vice president of operations and vice president of operations, respectively, overseeing large portfolios at Genesis Health Care and Vi Retirement Communities.

He served as director of operations and vice president of operations at The Hillhaven Corporation, Careage Health Care Management and International Care Centers. 

Pearce has published six books on operations and marketing of senior living communities, one of which has been converted for use in the certification of administrators and as a required text at major universities.He also published 27 senior living e-books on Amazon Kindle.

He teaches Business of Senior Housing and Care as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University’s MBA Program, and is a faculty member at New York University’s Real Estate Institute.

He formerly served on many affiliations including the Board of Directors of the Assisted Living Federation of America; Massachusetts Assisted Living Facilities Association; National Association for Senior Living Industry Executives; and North Jersey Senior Care Network.

He has been part of the National Quality Assurance Program Action Team and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Resident Life / Assisted Living Success; Briefings on Assisted Living; and Assisted Living Executive Report.

Jeffrey Merritt Named Executive Director for East Ridge at Cutler Bay

Jeffrey P. Merritt, a 25-year career executive in senior housing, has been named executive director of East Ridge at Cutler Bay, Miami-Dade County’s only life care community.

Merritt is responsible for the management and operations of the community including, independent living, assisted living residences and nursing care services. He will oversee all related operations, including home health, engineering, maintenance, community relations, marketing, programs and events, food and beverage services and procurement areas.

He will direct the upcoming opening of the new $70 million health center now under construction as well as the additional improvements that are underway throughout East Ridge.

East Ridge at Cutler Bay, now 53 years old, began expansion and renovations last April with the demolition of eight residential buildings to make room for its state-of-the-art health center, the first to be built in Miami-Dade in the past 15 years.

Most recently, he was administrator and executive director of a 361-unit upscale community in Lawrence, Kans., following 15 years of experience in multi-facility operational management for Brookdale Senior Living.

Merritt was formerly associated with the Wellington Group Assisted Living, Inc. as a regional director of operations after providing similar services for two assisted living management companies in Missouri and Tennessee.

Georgia CCRC’s Executive Chef Earns Top Honors as ‘Chef of the Year’ 

Park Springs’ Executive Chef Derrick Henry recently earned the 2014 Chef of the Year Award for the Atlanta Metro, awarded by the American Culinary Federation-Atlanta Chefs Association. 

Since 2007, Henry has run four dining venues at Stone Mountain, Georgia-based Park Springs — a 54-acre CCRC developed and operated by Isakson Living — including the Market Café Bistro, the Main Dining Room, the Springhouse Grill and the Park Springs Pub.

He completed his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America, and was offered an externship at Le Bernardin in Manhattan, working for renowned Chef Eric Ripert. From there, Henry worked at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Frungillo’s, a private catering company.

He went on to serve at The Fairfield Tara Hotel in New Jersey, and also worked under the direction of Executive Chef Enio Riga, personal chef of Johnny Carson of The Tonight Show.

On his first venture South, Henry was employed by Atlanta’s iconic restaurant, Pano & Paul’s in Buckhead, but because of family ties in New Jersey, he returned there and accepted a position with the BMW Corporation as executive chef in their head office in Park Ridge, N.J.

However, when Andy Isakson, managing partner of Isakson Living, offered him the position of executive chef at the resort-style senior community in Stone Mountain, Henry accepted.

Missouri Retirement Community Names Director of Nursing

Primrose Retirement Community of Jefferson City, Mo., recently announced Ashley Rackers has joined the team as director of nursing for the independent and assisted living community, according to local reports. 

In this role, Rackers will guide and oversee the overall care of residents and, in conjunction with Executive Director Sandy Kliegel, manage the nursing staff. Rackers will also ensure compliance with all necessary regulations.

A 2005 graduate of the University of Central Missouri, Rackers has been a hospital nurse and has held several leadership positions within skilled nursing communities prior to joining Primrose.

Ian Lee Brown Named Executive Director at Florida CCRC 

Covenant Village of Florida, a faith-based, nonprofit CCRC operated by Covenant Retirement Communities, has named Ian Lee Brown as its new executive director.

Brown is responsible for all operations at the senior living community, which serves residents in 294 residential living apartments, 21 assisted living apartments, 22 memory support apartments and a 60-bed skilled nursing center. 

Brown brings to the position more than 25 years of senior management experience in the senior living industry. Previously, he was senior vice president and chief operating officer of Christian Church Homes of Northern California in Oakland, Calif.

Prior to that, he served 12 years as a vice president and executive director of Baltimore-based Erickson Living. While at Erickson, he was recognized twice as Executive Director of the Year.

A graduate of Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, he has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and speech communications. He earned a Master of Science degree with a focus in organization development/management and a graduate certificate in senior housing and health care from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. While at Johns Hopkins, he also served a year in the Health Leadership Institute.

Brown completed a Master of Liberal Studies at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Ill. Brown is a member of LeadingAge, the American College of Healthcare Executives and the National Association of Healthcare Executives.

Goodman Group Appoints National Director of Research, Development 

The Goodman Group, which develops and manages senior living and health care communities nationwide, recently announced the appointment of Dr. Phyllis Gaspar as national director of research and development for the organization. Her appointment was effective immediately.

Gaspar specializes in geriatrics and long-term care and has been a renowned researcher in the field. Before joining The Goodman Group, she was a professor at the University of Toledo. 

In her new role, she will focus on integration of established evidence into the care provided to seniors and the development of knowledge for innovative approaches promoting wellness of the seniors.

Gaspar brings more than 20 years of experience in geriatric and long-term care research to the position. She has previously worked with The Goodman Group as an expert consultant on Pearls of Life, a dementia program of The Goodman Group, which provides personalized care plans in a home-like environment at all of the organization’s memory care communities across the country

She has a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Nursing with a focus in Gerontological Nursing from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio and a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Gerontological Nursing Interventions from the University of Iowa.

She has a Master of Science degree in Medical-Surgical Nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a Bachelor of Science degree from the same university. She is a registered nurse. 

Additionally, Gaspar is a member of the American Medical Directors Association, Midwest Nursing Research Society and the Gerontological Society of America. 

Love & Company Hires Two Industry Insiders

Love & Company, a marketing, advertising and sales consulting firm specializing in senior living, has announced that Sara Wise and Nicole Hospelhorn have joined the firm, bringing years of marketing planning and strategy experience to the agency.

Sara Wise has joined the Love & Company team as the vice president of strategic services with extensive experience in senior housing and not-for-profit communities. 

Before joining Love & Company, Wise worked as the director of marketing feasibility at Erickson Living, a national developer of retirement communities in Catonsville, Md., and as the director of marketing services at Hamlyn Senior Marketing. 

Wise has experience launching new communities, as well as developing marketing plans and conducting sales and marketing audits for retirement communities. 

Nicole Hospelhorn was hired by Love & Company as the vice president of strategic services. As a former Erickson Living strategic marketing director, Nicole has extensive experience in senior living and has been heavily involved in the planning and execution of the integrated marketing, advertising and branding of several communities.

She helped grow Erickson from a small regional company to a business with more than $1 billion in annual revenue.

Marcus & Millichap Promotes 3 to Senior Associate 

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has promoted Matthew Hazelton, Adam ‘AJ’ Prins and Jon Ruzicka, all in Marcus & Millichap’s Minneapolis office, to senior associate.

This designation signifies superior performance achieved by an associate during his or her sales career at Marcus & Millichap and in the investment real estate brokerage profession.

Hazelton, who began his career with the firm in 2006, specializes in the sale of retail and single-tenant properties. He has closed more than $88 million in transactions with Marcus & Millichap and has consistently been one of the top agents in the Minneapolis office.

Prins also began his career with Marcus & Millichap in 2006, specializing in the sale of retail and single-tenant properties. He has closed nearly $90 million in transactions since joining the office.

Ruzicka began his career with Marcus & Millichap in 2011, specializing in the sale of hospitality properties. During his career, Ruzicka has closed more than $46 million in transactions.

Written by Emily Study

The post Movers & Shakers — Merrill Gardens Names New President appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Ted Meylor Assumes Role of CEO for RED Capital Group

RED Capital Group, LLC and ORIX USA Corporation announced recently that Edward “Ted” J. Meylor will be assuming the role of CEO for RED Capital Group, as Mike Moran, current CEO, transitions back to the parent company, ORIX USA.

Moran was named as chairman and CEO of RED in 2012, two years after ORIX purchased the company, to transition the company after its founder, William E. Roberts, retired. Under Moran’s leadership, RED continued to expand its presence and reputation in the multifamily, senior housing and affordable housing industries.

Meylor joined RED in May 2014 as executive chairman, working with Moran to grow the RED portfolio and foster new opportunities for the firm. He takes on the additional responsibilities that come with the CEO role with plans to further grow the RED portfolio.

“Ted was brought in to build on the groundwork that Mike has started, including the continued growth in the seniors housing platform and key projects that are currently in the works,” said Hideto Nishitani, chairman, president and CEO of ORIX USA. “We believe that with these changes that both RED and ORIX USA are poised for future growth.”

ProMatura Group Names New President 

The ProMatura Group, an international consumer research firm headquartered in Oxford, Miss., has named a decorated former U.S. Army officer to be its new president.

Bobby A. Towery assumes his new post immediately, and will be charged with heading up operations and management of the fast-growing consultancy.

CEO Margaret A. Wylde was originally looking for a sales manager to add to the firm when she met Towery “by chance.”

“Bernie Smith had just announced his intentions to leave after 20 years as our chief operating officer, and up steps a man who had risen to the rank of colonel in the Army hierarchy, including serving as deputy commandant of the War College in Carlisle, Pa., before his retirement in 2013,” she said in a statement. “He is an organizational genius, and the person I most need to bring important leadership to our firm.”

Prior to joining ProMatura, Towery was serving as vice president of operations for NCI Informational Systems of Reston, Va., where he was director of logistics for new acquisitions across the country.

During his 30-year Army career, he served at bases across the U.S., including Fort Riley, Kans., Fort Stewart, Ga., Fort Bragg, N.C. and Fort Polk, La. His instructing experience includes serving as assistant professor of military science and battalion executive officer at the University of Mississippi.

His military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion on Merit, Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal for Valor.

Park Springs Promotes Jim Schneeberger to Executive Director

Isakson Living recently announced that Jim Schneeberger has been promoted to the position of executive director for Park Springs, an Atlanta continuing care retirement community (CCRC) that is owned and operated by Isakson Living.

Schneeberger has been with Park Springs since 2008 as director of food and beverage. In that position, he managed the more than 100 professionals who work in one of the four dining venues at the retirement community: the Market Café Bistro, the Main Dining Room, the Springhouse Grill and the Park Springs Pub.

In addition, he focused on enhancing the dining experience for the residents at the Cobblestone Health Center, including Pebblebrook, Park Springs’ nursing home.

