Park Springs, Atlanta’s Premier CCRC, Wins Special ‘Best of NAHB 50+ Housing’ Innovation Award with Senior Awareness Flash Mob

Posted on January 24, 2013 by admin

Atlanta (January 24, 2013) – Park Springs, Atlanta’s premier continuing care retirement community, was honored yesterday by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) at the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas with the Innovation Award in the category Best NAHB 50+ Lifestyle Event. Park Springs was recognized for its September 2012 ‘Senior Awareness Flash Mob,’ planned and coordinated by Lisa Kiely, Park Springs’ Director of Wellness and Community Culture.

Betsy Sheppard and Kerrie Gilbert, principals of Gilbert&Sheppard Group, marketing partners for Park Springs, accepted the award. Park Springs is developed and built by Isakson Living in Atlanta.

Best of 50+ Housing Awards
Sponsored by Lowe’s Commercial Services, the NAHB 50+ Housing Council’s Best of 50+ Housing Awards program is the industry’s most prestigious national awards program honoring excellence in building, design and marketing of housing for boomers and beyond. The Best of 50+ Housing Awards are viewed by the industry and media as a showcase for innovation, emerging trends and quality housing for the mature demographic. http://www.nahb.org/50plusawards

Senior Awareness Flash Mob Wins Innovation Award
On September 12, 2012, almost 200 seniors and friends, many of them residents at Park Springs, gathered in the Square in Decatur (GA) for a ‘Flash Mob.’ (A flash mob is a group of people who assemble ‘suddenly’ in a place, perform for a brief time, and then go about their way – happily surprising and entertaining the public.)

Park Springs’ Lisa Kiely spent more than a year organizing the Senior Awareness Flash Mob. “I wanted people to find a new way to focus on the subject of active aging, and how to have a great time no matter what age you are,” she said.

Together with the YMCA, officials of the City of Decatur and a variety of local senior organizations, Lisa developed the plan, coordinated the logistics, and got as many participants together in one place as possible. She choreographed the entire performance, and made sure that everybody who wanted to be a part of the flash mob could practice ahead of time by studying a special on-line video.

“It was awesome to see everybody come together for this event,” Lisa said. “I am certain that our Senior Awareness Flash Mob changed some people’s perceptions of what it means to age – to live well, be well, and have fun!”

More about the Flash Mob on WABE 90.1 at www.wabe.org/post/senior-awareness-flash-mob and on YouTube at http://tinyurl.com/youtube-PSflashmob.

#

ABOUT PARK SPRINGS:
Park Springs (completed in 2007), owned and operated by Isakson Living and professionally managed by Life Care Services, LLC, is a 54-acre campus-style Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) surrounded by Stone Mountain Park. Park Springs is a vibrant community of active adults 62 and above who live in spacious private homes and enjoy a club-inspired lifestyle. Park Springs includes 398 Independent Living Units; Health Center with 24 SN beds, 12 Dementia beds and 28 AL suites; Clubhouse with variety of dining options and common areas; and Fitness Center with lap pool, therapy pool and exercise room. Members live in a detached single-family home, cottage home or condominium-style villa. The community provides food and beverage services in diverse settings and many social, educational and enrichment opportunities. Residential options offering a higher level of services and care are also available on campus. These include home health, assisted living suites, memory care or our Medicare-certified skilled nursing and rehabilitation center within Cobblestone at Park Springs. As situations change, Members can move into the type of home or environment that best meets their needs.
www.parksprings.com | www.isaksonliving.com

500 Springhouse Circle, Stone Mountain, GA 30087 678-684-3300

ABOUT BEST OF 50+ HOUSING AWARDS:
NAHB’s 50+ Housing Council’s Best of 50+ Housing Awards are the industry’s most prestigious national awards honoring excellence in building, design, marketing and lifestyle housing for boomers and beyond. The Best of 50+ Housing Awards are viewed by the industry and media as a showcase for innovation, emerging trends and quality housing for the mature demographic.


Lisa Kiely, Park Springs’ Director of Wellness and Community Culture, Coordinates 2012 Senior Awareness Flash Mob

http://www.prweb.com/releases/ParkSprings/InnovationAward/prweb10354604.htm

https://atlanta.daybooknetwork.com/story/2013-01-24/46809-parkspringswinsnahbaward/email

Posted in In the News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Preserve. Honor. Educate.

