Senior Living News Wire

Baby Boomer women, like others in the 55+ age group, aren’t looking to leave their current homes anytime soon.  Almost 1/3 of the women respondents of a recent survey by VibrantNation.com stated that they are planning to remain in their current home over the next ten years with a similar number planning to move and the remaining not sure of their plans. Of those who plan to move, 30% want to try out a new city/region, another 30% want to find a house and/or yard which is easier to maintain and 17% want to be closer to family. Only 8% plan to move for health-related reasons.

“While Boomers are often confused in the marketplace with their aging parents, we know that Vibrant Women are still active in the mainstream part of their lives,” said Stephen Reily, Founder and CEO of VibrantNation.com. “When they do move, they are likely to explore options in interesting and stimulating locations that are walking distance to amenities such as cultural activities, restaurants, and parks.”

Approximately 1/3 of Boomer women respondents reported that When asked about gardening, 83% currently garden and expect gardening to remain important to them. While 45% are interested in exploring more low maintenance options, 41% say gardening will always be part of their lives. Only 6% said they are “over it.”

According to the Vibrant Nation survey, 89% of Boomer women spend up to $500 a year on plants and garden supplies, excluding maintenance:

• 53% frequent garden centers and nurseries
• 22% shop at hardware stores
• 13% rely on catalogs
• 11% shop online

Senior Living Investment Brokerage, Inc. recently completed the sale of a Seniors Housing Community located in Vancouver as part of a Bankruptcy proceeding in the state of Washington. The facility, constructed in 2006, consists of 115 units (44 Assisted Living Units, 51 Independent Living Units, and 20 Memory Care Units) with high-end finishes and amenities. Since its development in 2006, the facility was never able to sustain the lease-up trend forecast by the owner/operator/developer. While the property languished in the 50.0% occupancy range for most of 2007 and 2008, the receiver appointed management company was able to increase overall occupancy to 70.0% by mid 2009, and by the time of closing, occupancy was hovering around 85%. Senior Living was able to obtain an aggressive sale price for this facility – $16.25 million, or approximately $141,000 per unit. Jeff Binder and Matthew Alley handled this transaction.

“There were many gratifying results to the sales process for this asset, but none more than Senior Living generating a sales price sufficient to replace the entry fees previously lost by many of the residents of the property,” stated Jeff Binder.

By Patricia Conlon, Banyan Place Senior Community

What’s the best way to make the transition smooth for moving out of a senior living residence? Almost everyone has received news that a resident is moving out for many circumstances such as declining health, family relocation, inability to pay and other personal reasons. But as the competition for senior housing increases, moving out reinforces that finding the right community is critical. As time goes on, local competition may turn into ‘cooperative competition’ where local communities know and respect the differences that each facility has to offer and provide referrals for different prospective residents to other facilities. While the grass does seem greener for residents from time to time, changing facilities is a natural part of senior living and handling those transitions are critical.

Moving out is a part of the business that involves both emotional and economical responsibilities but it’s the emotional part that sometimes takes a greater toll. As staff becomes family by proxy, moving residents out becomes a stressful time for both residents and staff. In many cases, hosting a going-away party or dinner for a select group of residents to remind them of the friends and connections that they’ve made while living at the facility and shows the person leaving how much they mean to their friends and the community.

Other tips that can help ease the transition include:

· Be gracious and respectful and understand that sometimes the decision to leave is inevitable

· Work with them on establishing a contact point for correspondence and future contact

· Leave a lasting impression as if it were to be the first impression

· Provide a memento such as a picture frame

· Provide assurance that they are welcome back if possible

Catholic Healthcare Partners (CHP) has combined its thirteen senior living communities, across three geographic regions, into one division, Senior Health and Housing Services.  Jason Niehaus has been named President of the new division.