“As director of our food and beverage department, the largest department on campus, we have witnessed Jim’s excellent leadership skills and how he consistently exhibits the many qualities we seek in an executive director,” said Kevin Isakson, director of sales and marketing at Isakson Living. 

Isakson noted that developing a career track and providing opportunities for advancement from within Park Springs is vital not only to the employees but to the entire retirement community.

“Jim has strong communication skills and is able to provide creative and efficient solutions. His knowledge of the members, our staff and Park Springs’ overall operation is a great benefit to us all. We are proud to promote Jim,” Isakson said. 

Maxwell Group Hires Seasoned Marketing Professional

Charlotte, N.C.-based Maxwell Group recently announced that Jeff Keener will be joining the marketing team as copy writer and event coordinator.

Maxwell Group is the parent company of Senior Living Communities, owner and operator of nine retirement communities in the Southeast and Midwest; Live Long Well Care, a private duty care service provider for seniors; and Wellmore, a new line of health care and wellness retirement communities.

Keener will brainstorm, create and transform ideas into text for various collateral forms including advertisements, brochures, articles, publications and pamphlets. He will also provide scriptwriting assistance for video or radio content. In addition, Keener will oversee every aspect of community marketing events from conception to completion, including planning, budget management and booking.

“Jeff is a wonderful addition to our marketing team,” said Vice President of Creative Services Andrew Ketchum. “His background as a dynamic client relations consultative strategist and media professional will be valuable as Maxwell Group continues to build our many brands across many platforms. Jeff has already been extremely helpful in planning marketing events related to Wellmore of Tega Cay’s grand opening in June 2015.”

Keener has previously served as director of marketing for Heafner Financial Solutions and marketing and promotion manager for Time Warner Cable Media in Charlotte, N.C. 

Virginia Baptist Homes Names New COO

The Board of Trustees of Virginia Baptist Homes, Inc. (VBH) has named Mick L. Feauto as the new chief operating officer of Virginia Baptist Homes and related corporations, effective April 13, 2015.

Feauto has 34 years of senior living industry experience as a nursing home administrator, executive director, regional vice president of operations and senior regional vice president of operations.

During the last 10 years, he has served in regional roles with Life Care Services with oversight of 28 CCRCs. In addition, Feauto has a broad range of experience with CCRC insurance captives, tax-exempt financings, direct placement loans, greenfield and campus redevelopments, marketing systems and fundraising.

Virginia Baptist Homes, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Richmond, Va. It operates four CCRCs in Virginia.

New Executive Director Named at Bridges by EPOCH at Trumbull

EPOCH Senior Living has named Erik Hammerquist executive director of Bridges by EPOCH at Trumbull, a 72-apartment memory care and assisted living community opening in 2015 in Trumbull, Conn. Hammerquist will oversee every aspect of the community, including the quality of service, amenities, programs, life enrichment and care.

He has more than 10 years of executive-level senior living experience and most recently served as the senior vice president of operations for a multi-community memory care provider. Hammerquist holds New York State Administrator and New Jersey Certified Assisted Living Administrator licenses.

Silver Sun Living Announces New Appointment

Silver Sun Living has announced the appointment of Martin Roberts its in-house management team. Martin is a UK property, travel and lifestyle journalist.

“In my travels I see all varieties of property investment opportunities, however the world of developments geared toward the needs of active retirees, and those in need of more supportive residential care, seem to be growing faster than any other I’ve experienced,” he said. “As part of the team at Silver Sun Management, I’m working hard to find the best possible opportunities that are out there — and bring them to the attention of discerning end users and investors.”

Silver Sun Living is a provider of luxury retirement villages catered toward the needs of active retirees with a primary focus on health and well-being. 

Written by Emily Study

The post Movers & Shakers: RED Capital Group’s New CEO appeared first on Senior Housing News.

The decision to move into senior living is one that takes time — time that senior living providers are often looking to shorten, especially as seasonal occupancy declines drag down operational efficiencies.

But with the help of new technology, operators are hoping to significantly cut back on the time it takes for a prospect to take the first step toward committing to a community.

They’re doing so by capturing qualified leads from existing Web traffic through personalized messages that guide them down the path to inquiry.

Often, qualified leads will return to a senior living provider’s website between six and eight times before submitting a contact form, according to Lead InSite, a data analytics company focused on the senior housing industry.

“What we’ve seen over time is that about 20% to 25% of our clients’ traffic are return visitors,” says April LaMon, co-founder of Lead InSite. “But because we don’t know anything more about them other than that — no name, phone or email — we needed a mechanism to personalize a message to deliver to visitors that look ready to convert, but haven’t yet.”

That’s the goal of Prompture, a new Lead InSite tool that identifies a community’s high-potential leads based on their past behaviors on the website.

Once they’re recognized as return visitors who are engaged in the community’s content, those prospects receive a customized message that nudges them to fill out an inquiry form or to take a look at other relevant content on the website.

For one community, in particular, this tool prompted nearly 5% of its 244 “high-potential” return visitors to become new leads.

“It’s great that so many visitors are coming to the site, and coming back, but we wanted to find out what we could do to help them ultimately engage with us and engage with us sooner,” says Kevin Isakson, director of sales and marketing at Isakson Living.

Park Springs, an Isakson continuing care retirement community (CCRC) based in Stone Mountain, Ga., piloted the Prompture tool earlier this year to test its effectiveness.

In a breakdown of the analytics, Lead InSite determined Park Springs had 244 high-potential return visitors, 109 of which were exposed to a personalized Prompture message, which appeared at the bottom of the website.

“There are four active prompts on the Park Springs website, which change depending on what page they’re on,” says Kerrie Gilbert, managing partner and creative director of Gilbert & Sheppard Group, the PR agency for Park Springs.

One prompt takes the visitor from content they’ve chosen to look at and presents the opportunity to get additional information on that topic, she says. Another presents the opportunity to go directly to a contact form.

A third takes visitors from content they’re looking at to a relevant resident testimonial. And a fourth is what’s referred to as a short form — it captures only the visitor’s name and email address, Gilbert says.

Of the 109 visitors who saw one of these four messages on the Park Springs site, 39 engaged with the message, or scrolled over the prompt to see it expand. From that number, 28 visitors clicked through, and 11 inquired, becoming new leads.

“These are incremental leads they might not have otherwise gotten,” LaMon says. “With Prompture, providers will get more and better qualified leads at the same time by inserting messages in their path that will appropriately help them convert more quickly.”

Since the pilot launched earlier this year, about eight providers have begun using the tool, and others have expressed their interest in it, LaMon says.

One such provider is Glendale, California-based be.group, which operates seven licensed senior living communities and 26 affordable senior housing communities throughout Southern California. In the coming weeks, the provider will be rolling out the Prompture campaign.

“Our objective is to reduce the number of visits [to our website] and the amount of time it takes for someone to make that initial decision to fill out a form requesting more information or requesting a tour,” says Dan Hutson, vice president of communications and marketing at be.group. “We want to figure out how to reduce the number of steps it takes for someone to go from ‘what is senior living? I’d like to learn more,’ to ‘I’m sold, I want to buy, sign me up.’”

Cutting down the time it takes for a lead to commit not only benefits the provider, but also the prospective resident, Hutson says.

“We want people to come to that decision earlier because we want them to have more time to enjoy the product,” he says. “From a business perspective, it helps us meet our occupancy goals and shorten the purchase cycle, which is important.”

Written by Emily Study

The post Providers Shorten Sales Cycle With New Approach to Online Leads appeared first on Senior Housing News.

(Brandywine Senior Living at Mahwah located in Mahwah, N.J. — Photo courtesy of Brandywine Senior Living)

Construction: Planned

Berry College Announces Site for New CCRC in Ga.

Berry College, a liberal arts college in Rome, Ga., this week announced the site of a new continuing care retirement community (CCRC) that will be construction on undeveloped land adjacent to the college’s main campus.

Slated to open in 2019, the yet-to-be-named CCRC will overlook an 88-acre lake, with unobstructed views of Lavender Mountain and situated just minutes from nearby medical centers in the region.

Berry College, which plans to name the CCRC sometime next year, said in a release that the community will feature 150 apartment homes and cottages, and will offer a “full complement” of health care and supportive services as well as amenities on its 27,000-acre campus.

For years, Berry College has received requests from alumni and residents to create a senior living community near campus, said Alexander Whitaker, Berry College chief of staff, in a written statement.

Once constructed, residents at the CCRC will be able to access cultural and academic offerings, from lectures and sporting events, to more than 60 miles of hiking, biking and running trails, to the campus’ wildlife. Additionally, lakeside fine dining and “a host of recreational and fitness facilities” unique to the CCRC will also be available for residents’ use.

Prospective residents interested in living at the new community can place a minimal deposit to enroll on a priority waiting list beginning December. In late 2016, Berry College said that priority members can select their future residence with a fully-refundable 10% deposit and receive special savings and benefits.

Construction: In process

Northbridge Companies to Begin $65 Million Maine Expansion

Northbridge Companies, an owner and manager of senior living communities throughout New England, alongside real estate partner Portland, Maine-based Sandy River Company, will break ground next week on three new communities in Brunswick, Wells and Westbrook—all located in Maine, Northbridge announced in a press release this Tuesday.

Slated to open in fall 2016, the three new communities represent a $65 million commitment by Northbridge Companies.

The communities are named Avita of Brunswick, Avita of Wells and Stroudwater Lodge—two of which will be fully dedicated to memory care, utilizing Northbridge’s Avita Memory Care program.

Collectively, they will offer a total of 215 units for 253 potential residents.

The new communities will offer several hospitality-oriented amenities including spa and salon services, an upscale dining experience, community rooms, as well as engaging activities and educational programming.

Stroudwater Lodge will be located adjacent to the existing Avita of Stroudwater community that opened in Westbrook in 2013, and will be a multi-level community featuring 95 studio, one- and two-bedroom units. Amenities include a theatre, art studio, salon and barber shop, café, pub, outdoor patio, brain gym with touch screen technology, sunroom and a landscaped courtyard in approximately 90,848-square-feet.

The community sits just minutes from downtown Portland, offering residents and their guests easy access to shopping, entertainment and medical services. Stroudwater Lodge will offer both independent living and assisted living options in addition to the Avita memory care program adjacent to the community.

Meanwhile, the two new Avita memory care communities in Wells and Brunswick will offer similar amenities including a salon and barber shop, brain gym, screened porches, social and recreational programming and a locally-sourced menu from The Eat Fresh, Eat Local kitchen.

Each community will span approximately 47,703-square-feet, featuring 60 studio, one-bedroom and companion suites.

Mainstreet Begins Construction on Transitional Care Facility in Texas

Carmel, Ind.-based developer Mainstreet recently began construction on a new transitional care facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Next Generation property will feature 94 beds, within its 69,355-square-foot structure and will provide transitional care (short-stay rehabilitation and therapy) and assisted living.

As a transitional care center, the property will offer hospitality-oriented care with amenities that include a therapy gym, an outdoor rehabilitation courtyard, movie theatre, game room, a spa, an on-site chef and more.

