< PreviousMoon Township Senior Connection at Tapestry Senior Living 550 Cherrington Parkway, Moon Township Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Register at www.moonparks.org/ programs/seniors.asp# or call (412) 262-1703 x 415 on Monday-Thursday, 1-4:30 p.m., or Friday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Ongoing Programs: • Tuesday Tea Parties, Tuesdays, 1-2 p.m. • Piano Playing and Sing-Along with Margie, Thursdays, 11 a.m.-noon. • Trivia Challenge Game with Prizes, Thursdays, 1-2 p.m. • Adult Paint by Number with Acrylics, Fridays, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Upcoming Special Events: Carnegie Science Center & Mummy Exhibition Bus Trip Feb. 24, 10:30 a.m. departure from Moon Township Senior Connection, 4 p.m. return, motor coach transportation provided, includes admission to the “Mummies of the World” introduction seminar and exhibition, register by Feb. 17, $52/person. Less than two miles away on Brodhead Road, the Apple Blossom Senior Living Community also opened this past fall with 14 independent living cottages, 104 personal care apartments and a 32-unit memory care unit for residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia. As of this writing, the complex was 50 percent pre-leased. One of the first residents to move into a personal care unit at Apple Blossom was the previously mentioned Lillian O’Hara. The shy and independent O’Hara made friends with a woman moving into the apartment next to her on the same day and is now enjoying her new life at the community. Her daughter commented that her mother is able to be alone if she chooses in the one-bedroom unit with a kitchenette and living area, but that it’s a relief to know that help is always on the other side of her door. Construction has also begun on a third facility in Moon called Luna Ridge that will be managed by Harmony Senior Services. The company, which is a division of the Roanoke development company Smith Packett, will manage the 189-unit, 200,000 square-foot complex. The new senior residence will be part of the Village at Market Place, a mixed-use development containing businesses, homes and retail establishments. One portion of the complex will be located above Montour Run Road on land vacated by the Super K-Mart and Gander Mountain stores. Luna Ridge will be divided into 84 independent living residences, 69 assisted living units and 36 memory care units. It will offer various amenities that have become standard at such facilities, including dining options, a pub, fitness center and spa. Comments from HSS CEO Terry Howard provide an interesting perspective on the growth of elaborate, almost resort-like developments like this one for the senior population. Howard, who has been in the business since 1982, stated that in the 1980s and 1990s “people didn’t really understand all of the elements of senior living.” As consumers became more educated and the public markets opened up with equity, senior facilities became much more sophisticated. Additionally, after the 2008 financial collapse, said Howard, the market was the only real estate group with positive rent growth. It began to attract much more capital and venues such as hospitality groups wanted a piece of the action, helping to create a high- end vacation atmosphere. Howard says the “next big wave” in senior care will be secure, amenity-driven residential complexes with a price point scaled down for the middle market. “Nobody has really cracked this code yet,” stated Howard. One such popular option are apartment complexes for those aged 55 and older. Lafayette Square, which opened two years ago in the Hankey Farms neighborhood in North Fayette, has been at capacity for months and has a wait list for new residents. Another, Clover Communities apartment complex, is scheduled to open in the fall in Robinson Township and is already one-quarter pre-leased. Kathleen Codick, a Clover Group leasing consultant, reported that the Cedar Ridge Senior Apartments will be a four-story, 124-unit building with an option of two- bedroom, one-and-a-half baths units, a feature not available at Lafayette Square. Another unique amenity will be a coffee bar lounge on the fourth floor of the building. Codick said that before construction even began on the property, a woman living in Florida heard about Cedar Ridge and began calling her weekly to secure a lease. { Regardless of the direction in which caregivers choose to move forward with aging loved ones, the process can be stressful and costly. Caregivers should seek support from many sources and remind themselves to set aside time for their own health and needs. After nearly a year of transition, Opacic and her family have adjusted to the changes in their lives. The house renovations have provided a private living area for her mother on the lower level, which gives her a sense of independence but still allows her to share dinners and weekend meals with the family. Opacic’s mom is now enrolled in the LIFE Pittsburgh program, which transports her daily to and from a facility where all of her personal care and medical needs are addressed. Her mother has a purpose each day now, said Opacic, adding that she has made new friends at the facility and looks forward to going there. “Establishing new routines for all of us as a family has been crucial to moving forward and creating a new sense of normal,” commented Opacic. • 30 • Allegheny West Magazine • Spring 2020PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID PITTSBURGH PA PERMIT NO. 5605 Hughey Publications, LLC P.O. Box 220 McDonald, PA 15057 Now in Our 21 st Year Proudly Serving the Airport Area Allegheny West MagazineNext >