News from the Village
Many new amenities abound at The Village at Brookwood
This year is shaping up to be quite a milestone for the many amenities our community offers.
Just recently, our brand-new dog park opened, offering our four-legged residents a fantastic space to play and exert energy. Fenced-in and with water and toys, the dog park provides not only dogs a place to socialize and be outdoors, but their dog-loving humans, too!
Also, in time for summer, we opened a raised-bed garden area, where residents with green thumbs can try for success with anything from flowers to herbs to vegetables. Our inaugural garden season has resulted in a bumper crop of everyone’s favorite horticulture, as well as hours of enjoyment for those who like gardening and growing things.
In addition, after countless requests we opened the stunning Crampton’s Court, a stunning amenity through which residents can enjoy America’s fastest-growing sport – pickleball! Fully fenced-in and with nighttime lighting, the court was made possible by a generous gift from the family of late Village residents Bud and Bobbi Crampton. Crampton’s Court is next to our putting green, which is adjacent to a beautiful new covered pavilion with comfortable outdoor furniture for enjoying the outdoors in comfortable, cool shade.
Once fall and cooler temperatures return, we’ll be ready with our new outdoor firepit sitting area, overlooking our pond and extensive grounds.
All of this – plus our existing amenities, such as the heated indoor saltwater pool and spa, wellness center, art and craft studios, game rooms, carpentry shop, libraries, dining facilities and more – provides our residents with exciting outlets for fun, socialization and engagement!
Continuous care a central reason for selecting a life plan community
By Betsy Huneycutt, Director of Sales & Marketing
People who are pondering how and where they will live during their retirement years have many options.
They could stay at home and “age in place.” They could elect to wait and see if their care needs eventually require them to transition straight from their home into assisted living or skilled nursing care. Or they could opt for an experience in a community like The Village at Brookwood – what is called a “continuing care retirement community” (CCRC) or “life plan community.”
What are some of the reasons for going with a life plan community?
Well, according to a recent discussion with a sampling of our residents, health care was the overriding factor in their decision. They wanted to position themselves now for what they very well may need down the road – assisted living, skilled care or memory support – without having to uproot themselves again during that challenging chapter of their lives.
Life plan communities such as The Village at Brookwood offer the full spectrum of the retirement living experience. Once a new resident moves into our community in “independent living,” they have the ability to do just that – live independently while also making the most of these still-vital years. Opportunities abound for activities, wellness, socialization, field trips and terrific dining – all while continuing to live their best lives, independently.
Often, though, as we age, it’s not possible to continue living truly “independently.” Issues from physical mobility to memory challenges require additional support. If you already have been living at a CCRC, you’ve positioned yourself for an easy and smooth transition to that added level of care – without having to uproot yourself from your immediate community. Everything is offered under the same roof, with full access to all the amenities you had already enjoyed as a resident of independent living.
If you have surgery or are recovering from a hospitalization and require a physical rehabilitation period, you can do so “right at home” in your CCRC’s rehabilitation center, not at another remote and unfamiliar facility. Your friends and significant other can visit you regularly without ever having to leave the community – simply walk down the hall!
Finally, many life plan communities offer residents financial confidence that they are covered fiscally for whatever they might require later. Depending on the type of contract a CCRC offers – and there are many – residents know up front that their financial resources are sufficient for their needs and that their new home is contracted to provide those needs for the rest of their lives.
A life plan community truly offers the best of all worlds – the world you need at any given stage of your retirement life. From an independent living situation full of robust and dynamic daily opportunities to the extra care you can get when needed from caring, compassionate care professionals, you can move once to a CCRC and have critical peace of mind for yourself and your loved ones that you’re well-positioned for whatever life brings your way.
What more could you want for a rewarding, worry-free and care-oriented retirement life?
The Village at Brookwood becomes part of the Well-Spring family
It’s the beginning of an exciting new era for The Village at Brookwood!
This summer, The Village officially became part of The Well•Spring Group, a nationally renowned not-for-profit senior living and services organization based in Greensboro, N.C. This transition will usher in aspirational new goals and plans for The Village community!
Well•Spring managed The Village on behalf of Cone Health for several years, and this partnership evolved with Well•Spring acquiring The Village. Over the last several weeks, Well•Spring and The Village have celebrated their “union” with cookouts and other events for residents and team members.
“Over the past 29 years, our life plan community in Greensboro has honed an approach to senior living that is among the very best in the country,” said Steve Fleming, president and CEO of The Well•Spring Group. “We offer an environment that marries both hospitality and health care delivery to individuals committed to making the most of their retirement years. And we do this in a way that provides them and their loved ones peace of mind that they are safe and very well cared for. This successful model for exceeding the needs of an evolving and diverse group of older adults promises to elevate even further what residents of The Village have come to expect in their community. That’s what a life plan community is all about – and that very specialized expertise is what Well•Spring is now going to provide The Village at Brookwood.”
Fleming also pointed out that now that the transition between The Village and Well•Spring is finalized, attention has turned to exciting plans for The Village community.