For this project, the Nashville office of Doster Construction Company was awarded the $19.3 million project—signifying the first project between Doster and Mainstreet.

The project is expected to be completed by October 2016.

Isakson Living Moves Forward with Luxury CCRC Plans

Atlanta-based developer Isakson Living this week announced it is moving forward with plans to develop Peachtree HIlls Place, a luxury senior living community offering a full continuum of care in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood.

Initially introduced in 2006, plans for Peachtree Hills were put on hold in 2009 during the recession. But now, Isakson Living is finally ready to bring its design to fruition.

The first phase of development will include the construction of 84 luxury condominiums and eight custom single-family homes. Condos will include one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans ranging in size from 1,400-square-feet to more than 3,000-square-feet.

Upon completion, there will be 192 condominiums and 12 single-family homes.

Services at the community will include assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing, security, transportation and amenities such as a clubhouse with multiple dining venues, a fitness center and a health center.

Over the next several months, Foley Design Associates Architects will be refining the plans for the community, Isakson Living stated in a press release.

Pre-sales will begin in 2016.

Oxton Senior Living Expands Memory Care Units at Ala. Community

Madison, Ga.-based Oxton Senior Living late last week announced the groundbreaking of 18 additional memory care apartments, in addition to its current 32 apartments, at one of the company’s senior living communities in Montgomery, Ala. dubbed Oxton Court at Waterford Place.

Located at 3920 Antoinette Drive in Montgomery, Oxton Court at Waterford offers all-inclusive pricing; well-trained resident care and culinary staff; transportation services to residents; and organized daily activities.

Oxton, which operates nine senior living communities in Georgia and Alabama, including the Waterford property, expects the expansion to be complete within six months.

Mustang Creek Estates Breaks Ground in Burleson, Texas

North Dallas-based Mustang Creek Estates announced this week it recently broke ground on a new, $7 million, 42,000-square-foot assisted living and memory care community, Mustang Creek Estates of Burleson.

The community will be designed like a neighborhood, where within each of the community’s six homes, up to 15 residents will live. This intimate size is meant for community staff to provide more individualized attention and care to each resident.

The focal point of each home will be the open kitchen, where residents can see their food being prepared from scratch and take in the aromas of home-cooked meals.

Additional community features include all-inclusive monthly rates and accommodations for other caregiving options as residents’ needs change. Also included is an emergency call system, secure backyard, phone, cable, Wi-Fi, life enrichment program, on-site medical assistance and more.

Mustang Creek Estates of Burleson will sit on more than seven acres of land southwest of Burleson Church of Christ.

The community was designed by civil engineer Joseph E. Helmberge, P.E. of Kimley-Horn, a design consulting firm; and the architect is Scott Roberts of Creative Architects in Garland, Texas.

Mustang Creek Estates expects the Burleson community will open summer of 2016.

EPOCH Senior Living Holds Beam Ceremony for N.H. Community Opening Next Year

In partnership with National Development, EPOCH Senior Living will host a beam signing ceremony November 6 to commemorate ongoing construction of EPOCH at Nashua, a memory care assisted living community slated to open in fall 2016.

Bridges by EPOCH at Nashua represents Bridges by EPOCH’s first expansion into the State of New Hampshire. Currently, there are five operating EPOCH communities, developed in collaboration with National Development—four located in Massachusetts in Hingham, Mashpee, Westford and Westwood; and one located in Trumbull, Conn.

The community will include 48 apartments with private bathrooms in each suite, and will feature soothing lighting, décor and tall ceilings. Residents will also be able to enjoy an enclosed, landscaped courtyard, a full-service beauty salon, chef-prepared meals and personal laundry services.

Bridges by EPOCH at Nashua is located at 575 Amherst St. in Nashua, N.H.

MorseLife to Break Ground on New Luxury Independent Living Residence

MorseLife Health System next week will celebrate the construction start of a new luxury independent living residence in West Palm Beach, Fla., The Tower at MorseLife.

To commemorate the launch of construction on the 300,000-square-foot, 10-story residence, MorseLife will host a groundbreaking ceremony on November 12 on its 37-acre campus.

The Tower at MorseLife will be built in two phases at a cost of $77.6 million and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2017.

Project plans call for 135 beautifully-appointed one- and two-bedroom apartments during the first phase of construction, ranging in size from 780- to nearly 1,500-square-feet. Also included in this phase will be amenities like gourmet dining in the residence’s restaurant and bistro, a wellness spa, outdoor pool, housekeeping, transportation, security, along with an array of activities.

The plan is to offer a total of 182 apartments, with additional units built in the second phase of construction, MorseLife said in a press release.

The residence is the final building of MorseLife’s four-phase, $150 million capital project funded in part by the non-profit’s Campaign to Transform MorseLife, which has raised over $31 million to date.

Previous project included the Sondra & David S. Mack Pavilion for Short-Term Rehabilitation, which opened in January 2014; renovation of the campus’ long-term care residence, the Resnick Pavilion, which was completed in November 2014; and Memory Care Assisted Living, which opened in June 2015.

Perkins Eastman is the architect for The Tower at MorseLife. Whiting-Turner is the construction company.

Benchmark Senior Living to Celebrate Groundbreaking of Mass. Community

Wellesley, Mass.-based senior living provider Benchmark Senior Living will host a groundbreaking event next week on November 12 to celebrate the beginning of construction for its latest project in Norwood, Mass.

Benchmark Senior Living at Norwood is a $34.5 million development that, when completed, will feature 90 units—70 traditional assisted living and 20 for those needing memory care in a secured neighborhood.

Groundbreaking for the new development, which represents the 53rd Benchmark community, will take place at 40 Clapboardtree Street in Norwood, Mass.

Methodist Retirement Communities Names Texas Senior Living Community

Not-for-profit senior living provider Methodist Retirement Communities has given a name to its planned Texas development, The Langford at College Station.

The name pays tribute to former College Station mayor (1942-1968), the late Ernest Langford, who was also known for his role as the former dean of the architectural program at Texas A&M.

In selecting a name for the community, Methodist Retirement Communities had been in contact with descendants of Ernest Langford to share the vision of the senior living community and seek the Langford family’s blessing regarding the name.

The Langford at College Station will be an independent, assisted living and memory care community that will offer 72 IL condo-style flats, 24 AL apartments and 18 memory care suites.

The community has a projected completion date in, or before, 2018.

Construction: Completed

Brandywine Senior Living Completes $100 Construction Pipeline

Mount Laurel, N.J.-based operator Brandywine Senior Living recently announced that it has completed a $100 million construction pipeline this year that has included the openings of three new communities and expansions of two existing Brandywine communities, resulting in the addition of over 300 units to the company’s portfolio.

The three new communities opened in the Philadelphia and New York metropolitan areas. They include:

Brandywine Senior Living at Haddonfield, located in the historic district of Haddonfield, N.J., sits 15 minutes from downtown Philadelphia.

Brandywine Senior Living at Mahwah—the company’s first building in Bergen County, N.J., located 30 miles west of New York City.

Brandywine Senior Living at Upper Providence, located in Phoenixville, Pa., sits within a growing suburban market just 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia in Montgomery County.

For the expansion projects Brandywine completed, two were completed at existing communities in Rehoboth Beach, Del., and Litchfied, Conn.

Additionally, Brandywine currently has a 120-unit community under construction in Livingston, N.J., and is planning two new starts in the Washington, D.C. region in the beginning of 2016.

Tutera Senior Living & Health Care Completes $7.5 Million Rehab Center Expansion

This week, Tutera Senior Living & Health Care will host a grand opening event November 5 to celebrate the completion of the $7.5 million expansion of its new Stratford Commons Rehabilitation & Health Care Center in Overland Park, Kan.

Construction of the expansion project began in September 2014 on the new Center, a 34,000-square-foot, single-story community that adjoins Tutera’s Stratford Commons Memory Care Community, itself a 29,000-square-foot community located at 12340 Quivira Road in Overland Park.

Modeling itself as a serene, resort-style interior, Stratford Commons Rehabilitation & Health Care Center includes 41 private suites and two couple suites with large, private bathrooms, a kitchenette, built-in cabinetry, large exterior windows and high ceilings.

In efforts to support a multi-dimensional approach to healing, the Center includes Alter G anti-gravity treadmills to reduce recovery time, as well as specially designed equipment to monitor the needs of the most physically vulnerable to help them regain strength, functionality and, ultimately, independence.

The Center also includes restaurant-style dining with menus created by an in-house chef; luxurious spa amenities and salon services; massage and yoga therapy, among an ongoing calendar of wellness programming.

The interior design at the new Center was provided by Austin, Texas-based studioSIX5

Robycross Completes Six Senior Living Renovations Across the Caroilnas

Robycross, a firm specializing in the renovation of retirement and health care facilities, recently completed six major projects at senior living communities throughout the Carolinas.

The projects ranged from remodels of nursing home offices to complete overhauls of communities’ common areas. Clients included Five Star Senior Living (NYSE: FVE), ACTS Retirement-Life Communities and SanStone Health & Rehabilitation.

For Five Star, Robycross completed renovations of all common areas at four Morningside communities, all located in South Carolina. This included renovations to the communities’  dining facilities, lobbies, social rooms and corridors.

Robycross is currently wrapping up one project in Lancaster for Five Star, having completed facilities in Rock Hill, Georgetown and Sumter earlier this year. The total of these projects was about 100,000-square-feet.

For ACTS Retirement, Robycross just finished remodeling the nurses’ office at Tryon Estates in Columbus, S.C.

As for SanStone Health & Rehabilitation, the company also completed construction of a new, 8,000-square-foot corporate office facility adjacent to the new Lodge at Mills River Health and Rehabilitation near Asheville, N.C. Headquartered in Arden, N.C., SanStone provides short or long-term rehabilitation care at nine centers throughout N.C.

Written by Jason Oliva

The post In the Pipeline: Senior Housing Construction Projects (11/5/15) appeared first on Senior Housing News.

(Symphony of Chesterton, a Next Generation facility developed by Mainstreet and operated by Symphony Post-Acute Network in Chesterton, Ind. — Photo courtesy of Mainstreet)

Construction: Planned

Viamonte Senior Living CCRC Design Plans Approved in Calif. 

California-based nonprofit Viamonte Senior Living recently received approval from the Walnut Creek Design Review Committee in Walnut Creek, Calif., for a new continuing care retirement community (CCRC).

The new community will be located at the corner of Shadelands and North Via Monte, along the northwestern edge of the Orchards mixed-use development site.

Contemporary design for Viamonte incorporates 174 residential living accommodations in spacious one-, two- and two-plus-den bedroom floor plans, as well as assisted living and memory care spaces.

The Walnut Creek Design Review Committee (DRC) applauded the Viamonte project for its intent to include outdoor courtyards and other onsite amenities, including a pool, garden, lounge, activity and community rooms, as well as other social spaces for residents.

