A Pennsylvania-based company plans to complete a senior citizens’ independent living and assisted living facility nears Hunters Woods Village Center by the spring of next year.

The $72 million project — the first Virginia location for IntegraCare — aims to address the shortage of senior housing in the Reston area. Of the 210 housing units, 91 are for independent living, 80 are for assisted living and the remaining units are a combination of memory care and continuing care.

“This land was repurposed and purchased by a developer who did a significant amount of research to make sure that we were going to meet the cultural needs of the Reston community,” said Cissy Nickel, executive director of an IntegraCare location in Easton, Maryland. “We’re trying to create a mini-Reston within Reston.”

The community, called Hunter’s Woods at Trails Edge, is located on a 4.3-acre lot at 2222 Colts Neck Road, the former location of United Christian Parish.  The county approved the project, which is being developed by Atlantic Realty, AEW Capital Management and IntegraCare, in 2007.

Nickel said the company sought to mirror programming available for other residents within its community, especially given the close proximity of Turquoise Nature Trail. The project includes several dining venues, a beauty shop, a barber shop, an art studio where instructional classes will be offered, a library, a computer laband a garden with vegetables, herbs and flowers. The community will also include what Nickel called “man caves” or separate areas for men and women.

An underground garage includes more than 160 parking spaces, in addition to eight surface parking spaces. Nickel said the development team is working with Reston Association and Reston Community Center to provide transportation to and from the organizations in order to allow seniors to attend classes, programs and events.

The company is still working on how it will lease market and affordable housing as the project nears completion. Twenty percent of the units are affordable, Nickel said. The income level served by the units was not immediately available. It is likely the company will lease the market and below market units in a rotating cycle.

“There’s a huge need in the area and obviously our need is going to exceed our availability. We’re going to have be really methodical about it,” Nickel said.

A temporary office and showroom will open in mid-to-late June in Hunters Woods Shopping Center to provide more information, she said. Individuals 62 years and older can qualify for housing. 

Atlantic Realty Company did not respond to multiple requests for comment over several days from Reston Now.

Rendering by Moseley Architects

This is a promoted post sponsored by Erickson Living. It does not reflect the opinion of Reston Now.

Making the decision to move your loved one to a long-term care setting can be difficult and confusing. Here is some important information to consider:

WHO would benefit from long-term nursing care?

Longterm care is appropriate for seniors who need complete assistance with daily living tasks like bathing, eating, dressing, and toileting. It is most appropriate for older adults with major health conditions or those who have permanent physical limitations brought on by a stroke or other serious illness. Seniors diagnosed with dementia or Parkinson’s disease may be good candidates for long-term care.

WHEN is the right time to seek additional support?

Caring for a loved one with around-the-clock needs can be challenging. Consider making the transition to a longterm care facility if your loved one’s health condition requires a level of support that exceeds what can be provided in your home by a family caregiver.

A continuing care retirement community like Ashby Ponds in Ashburn, Va., may be an excellent choice. Ashby Ponds employs full-time physicians and health providers who specialize in senior care. As an integrated team, they create a personalized plan to match your loved one’s unique needs and preferences.

HOW will I pay for long-term care? Read More

The following post is written and sponsored by Erickson Living

As a caregiver, you’re navigating difficult decisions on a daily basis as your loved one faces changes in health and capability. Caring for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease can be particularly draining, physically and emotionally.

If you’re struggling to meet your family member’s evolving needs, ask yourself these three questions to help determine if it’s time to consider a memory care facility.

Have your loved one’s health needs advanced beyond your capabilities?

Your family member’s medical care may become increasingly complex, making it difficult for you to keep up with their needs. Physical and mental ailments related to advancing stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s — including sleep disturbances, depression, and incontinence — complicate the already delicate care routines you’ve established.

Your loved one may exhibit unusual and inappropriate behaviors, including verbal and physical aggression. Often, the anger can be inadvertently directed toward the caregiver, creating frustration and resentment. Are these physical and emotional challenges beyond your abilities?

Is your loved one safe in their current home environment?

