Future Age – March/April 2010 - 13

The Bradford Houses are equipped with sensors to monitor residents and provide alerts about falls and wandering. Family members can access information about their loved one’s activities through a secure site on the Internet. The total cost of the renovations and technology was $350,000 per Bradford House. With a 250-resident campus, Brethren Care Village has a natural pool of potential Bradford House residents. The unique nature of the model also has helped attract people from the surrounding areas. All Bradford House residents are ambulatory, but most need cueing and limited assistance with activities of daily living. Their mini-mental scores range from one to the low 20s. “Most Bradford House residents come from our independent living or assisted living, but we’ve been able to transition a few from our nursing home,” Brooks says. “In some cases, we’ve seen mini-mental scores increase once a person moves in.” Because of their licensing category, the Bradford Houses are completely private pay. At $5,400 per month, they are compa-

rable to a high level of assisted living. They are less expensive than a semi-private room in the community’s skilled nursing dementia unit. For a Bradford House to break even on an annual basis, four of the five bedrooms must be occupied. But once the house is full, the annual return rises to 17 percent. Brooks emphasizes the return on investment goes well beyond the numbers. “We’ve seen improved morale, less turnover and better employee accountability,” he says. “The residents benefit from an improved quality of life, and it helps our community be known as cutting edge.”
Editor’s note: These are just a few of the many stories we’ve heard about aging-services organizations that are rethinking their business models and reinventing themselves to thrive in a changing economic and consumer environment. FutureAge will continue to publish the stories of providers making these changes. To tell your story, contact Editor Gene Mitchell at gmitchell@aahsa.org or (202) 508-9424.
Michele Hayunga is a writer who lives in Eldersburg, Md.

Resources
The New Admiral at the Lake, Chicago, Ill. Contact: Glenn Brichacek, president/Ceo, gbrichacek@admiralatthelake.com or (773) 433-1800. The Kendal Corporation, Kennett Square, Pa. Contact: larry elveru, associate director for communications & public relations, lelveru@kcorp.kendal.org or (610) 335-1232. Miami Jewish Health Systems, Miami, Fla. Contact: Blaise Mercadante, chief marketing officer, bmercadante@mjhha.org or (305) 795-8466. Senior Connections, Atlanta, Ga. Contact: Debra Furtado, Ceo, dfurtado@srconn.org or (770) 216-2575. Brethren Care Village, Ashland, Ohio Contact: Jay Brooks, executive director, jbrooks@brethrencarevillage.org or (419) 289-1585.

Make the Right Choice:

BECOME

With Senior Independence iPartner, you will get the best of both worlds as you develop your home and community based services. iPartner will enhance your aging services leadership in the region and help you serve people in the place they call home. We offer you ongoing education, regulatory support, best practice development and brand licensing.

Our successful business model for AAHSA members will:
Team with your staff to give them the right tools for success and professional development Assure your organization has ongoing clinical, financial, information systems, marketing and operations management support Maximize your profitability and cash flow while maintaining strong social accountability
Call Joan Noe, iPartner Project Coordinator, today at 1-800-686-7800 or email her at jnoe@corp.oprs.org.

“i Partner offers the best of both worlds. It captures the opportunity to be part of a new innovative effort to expand who we serve.”
— Barbara Thomas, CEO, Kendal at Oberlin in Northern Ohio Senior Independence iPartner

www.seniorindependence.org • www.icaregiver.org
futureAge | March/April 2010

Future Age – March/April 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Future Age – March/April 2010