At the DRC meeting earlier this month, Viamonte project representatives stated that the interest list in prospective residents has grown to over 800 people.

Viamonte plans to release pricing details once the project has received construction bids, which it expects to receive early Spring.

A groundbreaking is expected in 2017.

Located within the Orchards mixed-use development, Viamonte will be situated near a large retail development by Terramar Retail Centers, which when completed, will include shopping and dining, a new Safeway store, trails and outdoor community areas.

Berry College to Name Planned CCRC Development for Ga.

Berry College, school that is planning a CCRC on its campus in Mount Berry, Ga., is nearing a name selection for the forthcoming development.

This week, the school announced it has christened an 88-acre lake on the west side of campus “Eagle Lake,” in reference to the bald eagles who make Berry College’s campus their home.

The lake will serve as the backdrop to the future CCRC that Berry is helping to develop.

Slated to open in 2019, the CCRC, which will be named next month, will feature 150 apartment homes and cottages, and will offer a full complement of health care and supportive services on its world-renowned 27,000-acre campus.

Amenities will include lakeside fine dining along with a host of recreational and fitness facilities that are also planned for the new community.

Birmingham, Ala.-based Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC, is the general contractor for the project.

Construction: In process

Isakson Living Holds Groundbreaking for New Health Center at Park Springs CCRC

Atlanta-based Isakson Living last week hosted an official groundbreaking to celebrate the start of construction for a new health center at its Park Springs CCRC in Stone Mountain, Ga.

Pebblebrook at Park Springs will be the luxury retirement community’s newest addition focused on skilled nursing and memory care.

The new health center is located on a 6.75 acre parcel adjacent to Park Springs’ Stone Mountain campus. It will offer a new skilled nursing facility and memory care community to replace those functions in the CCRC’s exiting health center, Cobblestone.

As a result, Cobblestone, will be converted to 100% assisted living suites for a total of 52 suites.

There will also be two courtyards located on two different levels, a lobby cafe, among other amenities.

Specifically, Pebblebrook at Park Springs will feature three distinct components, including an 18-unit rehab SNF adjacent to a state-of-the-art physical therapy gym; 36 long-term care SNF private suites divided into two neighborhoods; and 36 Alzheimer’s private units divided into three neighborhoods, one of which is designed to accommodate adult day care.

Park Springs, which opened in 2004, is owned and operated by Isakson Living.

The 54-acre campus includes 398 independent living units; the Cobblestone Health Center with 42 skilled nursing beds, 14 dementia care beds and 20 assisted living suites.

The campus also features a community Clubhouse offering a variety of dining options and common areas; a fitness center with lap pool, therapy pool and exercise room.

Birmingham, Ala.-based Brasfield & Gorrie is the general contractor for the project.

Construction: Completed

Five Star Completes Renovation, Expansion of Texas Senior Living Community

Newton, Mass.-based Five Star Senior Living (NYSE: FVE) recently announced the completion of an expansion project to an assisted living community in Fredericksburg, Texas.

As part of the renovation/expansion, Five Star added 18 new apartments to Heritage Place of Fredericksburg.

Construction formed a closed courtyard at the center of the community, providing residents with a private gathering area to enjoy outdoor activities. The addition also provided the opportunity for builders to expand the community’s dining room.

“This addition supports our promise to offer residents the comfort of a homelike environment supplemented with Five Star’s luxury service,” said Five Star Chief Operating Officer Scott Herzig in a prepared statement. “Whether they are in their apartments, enjoying Five Star Signature Dining, taking advantage of the new courtyard, or enjoying the holistic benefits of our Lifestyle 360 program, we want our residents not just to live with us, but thrive with us.”

Sunrise Senior Living Opens Community in Los Angeles County

In Early March, McLean, Va.-based Sunrise Senior Living will open its newest assisted living and memory care community in California’s Los Angeles County.

Sunrise at Palos Verde will be a new four-story, 67,000-square-foot community located on Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance, Calif., providing individualized care for up to 95 residents.

The approximately 80-unit building is specially designed to complement the peninsula’s visual style and regionally specific landscaping. As such, residents can enjoy scenic views and outdoor areas, including circular walkways and patios.

Inside, the facility’s building designs aim to support seniors’ mobility needs and promote continued independence. One way Sunrise accomplishes this is by providing “way finding” wallpaper on memory care floors to help residents better distinguish different corridors and find their suites. The company carefully selected the colors used based on research regarding the aging eye and low vision issues that often affect seniors.

In terms of community amenities, Sunrise at Palos Verdes includes Wi-Fi throughout the community for residents and families to stay connected; an electronic health records system; a dining program featuring meals prepared by Sunrise’s team of culinary professionals using fresh, seasonal ingredients and more.

Sunrise at Palos Verdes will host a public open house on Saturday, February 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mainstreet, Symphony Celebrate Newest Next Generation Facility in Northern Ind.

Carmel, Ind.-based Mainstreet and Ill.-based Symphony Post Acute Network together celebrated the grand opening of their newest Next Generation post-acute care facility in Chesterton, Ind., last week.

Symphony of Chesterton, which was developed by Mainstreet and operated by Symphony, provides transitional care (short-stay rehabilitation and therapy) and senior living in a service-rich environment.

With 106 beds, the 77,703-square-foot facility boasts hospitality-oriented care with amenities such as a therapy gym, an outdoor rehabilitation courtyard, a game room, a spa, movie theatre, an on-site chef and more.

In total, the project represents a community investment of $18.8 million and created 360 construction jobs and 160 permanent jobs.

Construction began on Symphony of Chesterton in May 2015 and the property opened mid-January.

Anthem Memory Care Opens New Community in Chicago Suburb

Lake Oswego, Ore.-based Anthem Memory Care this week announced it has opened a new $13 million senior living community in Burr Ridge, Ill.

Called Harvester Place, the new community offers 66 suites, with a selection of private with private bath; private with shared bath and shared with shared bath.

Each suite includes smart technology aimed at helping care staff monitor, understand and response to individual resident needs, while simultaneously respecting dignity and privacy.

The building’s figure-eight design integrates residents into daily community life, while creating a natural flow of people and events through its two loops.

Two-story vaulted ceilings with clerestory windows placed over main gathering areas bring natural light into the community, which has been shown to be beneficial for the mood and energy levels of people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Outside, a secure outdoor courtyard features a circular walking path, a putting green and raised garden beds accessible to wheelchair-bound residents and guests.

With Harvester Place, Anthem now operates six memory care communities in Colorado, California and Illinois. The company currently has three other projects in various stages of construction—two of which are in the Chicago area and one in Murrieta, Calif.

Written by Jason Oliva

The post In the Pipeline: Senior Housing Construction Projects (2/25/16) appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Construction: Planned

Upscale Community Planned in California

A luxury life plan community, or continuing care retirement community (CCRC), is being planned in San Luis Obispo, California. The community, Villaggio at San Luis Obispo, will offer 350 residential living opportunities.

Residents will be able to enjoy chef-prepared healthy meals in multiple dining venues as well as a centralized Village Plaza with an open-air design. The plaza will include multiple restaurants, a cafe, courtyard, gathering places, a spa, swimming pool, wellness and fitness center, movie theater, library, creative art studio, and biking and walking paths nearby.

Villaggio at San Luis Obispo will require a one-time 75% repayable entrance payment as well as a monthly fee for the cost of residency, services and programming within the community.

Construction is expected to start in 2019 and the project will be designed by RRM Design Group. The community will be developed by Life Care Services.

Land Bought for Senior Living Development Near Nashville

An 11-acre piece of land in Hendersonville, Tennessee will soon be the location of a senior living community offering independent living, assisted living and memory care. Clarendale at Indian Lake will cost $48.5 million to build and is slated to open in fall 2018.

Ryan Companies, Harrison Street Real Estate Capital and LCS will develop, own and manage the community.

Amenities will include restaurant-style dining, a bistro, pub with a billiards room, wellness center, salon, movie room, living rooms and a grand community room.

Construction: In progress

New CCRC To Open in Georgia

Located in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Park Springs will open new household models this summer. The households in the resort-style CCRC will offer full service health care with prices starting at $240 per day.

Each of the six households will have space for 18 residents and will allow them to make their own decisions in terms of daily routine. Each household will include a kitchen, dining room and main living room.

There will be two long-term care households, one rehabilitation/skilled nursing household, two assisted living/memory care households and one adult day household.

Park Springs is managed by Atlanta-based Isakson Living.

Senior Living Community to Open in Cleveland in Summer 2018 

Legacy Senior Living will open a new senior living community in Cleveland in summer 2018, The Chattanoogan reports. Legacy Village of Cleveland will be 58,000 square feet and include assisted living and memory care services.

There will be 39 assisted living suites and 32 memory care apartments in a separate memory care wing. Assisted living apartments will be available in large studios, one-bedroom or two-bedroom layouts. Memory care apartments will be offered in studio, companion and one-bedroom options.

Legacy Village of Cleveland will offer amenities such as a chapel, library, exercise room, nine activity rooms, a spacious lobby with fireplace and outdoor spaces.

The memory care wing will also operate on a circadian rhythm lighting system, which will adjust levels of light throughout the facility daily to help memory care residents.

Construction: Complete

Expansion Complete on Independent Living Community in Pennsylvania

Harrison House of Chester County, located in East Fallowfield, Pennsylvania, will unveil its expanded independent senior living community next week. The expansion includes 12 new one-bedroom apartments for adults 55 and older.

All units include modern kitchens, oversized windows and large bathrooms. Community areas include a library, fitness center, lounges, community dining spaces, private dining rooms, courtyard areas and a gift shop.

Move in dates are available as early as May 1.

Harrison House of Chester County is a subsidiary of Harrison Senior Living.

New Home Design in Master-Planned Community Complete

Located in San Marcos, Texas, a master-planned community for adults 55 and older called Kissing Tree has unveiled new home designs.

KTGY Architecture + Planning is behind the five distinct architectural styles of the homes. These include modern farmhouse, Texas hill country, contemporary, Santa Barbara and traditional.

The homes range in size from 1,850 square feet to 2,957 square feet and prices range from $275,000 to $500,000.

Written by Alana Stramowski

The post In the Pipeline: Senior Housing Construction Projects (4/6/17) appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Businesses across many sectors have long been drawn to Chick-fil-A’s business model. In senior living, several business practices of the fast food giant—from its approach to customer service to its employee on-boarding practices—have at some point caused a stir.

It was only a matter of time, then, until senior living providers copied Chick-fil-A’s approach to discounting.

Though the replication wasn’t intentional, it seems to have taken place at Atlanta-based Isakson Living, a senior living provider with one continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Georgia and another under development.

The provider’s existing CCRC in Stone Mountain, Georgia—Park Springs—is currently undergoing an expansion that’s scheduled to be completed in June. The expansion is primarily motivated by the CCRC’s changing resident population, Andy Isakson, managing partner of Isakson Living, told Senior Housing News.

