Retirement community integrates health care

Bill Kirkendall is trying to ride the "wave" like a Laguna Beach surfer. He's got the knee action down pretty good for an 88-year-old.

"That's fun. I like working on my balance," he says after gingerly stepping off the cardio equipment that simulates surfing and skateboarding.

His session was part of a strength and balance class at The Palisades at Broadmoor Park, the new retirement home where he lives.

The Palisades is making waves in the world of gerontology by partnering with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in a unique program run by faculty and students to benefit residents.

The university's Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences and its gerontology center are providing expertise for the residents with an on-site health clinic staffed by nurse practitioners, and a program to help them stay fit and independent by improving strength, conditioning, balance and flexibility.

But that's just the beginning. Other university departments - psychology, sociology, theater and arts, among others - will help create a lifelong-learning center promoting mental fitness through classes, discussion groups, community outings, book and game clubs and community service opportunities. The university is also bringing lecturers, art exhibits and theater programs to The Palisades.

Undergraduates, graduate students and interns in most university departments are interacting with the residents. Even business students will get an opportunity to learn how such retirement communities operate, and some graduates will create their dissertations based on research at The Palisades.

Once the program is in full gear, new residentswill be given health assessments when they arrive, then receive ongoing wellness checks every six months to gauge their progress and see whether certain classes have been helpful.

The partnership between the developer, Dunn and Associates, and the university is thought to be the first of its kind in the country, and promises to become a model for other universities working to improve the quality of life for the elderly. It's already won a national gerontology award for its innovative program.

"As far as we know, we are the first to put integrated health care right into senior housing," says professor Sara Honn Qualls, director of the UCCS Gerontology Center.

"The idea is to use the rich intellectual and cultural resources of the university and combine it with all the rich lives of the residents to the benefit of each other. We will both be learning."

The Palisades opened the first week in September, and professors and graduate students are already becoming an integral part of the daily lives of residents in the senior community. Eventually, some graduate students will live at The Palisades as scholars in residence.

"The goal is to create a new culture and reduce the fear of living a long time," says Mary Ann Kluge, professor of health sciences. "We want to add life to their years, not just years to their life."

Moreover, the partnership gets the students and professors out of their ivory towers.

"They get the real deal: feedback from real people, not a book," Kluge says.

Mixing it up

The idea for The Palisades started in 2004 after Qualls and developer Jeff Dunn were introduced at a community economic development event. Eventually a legal collaboration between the university and Dunn and Associates was formed.

Dunn, who built his first retirement home in 1978 and has been in the senior residential business for decades, wanted something beyond the same-old same-old.

"When I decided to build Palisades I vowed it was not going to be just another one as usual," says Dunn, who spent more than $20 million on the project. "It was going to be special, with everything state of the art."

That's where one of Qualls' roles came into play.

"He asked me what in gerontology research could be translated to senior housing, and off we went with lots of ideas," Qualls recalls.

The gerontology center suggested many design elements to preserve seniors' independence and safety. For example, electrical outlets in the apartments are 2 feet off the floor for easy reach.

And then there are the perks - amenities that include a salon and spa, concierge services, several cafes and a dining room that serves gourmet meals.

But having the perfect home environment matters little if health and social needs are not met, Dunn says.

So residents are being immersed in the community with jaunts to lectures and other events on and off campus. Kirkendall, the "wave" rider, recently took a group trip to Cripple Creek and a state park.

"I hope to do it all," Kirkendall says. "I can see it's going to keep me moving."

Inclusive package

The Palisades offers independent- and assisted-living facilities, including a unit for those with memory difficulties.

A one-bedroom, one-bath apartment in the independent units starts at about $2,650 a month. It sounds pricey, but residents say that's the market price, and they consider it a bargain, considering that it includes utilities, cable, Internet access, local phone service with voice mail, weekly housekeeping, transportation, wellness programs, nutrition consultation and meal plans.

"What is offered is a very good deal," says Bill Kirkendall's daughter, Kate Kirkendall.
Phyllis Shadrick, 82, moved to The Palisades from a condo a few blocks away because she was intrigued by the offerings that come with the UCCS partnership. One of the first things she did was sign up to attend a dinner theater outing on Halloween night, something she says she wouldn't have done if she were not at The Palisades. Next up: a trip with other residents to see a play.

"The food is absolutely gourmet, the desserts are great, and the employees are top notch," Shadrick says. And best of all, she says, she got to keep her two Chihuahuas, Princess and Cookie.

Sharing lessons

Determining what services to provide to seniors and how to do it economically is an urgent quest for gerontologists everywhere as the huge baby boom generation enters old age.

Dunn, Qualls and others involved with the program hopethat lessons learned at The Palisades can be used to provide services to those without access to such university expertise, perhaps through commercial applications.

Dunn and Associates has assigned the intellectual property rights from the collaboration to UCCS so that any profits reaped from programs developed through the effort can be plowed back into more university research. Dunn will also give 1 percent of the gross profits from the residence to support the research at UCCS.

In October, The Palisades received the national Intergeneration Foundation's "Intergeneration Means Business" award.

Sandy Kraemer, a Colorado Springs attorney and president of the foundation, says the organization was especially impressed that work at The Palisades is expected to lead to a model to serve seniors around the country.

"There has been a big commitment of money and dedication, and while other retirement centers have bits and pieces of this, they don't have it all like they do," Kraemer says.