Author: Cece

Changing Perceptions About Aging Means Changing the Words We Use

Carol Burnett once said: “Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own.”

Words matter. Words label and define us.

In the same way that none of us would expect to hear “old folks’ home” used today, so too do we hope to retire outdated expressions that no longer define the work we do or the population we serve.

Today’s older adults are redefining life after 50 with a renewed emphasis on the things that matter most. And we all should be right alongside them on the journey to what’s next, turning ordinary moments into extraordinary ones and changing the way we talk and label things in our industry, in order to break down long-held stereotypes.

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Lessons in Finding Happiness During Hard Times

In the short list of songs that have brought the world joy, you’d be hard-pressed to top the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” with its lilting melody and deeply hopeful lyrics (“the smiles returning to the faces”; “I feel that ice is slowly melting”).

No wonder that hospitals played it repeatedly over their public-address systems this spring as an auditory balm in some of the most stress-filled, soul-scorching places on the planet: the intensive care units overflowing with COVID-19 patients struggling to stay alive.

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Mather, Chautauqua Partnership Brings Acclaimed Education and Arts Program to Senior Living

Mather is linking up with celebrated arts and culture organization Chautauqua Institution to bring virtual programming to the masses.

The Evanston, Illinois-based senior living nonprofit on Monday announced a new partnership with the Chautauqua Institution, an education center and summer resort located next to Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York state. Under the partnership, Mather is connecting thousands of older adults to the institution’s new “CHQ Assembly” video platform, and taking a step toward more closely collaborating with the 142-year-old organization.

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Construction Activity Begins On Senior Living High Rise In Tysons

TYSONS, VA — Construction activity has kicked off for The Mather, the first continuing care high rise for seniors ages 62 and over in Tysons. Demolition of the existing structure at 7929 Westpark Drive has started, while site work such as utility relocation and public street improvements will happen over the summer. The first phase of the community is slated to open in 2023.

Phase one is currently 65 percent sold out, drawing residents from places like McLean, Arlington, Falls Church, Vienna, DC and Maryland. Nearly 150 priority reservations are being taken for phase two of the community.

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Phase 2 Priority Reservations Now Accepted as Construction is Underway for The Mather, a Life Plan Community in Tysons, VA

Evanston, IL (May 27, 2020) – Mather announces that the construction process has started for The Mather, a $450-million-plus Life Plan Community located in Tysons, Virginia. Demolition of the existing structure at 7929 Westpark Drive, Tysons, will soon be complete, with additional sitework, including utility relocation and public street improvements, anticipated in summer 2020. The first phase of The Mather is projected to open in 2023.

Teams from Whiting-Turner Contracting Company are managing demolition of the existing structure on the site, with materials being removed or recycled, if possible, in accordance with LEED Gold goals for the project.

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Going Green

Can you imagine finishing a meal by eating the very same utensils you used to consume it? How about the ability to choose between plain, sweet, and savory flavored edible utensils? If the folks at The Mather have their way, plastic utensils will soon be a thing of the past and the planet will be better for it.

And it’s not just The Mather that’s committed to the health of the environment. Lots of companies in Northern Virginia, including Washington Gas and BOWA, are finding ways large and small to support sustainability and to incorporate “green” practices into their businesses and the community.

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Life Plan Communities Offer Another Alternative to Aging in Place

Mark and Sharon Brender, retirees who live in a townhouse in Arlington, Va., love living in an urban environment, walking to shops and restaurants and hopping on Metro for cultural opportunities in normal times.

But at 70, Mark Brender says he realizes that he and his 73-year-old wife may not always want to live in a three-level home with stairs.

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Wellness 2.0: Life Plan Communities Customize Programs to Boost Engagement

The wellness trend has taken the senior living industry by storm — but simply encouraging more healthy habits or offering one-size-fits-all wellness programs may not work.

Residents carry with them certain innate behavioral traits and personalities that may affect their overall health and wellness outcomes, suggesting that providers need to think about catering their offerings to a wider, more diverse swath of older adults.

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First McKnight’s Hall of Honor Winners Unveiled

They are women who have overseen massive growth at their companies, completed multiple degrees, overcome tragedy and mentored younger employees. They are the impressive inaugural Hall of Honor recipients in the McKnight’s Women of Distinction program, who were announced by program organizers on Wednesday.

The elite class of 19 women in the joint McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living’sprogram comprise top providers at an executive level in skilled nursing or senior living organizations.

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