 St. Joseph’s Senior Apartments, a development by BRIDGE Housing Corporation, celebrated its groundbreaking in Oakland, California earlier this month and when construction is complete in June 2011, St. Joseph’s Senior Apartments will include 84 rental apartments for very-low-income seniors within the existing Main Building of the Oakland historic landmark. St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged entered service in 1913 under the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor; however the insurmountable costs of needed modernization forced the building to close in 1979.

“We are thrilled to be preserving this significant historic landmark while creating much-needed affordable housing on an infill site,” said Cynthia A. Parker, President and CEO of BRIDGE Housing.

The rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the Main Building will include seismic upgrades and will comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Properties. The apartments will be affordable to seniors age 62 and older with annual incomes ranging from $18,750 to $31,250 for a one-person household (30 to 50% of Area Median Income) and monthly rents are expected to range from $439 to $803, depending on income and apartment size.

Financing for St. Joseph’s was provided by the City of Oakland, the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Oakland, U.S. Bank, Union Bank, Northern California Community Loan Fund/Lower San Antonio Community Development Fund, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, California Pollution Control Financing Authority, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, California Department of Housing & Community Development, Oakland Housing Authority, Federal Home Loan Bank of California. The architect is Van Meter Williams Pollack and the general contractor is James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corporation.

Parc Communities recently announced their partnership with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Emory University where the senior living community was Emory’s newest satellite location for the Institute.  The network of Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes across the United States provides learning opportunities for older learners who want to learn simply for the joy of learning and personal fulfillment.

“This is a perfect fit for Parc at Buckhead and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, as our focus at Parc Communities is active adult living, higher education and wellness,” adds Sally Ann Sancto, leasing specialist at Parc at Buckhead.

Did you know that Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day?  Interesting tidbit but nevertheless a great day to remember heroes past and present.  May your burgers be grilled this weekend and your chicken fried. 

Want to announce your staff promotions? Send them our way to show off stars at movers-shakers@seniorhousingnews.com

Keith Joins LivHOME as Executive Director in San Jose, CA

LivHOME, Inc. announced that Donna Keith has joined the company as Executive Director in San Jose, Calif.  In her new position, Keith is responsible for overseeing the company’s Silicon Valley area operations. LivHOME has been active in the area since 2004, when it acquired Campbell-based AdvoLife.

Keith, a Sunnyvale resident and registered nurse, joined LivHOME from Stanford Hospital & Clinics, where she served as Director of Interventional Services and Pre- and Post-Procedural Units. Prior to that, held a variety of nursing and management positions at El Camino Hospital, Mountain View.

Keith holds a BSN in nursing and public health from San Jose State University, a RN diploma from the St. Vincent Hospital School of Nursing/Assumption College, Worcester, Mass., and an associate’s degree in science from Fisher Junior College, Boston.

Michael King Named President and CEO of Volunteers of America

Volunteers of America, one of the nation’s oldest and largest human service organizations, announced today that Michael (Mike) King has been named national president and chief executive officer. He will lead the 114 year-old faith-based organization as it continues to expand its existing services to needy Americans while also implementing a new strategy focused on innovative services for older people.

Since 2005, King has served as CEO of Volunteers of America Texas, based in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and one of the organization’s 38 local offices. The Texas organization provides services throughout the state – with an emphasis on low-income families and youths, developmentally disabled clients and those recovering from substance abuse – with regional offices in Houston, Austin and San Antonio. In this role, King oversees a statewide operation with an annual budget of more than $30 million and 550 employees.

King has more than 35 years experience working as a leader in the nonprofit sector. He has previously held executive positions with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, the Volunteer Center of Dallas, ChildCareGroup and Volunteer – The National Center. King holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Christian University and a Masters degree in civic affairs from the University of Dallas. He is also a minister with the Disciples of Christ, Christian Church. In addition, King is a past recipient of the President’s Outstanding Volunteer Action Award, presented to him by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. He won the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Speaker of the Year Award in 2003.