Posted on December 4, 2012 by admin

That is the mission of the Witness to War Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving the stories and unique experiences of combat veterans through video interviews. The Foundation was started in an attempt to answer the unanswerable: What was it like to be there?

Park Springs has embarked on establishing a Living Library: a collection of oral histories for and by the entire Park Springs community. For this Living Library, members are interviewed in order to share and store their unique memories and life experiences.

As part of this effort, Park Springs has teamed up with Witness to War to record the stories of combat veterans who live at Park Springs. According to Witness to War, they were “scared 18 and 19 year olds thrust into circumstances of such intensity and violence that they became the defining moments of their lives.”

“We are so pleased that Emily Carley, the Project Leader of Witness to War, has already scheduled about 30 interviews with our members so far!” says Lisa Kiely, Director of Leisure Services at Park Springs. “Also, a number of members have been very helpful in spreading the word about Witness to War and assisting with the scheduling of these interviews. These personal stories will inform and educate many generations to come.”

If you would like to participate in this Witness to War effort or learn more about Park Springs’ Living Library program, please contact Lisa Kiely at lisakiely@parksprings.com. Residents Ken Meyer, Les Carter, and Stan Seaman have also been instrumental in scheduling interviews with interested veterans, and are available to answer questions or assist with interview setup.

Posted in In the News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Aging Parents Are Thankful for Caring Daughters – and Sons!

Posted on November 15, 2012 by admin

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, more and more adult sons are taking on the role of caring for their aging parents, a role traditionally filled by loving daughters and daughters-in-law.

As the American population is aging, the need to care for elderly parents increases. “…since the children of aging parents are more geographically dispersed than they used to be, location, rather than gender, is a major factor in who is left with the bulk of the responsibility,” notes the author of the article, Michelle Gerdes.

As a number of Park Springs members can attest, their sons have been ‘like a rock,’ during the entire process of moving from their original home to Park Springs. They have provided the emotional support as well as the financial insights parents may need to make this, for many, live-changing decision.

“Their love and dedication to their parents, before, during and after the move is an inspiration to all of us,” notes Cindy Homer-Baron, Director of Sales for Park Springs. “When meeting our new members, we have also met some truly loving and caring daughters and sons, whose only goal was to help find the best possible lifestyle for their parents.”

Posted in In the News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Considering A Move to Park Springs? Home Sales Are Trending Up!

Posted on November 9, 2012 by admin

According to Stephen Melman in his recent article in Eye on Housing, pending home sales are increasing. In September 2012, the Pending Home Sales Index, a forward looking indicator based on signed contracts, increased 0.3% to 99.5, up from 99.2 in August and 14.5% higher than September 2011.

This is good news for seniors who are considering moving to Park Springs but are hesitating because of the events in the real estate market in the past five years. Even though the sales prices of many homes have not returned to their levels prior to the recent recession, prospective buyers are more optimistic that they will be able to sell their home well.

To assist in the process, Park Springs offers its Vintage Home Program, which allows people to move to Park Springs while their home is on the market. The Vintage Home Program team will help select a real estate, price the house, prepare it for showing and recommend improvements. Park Springs will even assist with utilities and maintenance and keep the house looking great and secure while it is on the market. For more details, please contact Park Springs’ professional Sales Department at 678-684-3483.

Posted in In the News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

In the Spotlight: Colin Milner, Founder and CEO of ICAA

Posted on November 7, 2012 by admin

colin milnerMany Park Springs members met our friend, Colin Milner, Founder and CEO of the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) when he spent two days at Park Springs earlier this year. We are delighted to let you know that he is on the front page of the fall issue of ActiveOver50, a magazine with more than 100,000 subscribers in the San Francisco area.

Colin is a leading authority on the health and well-being of older adults, and came to Park Springs to talk about ICAA’s 2012 ‘Changing the Way We Age’ campaign. Park Springs’ operator, Life Care Services, is a member of ICAA and of course, our community is a Champion for Positive Aging.