“Our population has aged some,” Isakson said. “We’re expanding our memory care to accommodate.”

Park Springs currently has 14 memory care units; in June, it will have 36, he said.

To ensure a quick fill-up for the 22 new units, Isakson will offer new memory care residents a “Price for Life” package, or a guarantee that their monthly costs will not increase as they age—regardless of any additional care they require.

For comparison, when a new Chick-fil-A opens, the first 100 customers in line win one free chicken sandwich meal a week for a year. In other words, a lasting incentive draws a large group of customers to the new location quickly, with the promise that the price of their meals won’t increase for a year.

Though he didn’t have Chick-fil-A in mind when he decided to go forward with the promotion, Isakson has high hopes for its success. Specifically, he hopes the “Price for Life” promotion will help the larger CCRC achieve stabilization faster. Once the new units are filled, however, the promotion will end.

“Eventually we’ll convert over to annual price increases,” Isakson said.

All the while, Isakson believes the promotion is an appropriate way to honor Park Springs’ newest memory care residents.

“I think it’s a nice thing to do for your founding members, so to speak,” he said.

Lately, discounted rates and sales have been embraced by some senior living providers, but have come under fire from others.

Written by Mary Kate Nelson

Photo Credit: “Chick-Fil-A” by Mike Mozart, CC BY 2.0

The post What Senior Living Can Learn from Chick-fil-A’s Free Food Policy appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Construction: Planned

Former National Guard Armory in Pennsylvania to Become Senior Housing

The new owners of a former National Guard armory in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, seek to turn the historic building into a senior living community.

As planned, Z&Z Limited Partnership would build nearly 50 senior homes on the same site as the armory, according to the Daily Item, a local news site.

Local and engineering approvals are expected to be presented for approval later this year.

Construction: In progress

Watercrest Breaks Ground on Memory Care Residences in Florida

Watercrest Senior Living Group on June 30 announced it had broken ground on the Market Street Memory Care Residence, a forthcoming memory care community in Palm Coast, Florida.

The community will open in the summer of 2018 and include an “outdoor” streetscape with a newsstand, art gallery, bakery, salon and spa, and post office.

Community Near Chicago Begins $70 Million Expansion

The Moorings of Arlington Heights, a Presbyterian Homes community in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, recently broke ground on a $70 million addition.

The expansion project will add 70 new assisted living apartments to the campus and a new chapel and fellowship hall, the community announced.

The new assisted living units are slated to open later this year.

Aspire Development and LFW Investments Building Senior Living Community in Florida

A new senior living community is taking shape on Amelia Island in Florida.

The Arbor Company will manage the new resort-like independent living, assisted living and memory care community, according to a press release.

The community, which will open in December, 2018, sits on a 20-acre site with two lakes and will link directly to Amelia’s beaches via a pedestrian pathway.

Allegro Celebrates St. Louis Groundbreaking

Allegro Senior Living recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new community in the St. Louis suburb of Richmond Heights.

When it opens, Allegro’s new community will contain 87 assisted living and memory care units. First occupancy is expected in the fall of 2018.

Workers Break Ground on Texas Community

GoodLife Senior Living has broken ground on a new $3 million assisted living and memory care community in Rockwall, Texas.

The community, called GoodLife Senior Living and Memory Care, will offer assisted living and memory care services in a small home setting, according to a press release.

Plans Proceeding for Multi-Generational Community in Missouri

Norterre, a forthcoming residential, multi-generational neighborhood in Liberty, Missouri, is moving closer to opening.

The first phase of Norterre will debut this fall with the 65,000-square-foot Aurora Health and Wellness Center; The Laurel, a 60-unit residence with assisted living and memory care services; and The Estoria, which will have 20 long-term care residences and 40 short-term stay suites for people of all ages going through rehabilitation.

Both the Laurel and the Estoria will feature the “household model,” in which up to 20 residents share a space that includes an open kitchen, dining room, living room and intimate spaces.

The buildings will surround and face Performance Park, a large greenspace which features a splash pad, a lavender garden, sculptures, seating and walking trails.

Newly completed renderings show community and residential spaces decked out in colorful art.

Ohio Senior Living Community Plots $42 Million Expansion

Dayton, Ohio’s largest senior living community, The Bethany, is poised to start construction on a $42 million expansion.

The 90,000-square-foot addition is slated to start with a “sledgehammer ceremony” on July 11, reports the Dayton Business Journal.

Workers will construct a new building dubbed the “Crescent Crossing,” which will have 74 assisted living units and include a theater, chapel, gathering spaces, coffee and snack bar, and fitness center.

Construction: Complete

Isakson to Hold Grand Opening for Health Services Center Near Atlanta

Developer Isakson Living is scheduled to host a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of its new Park Springs Health Services building 25 miles outside of Atlanta in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

The building sits adjacent to Isakson’s resort-style CCRC, Park Springs, and features the state’s first-ever, built-to-suit household model, the company said. The new facility will include memory care, skilled nursing, adult daycare and an outpatient rehabilitation center.

The ceremony is scheduled for July 11.

Gardant Cuts Ribbon on Community Near Chicago

Representatives from senior living operator Gardant Management Solutions helped celebrate the opening of a new community in Minooka, Illinois, which is about 50 miles from Chicago.

Gardant will manage the affordable assisted living community, which features 101 private studio and one-bedroom apartments, according to a newsletter.

North Carolina CCRC Opens Healthcare Services Building

The Cardinal at North Hills, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Raleigh, North Carolina, announced the opening of a new “health care services building.”

“By reaching this milestone, The Cardinal is now a true continuing care retirement community which can meet the changing health care needs of residents,” the provider announced in a press release.

Sold-Out Senior Housing Opens in Colorado

New senior housing is opening this month at the the Wind Crest community in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, but the units are already sold out.

The new independent living building, Longs Ridge, has 99 apartment homes that filled up quickly, according to Erickson Living, which manages the Wind Crest. The new units have wood floors in the foyer, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, brushed nickel hardware and a combination of recessed and pendant lighting in the kitchen.

Written by Tim Regan

The post In the Pipeline: Senior Housing Construction Projects (7/6/17) appeared first on Senior Housing News.

One Georgia-based senior living provider is bucking the traditional American model of senior care by being the first in the U.S. to implement a UK-based care model centered on empathy.

Isakson Living has recently opened Park Springs, a resort-style continuing care retirement community (CCRC) located roughly 15 miles northeast of Atlanta in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Not only is the community the first in the state to adopt a household model of senior care, it is also the first in the nation to launch Dementia Care Matters’ (DCM) “Butterfly Household Model of Care” for residents living with memory loss.

Changing the narrative

In the 14 years since the company’s inception, Isakson Living had always strived to improve the long-term care it delivers to its residents, explained Andy Isakson, managing partner.

“We’ve always had a great lifestyle proposition and we’ve always had great health care, but we’re looking to improve the lifestyle proposition of [residents] living in long-term [care, so] we adopted the household model of care,” Isakson told Senior Housing News.

Under this model, residents are assembled and taken care of in smaller groups, which operate much like a home, he explained.

The company also sought to revitalize the method of care it provides to residents living with dementia, according to Isakson. After being introduced to DCM, Isakson initiated a conversation with DCM founder and CEO David Sheard to “[change] the narrative nationally,” starting with Isakson Living.

Established in the UK in 1995, DCM’s Butterfly Household Model of Care takes an “emotion-based” approach to providing care for individuals living with dementia, and promotes the importance of a nurturing and empathetic staff. After piloting the program over a five-year period in the UK, DCM branched out to other countries, including Ireland, Canada and Australia.

“We were very nervous and hesitant about going into any other country, where each has its own cultures of care, regulatory system, leadership and nursing,” Sheard told SHN. “But, what was interesting was… we found that the key issues are universal.”

Focus on empathy

The need to focus on the psychology of care lies at the heart of DCM’s Butterfly Model, with the emphasis placed on developing the caregiver’s emotional intelligence in order to make a successful connection with the dementia patient, according to Sheard.

“The only way you create real connections to people with dementia is if you accept that people with dementia are more ‘feeling beings’ than ‘thinking beings,’” said Sheard. “The culture of care has to be one that is more about emotional connection than about the traditional delivery of health care.”

In order for care providers to successfully refine their emotional intelligence, DCM puts them through several workshops where DCM staff, as well as staff from the host community, are invited to share intimate, key moments in their “emotional life journey,” as well as how those experiences have defined them, according to Sheard.

“When dementia takes away the neurons of short-term memory, and takes away the neurons [associated with] positive experiences in life, it’s the tough stuff in life that remains undamaged in people with dementia,” said Sheard. “Therefore, staff have to find a way to understand how people with dementia don’t remember their memories but [actually] live them.”

The year-long program will ultimately encourage care providers to grow their emotional intelligence, and connect with and interpret a dementia patient’s feelings to ensure the best outcomes for their daily life, according to Isakson.

While the Butterfly Model is still in the development stage at Isakson’s Park Springs community, Isakson explained that the company has plans to implement the program at its future community, Peachtree Hills Place in Atlanta.

DCM, on the other hand, is already in talks to implement the Butterfly Model in communities operated by two California-based providers, according to Sheard.

Written by Carlo Calma

The post Isakson Living Imports Dementia Care Model from the UK appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Happy Monday, Senior Housing News readers!

Today’s the big day—it’s almost time for the solar eclipse! It’s scheduled to occur here in Chicago just after 1 p.m. local time, and all of us at Senior Housing News (who managed to track down NASA-approved solar eclipse glasses) will be joining in on the fun, watching from the rooftop of a local grocery store.

This will be the fifth solar eclipse, meanwhile, for Joyce Blum, an assisted living resident in Hampton, Iowa, the Globe Gazette reports. She has previously viewed solar eclipses with astronauts Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Neil Armstrong from places like the Caribbean, the Black Sea, the Andes and the South China Sea. 

Here’s some news to catch up on before your own solar eclipse viewing party:

Some standalone memory care providers, like Anthem Memory Care, are having a rough go of it—but that’s not entirely surprising, according to experts we spoke with.

Aegis Living recently moved its headquarters from Redmond, Washington, to a larger, more thoughtfully designed space in Bellevue, Washington. There were many reasons behind the change of address, but one in particular may ring a bell to most senior housing providers: boosting employee retention.

LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC) is slamming the brakes on its future development plans with Anthem Memory Care after the Lake Oswego, Oregon-based provider failed to raise a certain amount of equity and pay its quarterly rent in full.

Isakson Living is bucking the traditional American model of senior care by being the first in the U.S. to implement a UK-based care model centered on empathy.

Seniors who live in Utah may relish in the fact that the state is considered the “best” state in which to age, according to Caring.com’s “2017 Best and Worst States to Grow Old” report.

Also in the News

5 Million Year Old Fossil Discovery Found During Development of Crestavilla Senior Living—Several fossils, including prehistoric sharks, whales and a six-foot-long tuna were recently discovered at the site of Crestavilla, a senior living community under construction in Laguna Niguel, California.

