Loving our furry friends makes us healthier.

For National Dog Day on August 26, we honor our four-legged friends and their amazing contributions. They calm and comfort, save lives, help those with disabilities and serve in the line of duty alongside law enforcement and military personnel.

It’s fitting that cat lovers have their day, too, with National Cat Day on October 29. There are few things that can soothe a stressful day than petting a purring cat or laughing at a mischievous kitten. It’s what makes looking for a pet-friendly senior living community so important.

Taking care of a cat or dog can provide a sense of purpose and create much-needed structure and routine to our days, especially as we age. As retirement — or the pandemic for that matter — keeps us closer to home, a pet companion’s unconditional love and loyalty can stand in for family and friends. Just knowing there’s someone at home who needs you and is happy to see you can feel reassuring and rewarding.

Along with love and companionship, pets offer a variety of benefits for seniors.

Whether you love a cuddly cat or a plush pooch, caring for a furry friend could be good for your health*, according to scientists. It’s possible that a well-matched pet can help:

• Decrease stress and anxiety
• Decrease blood pressure
• Decrease loneliness
• Increase exercise and outdoor activity (dogs)
• Decrease cholesterol levels (dogs)
• Increase socialization (dogs)
• Improve sleep
• Improve self-esteem

*According to the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Making a move? Look for pet-friendly senior living communities in Phoenix, AZ.

If you’re looking to make a move with your favorite canine or feline, it’s important to verify that the residence, immediate neighborhood and broader community are all pet-friendly.

• What are the rules and limitations regarding pets?
• Does the apartment, condo or patio home have room for you and your pet to move?
• Do you have easy access to the outdoors for your dog to exercise?
• Can you easily take your dog for an extended walk or run?
• Is it a safe area at night?
• Is there a fenced-in dog park?
• Are there pet waste stations?
• Are there any organized pet-friendly activities?
• Is there assistance available to care for your pet while you’re away or receiving medical care?

At Beatitudes Campus, your four-legged friend is most welcome. You’ll find doggie treats in every building, multiple dog parks with pet waste stations and paved walking areas throughout our campus — all within a gated, secure community monitored by staff 24/7. Our Beatitudes at Home program offers a variety of helpful services, including pet care.

Contact Beatitudes Campus in Phoenix, AZ

For more about Beatitudes Campus and our pet-friendly services and amenities, call us today at 602.883.1358 or send us a note using the form below.

For Starters, Music Improves Senior Health and Wellness

Whether you’re listening to your favorite singer, playing an instrument, performing as a tenor in a barbershop quartet or even belting out your own tunes in the shower, it seems music is good for you. How good? Quite good! Musical engagement was associated with higher rates of happiness, according to an AARP survey on seniors’ music habits.

If you’ve ever turned on the radio and began tapping your toes, you’ve felt the power of music putting you in a good mood. Along with lifting your spirits, research shows music can help reduce anxiety, improve cognition and memory, distract you from pain, motivate you to exercise and even lull you to sleep. Best of all, it’s inexpensive and easy to access, meaning all of these benefits are available to virtually everyone.

For seniors, interacting with music in a variety of ways offers the greatest benefits. For example, studies have found that active music-making engages most of your brain  and exercises your gross and fine motor skills. Listening to up-tempo music can help you feel energetic and increase your stamina, especially during exercise. When you want to wind down, listening to soothing music can have a calming and relaxing effect.

Groove to Your Own Beat at Beatitudes Campus

At Beatitudes Campus, our senior living community in Phoenix, it’s easy to enjoy different types of musical engagement because music is a big part of life here. You can attend full concerts as well as musical and dance performances by gifted artists from the local area and all across Arizona.

You can join a campus choir if you like to sing or play in a resident-led group that performs folk jam sessions and sing-a-longs. Our Beaded Lizard Music Jam happens twice a month and is a vibrant and joyful mash-up of music, poetry and other artistic performances by talented residents. During the holidays, carolers walk the campus sharing good tidings and seasonal songs.

Join Us for Wine and Music

This spring, we’re hosting a Music & Wine series with special events in February, March and April. We’d love for you to come out to Beatitudes Campus and experience our musical side in person. You’ll enjoy a festive evening of live music by local musicians, well-paired wines and plenty of good vibes.

