They say it takes a village to raise a child. It’s also nice to be surrounded by a caring community of friends and neighbors in your later years as well. Ovation Heartwood Preserve offers a vibrant senior living environment where single residents can make the most of their retirement in comfort and style.
“Most of our residents are coming from a place where they’ve lived for many years,” said Kyle Steenson, executive director of independent living. “Maybe their spouse, family and friends have moved away or passed on. We provide a way for them to foster new relationships and blossom into this new phase of life.”
Steenson compares the process of moving into an upscale senior living community like Ovation Heartwood Preserve with going back to college.
“You’re letting go of the responsibilities of home maintenance, making new friends and just having fun,” he said.
Single seniors enjoy the autonomy of being able to make their own decisions about how to spend their time, furnish their new accommodations and basically reinvent themselves. They’re also far from alone in numbers.
“I’d say our community is probably 70% singles versus 30% couples,” Steenson pointed out.
Ovation’s life enrichment team conducts a short interview with new residents at move-in to discuss their interests, activities and hobbies, and an onboarding process pairs each up with a current resident ambassador who helps them acclimate during their first month on-site. A wealth of social programming offers additional opportunities to interact with new neighbors in fun settings.
“We have baking classes, art classes, cooking demonstrations, exercise classes and wellness programs,” he said. “Lots of our residents actually get into better physical shape than when they were living at home.”
Although getting involved in the community is highly encouraged, Ovation Heartwood Preserve respects residents’ wishes for privacy.
“If you don't want to come down to the restaurant for a meal, we can deliver room service to you,” Steenson said. “Your experience can be whatever you want it to be.”
Singles can rest assured that safety is always a top priority. The building switches into key entry access-only between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., and a concierge is on hand 24/7 to monitor common spaces via a security camera system.
“We have a property-wide smart home device program with sensors in key areas of every apartment,” he said. “It performs a full motion-sensor sweep twice a day, and if there’s no activity detected, we do a safety check to make sure you’re OK.”
Apartments also come equipped with voice-assisted Amazon Alexa technology, and residents can post a list of contacts and medications on their refrigerators for quick reference in the event of an emergency.
“Don’t wait to explore senior living,” Steenson concluded. “Once they’ve gotten a taste of all the things we have to offer, many of our single residents often say they wish they’d moved in sooner.”
To learn more about Ovation Heartwood Preserve or to schedule a tour, call 402.999.7900 or visit ovationheartwoodpreserve.com.