Granger Cobb Assumes Chairmanship of Assisted Living Federation of America

The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) announced this week that Granger Cobb, president and co-chief executive officer of Emeritus Senior Living, is the new chairman of the ALFA Board of Directors.  Cobb succeeds Tiffany Tomasso, former COO of Sunrise Senior Living, who served as ALFA chairman for the past two years. “Granger is extraordinarily in tune with the challenges affecting senior living and the numerous opportunities that lie ahead for the organization and its members,” said Tomasso.

“ALFA’s growth and success during the past few years is due to the tireless efforts of people like Tiffany, who have solid convictions about advocating for choice, independence, dignity and quality of life,” said Cobb. “A growing number of seniors and their families are turning to senior living for assistance. I look forward to working with ALFA’s experienced leadership to serve our members and highlight matters important to our field during this extraordinary time.”

Watercrest at Mansfield Names Michelle Buchanan Resident Lifestyle Director

Watercrest at Mansfield has named Michelle Buchanan resident lifestyle director. The announcement was made by Rick Simmons, president and CEO, Integrated Real Estate Group, developer of Watercrest at Mansfield.

Buchanan is an architecture/interior design major from Texas Tech University. She joins Watercrest from Ready Real Estate in Waxahachie where she worked as a licensed realtor.  Previously, Buchanan served as the sales director at My Patio Place in Fair Oaks Ranch where she managed and assisted the sales team. Buchanan also has experience as a property manager at A.G. Spanos Companies in Ft. Worth, overseeing a team of nine employees.

Sunrise Senior Living (NYSE: SRZ) recently announced that it has become an Authorized Validation Organization with the Validation Training Institute, a not-for-profit organization offering training and certification in the Validation Method used to care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.  Sunrise plans to rollout the program to its 360 communities in the next few months and its status as a training center will greatly expand the number of trained caregivers using the Validation Method in the United States.

The Validation Method is a protocol for care developed by Naomi Feil, M.S., A.C.S.W., who wrote her book, Validation: The Feil Method in 1982.  Her research and program employs a holistic approach and notes that that unusual behaviors expressed by dementia sufferers are often due to a combination of cognitive, physical, and social losses, and represent an attempt to express unresolved feelings and emotions. Caregivers can deliver more ease, pleasure and dignity to those with dementia by using empathy to validate these individuals’ desire to communicate.

"Sunrise Senior Living’s new certification is a major milestone for the Validation Method in America," said Ms. Feil. "Their leadership will have an enormous positive impact on the quality of care for seniors with memory loss and on the quality of training for care providers."

For more information visit the full release from Sunrise on becoming an Authorized Validation Organization.

Messiah Village announces the hiring of Carol Hess as Vice President of Human Resources. Hess will direct team recruitment, retention and development efforts at Messiah Village.

In celebration of National Fitness Month, Martins Run Senior Living Community staff and residents are participating in activities throughout the month, to promote physical fitness and well-being and encourage a healthy lifestyle. The Marple Township-based senior living community also recently unveiled its new state-of-the-art Energy Club and Fitness Center, which houses a therapeutically heated indoor swimming pool, two exercise rooms, a locker room and a juice bar café.

Wayland Village Senior Apartments in West Baltimore recently celebrated its groundbreaking with representatives from federal, state and local government as well as Enterprise Homes, Inc. and partners Wayland Baptist Church CDC and Bon Secours Baltimore Health System. Wayland Village will feature 89 affordable rental apartments for low- and moderate-income seniors and for disabled adults. The $14.2 million dollar facility will utilize both the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System(TM) standards.  The four-story building will consist of 72 one-bedroom and 17 two-bedroom units,ranging from 673 to 1,100 square feet, plus one apartment for a live-in maintenance staff person.

Financing for Wayland Village Senior Apartments is provided by JP Morgan, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development. Enterprise Community Investment, Inc. provided a low-income housing tax credit equity investment and permanent debt financing. The Enterprise Community Loan Fund provided a predevelopment loan. Enterprise Community Partners provided an Enterprise Green Communities grant for the development.