To RSVP for one or all of our Music & Wine sessions, visit BeatitudesCampus.org/Events or call us at 602.833.1358. We look forward to sharing good music and good times with you!

It seems healthy aging is a popular topic these days for people of every generation. Perhaps it’s because September is Healthy Aging Month or maybe because research shows how exercise and healthy eating now can have profound effects on our health tomorrow.

We know from science that there are many other dimensions of good health. At Beatitudes Campus, we take healthy aging seriously. We use a holistic approach to health and wellness that encompasses mental, physical, spiritual and emotional well-being. In fact, we live by a fundamental philosophy that celebrates and supports healthy aging in all ways.

Leroy Calbom, who lives at Beatitudes Campus with his wife, Rita, described living at Beatitudes Campus this way, “It’s an ideal place to live with minimal demands and optimum opportunities, to respect diversity and celebrate the inclusiveness of being together as a family.”

Through our Success Matters program, you have access to a wide variety of services and resources that make life easier and enhance your overall well-being as you age. Perhaps you have questions about medical paperwork, need more information about Medicare coverage, want to coordinate transportation or have groceries delivered, find a support group or something else entirely, our experts can help.

Practicing healthy aging can help improve the quality of your life going forward. If you’re interested, read on to see how our community promotes healthy aging and independent living in your senior years.

Healthy Aging Opportunities at Beatitudes Campus

• Be Social — At Beatitudes Campus, you’ll discover incredibly welcoming and friendly residents in a casual atmosphere that feels like family.
• Try Something New — In our community, residents coordinate and direct campus programs. With more than 100 activities, you’re sure to find something you enjoy. If you don’t see what you’re interested in, you can help start a club or activity or suggest one to the community’s life enrichment team.
• Be A Part of the Neighborhood —Beatitudes Campus offers a thriving community on campus and in the surrounding neighborhood. With less time spent maintaining a home, you can truly enjoy the community you live in.
• Stay Curious — Learning offers enormous benefits as we age. From the beginning, our senior living community has embraced the pursuit of knowledge. With our Lifelong Learners program, it’s easy to stretch your imagination, feed your curiosity and learn new things.
• Be Proactive and Keep Moving — Take advantage of the fitness center, pool, walking paths and other Beatitudes Campus amenities to stay active and in control of your health.

More Resources on Healthy Aging

To learn more about how Beatitudes Campus’ services and amenities enhance wellness later in life, check out our blog on senior health and fitness or this blog on how physical activity benefits older adults. You’ll also find great tips for adding healthy habits to your everyday life. (Tips like sharing meals with others to breaking a familiar routine.)

If you love animals, you’re sure to read our blog on how pets can be good for your health as you age. It also includes details about how Beatitudes Campus is a pet-friendly senior living community. We want both you and your furry friends to feel welcome.

We invite you to come for a visit and see our holistic approach to healthy aging in person. Schedule a time to join us on campus and learn about our community. Call us at 602.833.1358 or send us a note using the form below.

Future Expansion Offers Right Place In The Right Community At The Right Time

When Beatitudes Campus began its new expansion of Patio Homes, Marta and Tom Brooks of Phoenix, Arizona, were interested but the timing felt off. They weren’t quite ready to move yet. However, when the senior living community announced its latest expansion, the Promenade Residences, would be coming in 2023, they jumped at the opportunity to be the first in line to choose their new place.

“We’ve been thinking about and planning for the future. We like the idea of living in a community that offers helpful services, maintenance-free living and care options. We’ve looked at quite a number actually, both here in Phoenix and in Flagstaff, where my husband’s daughter lives,” said Marta. “Beatitudes Campus was the best fit for us. The Promenade Residences offered the perfect solution. We could get our choice of a new place and we didn’t have to move in immediately.”

For Marta, a retired healthcare executive and former nurse, Beatitudes Campus was a top choice from the beginning. She had previously worked with the community in her role at a not-for-profit organization.

“I had worked with Beatitudes Campus as well as other senior living communities on a professional level for some time. My familiarity with the staff and the day-to-day operations made me very comfortable with them,” she said.

