IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
With the rate of US citizens who are nearing retirement age increasing at a rapid pace, the retirement community business has been upping its game in an effort to increase their marketshare in the industry. It seems that those who are benefitting the most from this type of competition within the industry are the retiring seniors themselves. The main reason for this is simple, the more retirement communities compete, the better the care and service that will be offered at a reasonable rate.
A great example of this came from a recent visit to a retirement community in Fresno where the executive chef was brought in directly from a high-end restaurant, allowing the executive chef to bring in culinary skills to the community that far exceeded anything that you would expect from a senior living community. Not only did this community up their game when it came to the food itself, but it also created a dining experience that is not common among senior living communities. There was no set menu with extremely limited choices as was the norm in the senior living industry just 10-15 years ago, on the contrary the menu looked more like something you would see at a fancy steakhouse.
The other key difference we noted when visiting this community specializing in assisted living in Fresno was the fact that the ambiance more closely resembled that of a luxury cruise line than a retirement community. From the first step in the door, the decor, immediate attention from the staff, and warm atmosphere set the tone for the entire visit.
While the community we visited that specialized in assisted living and memory care in Fresno was definitely one of the nicest retirement communities we have ever seen, our tour also said quite a bit about how far the industry has come as a whole. It seems like just a decade ago there were regular horror stories on the news about things that were happening in assisted living facilities, and now the level of competition within the industry has driven communities to provide amazing amenities as well as rewarding experiences for their residents.
Just because we had such a positive experience while touring this facility doesn’t mean it is not important for you to do your due diligence when selecting an assisted living, memory care, or retirement community for yourself or a loved one. Some of the most important things to consider are online ratings, personal referrals, and the willingness of the community to let you tour the entire facility at a time when residents and staff are interacting. What amazed us the most about our tour is that it happened while staff and residents were conducting their own daily business. This allowed us to see what the staff and resident interaction truly looked like, what the meals were really like, and ensured that the tour was a true representation of the community itself.
We could not be more happy to see retirement communities upping their game and ensuring that seniors are able to enjoy the best years of their lives in luxury.