Written by Mary Kate Nelson

The post Must-Read News: Standalone Memory Care Slump, Aegis’ New HQ appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Construction: Planned

Ohio Golf Course Redevelopment to Include Senior Community 

A plan to turn a golf course into a sprawling apartment development with an included senior living community is moving forward in Sugarcreek Township, Ohio.

The $60 million development, called Rollandia Greene, would also include “The Grand of Sugarcreek,” a community with 123 senior independent living, 57 assisted living and 20 memory care units, according to a press release.

The project from developer Guttman Properties of Cincinnati was OKed by the local township zoning commission and goes to the township board of trustees for approval in November.

Atlas Announces Two $26 Million Communities in Georgia, South Carolina

Atlas Senior Living plans to open two new communities in Columbus, Georgia and Greenville, South Carolina.

Both communities will cost about $26 million and have 167 total units for independent living, assisted living and memory care residents, according to a press release.

Current plans call for breaking ground on the projects in the first quarter of 2018, with construction taking 16 to 18 months.

DMK Development Group will work with Atlas as a financing and development partner.

Methodist Retirement Communities Plans Texas Senior Living Community

Methodist Retirement Communities has announced plans for a new independent, assisted living and memory care community in Fort Worth, Texas.

The community, Stevenson Oaks, will include 159 independent living apartment homes with various amenities, 36 assisted living apartments, 24 memory support suites, 24 rehab suites and 16 skilled nursing suites.

Stevenson Oaks campus will feature multiple dining options and amenities, including a fitness center, auditorium, and dedicated spaces for various activities and wellness programs.

Vantage Point Mulling Community in Delaware

Vantage Point Retirement Living and Ocean Atlantic Companies are eyeing a parcel of land in Lewes, Delaware, as a possible site for a senior living community and medical office building.

Early plans call for a senior-living community with 32 units for memory care, 63 units for assisted living and 80 units for independent living, according to the Cape Gazette. Also proposed are amenities including a movie theater, pub and lounge, salon and spa and a fitness center. The companies are planning to offer rehabilitation services.

Erickson Living Proposes Huge Community Near Baltimore

Erickson Living is planning to build a new senior living community in Clarksville, Maryland.

Early plans call for a development with 1,200 independent living units and 240 assisted living units, reports the Baltimore Sun.

Local officials must approve the project before it moves forward.

New Senior Housing Project Planned for Minnesota

Mesaba Capital Partners and Roers Investments of Long Lake have broken ground on a 97-unit senior housing project in Minnetonka, Minnesota, reports the Star Tribune.

The community will offer independent living, assisted living and memory care services and have such amenities as a club room, coffee shop, wellness center, library, community room and theater.

Non-profit provider Walker Methodist will manage the community.

Clover Group Proposes Independent Living in Ohio

Developer Glover Group is proposing to build an 119-unit independent living community in Olmsted Falls, Ohio.

Though local officials must approve the project before it can move forward, the company expects to begin construction next spring, reports Cleveland.com.

Assisted Living Community Planned for California

Wilson Investment Properties plans to construct a new 140-unit assisted living community in Fairfield, California.

The project will take shape in three phases of development, according to a press release. Hartford Land Management, Designs 1st and Hallmark Funding are also collaborating on the planned community.

Developers Plot 131-Unit Community in Arizona.

A group of developers are planning to open a $38 million assisted living and memory care community in Avondale, Arizona.

TransEquity Development is working with Solterra Senior Living and Drive Development on the 131-unit community, reports the Phoenix Business Journal.

Solterra would operate the community, which is currently expected to open next year.

Assisted Living Planned for Connecticut

Optimus Senior Living has plans for a 120-unit assisted living community in Bozrah, Connecticut.

Plans reported by the Norwich Bulletin call for a $17 million, 100,000 square-foot community. Local officials still need to approve the project, however.

Construction: In progress

Capitol Seniors Housing to Break Ground on Communities in Illinois, Massachusetts

Capitol Seniors Housing has announced it will break ground on two new communities this month: Atria Glenview near Chicago and Stonehill of Andover in Andover, Massachusetts.

Atria Glenview is a $28.4 million, 70,800-square-foot community that will have 83 units, including a 24-unit memory care wing. The community will also have amenities such as a bistro, activity room, theater room, salon and a courtyard, according to a press release.

Stonehill of Andover is a $36.5 million, 81,500-square-foot community that will have 96 units and amenities including a bistro, activity room, fitness room, theater, salon and courtyard. Northbridge Companies will operate that community.

Capitol Seniors Housing also has five other communities under construction: Arbor Terrace Naperville in Naperville, Illinois; Atria Norwood in Norwood, New Jersey; Arbor Terrace Mountainside in Mountainside, New Jersey; Chelsea Senior Living of Shrewsbury in Shrewsbury, New Jersey; and Arbor Terrace Mt. Laurel in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

LifeSpire to Expand Virginia CCRC

LifeSpire of Virginia held an Oct. 19 ceremony to mark the groundbreaking of a $64 million expansion project at its Lakewood continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Richmond, Virginia, according to a press release.

The expansion will add a new four-story clubhouse that will include amenities such as a fitness center, restaurant, lounge a heated pool, and apartments on the upper floors. The work will also include two new residential buildings with individual garages and private outdoor spaces such as covered patios or balconies.

Work Begins for New Community Near Portland

Construction is underway for a new Springs Living community in Lake Grove, Oregon, which is near Portland.

The community will have 216 independent living, assisted living and memory care apartments, according to the Portland Tribune.

South Carolina CCRC Breaks Ground on New Villas

The Woodlands at Furman, a CCRC in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, has broken ground on 28 new villa homes, reports GSABizWire.com.

The community is owned and operated by a local board of directors and managed by Greystone.

Life Care Services Expanding Tennessee Community

Life Care Services is adding 97 new apartments and an 11-unit assisted living wing to its Heritage at Brentwood community in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Plans call for a new auditorium with theater-style seating and an expanded dining room, according to the Tennessean, a local newspaper.

Waters Senior Living to Open Communities in Pennsylvania, Michigan

Waters Senior Living is set to open two communities in Wexford, Pennsylvania, and Excelsior, Michigan.

The Waters of Wexford will have 114 apartment homes available for rent and 29 memory care studios, according to a press release. Seniors who want to move into the community can begin making reservations on Nov. 8. That community is scheduled to open in June, 2018.

The company will also host a ground-breaking ceremony for The Waters of Excelsior on Oct. 25. That community will have 114 apartment homes and 29 memory care studios. Plans also call for a restaurant, cafe, pub, salon and spa and a wellbeing studio.

Work to Begin on Arizona Community

P.B. Bell is poised to start construction for a new senior housing project within a mixed-use community in Glendale, Arizona.

The community, Inspira Arrowhead will have 165 independent living, assisted living and memory care units, according to a press release. Inspira residents will have access to an on-site dog park, a theater room, a salon and massage rooms, an activity room and a bistro.

P.B. Bell is partnering on the project with Cadence Senior Living, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based senior housing development and management company.

Isakson Living Breaks Ground on Age-Restricted Community in Atlanta

Isakson Living announced it broke ground on Peachtree Hills Place, a skilled nursing, assisted living and memory care community in Atlanta that will offer 12 homes and 204 condominiums for homebuyers aged 55 or older.

SunTrust arranged a $117.8 million senior credit facility for the development. Participating banks also included Atlantic Capital Bank, Iberia Bank and Capital Bank.

Move-ins are currently set for the summer of 2019, according to a press release.

Groundbreaking Planned for Washington, D.C. Community

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other local officials will gather celebrate the groundbreaking of Creekside, a new 127-unit independent and assisted living community next to the existing Ingleside Rock Creek CCRC.

Ingleside is a non-profit senior living organization.

Illinois Community Nearing Opening Date

A new community in Lincolnwood, Illinois, is getting closer to opening its doors.

The Carrington at Lincolnwood, managed by Life Care Services, unveiled its model units over the summer and is on track to open at least 50 of its apartments and common areas by December. The community will have 251 independent, 88 assisted and 44 memory care units, according to a press release.

Planned amenities include multiple dining venues, an indoor pool and fitness center, game room and hair salon, and access to walking trails and other outdoor spots.

Construction: Complete

$145 Million Life Plan Community Opens Near Seattle

A $145 million Emerald Communities life plan community has opened its doors to residents in Gig Harbor, Washington.

The community, Heron’s Key, has 184 independent living apartment homes and 10 cottage homes ranging from 729 to 1,800 square feet. Penrose Harbor, the community’s on-site health center, has 36 one-bedroom assisted living apartments and 45 private skilled nursing beds.

Amenities include multiple restaurant-style dining venues, spa, fitness center, a wood shop and access to walking trails.

Written by Tim Regan

The post In the Pipeline: Senior Housing Construction Projects (10/19/17) appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Ted Meylor Assumes Role of CEO for RED Capital Group

RED Capital Group, LLC and ORIX USA Corporation announced recently that Edward “Ted” J. Meylor will be assuming the role of CEO for RED Capital Group, as Mike Moran, current CEO, transitions back to the parent company, ORIX USA.

Moran was named as chairman and CEO of RED in 2012, two years after ORIX purchased the company, to transition the company after its founder, William E. Roberts, retired. Under Moran’s leadership, RED continued to expand its presence and reputation in the multifamily, senior housing and affordable housing industries.

Meylor joined RED in May 2014 as executive chairman, working with Moran to grow the RED portfolio and foster new opportunities for the firm. He takes on the additional responsibilities that come with the CEO role with plans to further grow the RED portfolio.

“Ted was brought in to build on the groundwork that Mike has started, including the continued growth in the seniors housing platform and key projects that are currently in the works,” said Hideto Nishitani, chairman, president and CEO of ORIX USA. “We believe that with these changes that both RED and ORIX USA are poised for future growth.”

ProMatura Group Names New President 

The ProMatura Group, an international consumer research firm headquartered in Oxford, Miss., has named a decorated former U.S. Army officer to be its new president.

Bobby A. Towery assumes his new post immediately, and will be charged with heading up operations and management of the fast-growing consultancy.

CEO Margaret A. Wylde was originally looking for a sales manager to add to the firm when she met Towery “by chance.”

“Bernie Smith had just announced his intentions to leave after 20 years as our chief operating officer, and up steps a man who had risen to the rank of colonel in the Army hierarchy, including serving as deputy commandant of the War College in Carlisle, Pa., before his retirement in 2013,” she said in a statement. “He is an organizational genius, and the person I most need to bring important leadership to our firm.”

Prior to joining ProMatura, Towery was serving as vice president of operations for NCI Informational Systems of Reston, Va., where he was director of logistics for new acquisitions across the country.

