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.

It’s hard enough—whether it’s by necessity or for convenience—to make a relocation decision for yourself or a loved one. Emotions run high. The need might be urgent. You searched for a nursing home, but aren’t sure what you found? The language of senior living can feel complicated.

And then you encounter the big question: What exactly are you looking for? Independent living or assisted living? A retirement home, nursing home, or senior apartments? Or is a CCRC what you need? (And what is a CCRC?) I see the term “Life Plan Community” used. Is that the same as a CCRC?

We can help sort this out, providing perspective on the language of senior living that helps you know what the service and care levels are—and feel more confident about your search, too.

Independent Living

For those 62 and older—or in some communities, 55+—independent living is a lifestyle setting that provides comfortable senior apartments or other kinds of residences in which seniors can pursue daily life as they wish. It’s the freedom to maintain your current lifestyle but enhanced by a host of services and amenities.

Independent living residents have few, if any, health conditions that limit their independence. By choosing a community over the continuing burdens of homeownership, they gain the benefits of the community’s programs, activities, dining, and social milieu. Independent living is not considered a level of care because residents don’t require care. But support and kindness are invariably found in abundance.

That’s why it’s common for new independent living residents to claim they wish they’d made the move sooner.

Assisted Living

With a comfortable residence designed to help less-than-fully-independent seniors live as independently as possible, residents get a helping hand with daily life. You may hear about the ADLs, the Activities of Daily Living. Assisted living customizes care to a resident’s needs and how much assistance they need with the ADLs:

• Personal hygiene. Bathing/showering, grooming, and oral care.
• Dressing. Making appropriate clothing decisions; dressing and undressing.
• Eating.
• Maintaining continence. Using the restroom; hygiene.
• Transferring/Mobility. Being able to stand from a sitting position; getting in and out of bed; walking independently between locations.

A second set of actions—the IADLs, or Instrumental Activities of Daily Living—are functions that aren’t required daily but can also demonstrate the continuing or diminishing capabilities of a senior. IADLs are:

• Basic communication skills (includes phone and email).
• Transportation (driving, arranging rides, or using public transportation).
• Meal preparation.
• Shopping.
• Housework.
• Managing medications.
• Managing personal finances.

An assisted living community will assess new residents’ abilities relative to all these daily living activities and create individualized plans for helping each resident succeed. You can also expect assisted living services to adapt to a wide range of health care needs that might change over time, from minor to more acute.

Long-Term Care 

Sometimes known as skilled nursing, long-term skilled care, or a nursing home, the care setting is residential and staffed with RNs and a variety of other professionals. Long-term care provides for those who have a chronic illness.

In more recent times, the term “nursing home” has fallen out of favor. This is a reflection of how hospitality and activity programs are integrated with long-term care on campuses that include other levels of care—and often independent living, too.

Short-Term Care 

Also called short-term rehabilitation or simply rehabilitation, these specialized therapies—speech, physical, and vocational—address the needs of those recovering after surgery, accident, or illness. Short-term care is often found within the long-term care setting, where suitable residences, medical professionals, and equipment are readily available.

Short-term care is often hard work for the resident/patient and is, therefore, made as comfortable as possible. The objective will be to speed up the recovery process while ensuring further rehab won’t be needed after discharge.

CCRC

Short for Continuing Care Retirement Community, which has lately been simplified to “Life Plan” community, the CCRC is the flagship among senior living or retirement communities. In addition to independent living, a CCRC also offers a continuum of care services, which may include assisted living, a memory care program, long-term care, and short-term care.

Often, those who move into a CCRC’s independent living can have access to discounts on levels of care, making this an attractive plan for life —or “Life Plan.” Residents and their families know that if a resident ever needs care, it will be provided in a known setting by those who’ve already established their compassion and trustworthiness.

Life Care

Some communities offer a contract that promises to deliver independent living residents any level of care needed for about the same rate as independent living. The rates for assisted living, memory care, and long-term care are usually higher when those care levels are entered directly. But with Life Care, independent living residents will pay less for those levels of care.

Terms That Misrepresent

You might also encounter such terms as elderly, frail, senior citizen, the aged, or retiree. You won’t hear these from us, however, because these are words that marginalize, and seniors routinely rate them poor choices for their age group. Their preferences—and ours—include “seniors,” “older adults” and “older people.”

Finally, you’ll sometimes hear “facility”—for example, assisted living facility or nursing facility. We don’t use “facility” because it’s institutional-sounding and, therefore, dehumanizing. We’re the opposite of dehumanizing. In fact, Beatitudes Campus and other senior living communities are, by vision, mission, and design, humanizing.

We Stand Behind Our Words

For generations, families in and beyond Phoenix have turned to Beatitudes Campus for senior living. The region’s first community of its kind, we are today a true Phoenix original. We’ve served the region longer, with more integrity and more success than any other senior living community.

Over the years, we’ve helped hundreds of families find the right answers to their senior living questions and needs. When you’re searching, we can help you, too. Call us at (602) 883-1358 or contact us online.

