As people age, it’s important for them to stay as active and engaged as possible for optimal physical and mental health. In order to do this, many seniors choose to move into assisted living communities.
LIVIA Health & Senior Living in East Hanover puts the emphasis on “living.” Its focus is on keeping residents engaged throughout their day with meaningful programs catered to their specific needs and interests.
The community has amenities such as a theater, an aquatic therapy pool, and a beautiful outdoor courtyard with a bocce court. There’s also a bistro where they can enjoy intimate restaurant-style dining with other residents, friends, and family members.
One of the more unique aspects of LIVIA is the open floor plan of their neighborhoods. While many traditional long-term care settings have long corridors flanked with bedroom doors, here the floor plan is situated much differently.
“When residents leave their rooms, they enter an open space designed specifically to promote socialization and wellness,” says Chief Operating Officer Richard Molfetta. “When LIVIA opened in March 2020, the goal was to merge the concierge experience of hospitality with high quality healthcare, delivered in a beautiful home-like environment. Our neighborhoods feature a living room with a fireplace, a family room where residents can watch television and engage in activities, and a dining area.”
All the residents have private rooms with high-end amenities, so while socializing and activities are encouraged, they also have a sanctuary where they can relax and be on their own, if desired. However, even in their rooms, they can stay connected.
“The most important piece that any loved one wants for their family member is to stay connected and to feel loved,” he says. “We have Alexa on every nightstand which allows family members to video call and drop in whenever they see fit. They also want to make sure their loved ones are getting all of their care needs met, that it's timely, and that it's done with compassion.”
He adds, “We have that transparency because we believe that allows trust and better communication with our families, and most importantly, a better connection with family and their loved ones.”
Residents can also ask Alexa what activities are on schedule or what menu items will be available that day.
“We’ve also partnered with Circadia Health, which provides a remote patient monitoring system,” says Richard. “There's a device that sits on the wall behind every resident's bed that captures vital signs such as respiratory rate, heart rate and time spent in or near the bed. This allows us to do multiple things that can improve the quality of their care. Number one, if there's a change in their baseline condition, an alert notification gets sent to our clinical team. Two, because early detection allows for early intervention, that ultimately helps us prevent an adverse event from happening or getting worse.”
While LIVIA provides assisted living quarters, it also offers skilled nursing and short-term rehab services onsite. If a resident’s needs increase over time, he or she doesn’t have to move to another building. “They have the ability to simply move upstairs, making it easy to get acclimated to their new environment,” he says.
The facility also embraces a philanthropic spirit. They’ve donated to and raised money for St. Jude and also contribute to local Alzheimer's walks. “It's important for us to always give back to the community.”
LIVIA is actually an acronym that stands for Love, Integrity, Vitality, Innovation, and Accommodation. “These are our core principles that we strive to follow day in and day out,” says Richard.
Adds one resident, “This is my home and I love it. They make us feel better and you just can’t beat it.”
For more, go to Livia-Health.com.