“Well•Spring is committed to seeing that capital expenditures, including expanding the number of living units and repositioning existing health care units, take place soon,” he said. “We look forward to sharing details about this in the coming months. Meanwhile, our entire team in Greensboro is embracing The Village and getting to know even better its residents and those who live and lead in Alamance County.”
So, who is The Well•Spring Group?
The Well•Spring Group is a not-for-profit organization based in Greensboro. Its flagship operation – Well•Spring, A Life Plan Community – opened in 1993, the result of efforts led by a coalition of nine community churches that envisioned a need for a continuing care retirement community with services and amenities second to none. A sister branch of the organization, Well•Spring Solutions, focuses on the needs of seniors who remain at home, either through home care services or community-based adult day care for those experiencing dementia. Well•Spring Solutions also offers a full slate of programming for family caregivers, including education and support group opportunities.
Today, The Village at Brookwood is home to about 250 residents, many of whom have gravitated there from throughout North Carolina and far beyond. Burlington’s ideal location near the center of North Carolina – almost equidistant from the mountains and the coast – offers residents limitless options, said April Mayberry, executive director of The Village. “And right here in Burlington, you have a city brimming with vitality, including the world-class Elon University, arts events at the Paramount Theatre, parks, lakes, great restaurants – so many of the things that people seek in a well-rounded living experience. Well-Spring is excited to become part of the fabric of this amazing community.”
The best is about to get even better!
The Village at Brookwood joins Well-Spring family
It a robust and exciting development in a years-long relationship, The Village at Brookwood has become part of the family of The Well-Spring Group, the nonprofit Greensboro organization renowned for serving older adults.
Well•Spring has managed The Village on behalf of Cone Health since August 2017, having already provided planning and marketing support there since September 2015.
“Well•Spring is an experienced operator of a thriving continuing care retirement community in Greensboro and its sole mission is to provide a healthy, active and safe living environment for seniors,” said Preston Hammock, senior vice president at Cone Health. “This sole mission, together with the renowned quality care they provide, makes them the ideal organization to lead The Village into an exciting new chapter.”
The closure of Memorial Hospital of Alamance in 1995 prompted two community leaders – Dr. Jo Watts and Ralph Holt, Jr. – to launch a feasibility study around establishing a continuing care retirement community in Burlington. Alamance Regional Medical Center developed The Village at Brookwood and opened it in 2003. In 2013, Alamance Regional Medical Center along with the Village at Brookwood became part of Cone Health. Now, the Village at Brookwood has become part of The Well•Spring Group, explained Steve Fleming, president and CEO of The Well•Spring Group.
“Well•Spring was honored to take on day-to-day operations of The Village over four years ago,” Fleming said. “We view our next chapter with The Village as a continuing community partnership, and we are proud to welcome The Village into the Well•Spring family. Our successful model for exceeding the needs of an evolving and diverse group of older adults promises to elevate even further what residents of The Village have come to expect in their community.”
As what is also referred to as a “life plan community,” The Village at Brookwood serves the residential and health needs of older adults from the time they move into independent living and throughout whatever future health care they might require, whether in assisted living, skilled nursing care or memory support.
The Well•Spring Group is a not-for-profit organization based in Greensboro. Its flagship operation – Well•Spring, A Life Plan Community – opened in 1993, the result of efforts led by a coalition of nine community churches that envisioned a need for a continuing care retirement community with services and amenities second to none. A sister branch of the organization, Well•Spring Solutions, focuses on the needs of seniors who remain at home, either through home care services or community-based adult day care for those experiencing dementia. Well•Spring Solutions also offers a full slate of programming for family caregivers, including education and support group opportunities.
Today, The Village at Brookwood is home to 247 residents, many of whom have gravitated there from throughout North Carolina and far beyond. Burlington’s ideal location near the center of North Carolina – almost equidistant from the mountains and the coast – offers residents limitless options, said Michael Garland, executive director of The Village. “And right here in Burlington, you have a city brimming with vitality, including the world-class Elon University, arts events at the Paramount Theatre, parks, lakes, great restaurants – so many of the things that people seek in a well-rounded living experience. Well-Spring is excited to become part of the fabric of this amazing community.”
Fleming said growing The Village at Brookwood’s relationship with Well•Spring makes perfect sense.
“Over the past 29 years, our life plan community in Greensboro has honed an approach to senior living that is among the very best in the country,” Fleming said. “We offer an environment that marries both hospitality and health care delivery to individuals committed to making the most of their retirement years and we do this in a way that provides them and their loved one’s peace of mind that they are safe and very well cared for. That’s what a life plan community is all about – and that very specialized expertise is what Well•Spring will provide The Village at Brookwood.”
Fleming also pointed out that attention will immediately turn to aspirational plans for the community.
“Well•Spring is committed to seeing that capital expenditures, including expanding the number of living units and repositioning existing health care units, take place soon,” he said. “We look forward to sharing details about this in the coming months. Meanwhile, our entire team in Greensboro is embracing The Village and getting to know even better its residents and those who live and lead in Alamance County.”