During his 30-year Army career, he served at bases across the U.S., including Fort Riley, Kans., Fort Stewart, Ga., Fort Bragg, N.C. and Fort Polk, La. His instructing experience includes serving as assistant professor of military science and battalion executive officer at the University of Mississippi.

His military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion on Merit, Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal for Valor.

Park Springs Promotes Jim Schneeberger to Executive Director

Isakson Living recently announced that Jim Schneeberger has been promoted to the position of executive director for Park Springs, an Atlanta continuing care retirement community (CCRC) that is owned and operated by Isakson Living.

Schneeberger has been with Park Springs since 2008 as director of food and beverage. In that position, he managed the more than 100 professionals who work in one of the four dining venues at the retirement community: the Market Café Bistro, the Main Dining Room, the Springhouse Grill and the Park Springs Pub.

In addition, he focused on enhancing the dining experience for the residents at the Cobblestone Health Center, including Pebblebrook, Park Springs’ nursing home.

“As director of our food and beverage department, the largest department on campus, we have witnessed Jim’s excellent leadership skills and how he consistently exhibits the many qualities we seek in an executive director,” said Kevin Isakson, director of sales and marketing at Isakson Living. 

Isakson noted that developing a career track and providing opportunities for advancement from within Park Springs is vital not only to the employees but to the entire retirement community.

“Jim has strong communication skills and is able to provide creative and efficient solutions. His knowledge of the members, our staff and Park Springs’ overall operation is a great benefit to us all. We are proud to promote Jim,” Isakson said. 

Maxwell Group Hires Seasoned Marketing Professional

Charlotte, N.C.-based Maxwell Group recently announced that Jeff Keener will be joining the marketing team as copy writer and event coordinator.

Maxwell Group is the parent company of Senior Living Communities, owner and operator of nine retirement communities in the Southeast and Midwest; Live Long Well Care, a private duty care service provider for seniors; and Wellmore, a new line of health care and wellness retirement communities.

Keener will brainstorm, create and transform ideas into text for various collateral forms including advertisements, brochures, articles, publications and pamphlets. He will also provide scriptwriting assistance for video or radio content. In addition, Keener will oversee every aspect of community marketing events from conception to completion, including planning, budget management and booking.

“Jeff is a wonderful addition to our marketing team,” said Vice President of Creative Services Andrew Ketchum. “His background as a dynamic client relations consultative strategist and media professional will be valuable as Maxwell Group continues to build our many brands across many platforms. Jeff has already been extremely helpful in planning marketing events related to Wellmore of Tega Cay’s grand opening in June 2015.”

Keener has previously served as director of marketing for Heafner Financial Solutions and marketing and promotion manager for Time Warner Cable Media in Charlotte, N.C. 

Virginia Baptist Homes Names New COO

The Board of Trustees of Virginia Baptist Homes, Inc. (VBH) has named Mick L. Feauto as the new chief operating officer of Virginia Baptist Homes and related corporations, effective April 13, 2015.

Feauto has 34 years of senior living industry experience as a nursing home administrator, executive director, regional vice president of operations and senior regional vice president of operations.

During the last 10 years, he has served in regional roles with Life Care Services with oversight of 28 CCRCs. In addition, Feauto has a broad range of experience with CCRC insurance captives, tax-exempt financings, direct placement loans, greenfield and campus redevelopments, marketing systems and fundraising.

Virginia Baptist Homes, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Richmond, Va. It operates four CCRCs in Virginia.

New Executive Director Named at Bridges by EPOCH at Trumbull

EPOCH Senior Living has named Erik Hammerquist executive director of Bridges by EPOCH at Trumbull, a 72-apartment memory care and assisted living community opening in 2015 in Trumbull, Conn. Hammerquist will oversee every aspect of the community, including the quality of service, amenities, programs, life enrichment and care.

He has more than 10 years of executive-level senior living experience and most recently served as the senior vice president of operations for a multi-community memory care provider. Hammerquist holds New York State Administrator and New Jersey Certified Assisted Living Administrator licenses.

Silver Sun Living Announces New Appointment

Silver Sun Living has announced the appointment of Martin Roberts its in-house management team. Martin is a UK property, travel and lifestyle journalist.

“In my travels I see all varieties of property investment opportunities, however the world of developments geared toward the needs of active retirees, and those in need of more supportive residential care, seem to be growing faster than any other I’ve experienced,” he said. “As part of the team at Silver Sun Management, I’m working hard to find the best possible opportunities that are out there — and bring them to the attention of discerning end users and investors.”

Silver Sun Living is a provider of luxury retirement villages catered toward the needs of active retirees with a primary focus on health and well-being. 

Written by Emily Study

The post Movers & Shakers: RED Capital Group’s New CEO appeared first on Senior Housing News.

The decision to move into senior living is one that takes time — time that senior living providers are often looking to shorten, especially as seasonal occupancy declines drag down operational efficiencies.

But with the help of new technology, operators are hoping to significantly cut back on the time it takes for a prospect to take the first step toward committing to a community.

They’re doing so by capturing qualified leads from existing Web traffic through personalized messages that guide them down the path to inquiry.

Often, qualified leads will return to a senior living provider’s website between six and eight times before submitting a contact form, according to Lead InSite, a data analytics company focused on the senior housing industry.

“What we’ve seen over time is that about 20% to 25% of our clients’ traffic are return visitors,” says April LaMon, co-founder of Lead InSite. “But because we don’t know anything more about them other than that — no name, phone or email — we needed a mechanism to personalize a message to deliver to visitors that look ready to convert, but haven’t yet.”

That’s the goal of Prompture, a new Lead InSite tool that identifies a community’s high-potential leads based on their past behaviors on the website.

Once they’re recognized as return visitors who are engaged in the community’s content, those prospects receive a customized message that nudges them to fill out an inquiry form or to take a look at other relevant content on the website.

For one community, in particular, this tool prompted nearly 5% of its 244 “high-potential” return visitors to become new leads.

“It’s great that so many visitors are coming to the site, and coming back, but we wanted to find out what we could do to help them ultimately engage with us and engage with us sooner,” says Kevin Isakson, director of sales and marketing at Isakson Living.

Park Springs, an Isakson continuing care retirement community (CCRC) based in Stone Mountain, Ga., piloted the Prompture tool earlier this year to test its effectiveness.

In a breakdown of the analytics, Lead InSite determined Park Springs had 244 high-potential return visitors, 109 of which were exposed to a personalized Prompture message, which appeared at the bottom of the website.

“There are four active prompts on the Park Springs website, which change depending on what page they’re on,” says Kerrie Gilbert, managing partner and creative director of Gilbert & Sheppard Group, the PR agency for Park Springs.

One prompt takes the visitor from content they’ve chosen to look at and presents the opportunity to get additional information on that topic, she says. Another presents the opportunity to go directly to a contact form.

A third takes visitors from content they’re looking at to a relevant resident testimonial. And a fourth is what’s referred to as a short form — it captures only the visitor’s name and email address, Gilbert says.

Of the 109 visitors who saw one of these four messages on the Park Springs site, 39 engaged with the message, or scrolled over the prompt to see it expand. From that number, 28 visitors clicked through, and 11 inquired, becoming new leads.

“These are incremental leads they might not have otherwise gotten,” LaMon says. “With Prompture, providers will get more and better qualified leads at the same time by inserting messages in their path that will appropriately help them convert more quickly.”

Since the pilot launched earlier this year, about eight providers have begun using the tool, and others have expressed their interest in it, LaMon says.

One such provider is Glendale, California-based be.group, which operates seven licensed senior living communities and 26 affordable senior housing communities throughout Southern California. In the coming weeks, the provider will be rolling out the Prompture campaign.

“Our objective is to reduce the number of visits [to our website] and the amount of time it takes for someone to make that initial decision to fill out a form requesting more information or requesting a tour,” says Dan Hutson, vice president of communications and marketing at be.group. “We want to figure out how to reduce the number of steps it takes for someone to go from ‘what is senior living? I’d like to learn more,’ to ‘I’m sold, I want to buy, sign me up.’”

Cutting down the time it takes for a lead to commit not only benefits the provider, but also the prospective resident, Hutson says.

“We want people to come to that decision earlier because we want them to have more time to enjoy the product,” he says. “From a business perspective, it helps us meet our occupancy goals and shorten the purchase cycle, which is important.”

Written by Emily Study

The post Providers Shorten Sales Cycle With New Approach to Online Leads appeared first on Senior Housing News.

(Brandywine Senior Living at Mahwah located in Mahwah, N.J. — Photo courtesy of Brandywine Senior Living)

Construction: Planned

Berry College Announces Site for New CCRC in Ga.

Berry College, a liberal arts college in Rome, Ga., this week announced the site of a new continuing care retirement community (CCRC) that will be construction on undeveloped land adjacent to the college’s main campus.

Slated to open in 2019, the yet-to-be-named CCRC will overlook an 88-acre lake, with unobstructed views of Lavender Mountain and situated just minutes from nearby medical centers in the region.

Berry College, which plans to name the CCRC sometime next year, said in a release that the community will feature 150 apartment homes and cottages, and will offer a “full complement” of health care and supportive services as well as amenities on its 27,000-acre campus.

For years, Berry College has received requests from alumni and residents to create a senior living community near campus, said Alexander Whitaker, Berry College chief of staff, in a written statement.

Once constructed, residents at the CCRC will be able to access cultural and academic offerings, from lectures and sporting events, to more than 60 miles of hiking, biking and running trails, to the campus’ wildlife. Additionally, lakeside fine dining and “a host of recreational and fitness facilities” unique to the CCRC will also be available for residents’ use.

Prospective residents interested in living at the new community can place a minimal deposit to enroll on a priority waiting list beginning December. In late 2016, Berry College said that priority members can select their future residence with a fully-refundable 10% deposit and receive special savings and benefits.

Construction: In process

Northbridge Companies to Begin $65 Million Maine Expansion

Northbridge Companies, an owner and manager of senior living communities throughout New England, alongside real estate partner Portland, Maine-based Sandy River Company, will break ground next week on three new communities in Brunswick, Wells and Westbrook—all located in Maine, Northbridge announced in a press release this Tuesday.

Slated to open in fall 2016, the three new communities represent a $65 million commitment by Northbridge Companies.

The communities are named Avita of Brunswick, Avita of Wells and Stroudwater Lodge—two of which will be fully dedicated to memory care, utilizing Northbridge’s Avita Memory Care program.

Collectively, they will offer a total of 215 units for 253 potential residents.

The new communities will offer several hospitality-oriented amenities including spa and salon services, an upscale dining experience, community rooms, as well as engaging activities and educational programming.

Stroudwater Lodge will be located adjacent to the existing Avita of Stroudwater community that opened in Westbrook in 2013, and will be a multi-level community featuring 95 studio, one- and two-bedroom units. Amenities include a theatre, art studio, salon and barber shop, café, pub, outdoor patio, brain gym with touch screen technology, sunroom and a landscaped courtyard in approximately 90,848-square-feet.

