I’m excited to report that my unique concept around group homes for seniors was recognized last week in The Observer, a sister publication to The Guardian.
The story can be read here.
The author began by noting that “much has been made of the aging in place movement and the benefits it can bestow upon America’s elderly.
“Peter J. Burns III, who launched a new venture supporting that notion, doesn’t disagree. He praised the recent announcement that the National Institute on Aging (NIA) has awarded $3.9 million to fund research by Northwestern Medicine to better ‘understand how older adult aging-in-place and long-term care decision making’ is made.”
The article then quoted my concerns: “Many times, seniors will delay making a decision about their long-term care needs because of the lack of good options out there. They have heard sad stories about assisted living complexes, where they are sometimes treated like a number in an antiseptic environment.”
The author wrote that Burns’ group home concept, Boutique Group Homes, will help resolve the aforementioned problem.
“The group industry is fragmented, with many owners and operators offering the bare minimum in terms of comfort and ease of living,” I told the Observer. “The elderly deserve and want a better alternative in their Golden Years. We believe that the industry is in need of a higher end group home, and we’re prepared to deliver on that promise.
“The other problem is that many group homes are clustered in the same area, which is far away from where the elderly live. We believe it is important that the elderly can stay in their same neighborhood, where they have a great deal of familiarity. Studies show that it can be very disruptive to our psyche to take us out of our environment.”
The article went on to highlight my solution as “the best alternative, where aging in place is not possible.”
I elaborated on his point, noting that “we have bought residential homes and retrofitted them in the neighborhoods were the elderly live. Combine that with giving them an environment the includes the creature comforts of their own home and you have a successful formula where everyone wins.”
You’ll hear more about this concept in the coming weeks.