Many Cincinnati seniors who are no longer able to live independently struggle with the decision to move to long-term care. A significant part of the issue? Fears about giving up the quality of life they’ve enjoyed while living on their own in neighborhoods they’ve lived in for years such as Hyde Park, Mariemont or even Indian Hill. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Refined senior living communities like Marjorie P. Lee are adapting with an innovative answer to these concerns: offering added upscale, bespoke experiences to their long-term residents, thought of as catered living.
Trends in Catered Lifestyle & Healthcare
Housesimple.com recently declared concierge services—once the sole domain of the rich and famous—to be “the latest trend in lifestyle living.” A common feature in luxury hotels, the concierge approach offers an unprecedented level of service available to everyone staying at a property.
Concierge care is also having a major moment in medicine, and was deemed by R.A. Prince & Associates, Inc. president Russ Alan Prince in Forbes to be “the future of high-quality primary care.” Furthermore, he insists, “This trend is very likely to not only continue, but also intensify.”
From Care Needs to Lifestyle Needs
This trend is also expanding—specifically, into the senior living domain. Carried over to long-term care, the catered living philosophy means forward-thinking communities are now aiming to address not only the healthcare needs of their residents but their lifestyle needs, as well.
In the long-term care setting, what sets catered living apart from other care settings are the added attention to privacy, spacious well-appointed rooms, services and amenities, and high-quality person-centered care.
Enriched, person-centered services include personalized activities, access to music, art, and horticultural therapies, exclusive dining options, and more. Concierge service is also available to run errands, make appointments, or organize outings when desired.
The result? Residents gain access to all of the advantages of long-term care without sacrificing the quality of life to which they’re accustomed.
Catered living represents the “reinvention” of senior living—and is being driven by the expectations of the massive Baby Boomer generation whose parents are the age of long-term care residents. Their desires for their own care will become a factor in the next ten years.
“You’re basically investing in your future health care and future needs,” said Stephen Maag, director of residential communities for LeadingAge, in a recent New York Times article. “Then whatever you need within the continuum the community provides will be covered. So you’re basically locking in what you’re going to have to pay for the rest of your life.”
The goal is to treat everyone like a V.I.P. Continues the Times’ Scott James, “These upscale communities offer a continuum of care from independent living to failing health, allowing people to age in one place for a relatively fixed price, but with amenities common in exclusive hotels and high-end cruise ships.”
The takeaway for seniors and the people who love them? As long-term care evolves to meet changing societal needs, older adults have more options than ever when it comes not only to their care but also to meet their lifestyle goals. To learn more about catered living in a luxurious setting at Episcopal Retirement Services’ Marjorie P. Lee in Cincinnati, Ohio, schedule a tour or request more information today.
