Special Editorial Focus: Introduction

Senior communities meet the needs of aging residents

According to U.S. Census data, people aged 65 and older already make up 19 percent of Pennsylvania’s overall population. Here in Chester County, 17 percent of the population is over the age of 65—and more people reach that age every day.

Chester County is a wonderful place to live and work, so it’s no surprise that many people want to spend their golden years in this area enjoying all the amenities—the shops and restaurants, the access to health care and the country living.

Senior communities like Friends Home in Kennett, Jenner’s Pond, Kendal~Crosslands Communities, and The Residence at Chadds Ford can provide important levels of care for aging adults. In this issue, you’ll find profiles of a few of the senior communities like these that are helping to meet the needs of the aging population in southern Chester County and the surrounding areas. Each one finds ways to create unique experiences and services for residents.

As Natalie Smith writes in her story about The Residence at Chadds Ford, “The desire to lead your best life certainly doesn’t wane as you get older. For many, moving to a senior community – whether it be to live independently or with some level of care – is a way to maintain that quality of living without the responsibilities that come with home ownership.”

The Residence at Chadds Ford illustrates how senior communities offer a wide variety of amenities and services to meet the changing needs of residents. This community features month-to-month rentals and offers Independent Living, Personal Care and Reflections Memory Care options in an attractive, 88-apartment structure. The Friends Home in Kennett has been a staple in the Kennett Square area, and a resource for senior citizens, for more than 124 years. Being situated in the heart of downtown Kennett Square allows residents here to actively participate in all that the town has to offer. There are obvious benefits to being located so close to the local shops, restaurants, the library, and churches.

Building a sense of community is a consistent theme for these senior living communities, and that’s definitely true for the Friends Home, which has a slogan of “Where friends become family.”

Kendal Crosslands Communities is a LifePlan Retirement Community in Kennett Square. The campus is nestled on 500 acres and is a certified arboretum surrounded by forests, meadows, tranquil water features, luscious manicured gardens, over 7 miles of hiking trails, and rolling hills. Joint committees work with local horticulture and nature conservancy groups to sponsor public events at the Kendal~Crosslands Arboretum, service programs for area youth, educational programs, and other health-giving involvement for the residents.

At Jenner’s Pond, its mission is simple: to offer the highest level of senior care available, with living options and medical attention that give residents and their families the peace-of-mind needed when making such a major deci-

sion. For those choosing independent living, apartment floor plans offer one- and two-bedroom layouts with full kitchens, private balconies, dens, patios and sunrooms up to 2,287 square feet, while cottages provide floor plans for up to 3,600 square feet.

We are pleased to highlight how some of the senior communities in the area are meeting the diverse and changing needs of an aging population, and by doing so they are helping to make southern Chester County a stronger community as a whole.