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Making a Residence for the Elderly More Like Home
As recently as 20 years ago, seniors had few choices when deciding where to live during their declining years. They could continue to reside in a house or apartment that was increasingly difficult for them to manage. They could move in with an adult child. Or they could opt for what was then called an old-age home — a place inhabited by some seniors needing only minimal assistance and others requiring more intensive nursing care. Now, people like Catherine Moran — an active 86-year-old Westchester resident who did not want to live alone and was hesitant to impose on her children when she became a widow four years ago — have yet another option. They can move to one of an increasing number of adult care facilities — often called enriched housing communities or assisted living or independent living — designed for older people who are mostly healthy and independent. Mrs. Moran, a former executive secretary, decided to rent a studio apartment with a patio and kitchenette for about $2,380 a month, which includes meals and some assistance, at Springvale Inn, a 125-unit not-for-profit facility in Croton-on-Hudson. The home has just finished a $5.5 million renovation in response to a relatively new and growing market: seniors who are staying healthy well into their 80's and do not yet need a nursing home. The facility was built in the 1960's as a weekend hotel for seniors. In 1976, it took the name Springvale Inn and became a nonlicensed apartment house for seniors, one of very few at the time that offered such services as housekeeping and meals. The facility is now being licensed to offer a greater level of health-care services than in the past. Such communities — some are rentals, others are ownership units often requiring a substantial down payment — have increased in response to shifting demographics, said Daniel Curran, a spokesman for the nonprofit New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging in Albany. According to the 2000 census, the over-65 population has increased by 12 percent nationwide since 1990. And while the under 65-population as a whole increased by 13.3 percent since 1990, the number of adults 45 to 64 rose 34 percent, the census shows. By 2020 in Westchester alone, for example, the 60-plus population will probably be more than 250,000 — more than 25 percent of the current population level — according to census figures from the county's Planning Department. "Twenty to 30 years ago, there were few if any assisted-living facilities in the state," Mr. Curran said. "Today, they represent more than 160 of our 560 member organizations." Mr. Curran said he expected the growth in the number of assisted-living facilities to continue as more baby boomers become senior citizens. "Especially with the tremendous medical advances we're seeing, the baby boomer population certainly won't be looking for a traditional nursing home situation," Mr. Curran said. John Ritchie, president and chief executive for Bethel Homes, which will soon have five residences and a management company in Westchester County, described Springvale Inn as "a good case study of how institutions are evolving to serve the newer breed of seniors not always able to live by themselves but not ready for a nursing home." "Before the renovation, it was increasingly tough to keep the building full, because it wasn't appealing," he said, adding that four years ago, of the Springvale Inn's 125 apartments, only 100 were occupied. "It was dark and not attractive. It wasn't something a son or daughter bringing Mom or Dad to would feel happy about. We didn't have the competitive edge." Now 115 units are rented. David Schlosser of Schopfer Architects in Syracuse, who oversaw the renovations at Springvale Inn, said transforming the aging 100,000-square-foot institution into a modern residence for 125 well, socially active seniors (just a few residents use wheelchairs and some still drive their cars) was "no small task." "Our assignment," Mr. Schlosser said, "was to create a neighborhood feel, a single-family home atmosphere that most of residents were used to before they came here." That meant using carpets and wall coverings, residential-looking chandeliers and upholstered furniture specially designed for the elderly instead of hard-surfaced institutional flooring and hospital-like tables and chairs, he said. THE unrelieved space in the long institutional corridors was broken up by altering ceiling heights and varying floor and wall treatments. Also instead of the recessed fluorescent lighting, Mr. Schlosser's plans specified indirect soft lighting, including wall sconces. "We made the place more homelike," the architect said. "Today's user is demanding that." For example, Mrs. Moran's studio apartment was recently painted a soft beige, and matching carpeting replaced the institutional tile floors. The apartment also has a kitchenette equipped with new appliances (a two-burner stove, microwave and sink) so Mrs. Moran can cook her own meals when she does not want to eat in the common dining room. Six different layouts — all with private baths and kitchenettes or full kitchens — are available for rent in the three-story complex. Rents are $2,234 to $3,721 a month, with a second person in a unit paying an additional $780 a month. Concierge services, all meals, weekly housekeeping, linen service, transportation and utilities are included in the monthly rent. According to Mr. Ritchie, the chief executive, rental units appeal to people who are unable or unwilling to make a large upfront payment for a condominium unit. The common space at the renovated facility includes a new library with computer stations for residents, a swimming pool, work-out rooms (equipped with stationary bikes, a stairmaster, a treadmill and hand weights) and refurbished hotel-style lounges for socializing. Many of the common rooms have fireplaces, pianos and large-screen televisions. The lobby and dining room were also redesigned. There is also a post office, bank, delicatessen, beauty parlor, barber shop, doctors' and dentists' offices and a laundromat. Outside renovations included repairing the building's stone facade, building a new entrance and replacing windows. To renovate the building, Bethel secured $10.525 million in Civic Facility Revenue Bonds from the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency. Bethel is paying between 3.66 and 6.5 percent interest on the loans. About $85,000 is due to be paid off in 2004; the remainder is due between 2021 and 2032. About half of the loan money was used for the renovation. The other half is being used to consolidate other building debts and to cover closing costs and financing fees, Mr. Ritchie said. Bethel operates Life Inc., doing business as the Springvale Inn. Bethel also operates Bethel Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a 200-bed nursing home in Croton-on-Hudson; the 78-bed Bethel Nursing Home in Ossining, which is about to add 18 more beds in the fall; Bethel New Horizons, the corporation's management company; the Pines Housing Development Company, which is building a new 50-apartment institution in Ossining, which will be similar to Springvale but less expensive; and the Bethel Methodist Home in Ossining, which houses both an adult day-care and long-term home health care program. The company grew out of an organization founded about 100 years ago by the Swedish Conference of the Methodist Church, and its homes are now nonsectarian. The administrative offices are also in Ossining. Mr. Ritchie observed that Mrs. Moran is typical of the residents his organization is aiming for — both at Springvale and the planned 50-apartment facility. "Mostly they are in their 80's and single and female," he said. Mrs. Moran said she could not be more pleased. "I'm not alone anymore," she said. "This is something I can afford. There's always something to do and someone to do it with in very nice surroundings. And when I want to be alone in my own quarters, I can have that too."
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