Creating a Sense of Place for Atlanta Seniors

By Margaret Price

Atlanta is a young city—vibrant, alive and full of energy. But that energy should not be saved for baby boomers and younger generations alone. A boom of assisted living developments occurred in the mid-nineties and after those units were absorbed, the assisted living industry has been thriving ever since. There is a wide variety of assisted living options and communities in the Atlanta area, from large national providers to locally developed communities, each offering something special for every senior.

Living in Luxury
With two independent living communities in the metro Atlanta area, Parc Communities was created to serve seniors with the utmost in care, in addition to providing an element of luxury living. In the planning process, founder Roy Dickson consulted with Horst Schultze of the Ritz-Carlton to develop a unique hospitality-centric model of service. “The concept of providing active seniors an upscale retirement community was differentiated from the market by mixing in hospitality industry service standards,” says Teri Fahey, vice president of operations at Parc Communities. To date, Parc Communities contains a total of 326 apartments. “As Parc Communities celebrated our 10-year anniversary, it became clear that in order to continue to serve the hundreds of residents already living in a Parc community, we needed to accommodate ‘aging in place’ that was occurring to residents,” Fahey says.

As such, Parc added a licensed home care service to their array of options and created ParcCare to exclusively serve Parc residents, which provides assistance with activities of daily living in private apartment settings. In October 2011, Parc Communities plans to add licensed assisted living to their full-service communities.

Currently, the community offers a number of amenities to its residents, including a private library, media room, lap pool and deck, landscaped courtyard garden, restaurant-style dining room, hair salon and fitness center. Moving from one level of care to another is seamless at Parc Communities. It is a facility where the levels of care are integrated in a full-service model, which generally describes communities where independent, private care and assisted living are all in one campus or building. “The management team takes great pride in making these transitions as easy as possible,” says Fahey. “We start by keeping up with all our residents from the time they move in through any health challenges.”

In addition to serving its residents, Parc Communities also takes great pride in working with the families of residents when the time comes to make a change. “We serve the resident best by serving the family that cares for them,” says Fahey. “It is a united effort with the family and Parc management to make sure their loved one is getting the best possible care, advice and resources we can offer.”

A Member-Focused Approach
Park Springs opened in 2004 with subsequent phases built in 2006 and 2008. With a total of 398 independent homes spread out over charming houses, cottages and villas, and by providing assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care, Park Springs offers residents a beautiful, 54-acre campus surrounded by the 3,500-acre Stone Mountain Park, a feature that makes it unique among communities in the Atlanta area.

The Park Springs community features a 4-acre lake with a greenhouse and walking trails, a fitness center with indoor lap pool and warm therapy pool, a card room, library, theater, art studio, salon, barber shop, general store and multiple dining venues that offer variety, nutrition, good food and friendship. Members at Park Springs are active, independent and engaged. Many initially relocated from the immediate area, but the community has become a point of destination for others around the city, and for parents whose children have relocated to Atlanta.

Care at Park Springs is personal and built around each member in a residential model. A member-supported committee structure helps ensure members remain in control, by giving them an important voice in how the community operates. “What differentiates us from others is our staffing ratio, which is much higher than most,” says Kevin Isakson, director of sales and marketing at Park Springs. “Park Springs is also the only Medicare Certified continuing care retirement community in Georgia. Our own on-site clinic, nurse practitioner and geriatrician set us apart.”

And when the time comes for a transition, Park Springs takes a collaborative approach, working with the member, as well as his/her family and physician to develop a care plan that meets the individual needs of that member. “Residents and their family participate in selecting the new living space and specifying preferences for daily routine,” says Isakson. “We conduct regular care plan conferences with family members to ensure needs and expectations are being met.”

Active and Able
The Holbrook opened in January 2010 as an energetic independent living community. Residents are seniors who are still active and able to socialize and enjoy their activities, but may also need a little assistance with some help with day-to-day tasks such as meals, maintenance and housekeeping.

The Within Reach program at The Holbrook allows residents to remain independent but receive light assistance with activities of daily living and medication reminders. “We are the only independent living community in our area to offer care services through our own staff within the independent living setting, allowing the resident to remain in the independent living setting with extra support or allowing a couple to remain together even though one spouse may need a little additional support,” says Julie Ann Hamilton, executive director of The Holbrook.

At The Holbrook, residents enjoy elegantly appointed amenities, including an indoor salt water heated pool, state-of-the-art fitness center, wi-fi café, onsite salon and spa and onsite therapy and medical services. Residents participate in a varied Life Enrichment program, which includes poker and book clubs, day and overnight trips, water aerobics, partnership and community service projects with local elementary schools, civic groups and hospitals, line dancing, arts and crafts, spiritual services and devotions and musical events and entertainment. “It is clinically proven that living in an environment where seniors have access to and are encouraged to participate in these offerings has positive outcomes on their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being,” says Hamilton.

Overall, life at The Holbrook, as with all continued care facilities in the Atlanta area, is about making friends, enjoying life, and making lasting memories. “Our residents become true family and support each other through difficult times and celebrate with each other through the fun times,” says Hamilton.