Designing an assisted living facility isn’t a job for just about anyone. Get expert assistance if you want to ensure the best possible outcome for the project. Work together with a property manager or real estate agent to address the increased need for senior housing. Here are some suggestions you’ll find helpful.
Think of a Unique Feature
With more and more commercial properties looking to address the need for more assisted living communities, it’s important that you include facilities or features in your facility that will set it apart from the rest. Have yours been designed with help from an experienced agent like Paul Griffin Third? Add areas to increase the number of residents in your facility.
Talk to Potential Clients
What do clients and their families look for when they choose a new living facility? It wouldn’t hurt to reach out and ask. Talk to them. Do your homework and identify the reasons people choose one facility over another.
Maintain the Property
Make sure you take steps to keep the property in excellent condition. It doesn’t need to look new, but it should look well-maintained. Talk to an agent about what can be done to upgrade the property without spending too much money. For instance, if the facility has a good structure and bones, then a fresh coat of paint should be enough to brighten up the place.
Highlight the Location
Are you in a good spot? How near is the facility to a university, community center, or hub? Is there a fitness center nearby? What about restaurants, movie houses, and even parks where the senior residents can go and enjoy themselves? Highlight those features, too. That may be a factor in the way residents pick a facility.
Create Eating Options
Most community centers just have a communal area for eating. But what if you designed other eating accommodations where residents on every floor or wing have their own kitchen and space where they can cook and eat their own meals or have tables and chairs where they can talk and eat with visiting loved ones. A mini kitchen in the suite of a resident sounds like a good option, too. There’s still the large dining area where they all gather while the mini kitchen gives them a place where they can enjoy snacks in between their meals.
Connect with the Community
Put up an assisted living facility that is connected to the community. Sponsor concerts, art lectures, classes, adult learning, and more. Find ways through which residents can participate in activities that help prevent their mental decline, that challenge them, and that give them fulfilling tasks. Bring the community to them through these activities.
Set Spaces for Hobbies
Encourage the residents to enjoy their hobbies, whether alone or together. Provide them with spaces where they can paint, play bingo, cards, or even watch movies. Encourage small gatherings among the residents and get them to be more sociable. Many seniors have depression because they’re lonely. Encouraging social activities helps with that.