Retirement Living ■ The Jewish Week & NJJN ■ April 2020
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RETIREMENT
Senior Living Communities Going Artisanal
Foodie clubs and more are part of the expanded menu of offerings at metro area facilities. Hilary Danailova
Special to The Jewish Week
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ike many Jewish seniors, Allen Kent saw his retirement take an unexpected U-turn — from suburban New Jersey to Florida and then back up north, after his wife of 65 years died and his grown children wanted him nearby. “They’re worried about me,” laughed Kent, who enjoyed a career in show business and cops only to being “over 90.” “I wasn’t supposed to live this long!” Kent, who still enjoys weekly restaurant outings, was not about to start over with homeownership. Instead, like many older New Yorkers and New Jerseyans, he chose a senior living community that is close enough for progeny to visit, with a full suite of medical and social services. For the past decade, Kent has lived in a comfortable apartment by the Hudson River at Brookdale Battery Park City, along with 215 other retirees and at least 20 resident dogs. As much as he loved Palm Beach, the Newark native has only raves for his new Manhattan lifestyle. Initially reluctant to live in a place “with a lot of old people,” Kent was won over by Brook-
The Villas retirement community in Manalapan, N.J., above and below, installed a pizza oven for residents used to the area’s famous Italian food. P HOTOS COU RTESY OF TH E VI LL AS dale’s elegant dining room, excursions to Broadway shows and art museums, and activities including happy hour and Spanish class. He’s even found fellow Yiddish speakers. Such communities are popular among Jewish seniors, who are more likely than their parents either to remain up north near family — or to return, as Kent did, in a second-retirement phase. “There’s a definite trend of people wanting to live near their adult kids,” said Gail Hochfeld, director of sales and marketing at Brookdale Senior Living Solutions. Many, like Kent, are older and returning to their home regions after a decade or two in the Sun Belt. Trading Florida sunshine for icy winters might seem counterintuitive, “but I’ve seen it so much now, it doesn’t surprise me anymore,” said Hochfeld, adding that the average Brookdale resident is
over 75 and well-traveled. “People living in and around New York City with great jobs want their parents nearby.” Communities are responding by tailoring a range of living arrangements to the evolving needs of the elderly. Members can choose from independent and assisted living options; the latter offers more personalized help with a variety of daily activities such as dressing and hygiene, meals, mobility and medical care. Many centers offer so-called “memory care” units, for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Some communities integrate nursing care for patients with more complex medical needs. “With 10,000 baby boomers in the U.S. turning 65 every day, our continuum-of-care-model has never been more relevant,” observed Matthew Anderson, president and CEO at The Osborn in Rye, in Westchester County, which was founded in 1908. Nearly half The Osborn’s population of 435 are in independent living units, with another 100 in assisted living and the rest variously in memory care, long-term nursing and short-term rehabilitation. In addition to the art rooms and exercise classes you’d find at traditional 55-plus apartment complexes, full-service communities also typically offer a 24-hour staff, three meals a day, on-site medical care, fitness centers, transportation to nearby destinations, even hair salons. And while the lifestyle does not come cheap — monthly rent at metro-area communities starts between $5,000 and $10,000 for independent living, with costs escalating along with additional care — families say it is worth the reassurance that medical, social and practical needs will be met as seniors age in place. “Residents can literally stay until their last breath,” said Hochfeld, explaining that at Brookdale — unlike some other communities — clients live in the same apartment even as their care needs change (monthly rent starts at $8,000). Facility price tags also cover an ever-expanding slate of diversions. “Seniors are looking for higher
