Contrary to popular belief, living in a senior living community isn’t the beginning of the end — it’s the beginning of a whole new chapter.
With many older adults living into their 90s and beyond, the opening of Highgate at Flagstaff presented an opportunity to create a new type of senior living experience in Flagstaff. From food to fun, we’ve left no stone unturned in planning unique programs.
Highgate Senior Living has been providing innovation and leadership in senior living for 25 years. In a city where 1 in 10 residents are over the age of 65, what better place for Highgate’s 10th community than Flagstaff, Arizona — an area where it’s common to see a waiting list for the senior care communities.
Here are nine unique benefits of living at Highgate Senior Living.
If it’s relaxation you seek, check out Highgate’s pedicure spa, massage table or chairs, or enjoy the deep soaking tub complete with aromatherapy and heated robes. Families can purchase gift certificates for loved ones from Highgate at Flagstaff’s Wellness Concierge, a popular choice around the holiday season.
Visit the kitchen at Highgate at Flagstaff and you might find the Dining Services Chef Supervisor topping bruschetta with Italian herbs grown in the Highgate garden.
“If you were to walk in my kitchen right now, it would smell like the Togarashi-seared tuna I just made with roasted root vegetables, blackened salmon with a classic French remoulade, or the seared chicken marinated in a balsamic-herb mix topped with a chipotle aioli,” the Chef says.
Choice is a high priority at Highgate. Not only do you choose what to eat from a robust dining menu, but when to eat, with all-day, restaurant-style dining from 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. Residents start their day choosing from a variety of signature breakfasts. Four different items are available for lunch and dinner. In addition, you can dress your own spud at the potato bar or enjoy afternoon tea, London-style.
At Highgate, team members focus on each resident’s whole self — mind, body, and spirit — to help them live a full life. It’s not just about keeping our residents healthy, it’s living life well. Residents can engage in a variety of intellectually stimulating activities, from trivia and crossword puzzles to brain games and continued learning lectures. Their bodies are nourished with nutritious and delicious made-from-scratch meals and strengthened through yoga, tai chi, and walking clubs. Highgate offers mindfulness and meditative exercises, faith services, socialization, music and dance, and more.
“While our purpose may change as we get older, we still have interests, passions, people, and things that are important to us. It is important to keep our seniors engaged in the pursuits that give them a sense of purpose and that isn’t easily accomplished living at home, alone,” says Highgate at Flagstaff's Executive Director. “When a resident moves into one of our communities, Life Story and Purposeful Living Interviews are completed,” the Executive Director says. “These tools allow us to get to know each resident as an individual — their likes, dislikes, and the specifics about things that are important to them, now as well as in the past.”
From outings to Lowell Observatory, Meteor Crater, the Grand Canyon or the Lava River Caves to onsite activities like silk flower arrangement or “Bronuts” a popular men’s club complete with coffee and donuts, there’s sure to be something for everyone on Highgate’s robust, diverse calendar of activities.
As you age, healthy eating can make a big difference in your health: improving how you feel and encouraging a sense of well-being. Highgate’s dining philosophy aims to decrease processed sugars and unhealthy starches, but never at the expense of taste.
“When you make food from scratch, it will be nutritious, more often than not, but you can really elevate flavors,” says the Dining Chef Supervisor. “By making stocks and bone broths and using different methods and techniques that can really elevate the food, and with my experience with cooking a variety of cuisines, obtaining flavor without all the negative things is a guarantee.”
However, Highgate’s health-conscious dining approach doesn’t mean we don’t love our desserts. You’ll savor Highgate’s sweet delights, and there’s always a sugar-free choice among them.
At 76 years old, Bob starts every day with some exercise, but his wife, Gail, (also 76), has memory loss and diabetes, and they’re still living together, at Highgate. Not all senior living communities are designed to care for couples with varying needs, like Bob and Gail.
“What is unique about Highgate compared to other places that I have worked is the person-centered care,” says the Executive Director of Highgate at Flagstaff. “It is not a one-size-fits-all structure. Highgate takes the time to get to know each individual as a whole person to ensure that we are meeting all their needs on every level.”
Championed by internationally recognized dementia practitioner, educator, and founder of the Positive Approach to Care, Teepa Snow, person-centered care is a positive approach to caring for those with dementia and memory loss that is built around the needs of the individual and emphasizes care relationships. Person-centered care creates an environment where memory care residents have the freedom to be involved in making choices and have control over what daily life looks like.
Ron and Michele knew it was time to move into a senior living community, but they couldn’t bear the thought of parting with their pups. At Highgate at Flagstaff, a pet-friendly assisted living community, they don’t have to.
“We’re all about empowering seniors to live life to the fullest,” says Highgate at Flagstaff's Executive Director. “Pets not only enhance the life of the resident, providing them love and purpose, but they enhance the lives of everybody in the community.”
At Highgate at Flagstaff, there are also team members who help residents care for their pets to ensure the health and happiness of both the seniors and their pets.
“We create a care plan for our pets when their loved ones are no longer able to care for them,” the Executive Director says. “That could be taking them for a walk every two hours, cleaning the litter box, making sure they have fresh water.”
For over 25 years, Highgate Senior Living has been serving seniors and their families — and changing what people come to expect for care. What’s most important is that you find a care community that is closely aligned with your loved one’s individual needs.
To see if Highgate at Flagstaff is right for you, schedule a tour today.