"Wayland Village Senior Apartments is the God-given vision of the members of Wayland Baptist Church conceptualized more than 50 years past," said Dr. Hoffman F. Brown, III, chair WBC Community Development Corporation. "Having an affordable, attractive and safe place to live for our ’seasoned saints’ is the cornerstone to what I believe will be a renaissance for the northwest corridor of our city. We are appreciative to every official and every agency that supported this project, but we stand in awe of the potent providence of God for this manifested blessing."

The property manager for Wayland Senior Village will be the Whetstone Company. In conjunction with Bon Secours, Wayland Baptist Church and WBC Community Development Corporation, the Whetstone Company will coordinate referrals for seniors to service organizations, including health care facilities, the local senior center, social and activity clubs, churches and educational institutions.

Touchtown, Inc., a provider of senior living community information systems, was recently awarded a U.S. patent for a key component of Touchtown Safety, the company’s emergency call and notification product. The system is designed to meet the emergency communications needs of the senior living industry by increasing safety for community residents by delivering instructions during any type of emergency.  The system can change the messaging to include non-emergency situations and change the alarms, warnings and reminders depending on the needs of the community and its users.  The patent number for the device is D614,617 and it was awarded on April 27, 2010 and Jeff Pepper, CEO, is listed as the primary inventor.

“Our goal was to create a stylish, intuitive device that seniors enjoy interacting with on a daily basis so that they will be well-prepared to use it whenever emergencies arise,” notes Jeff Pepper, CEO of Touchtown.

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) recently introduced legislation aimed at increasing the use of the low-income housing tax credit that hopes to reinvigorate the development of low-income housing.  The Job Creation and Affordable Housing Act, co-sponsored by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA), would jump-start private investment in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), which finances 90 percent of affordable housing projects in the United States.  Proponents hope that the legislation will spur more development of affordable rental housing for seniors and others that need access to low income housing

“In good times, we had a public-private partnership that worked,”Senator Cantwell said. “But in a severe recession, we have seen the private part of this partnership freeze up.  The result is thousands of stalled housing projects and the loss of tens of thousands of private sector jobs. This bill gets these projects moving again with an influx of private investment, stimulating our local economy and lessening the impact of the economic downturn on our most vulnerable populations.”

Investors have been discouraged for the credit as the financial crisis affected the availability for capital to fund low-income housing development.  The bill provides incentives such as an increase from from 1 to 5 years the credit’s carryback period and requires that refunds be reinvested in low-income housing projects and makes more of the credits eligible for the Tax Credit Exchange Program created by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  The bill contemplates that the programs will foster job creation in the small business sector, particularly in the construction industries, including carpenters, roofers and other trades.

KSL Texas Communities SA LLC, an affiliate of national owner and operator Kisco Senior Living, announced it has executed a definitive agreement to purchase Villa de San Antonio, a senior living community located in San Antonio, Texas. The Villa community has 138 independent living apartments, 55 assisted living apartments and 24 cottage homes.

“ I am very pleased with this opportunity as Kisco has targeted Texas as an area for growth. We cherish the uniqueness of each of our Kisco communities and the contributions they make to a great place to live for our residents and a great place to work for our associates,” explained Andy Kohlberg, President and Founder of Kisco Senior Living.

Does the latest economic news lead you to be in the “cautiously optimistic” camp?  Maybe Tuesday’s data will make you a believer…The S&P Case/Shiller Price Index for March 2010 was released that showed prices falling .5% in March from the previous month based upon an index comprised of 20 U.S. cities.  Separately, the Consumer Conference Board Confidence Index for May rose to to 63.3 from 57.7 in April.

The housing price index saw its sixth month of straight declines and more pressure is expected going forward as the tax credit incentives for purchasing a new home expire.  The conference board survey increase was driven by optimism by consumers that the economy is improving and that more jobs are on the horizon.  With the volatility in the stock market the last few weeks and this data, it appears the economy will continue to walk the tightrope for another couple of months before there is any certainty to a sustained economic recovery.