Judging by the number of assisted-living facilities either planned or under way, it must be just about the hottest concept in senior housing.
Developers claim there’s tremendous demand, mostly from the middle-age children of seniors. People want safe housing that provides some help with everyday tasks.
They also like the fact that the facilities typically offer some activities like shopping trips, educational programs and entertainment.
Many new assisted-living facilities are part of larger seniors-only developments that also offer nursing care or independent-type housing. So most assisted-living buildings don’t have a lot of units.
The American Seniors Housing Association in Washington, D.C., estimates the average assisted-living facility has just 63 spots. So you may have to check a number of places to find an opening.
Take note: These facilities are not subsidized. That means you will pay the going rate for the apartment and services you buy. And monthly bills can add up to a healthy sum.
But for those who can afford it, or for those whose kids can afford it, here are some new assisted-living projects to check out.
– Gidwitz Place, Deerfield. The Council for Jewish Elderly opened this assisted-living facility late last year. The building is part of a 10-acre complex, the Weinberg Community for Senior Living.
The assisted-living building, Gidwitz Place, has 125 apartments with one or two bedrooms. About 25 percent of the units are still available.
Apartments have a kitchenette with a refrigerator and stove, something you won’t find in many assisted-living facilities. Units also have wall-to-wall carpeting and three closets.
Monthly rents range from about $3,600 to $4,000. Like all assisted-living facilities, the rent includes some services, too. Residents get kosher meals, housekeeping and a range of activities.
Some new assisted-living facilities allot part of the building to Alzheimer patients–a big help for families struggling with the fallout from this disease.
The Weinberg community has 35 private rooms for Alzheimer patients. Rooms are located in a building that adjoins the assisted-living apartments.
– Covenant Home of Chicago. On the city’s Northwest Side, Covenant Retirement Communities opened an assisted-living facility last year at 2720 W. Foster Ave. The new five-story building has 56 units. Studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments are available. Each floor wraps around a tall atrium.
One nice feature is that each floor has its own kitchen and dining area, although most meals are served in the main dining room on the first floor. Other common areas include a chapel/community room, wellness center and beauty/barber shop.
The Covenant Community is a little different from others because it requires an entrance fee. The fee ranges from $20,000 to $50,000, a portion of which may be returned if the resident leaves the facility in the first two years.
Residents also pay a monthly fee of $1,350 to $1,800, depending on the size of the unit.
The building is about 84 percent occupied, according to the project’s marketing director, and applications are still being taken.
– The Breakers of Olympia Fields. Construction started in February on this new south suburban seniors housing complex. It includes 177 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments. Twenty-five of the units are designed for assisted living. There will also be 32 single-story villas.
All of the apartments will be furnished with appliances and safety features such as emergency pull cords, grab bars in bathrooms and lever-type door handles. Apartments range in size from 455 to 975 square feet.
The community area has a full-service dining room, lounges and activity areas including a card and game room, media room, arts and crafts area, library and exercise room.
The project also includes 32 two-bedroom, two-car garage villas. The villas come in two floor plans and range in size from 1,350 to 1,500 square feet.
Expected to be complete next March, the project is being built by Senior Lifestyle Corp. and The Fogelson Cos. Inc., both of Chicago.
Locally, there are two other well-established Breakers projects. One is on the city’s Far North Side in the Edgewater neighborhood, and the other is in north suburban Niles.
The developers of The Breakers at Olympia Fields haven’t set prices yet on the assisted-living units. But they say monthly rents for the various living arrangements will range somewhere between $1,700 and $3,200.
Resources
Here are the phone numbers for some of the agencies and businesses that may help in the hunt for senior housing.
The American Seniors Housing Association, affiliated with the National Multi-Housing Council, offers a number of publications on senior housing topics. Their address is 1850 M St. N.W., Suite 540, Washington, D.C., 20036-5803; phone, 202-974-2300. The groups’ Web site is at www.nmhc.org.
Gidwitz Place, the assisted-living facility operated by the Council for Jewish Elderly, is located at 1551 Lake-Cook Rd., Deerfield. For more information call 847-374-0500.
For information on Covenant Home of Chicago, 2720 W. Foster Ave., call 773-506-6900. Or visit the Web site at www.covenantretirement.com.
The Breakers of Olympia Fields is on Vollmer Road. For more information call 773-878-6333.
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Jane Adler is a Chicago-area freelance writer. If you have questions or information to share regarding housing for senior citizens, write to Senior Housing c/o Chicago Tribune Real Estate Section, 435 N. Michigan Ave., 60611.