The community sits just minutes from downtown Portland, offering residents and their guests easy access to shopping, entertainment and medical services. Stroudwater Lodge will offer both independent living and assisted living options in addition to the Avita memory care program adjacent to the community.

Meanwhile, the two new Avita memory care communities in Wells and Brunswick will offer similar amenities including a salon and barber shop, brain gym, screened porches, social and recreational programming and a locally-sourced menu from The Eat Fresh, Eat Local kitchen.

Each community will span approximately 47,703-square-feet, featuring 60 studio, one-bedroom and companion suites.

Mainstreet Begins Construction on Transitional Care Facility in Texas

Carmel, Ind.-based developer Mainstreet recently began construction on a new transitional care facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Next Generation property will feature 94 beds, within its 69,355-square-foot structure and will provide transitional care (short-stay rehabilitation and therapy) and assisted living.

As a transitional care center, the property will offer hospitality-oriented care with amenities that include a therapy gym, an outdoor rehabilitation courtyard, movie theatre, game room, a spa, an on-site chef and more.

For this project, the Nashville office of Doster Construction Company was awarded the $19.3 million project—signifying the first project between Doster and Mainstreet.

The project is expected to be completed by October 2016.

Isakson Living Moves Forward with Luxury CCRC Plans

Atlanta-based developer Isakson Living this week announced it is moving forward with plans to develop Peachtree HIlls Place, a luxury senior living community offering a full continuum of care in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood.

Initially introduced in 2006, plans for Peachtree Hills were put on hold in 2009 during the recession. But now, Isakson Living is finally ready to bring its design to fruition.

The first phase of development will include the construction of 84 luxury condominiums and eight custom single-family homes. Condos will include one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans ranging in size from 1,400-square-feet to more than 3,000-square-feet.

Upon completion, there will be 192 condominiums and 12 single-family homes.

Services at the community will include assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing, security, transportation and amenities such as a clubhouse with multiple dining venues, a fitness center and a health center.

Over the next several months, Foley Design Associates Architects will be refining the plans for the community, Isakson Living stated in a press release.

Pre-sales will begin in 2016.

Oxton Senior Living Expands Memory Care Units at Ala. Community

Madison, Ga.-based Oxton Senior Living late last week announced the groundbreaking of 18 additional memory care apartments, in addition to its current 32 apartments, at one of the company’s senior living communities in Montgomery, Ala. dubbed Oxton Court at Waterford Place.

Located at 3920 Antoinette Drive in Montgomery, Oxton Court at Waterford offers all-inclusive pricing; well-trained resident care and culinary staff; transportation services to residents; and organized daily activities.

Oxton, which operates nine senior living communities in Georgia and Alabama, including the Waterford property, expects the expansion to be complete within six months.

Mustang Creek Estates Breaks Ground in Burleson, Texas

North Dallas-based Mustang Creek Estates announced this week it recently broke ground on a new, $7 million, 42,000-square-foot assisted living and memory care community, Mustang Creek Estates of Burleson.

The community will be designed like a neighborhood, where within each of the community’s six homes, up to 15 residents will live. This intimate size is meant for community staff to provide more individualized attention and care to each resident.

The focal point of each home will be the open kitchen, where residents can see their food being prepared from scratch and take in the aromas of home-cooked meals.

Additional community features include all-inclusive monthly rates and accommodations for other caregiving options as residents’ needs change. Also included is an emergency call system, secure backyard, phone, cable, Wi-Fi, life enrichment program, on-site medical assistance and more.

Mustang Creek Estates of Burleson will sit on more than seven acres of land southwest of Burleson Church of Christ.

The community was designed by civil engineer Joseph E. Helmberge, P.E. of Kimley-Horn, a design consulting firm; and the architect is Scott Roberts of Creative Architects in Garland, Texas.

Mustang Creek Estates expects the Burleson community will open summer of 2016.

EPOCH Senior Living Holds Beam Ceremony for N.H. Community Opening Next Year

In partnership with National Development, EPOCH Senior Living will host a beam signing ceremony November 6 to commemorate ongoing construction of EPOCH at Nashua, a memory care assisted living community slated to open in fall 2016.

Bridges by EPOCH at Nashua represents Bridges by EPOCH’s first expansion into the State of New Hampshire. Currently, there are five operating EPOCH communities, developed in collaboration with National Development—four located in Massachusetts in Hingham, Mashpee, Westford and Westwood; and one located in Trumbull, Conn.

The community will include 48 apartments with private bathrooms in each suite, and will feature soothing lighting, décor and tall ceilings. Residents will also be able to enjoy an enclosed, landscaped courtyard, a full-service beauty salon, chef-prepared meals and personal laundry services.

Bridges by EPOCH at Nashua is located at 575 Amherst St. in Nashua, N.H.

MorseLife to Break Ground on New Luxury Independent Living Residence

MorseLife Health System next week will celebrate the construction start of a new luxury independent living residence in West Palm Beach, Fla., The Tower at MorseLife.

To commemorate the launch of construction on the 300,000-square-foot, 10-story residence, MorseLife will host a groundbreaking ceremony on November 12 on its 37-acre campus.

The Tower at MorseLife will be built in two phases at a cost of $77.6 million and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2017.

Project plans call for 135 beautifully-appointed one- and two-bedroom apartments during the first phase of construction, ranging in size from 780- to nearly 1,500-square-feet. Also included in this phase will be amenities like gourmet dining in the residence’s restaurant and bistro, a wellness spa, outdoor pool, housekeeping, transportation, security, along with an array of activities.

The plan is to offer a total of 182 apartments, with additional units built in the second phase of construction, MorseLife said in a press release.

The residence is the final building of MorseLife’s four-phase, $150 million capital project funded in part by the non-profit’s Campaign to Transform MorseLife, which has raised over $31 million to date.

Previous project included the Sondra & David S. Mack Pavilion for Short-Term Rehabilitation, which opened in January 2014; renovation of the campus’ long-term care residence, the Resnick Pavilion, which was completed in November 2014; and Memory Care Assisted Living, which opened in June 2015.

Perkins Eastman is the architect for The Tower at MorseLife. Whiting-Turner is the construction company.

Benchmark Senior Living to Celebrate Groundbreaking of Mass. Community

Wellesley, Mass.-based senior living provider Benchmark Senior Living will host a groundbreaking event next week on November 12 to celebrate the beginning of construction for its latest project in Norwood, Mass.

Benchmark Senior Living at Norwood is a $34.5 million development that, when completed, will feature 90 units—70 traditional assisted living and 20 for those needing memory care in a secured neighborhood.

Groundbreaking for the new development, which represents the 53rd Benchmark community, will take place at 40 Clapboardtree Street in Norwood, Mass.

Methodist Retirement Communities Names Texas Senior Living Community

Not-for-profit senior living provider Methodist Retirement Communities has given a name to its planned Texas development, The Langford at College Station.

The name pays tribute to former College Station mayor (1942-1968), the late Ernest Langford, who was also known for his role as the former dean of the architectural program at Texas A&M.

In selecting a name for the community, Methodist Retirement Communities had been in contact with descendants of Ernest Langford to share the vision of the senior living community and seek the Langford family’s blessing regarding the name.

The Langford at College Station will be an independent, assisted living and memory care community that will offer 72 IL condo-style flats, 24 AL apartments and 18 memory care suites.

The community has a projected completion date in, or before, 2018.

Construction: Completed

Brandywine Senior Living Completes $100 Construction Pipeline

Mount Laurel, N.J.-based operator Brandywine Senior Living recently announced that it has completed a $100 million construction pipeline this year that has included the openings of three new communities and expansions of two existing Brandywine communities, resulting in the addition of over 300 units to the company’s portfolio.

The three new communities opened in the Philadelphia and New York metropolitan areas. They include:

Brandywine Senior Living at Haddonfield, located in the historic district of Haddonfield, N.J., sits 15 minutes from downtown Philadelphia.

Brandywine Senior Living at Mahwah—the company’s first building in Bergen County, N.J., located 30 miles west of New York City.

Brandywine Senior Living at Upper Providence, located in Phoenixville, Pa., sits within a growing suburban market just 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia in Montgomery County.

For the expansion projects Brandywine completed, two were completed at existing communities in Rehoboth Beach, Del., and Litchfied, Conn.

Additionally, Brandywine currently has a 120-unit community under construction in Livingston, N.J., and is planning two new starts in the Washington, D.C. region in the beginning of 2016.

Tutera Senior Living & Health Care Completes $7.5 Million Rehab Center Expansion

This week, Tutera Senior Living & Health Care will host a grand opening event November 5 to celebrate the completion of the $7.5 million expansion of its new Stratford Commons Rehabilitation & Health Care Center in Overland Park, Kan.

Construction of the expansion project began in September 2014 on the new Center, a 34,000-square-foot, single-story community that adjoins Tutera’s Stratford Commons Memory Care Community, itself a 29,000-square-foot community located at 12340 Quivira Road in Overland Park.

Modeling itself as a serene, resort-style interior, Stratford Commons Rehabilitation & Health Care Center includes 41 private suites and two couple suites with large, private bathrooms, a kitchenette, built-in cabinetry, large exterior windows and high ceilings.

In efforts to support a multi-dimensional approach to healing, the Center includes Alter G anti-gravity treadmills to reduce recovery time, as well as specially designed equipment to monitor the needs of the most physically vulnerable to help them regain strength, functionality and, ultimately, independence.

The Center also includes restaurant-style dining with menus created by an in-house chef; luxurious spa amenities and salon services; massage and yoga therapy, among an ongoing calendar of wellness programming.

The interior design at the new Center was provided by Austin, Texas-based studioSIX5

Robycross Completes Six Senior Living Renovations Across the Caroilnas

Robycross, a firm specializing in the renovation of retirement and health care facilities, recently completed six major projects at senior living communities throughout the Carolinas.

The projects ranged from remodels of nursing home offices to complete overhauls of communities’ common areas. Clients included Five Star Senior Living (NYSE: FVE), ACTS Retirement-Life Communities and SanStone Health & Rehabilitation.

For Five Star, Robycross completed renovations of all common areas at four Morningside communities, all located in South Carolina. This included renovations to the communities’  dining facilities, lobbies, social rooms and corridors.

Robycross is currently wrapping up one project in Lancaster for Five Star, having completed facilities in Rock Hill, Georgetown and Sumter earlier this year. The total of these projects was about 100,000-square-feet.

For ACTS Retirement, Robycross just finished remodeling the nurses’ office at Tryon Estates in Columbus, S.C.

As for SanStone Health & Rehabilitation, the company also completed construction of a new, 8,000-square-foot corporate office facility adjacent to the new Lodge at Mills River Health and Rehabilitation near Asheville, N.C. Headquartered in Arden, N.C., SanStone provides short or long-term rehabilitation care at nine centers throughout N.C.

Written by Jason Oliva

The post In the Pipeline: Senior Housing Construction Projects (11/5/15) appeared first on Senior Housing News.