For the past four years, Milner has been invited by the World Economic Forum to serve on its network of Global Agenda Councils, recognizing him as one of ‘the most innovative and influential minds’ in the world on aging-related topics. A prolific and award-winning writer, Milner has authored more than 250 articles and is a contributing blogger to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Be Active Your Way blog. In addition, Milner recently contributed a chapter to the World Economic Forum’s book Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Park Springs: CCRC of the Future Facilitates Independent Living

Posted on November 5, 2012 by admin

Recently, Life Care Services (LCS), the operating company for Park Springs, published an in-depth analysis of the ‘CCRC Consumer of the Future’. One of LCS’s major conclusions was that ‘…the decision to move to a continuing care retirement community will depend on a few fundamental components, perhaps chief of which is the ability to maintain independence,’ according to Alyssa Gerace who reported on this study in Senior Housing News.

In the original report, LCS notes: “Independence is the sole factor that the single-family home is considered better able to meet. The CCRC of the future must foster stronger independence among its residents by being the catalyst for individual desires and expectations – becoming the destination that makes it easier to continue a cherished lifestyle and promoting a life lived outside the community walls.”

Clearly, Park Springs is ahead of this trend, and members at Park Springs already enjoy an independent lifestyle as outlined in the LCS study: “Given the evolving nature of consumer desires, CCRCs must be amenable to breaking new ground and exploring approaches to products and services that may not have been previously delivered in senior housing. This may include providing home healthcare services, offering home maintenance and renovation services, or such amenities such as fine dining, a fitness center or clinic services within the community.”

Posted in In the News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Saturdays @ 4PM: Trivia with David Thirsk

Posted on November 1, 2012 by admin

“Most of us have heard of New Zealand, but what is “old” Zealand?”

“Which classic film actress, famed for her comedic genius in “It Happened One Night”, was born Emilie Chauchoin?”

David Thirsk, a long-time member of Park Springs, has been the driving force behind the very popular and highly-competitive Trivia games that take place almost every Saturday afternoon at 4 PM in the Clubhouse. Regularly, between 70 and 80 people make sure to participate because they do not want to miss one of these fun-filled, exciting, fast-paced games that combine knowledge of history, geography, math, movies and popular culture.

For years, Mr. Thirsk has researched and prepared the trivia questions, some of them quite obscure, and he also hosts and coordinates the weekly contest. It’s just one of the fun opportunities at Park Springs to get together with others in the community – and a splendid way to test your knowledge and your memory!

Posted in In the News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Park Springs’ Members Give Thanks to Employees

Posted on November 1, 2012 by admin

On November 16, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, the members of Park Springs get together to show their appreciation for the employees who work tirelessly to make living at Park Springs such a joy year-round.

Park Springs prides itself on the kind, professional staff that provides outstanding services in many different areas. “We just have the best people working here,” says Kevin Isakson, Director of Sales and Marketing at Isakson Living. “Our members recognize that everybody, from the grounds crew to the kitchen personnel, from our front desk staff to housekeeping, does their very best to make sure that Park Springs is kept in tip-top shape and runs smoothly – every day! Through the Employee Appreciation fund, the members are able to share their thanks for great work by a bunch of great people.”

Posted in In the News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Veterans Day: Witness to War

Posted on November 1, 2012 by admin

Every year, on November 11, our country honors the veterans who served in all wars. At Park Springs, a special Veterans Day program will be hosted a couple of days early, on Friday, November 9 at the Clubhouse, starting at 11 AM.

A highlight of this event will be a presentation about “Witness to War,” a series of interviews with Veterans as part of the Living Libraries program. “By recording the unique memories of our many Park Springs members who served in World War II or in the Korean War, we are saving history for their families as well as their fellow countrymen,” according to Lisa Kiely, Director of Leisure Services at Park Springs. “In preparation of “Witness to War”, other Park Springs members have been busy coordinating and scheduling these interviews, and at our Veterans Day program we will discuss this opportunity and we hope to get additional veterans to record their stories.”

Mark your calendar now to honor our veterans at Park Springs on November 9.

Posted in In the News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It’s Off to Vote I Go…

Posted on November 1, 2012 by admin

As is the rule during every election, on Tuesday, November 6, Park Springs will again organize group transportation to the nearest polling place so that members will be able to cast their vote, this time in the 2012 Presidential Election. The bus leaves at 9 AM from the Clubhouse, and reservations need to be made by November 2 by calling Jennifer Durham, X3647.

Park Springs Members: Thank you for your active participation in our country’s democratic process. Every vote matters!

Posted in In the News | Tagged , | Leave a comment