There is a significant chance that your family member will wander away from your home, even in the time it takes you to make a trip to the restroom. Ask yourself if your home is secure enough to prevent this from happening, as it may become more frequent.

You may also be concerned that your loved one will expose themselves to danger attempting to use household appliances, or they may simply have difficulty getting around the house due to troubles with balance or reliance on a walker or wheelchair. Are you prepared for emergencies, including fires and injuries?

Is your health at risk?

Caregivers experience high levels of stress on a daily basis. Be honest with yourself–have you noticed any decline in your physical health while caring for your loved one? Are you more anxious, exhausted, or irritable than normal? Do you have trouble concentrating?

Because your family member relies on you for care, your quality of life directly affects theirs. If you can’t maintain your own good health, you may be doing them a disservice.

A continuing care retirement community like Ashby Ponds in Ashburn, Virginia, can provide a solution to these and other concerns. Ashby Ponds offers independent living residences along with higher levels of care on the same campus.

With the assistance of a dedicated staff, your family member’s day-to-day life will be safer, simpler, and more fulfilled. The physicians and senior health specialists at Ashby Ponds create an individual care plan for every resident, which can greatly benefit their quality of life.

Most importantly, you’ll enjoy peace of mind knowing that your loved one is receiving the personalized health care of the highest quality.

Call 1-888-820-9623 today to schedule a personal tour of Ashby Ponds and learn more about memory care. You can also visit EricksonLiving.com to request a free brochure.

Last week, Bob Brink, a former colleague of mine who represented Arlington-McLean in the House of Delegates and who was appointed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to be Deputy Commissioner for Aging Services, spoke to the Northern Virginia Aging Network’s (NVAN) annual legislative summit. His talk, “The Age Wave: Ready or Not, Here We Come,” highlighted the challenges of the aging of our population.

“By 2030, as the last of the age wave turns 65, we will number 1.8 million people here in Virginia — 20% of the population,” he said, often flashing his Medicare card. “There are more of us, and we’ll be living longer: the fastest growing segment of our population will be those 85 and older.” While in 2010 nearly 1 in 8 Virginia residents were 65 and over, by 2030 nearly 1 in 5 will be in that age range.

The age wave presents challenges to our society beyond the obvious impact on our health care system, he said. Adults age 65 and older are now twice as likely to be living in poverty as they were a decade ago. Almost 200,000 Virginia households, half of them 62 or older, are living in substandard conditions. Opportunity costs to those who are family caregivers will total more than $400 billion in lost wages, pensions and Social Security. The cost of government services will rise at a time when revenues are not keeping pace or dropping.

The Northern Virginia Aging Network (NVAN) is made up of the six area agencies on aging serving the jurisdictions of the region, as well as the critically important regional service and advocacy organizations and volunteers. Brink indicated that the state Aging Division “will be aggressive in encouraging innovation in service delivery, including formation of public-private partnerships” to provide needed services. He praised the Fairfax County Elderlink, a public-private collaboration of the Fairfax Area Agency on Aging, Inova Health System and the Alzheimer’s Association for care coordination of older adults.

NVAN had recommendations for meeting the challenges of the age wave, among them expanding Medicaid services that would provide direct benefits to about 62,000 older Virginians who do not have and cannot afford healthcare. Ironically, at a time of shrinking revenues, the expansion of Medicaid would bring back to the Commonwealth $5 million a day in taxes already paid by Virginians.

Recognizing that most seniors prefer to stay in their own homes, NVAN recommends tax credits and grants that would expand consumer access to livable homes. The professionals and citizen volunteers who make up NVAN see the need for a quality, cost-effective, continuously trained long-term care workforce to improve the quality of life for older adults and people with disabilities. The demand for long-term care workers is expected to increase by 160 percent by 2030. A critical element in building such a workforce is paying a living wage. An expansion of Virginia Public Guardianship Program is seen as needed for vulnerable adults.

Commissioner Brink implored those in attendance to reach across jurisdictional lines and outside bureaucratic boxes as we work to meet the needs of our aging population, or as he expressed it, “to ride the wave together.”

Ken Plum represents Reston in Virginia’s House of Delegates. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Reston Now.