Although they’re popular among older adults, senior living rental options are rarely offered in full-service retirement communities. Typically, rental apartments are clustered together in a neighborhood where management takes care of maintenance and provides a few basic amenities. Residents pay à la carte for everything else. What are the benefits of renting at Beatitudes Campus?

At Beatitudes Campus, you can choose from a wide variety of residential options, including our rental Plaza Apartments—one of the most flexible and affordable options in full-service independent living in all of Phoenix and the surrounding area.

Flexibility, Affordability

Choosing a rental Plaza Apartment at Beatitudes Campus offers the best of all worlds. You get the flexibility of affordable and predictable month-to-month renting while our staff takes care of everything, making life at Beatitudes Campus truly maintenance-free. You never have to worry about changing a light bulb, fixing a faucet or mowing the lawn ever again.

An Entire Community Of Services & Amenities

One of the very best aspects of living at Beatitudes Campus, regardless of which residential option you choose, is the ability to enjoy the conveniences, amenities and lifestyle of our full-service senior living community.

Just beyond your front door, you have full, unlimited access to Beatitudes Campus’ services, amenities and activities, including social events, lifelong learning classes, recreational programs, fitness classes and more.

At Beatitudes Campus, you enjoy a sense of security, too, knowing you’ve planned ahead for the future you want. Part of preparing for tomorrow means knowing where you’ll receive care if you ever need it.

As a resident of Beatitudes Campus, you’ll have access to onsite health services should you ever need them, from an outpatient clinic for primary care to rehabilitative therapies,skilled nursing care and memory support. We even offer in-home care and support. You or your health insurance only pay for the health care services you need, when you need them.

Plaza Apartments Feature:

• Flexible month-to-month rental, no lease required
• Choice of studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans
• Recently updated finishes and common spaces
• Access to all Campus amenities and activities
• Pay-as-you-need-it onsite healthcare available at market rate

Your Monthly Rent Includes:

• All utilities
• Housekeeping
• Maintenance
• Flexible dining program at Beatitudes Campus restaurants
• 24-hour security

Now is a great time to consider a Plaza Apartment. It’s a fantastic senior living rental option right here in Phoenix in an area you know and love. We recently gave the Plaza Apartment lounges a whole new look.

We know that with so many choices, deciding which senior living option is right for you can be daunting. At Beatitudes Campus, we want to be a trusted resource to help you navigate your choices. To learn more about planning for your future, request a free retirement planning guide.

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

Let’s Talk About It!

Curious if a senior living rental option at Beatitudes Campus is the perfect match for your future? Call us today at (602) 883-1358 or send us a note using the form below. We’d love to welcome you to Campus for a tour and are happy to answer all of your questions.

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.

The holidays at Beatitudes Campus are a magical time of year, especially traditional holiday celebrations. Twinkling lights create spectacular displays. Resident musicians play festive music. Carolers sing. Secret Santas leave gifts. The faithful attend special services. Residents lead charitable events to help those in need. And prior to the pandemic, residents and their guests would mix and mingle, dine, and dance at holiday and New Year’s Eve parties. 

From November through early January, it’s truly a wonderful time of year at Beatitudes Campus. It’s all made possible by the hard work and dedication of residents and staff. The maintenance teams spend days trimming trees and decorating buildings with holiday décor and thousands of lights.

Traditionally, throughout the community, you’ll see residents spearheading dozens of special events, programs, and activities that celebrate joy and friendship, faith and generosity. You can jump in and help or simply pick your favorites and enjoy.

If you love a slice of chocolatey bûche de noël, caramel apple pie, or red velvet cake, why spend all day in the kitchen? The Campus restaurant culinary staff and pastry chefs create delicious and decadent holiday treats all season long.  

Different But Just As Joyful In A Pandemic

While this year’s holiday season is definitely different and some traditional activities aren’t possible, the staff and residents at Beatitudes Campus are finding happy and safe ways to enjoy the holiday spirit.

“Everyone is pulling together to make this the safest possible celebration even though we cannot get together with our families and friends like we usually do,” said Beatitudes Campus resident Cynthia Cielle. 

Instead of a big Christmas dinner held on campus, residents enjoyed a holiday meal delivered to their door. Live choirs and concerts, strolling carolers and musicians gave way to broadcasted performances. Instead of holiday parties, small but special moments brought smiles.

“This year, we’re doing little pop-ups like handing out hot cocoa as residents walk by and giving gift bags to those who live in assisted living and the health center. The staff created a Christmas parade with floats. We took videos to broadcast on the in-house TV channel. To keep everyone’s spirits lifted, the Spiritual Life department created a variety of programs held mostly on the closed-circuit TV channel,” continued Cielle. 

Hopefully, soon, we’ll be able to get back to big, boisterous celebrations, beautiful choirs, and bustling volunteer efforts. In the meantime, most residents feel grateful that Beatitudes Campus is ensuring life goes on even in a pandemic. 