Charter Members Get First Choice

As part of the expansion, Beatitudes Campus developed the Promenade Charter Membership program to give future residents the ability to learn about and evaluate the plans for the new residences and get to know Beatitudes Campus better. Those who are ready to take the next step can choose their favorite floor plan and location from the available residences. As the first Promenade Charter Members, Marta and Tom had their pick of any place in the building. They chose a spacious Two-Bedroom Grand apartment on the corner.

“We both love the layout. I particularly find it appealing with its open great room and the location of the guest room versus the master bedroom and the spaciousness of the storage and closets,” said Marta. “We’re absolutely delighted with the way they organized the layout of the property to include resources in the building without having them right at your front door.”

Promenade Charter Members enjoy other benefits too, including lower pricing, choice of features, finishes and upgrades, invitations to special events and more.

“We especially liked being able to hear about the plans before anyone else and the ability to choose where we wanted to live,” said Marta. “Plus, we’ve been able to participate in some of the decisions about the interior finishes, which was nice.”

Making The Transition

Even as exciting as it is to watch one’s plans come into focus, the thought of making a move can still feel daunting. For Tom, a retired judge and lifelong Arizona resident, moving from his home of 40 years feels bittersweet. To help ease the transition, Beatitudes Campus offers a variety of moving resources.

“He’s been living here since 1982 and making the transition is a big deal. Thankfully, Beatitudes Campus offers so much support for the move. He definitely didn’t realize how valuable that is,” said Marta. “I was an Army brat and lived in 27 different houses, not counting transition housing so moving to me is something I could do in my sleep.”

Along with help with moving, Beatitudes Campus offers one-on-one assistance from a residency counselor.

“Part of the pleasure of this experience has been working with our residency counselor, Sara Paull. She has become a member of the family. She’s very responsive and absolutely wonderful, and a reflection of the nature of the staff at Beatitudes Campus,” said Marta.

Summing It Up

With all that the Beatitudes Campus lifestyle offers, what are Marta and Tom most excited about when thinking about their future move into the Promenade Residences?

“There’s a certain burden with homeownership and that burden becomes larger as you get older. It’s harder to get things done. When the time comes, we’ll like not having the constant concern about living in an older house and our ability to keep up with things,” said Marta. “We won’t even have to change a lightbulb.”

So, you feel like you picked the right place in the right community at the right time?

“You can say that. No question. I already feel a sense of belonging,” she said.

For more information about the Promenade Residences or becoming a Charter Member, call (602) 833-1358 or contact us through our online form below.

The nation’s largest older adult health and wellness event, now in its 28th year, is May 26. National Senior Health & Fitness Day® will see 100,000 seniors in 1,000-plus locations participating in local health and wellness events.

We embrace and affirm this special day, pointing to our long-standing dedication to creating the community setting in which seniors can readily engage in healthy, fit lifestyles. We’re coming out of a year in which a pandemic has limited access and activity for everyone. Therefore, this is an especially good time to ramp up your personal wellness practices.

Start Simple.

Consider basics, such as:

• Healthy eating. Meaning, you should try to avoid the bad fats, control portions, get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, include nuts, trim the salt—and do what your doctor tells you.
• Dinner guests. Friendship is good for you, and during shared meals, you’re likely to eat less.
• Body & brain exercise. Strength-building and cardio training take care of what’s below your chin but also remember to go upstairs to keep your brain growing. Reading, writing, word and memory games—it’s all good for the gray matter.
• Falling is a health risk and adding balance exercises to your fitness routine can help you avoid accidents.
• Breaking routines. While the familiar brings comfort, trying something new or doing something differently can stimulate you mentally and physically.

The All-In-One Wellness Move.

Families often remark on the myriad improvements they observe in their loved ones after a move to a senior living community. It could be the food, the socially engaging environment, the programs and activities, or even the freedom from homeownership responsibilities. Or simply the entire lifestyle’s effect on the resident.

Serving One Purpose Above All.

Senior living communities offer a setting for healthy living.

John Shilling, Director of Life Enrichment at Beatitudes Campus, oversees resident-serving departments at the community. His Life Enrichment team coordinates campus-wide services, including fitness, transportation and programs.

