Colorado Springs is on the National Map as a First-rate Retirement Destination
Article submitted by Staff at www.SeniorsResourceGuide.com
www.ShowcaseofRetirementCommunities.com
Many of us have known no other domestic world than the one where we run for groceries, do our laundry, mow the lawn, make a meal and drive to one get-together or another to round out our evening. Never mind the doctor, dentist and oil changes.
So, who plans for the day when the logistics of all this gets tedious and eventually, physically impractical? It’s not taught in Home Economics (and it’s the exceptional high school offers that anymore, anyway). Happily, senior housing professionals have made an art of managing the details. But regarding their various offerings, who gets the word out? Advertisement helps highlight some of the distinctions in service and ambience. But there is nothing like an on-site invitation by the region’s leaders in retirement living, to really get a feel for both the issues and the best practices.
The 2010 Showcase of Retirement Communities didn’t disappoint. The coordination of eight, premier group, residential properties by this independent promoter introduced to me to a whirlwind sampling of top-of-the-line accommodations and service in a way that allowed me to make an apple-to-apples comparison of the various offerings.
Passport & Balloons
The beauty of the event was that I didn’t have to start at any one property: each was equipped with a concierge table staffed by a cheerful Showcase representative. At my first stop I received my complimentary ticket to attend: a “Passport” to all the properties to be checked off at the door and redeemed at the end of at least five visits for a prize-drawing entry. The Passport turned out, as well, to be an invaluable map and direction planner to keep me on track between communities. I was also delighted at being able to breeze through the successive welcoming committees after they’d marked or punched my Passport!
The properties featured a self-guided tour by placing small bouquets of balloons, first, within line of sight of the entrance and then along the halls to point the way to the model room(s), dining facility, pool, game/activity areas, etc. One property added a path of leaves, attractively strewn along the floor, a little reminiscent of a flower girl’s wedding trail, to supplement the balloons. In all, there was no waiting, confusion or lack of available hosts to answer questions. It was the ambassadorial guest experience.
In every instance, the model rooms were elegantly appointed and competitive in appearance with the region’s 5-star hotel, the Broadmoor. Many came equipped with kitchenettes and breakfast/dining nooks. Activity, craft and exercise rooms were often staffed by at least one professional ready with a detailed description of the various programs. One property featured a highly-integrated health maintenance exercise facility and on-site, medical clinic all coordinated with the University of Colorado’s cutting-edge Gerontology Center.
Where there wasn’t an easel poster in the lobby, detailing the property’s amenities, I would be handed a folder comprehensively detailing the rates and related offerings. But for the most part, the spirit of each encounter was “come and enjoy the facility” and we’ll get to the questions if and when you like.
And enjoying the facilities was indeed the highlight of the “Grand Tour”. It was not unlike a promenade through a series of thirty minute, well-catered, graduation parties combined with a sense of open house that the best real estate walk-through could not obtain. Trays of hors d'oeuvres, champagne, and invitations to meals-in-progress were the order of the day at several stops. While the more exotic offerings almost certainly aren’t standard fare especially for seniors on, say, low sodium diets, they emphasized the growing movement among these care providers to “get it right” when it comes to dining. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised, upon making a holiday visit, to see these same delectable’s back on the buffet tables. One of the executive chefs put it this way. “This is their home; they want their meatloaf and their mac & cheese. We just amp it up a little … but we want it to be healthy, too. I call it Five Star Home-style.”
For all the fanfare and fun, What do the residents think? They’ll tell you. At nearly every stop, residents were dressed as if to meet the President and some sported nametags or small corsages and, on occasion, helped staff a concierge table. “Of course I like it, I live here!”
And there wasn’t a property where I lost sight of Colorado. The properties at more of a distance from the Front Range had their own regional attractions: One sported an elevated location with the delightful view that comes from the perspective of stepping back a mile or two. Another is at the foot of a golf course framed by a scrub-oak clad sandstone mesa. Still another beholds Cheyenne Mountain to the Southwest, Pikes Peak straight ahead and, though it’s not readily visible, just 700 yards north, sits the historic site of Nikola Tesla’s mysterious electrical lab. And there’s one that, despite almost no view at all, is nestled within an expansive, wooded property replete with trails and a rustic, lodge-like feel.
How did it all feel the day after the Showcase? I suppose I could have driven the circuit and stopped back in but I didn’t. The balloons and ribbon are surely gone and the residents back to Mufti dress. Champagne buckets, today? Doubtful. But the participants have proven that the retirement bar is now raised. And, by dint of their effort, it is raised for the community of all the other facilities that weren’t on this weekend’s Passport. What does this portend for tomorrow? Come to the 2011 Showcase and see! One thing is for certain: they’ve put Colorado Springs on the national map as a first-rate retirement destination. It’s like the airline pilots, these days, say on arrival:
“We know you have more than one choice of carrier. Thank you for flying with us.”
2010 Showcase Participants:
Cheyenne Place – 719-576-2122
945 Tenderfoot Hill Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
www.cheyenneplace.com
Liberty Heights – 800-635-7438
12105 Ambassador Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80921
www.seniorlifestyle.com
MacKenzie Place – 719-633-8181
1605 Elm Creek View
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
www.mackenzieplace.com
Summit Glen – 719-387-4324
4825 Old Farm Circle
Colorado Springs, CO 80917
www.seniorlivinginstyle.com
The Inn at Garden Plaza – 719-630-1155
2520 International Circle
Colorado Springs, CO 80910
www.innatgardenplaza.com
The Palisades at Broadmoor Park – 719-226-2273
4547 Palisades Park View
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
www.palisadesatbroadmoorpark.com
ViewPointe – 719-528-8000
555 S. Rockrimmon Boulevard
Colorado Springs, CO 80919
www.bethesdaadultcommunities.com
Village at Skyline – 719-667-5360
2365 Patriot Heights
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
www.brookdaleliving.com/village-at-skyline.aspx