Follow us on Facebook to discover how Beatitudes Campus sets a safe and festive backdrop for your spring, summer, and winter holiday traditions and to see more stories from our 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.

For some, the season of giving and gratitude comes once a year. At Beatitudes Campus, it truly lasts all year long. Volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic is a great example of how our residents have shown their involvement. Hundreds of residents spend thousands of hours helping others, from tutoring students and assisting with English language translation to visiting homebound seniors and organizing sustainability projects.

Resident musicians hold live performances on campus while artists exhibit amazing artwork at Beatitudes’ Annual Art Show. Some join in parks and rail cleanup programs. Others help organize charity events.

Giving back is such a deeply important part of our senior living community that we have an entire CARECorps™ volunteer program designed to connect residents with opportunities to serve. Their impact starts right here in the Beatitudes Campus community and reaches out to local communities all around Phoenix and the state of Arizona. It’s one of the reasons Beatitudes Campus is an award-winning place to live.

Be Inspired: Learn How Residents Share Their Time & Talents
Dedicated resident volunteers use their time and talents in countless ways. Not even the pandemic can stop them because they’re Beatitudes Strong. 

Bridging The Gap With Tech
Joining a team of other residents with tech-savvy skills, Marc Adelman helps people setup and use their TVs, computers, video calls, email, cell phones and other smart devices. This year, we’ve all learned how very important technology is in keeping us connected to family and friends. 

Before the pandemic, Marc helped create the computerized tracking system for the Gaming Connection™, a special calendar that organizes all of the game and puzzle meetups happening across campus. Residents use the system every day to find fun things to do while staying safe.

Continuing Education
Residents manage and operate the Beatitudes Center for Lifelong Learning™, which features an expansive program of college-style courses taught by college professors, entrepreneurs, artists, campus staff and resident experts. Normally, the program includes three in-person semesters packed with classes. During the pandemic, resident experts have been teaching virtual classes on the closed circuit TV channel.

Giving Their Time
Like the lifelong learning program, residents manage and operate the Backstreet Boutique thrift shop, whose proceeds benefit the Beatitudes Auxiliary. Although it’s not as open as often with the pandemic, our resident volunteers are the heartbeat of this shop.

Shaping The Future
Residents serve in an array of campus organizations designed to enhance life, including the Welcome Committee, Dining Committee, Health and Wellness Committee, faith-based groups and more. 

Through the Welcome Committee, resident ambassadors help new residents settle in and find their way around. Being a part of the Ambassadors program provides potential residents a personal view of life at Beatitudes Campus.

Many residents are actively involved with The Studio, a residents’ think tank that works with the Beatitudes Campus leadership to foster and create innovative resident-driven programs for the future.

Be Impactful: Are You Looking For Ways To Show Your Gratitude & Give Back This Season?

Here are five things you can do right now while staying safe during the pandemic.

1. Donate Food & Essentials To A Community Pantry. So many individuals and families are in dire need of the basics during the pandemic, especially those working on the frontlines in grocery stores, warehouses, restaurants, food processing plants, gas stations and medical centers. Show your support and gratitude by making a drop-off donation to a community pantry near you. Better yet, let your friends and neighbors know what you’re doing and ask if they would like to contribute to make a bigger impact.

2. Give Blood. Blood is almost always in short supply at hospitals and with the pandemic the situation is getting even worse. Show your support and gratitude for health care workers by giving blood. While it may not sound like much, by doing so you’ll literally save lives. Find where to donate on the Red Cross website.

3. Ordering Takeout? Tip As If You’re Dining In. All across the country locally owned restaurants are on the brink of closing because of the effects of the pandemic. Support small businesses and their employees by ordering takeout and show your gratitude for the risk they’re taking by tipping as if you’re dining in.

4. Ask A Local School How You Can Help Disadvantaged Students. As schools move from in-person classes to remote learning, students and their families are struggling to adapt. Many students need simple things like a desk, chair or printer. Others need tutoring and help with homework. Some students are left alone while their parents work and need the reassuring voice of an adult. Show your support for educators and students caught up in this crisis by helping where you can. If you have extra office equipment and the school knows of students in need, consider donating it. If you can help with a school subject and are savvy with computers and video calling, consider tutoring a student virtually. If you have time to spare, consider joining Big Brothers Big Sisters or AmeriCorps Foster Grandparent program to keep kids company virtually while they’re alone.

5. Wear A Mask. Show your support and gratitude for all of the exhausted healthcare workers out there by wearing a mask. Lead the way in your family, among your friends and in your neighborhood. Wearing a mask is a simple step that helps protect you and others. Most importantly, if you feel sick, contact your doctor, stay home and take care of yourself. 

Follow us on Facebook for more volunteering ideas and to read about amazing resident stories from our campus.

Let’s Talk About It!
Want to experience Beatitudes Campus for yourself, call us today at (602) 883-1358 or contact us online.