By creating meaningful opportunities for engagement, Life Enrichment fulfills the community’s purpose—to enrich residents’ lives. In doing so, the team must also rely on residents to share their ideas for what they want.

“We create an environment where there are no walls—where every Beatitudes resident feels welcome in every program,” John says.

“Anyone Can Make Their Ideas Come To Life.”

Senior living communities typically offer a variety of programs for life enrichment. However, Beatitudes Campus is among the few that provide such depth and breadth of programming—with many originating from residents’ expressed interests.

• Art gallery exhibits
• Art studio
• Ceramics and painting classes
• Gardening areas and walking paths
• Three dog parks
• Musical and dance performances
• Woodworking shop
• Committees, clubs and special interest groups
• Educational programs
• Lectures and presentations
• Spiritual programs
• Volunteer opportunities
• Bocce ball court
• Fitness Center with state-of-the-art equipment
• Fitness classes
• Heated swimming pool
• Motion studio for exercise and fitness classes
• Putting green

In addition, Beatitudes Campus residents can also continue to learn. The Beatitudes Center for Lifelong Learning offers spring, summer and fall semesters, with as many as two dozen courses each semester. Plus, new courses are continuously in development—as resources become available or when residents express their interest.

Wellness Is A Point Of View.

In short, integrating wellness practices—the life enrichment that comes from fitness, socializing and learning—makes for a way of life not possible outside the community setting. That’s why life in a senior living community is good for your well-being. And it’s why so many new residents say, “I wish I’d moved here sooner.”

So, on National Senior Health & Fitness Day, take up the challenge of enriching your life. Ramp up your personal wellness practices. Call (602) 833-1358 to schedule a tour at Beatitudes Campus or submit a form online.

Discover how a healthy, fit lifestyle can be an ideal choice for you and your family.

As you look to future healthcare needs, it’s hard to prepare for everything, especially for something as unique as a worldwide pandemic. But, with a little planning, you can be ready for most foreseeable situations and hope that your plan also holds steady against even the most unpredictable circumstances. It’s time to plan, so you’re prepared for tomorrow.

Fortunately, that’s what Beatitudes Campus and other Life Plan communities offer—a safety net of sorts. They provide true peace of mind for your future healthcare needs by offering virtually everything you need at the community.

For example, in Beatitudes Campus’ onsite clinic, Mobile Valley Physicians, physicians and nurse practitioners can help you with primary care and podiatry services as well as coordinate rehabilitative therapies and lab tests and help you manage any chronic illnesses you have. Better yet, they can make house calls when you don’t feel like coming into the physician’s office.

Beatitudes Campus also offers ongoing in-home care and support as well as a variety of health services in the onsite health center. Whether you’re recovering from an injury or surgery, need to regain strength or manage pain, our rehabilitative experts can tailor a program just for you. If you ever need long-term nursing care or memory support, we offer several levels of care.

Beatitudes Campus Residents Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

As for the pandemic, Beatitudes Campus has been at the forefront ensuring residents are able to stay safe while receiving the essential services they need. We’re privileged to be part of the early vaccine rollout and getting vaccines into the arms of those who are most vulnerable to the coronavirus. All residents and staff will have the opportunity to be vaccinated on January 26, 2021, with second follow-up on-campus clinics occurring on February 23 and March 23, 2021.

MSNBC’s Vaughn Hillyard joins Beatitudes Campus resident Harriet “Hootie” Redwine
as her partner of 39 years receives the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Joining the vaccination program is just one example of Beatitudes Campus’ commitment to caring for seniors and their families. We’re a nationally recognized, award-winning leader in senior living because of our innovative programs, exceptional healthcare and vibrant, purpose-driven lifestyle.

Whether it’s ensuring you’re surrounded by enjoyable amenities and supportive services or securing early access to a critical vaccine, Beatitudes Campus helps you plan ahead and prepare for predictable—even unpredictable—circumstances. That’s real peace of mind.

Visit our video gallery and follow us on Facebook to see more about life at Beatitudes Campus.

Let’s talk about it!

Want to experience Beatitudes Campus for yourself? Call us today at (602) 883-1358 or submit a form online.