Having been in the business for so many years, and having personally visited hundreds of facilities, mostly in the greater Montreal area, some in the United States, Brussels and Paris. I have seen many different layouts, set-ups and a wide variety of retirement residences.
Many people think of jumping into this field, building a facility and seeing money pour in. Good luck to them, I say. This is a tough business with lots of moving parts: the specific care for seniors, managing the staff (kitchen, nurses, housekeeping, activities, administration….), dealing with family members, community outreach, maintenance of the building, and the list goes on. Over the years I have seen people do it reeeeaaallllly well (fabulously well even) and others that make me shake my head.
I visited a newly built high end facility with millions of dollars poured into it. It wasn’t the first facility built by this group. One of the first things I saw in a couple of apartments was that there were grab bars installed in the bathroom. There is nothing wrong with that, right? There was also a call bell installed in the bathroom. Great!
So where in lies the problem, you ask? The call bell had a string attached to it and it stuck out of the wall directly behind the grab bar. Not only would it be hard to properly use the grab bar, but if delicate skin got cut on it (especially if the skin belongs to someone on blood thinners, which many seniors are prescribed), it would cause an injury.
Ugh! What were they thinking? Had the construction team been informed of the purposes of what they were installing and by whom it would be used? Often, I do not think they have. It is so frustrating. Attention to detail when building these facilities is so important and can really change the quality of life for all persons living there (and for the staff too).
Another brand spanking new facility invited me to go visit their new building in hopes of referring clients and helping them get it off the ground. The first question I asked was, “Who is your ideal clientele?”.They answered with, “Well, someone with a slight loss of autonomy to someone who requires heavier care, you know.” That helped me better understand who they could assist. We started visiting, and I noticed that every single doorway had a raised door sill. I asked if they thought there would be people with walkers in this building. “Oh yeah, we have no problem with that.” So I pointed out all of the door sills and asked why they were like that. They replied, “Oh I don’t know, why?” They didn’t know why?! Those are such frustrating moments for me; they make me want to crawl out of my skin.
Please, please, please. If you plan on building a retirement residence, especially for someone with specific and evolving needs, put yourself in your client’s shoes. Give lots of thought and energy to every little detail you normally would not think of. Trust me; it will go a long way!