StoneRidge adds flexibility for a new age
Mystic — One-size-fits-all no longer works at StoneRidge, the retirement community off Jerry Brown Road that was a landmark development when it opened more than 10 years ago.
StoneRidge rode a wave of retirement community development that unfolded in southeastern Connecticut during the 2000's in anticipation of Baby Boomers transitioning toward senior living. It was the first of the region's so-called continuing care communities built from the ground up with the intention of meeting a wide range of elder needs, from social requirements to long-term nursing care.
But when baby-boomer plans for retirement turned to action, StoneRidge executives found elder needs had shifted beneath their feet, said Richard J. Kisner, executive director of the 270-unit community. A soft real estate market combined with the region's economic doldrums and a new demand for customizable amenities have led to much more flexibility in StoneRidge's offerings.
"They almost want to pick from a menu," Kisner said of today's seniors.
So that's essentially what StoneRidge has begun to offer, a smorgasbord of options that include the unbundling of meal and health care plans in deference to people who enjoy eating out regularly or who have long-term health insurance that pays for some of the programs normally provided by the facility.
"Everything is to make it more affordable," Kisner said.
For instance, StoneRidge previously had only one option for entrance — a six-figure fee that was 70 percent refundable upon a person's death. The original plan is still available, but now the community has the option of lower fees, starting at about $136,000, with the lowest price not refundable, an acknowledgment that not all residents have children expecting inheritances.
Dorothy Schrage, marketing director for StoneRidge, said Kisner's experience as both a registered nurse and an executive with for-profit and nonprofit healthcare facilities made him the perfect architect of the the Mystic community's new options.
Among the options: a food plan that provides 15 meals a month as opposed to the previously sole meal-a-day option that comes with the basic entrance package.
"Richard was passionate about providing more options for people to come here," Schrage said. "He brought to the table a lot more options."
Schrage acknowledged that customization has lengthened the sales process, but she supports the idea that consumers should be given a true choice in their retirement years. And the choices, she said, can change significantly over the years.
"We see people from the 60s to the 100s," Kisner said. "It's a continuum of care."
While the most important options for those in their 60s might include entertainment and exercise, the key decisions for older residents often revolve around medical needs, he said.
And as a continuing-care community — one that promises to house, entertain and care for its residents right to the end of life — StoneRidge officials have a wide range of activities and facilities available to members, including everything from a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef to a unit dedicated to patients with memory problems.
One recent week's activity calendar included bridge lessons, religious services, fitness classes, movies, shopping trips, social hours, wellness lectures and a meeting of a group that brews its own beer.
"It's almost like a cruise ship that's landed," Kisner said of all the activities. "We are always looking for things that are fun to do."
StoneRidge leaders also embrace residents' need to arrange their own fun, hence the regular meetings of Lunch Bunch and Dinner Divas who enjoy outings at restaurants around town. Residents also have formed committees around such issues as gardening, health and finances, and some have been known to hold good-sized parties in their own apartments.
"The residents own the quality of life they experience here," Kisner said.
The biggest problem older people have is social isolation, he said, a situation that rarely happens at StoneRidge because of all the opportunities to socialize, especially for those who arrive at StoneRidge before health concerns become paramount because this allows them to build the social networks that will help support them when an ailment strikes.
Still, according to Schrage, there are generally three types of StoneRidge residents — the planners who crunch all the numbers and make the choice on their own; those who come after a health crisis; and those who arrive after losing their spouse. A fourth group driving decisions are the children of the elderly, who are concerned about them being alone, she added.
"Our biggest challenge," she said, "is to get people to recognize what's actually here."
Kisner said StoneRidge takes a lot of the hardest and least rewarding parts of day-to-day living off the shoulders of the elderly, such as maintenance and cleaning.
"We really allow people to keep their marriages going," he said. "All their problems are now our problems."
About 35 percent of StoneRidge residents are couples, and the average age of entry is somewhere in the late 70s to early 80s, Kisner said. Amenities include a saltwater pool, pub, billiards room, arts studio, library and a fitness facility, along with a cardiac center and 40-bed skilled nursing unit.
"It's the Ritz-Carlton of retirement communities," Kisner said.
Residents are screened to make sure they don't have any significant barriers to independent living, such as dementia. After acceptance, they are guaranteed to be cared for largely within the facility until the end of their days.
Kisner said continuing-care communities have a track record of extending people's longevity because of the social connections that are paramount to recovery.
"You can never be turned out," he said. "We commit to our people."
Golf, tennis, yoga and pilates are some of the regular activities enjoyed by StoneRidge's 325 residents. A men's club, chorus, cribbage group and craft brewery keep everyone laughing and congregating.
"It's a huge quality-of-life upgrade," Kisner said.
l.howard@theday.com
Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
