University Village offers some of the best and most diverse activities, events, clubs, exercise programs, and study groups that you will ever find in a senior living community. Seniors have the opportunity to develop a strong network of positive relationships in physical, intellectual, spiritual, and social settings.
How is this different than other communities? University Village has developed a culture that promotes successful aging. Masterpiece Living is an integrated approach to lifestyle enhancement. University Village further facilitates Masterpiece Living’s successful aging initiative with state-of-the-art amenities and services designed to provide a quality living environment.
What prompted this shift? Back in the early eighties, The MacArthur Foundation Study on Aging discovered that how we age depended more on our lifestyle, the choices we make, than on our genes. The Study also found that a lifestyle that was physically, mentally, and socially active resulted in higher levels of performance no matter what age. In other words, lifestyle was associated with successful aging.
Larry Landry, then the CFO of the MacArthur Foundation and later the CEO of Westport Advisors Ltd., challenged a group of experts in aging, including Dr. Robert Kahn of the MacArthur Study on Aging, to make the vision come to life. In collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, the Masterpiece Living experience was developed.
In the fall of 2003, University Village was one of the first communities of Westport Advisors Ltd. to introduce and implement this successful approach to senior living. The culture at University Village recognizes the ability of older adults to flourish and then nurtures them to become all they can be.
Resident involvement at University Village is thriving. The positive community spirit is contagious. Residents look out for each other and encourage friends and new residents to join in and participate.
Staff members aren’t merely employees—they are an integral part of the culture. Michelle Cronin, Director of Wellness, coordinates with the residents to plan all of the purposeful activities that fill the weekly and monthly calendars.
Staff involvement doesn’t end there. The University Village Human Resource Director facilitates the Keeping Current group which meets every Wednesday morning. The Executive Director, Tim Parker, hosts monthly Town Hall meetings plus he leads a sing-a-long that residents look forward to each month. Shana Garcia, Masterpiece Living Coordinator, facilitates the research-based process that produces the measurable positive results in residents.
Tim Parker, noted with enthusiasm, “We have established a deeper commitment to our residents by providing an opportunity for seniors to achieve a full life—one that is long, healthy, and happy. Masterpiece Living has provided the tools necessary to accomplish this.”
Read Part 2: Implementing and Achieving Your Masterpiece Living Lifestyle
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