Focused on the current and future state of care for area seniors, Oak Trace retirement community announced the opening of a new, expansive Health & Wellness Center in Downers Grove, Illinois. The project was Phase 1 of an ongoing multimillion-dollar expansion.
With 66 assisted-living apartments, 28 memory-care residences and 102 skilled-nursing suites, the $79 million center is part an organization-wide effort to enhance accommodations, amenities and services. Assisted living and memory care were previously not available at the community.
“We wanted to make this investment to better-cater to the needs of today’s seniors,” said Amy LaCroix, regional operations director at Lifespace Communities, Oak Trace’s parent company. “Senior living is about serving families, and this transformation builds on that foundation.”
As reported in the Daily Herald, the 217,466-square-foot Health & Wellness center provides robust lifestyle and wellness experiences with a library, full-service beauty salon, spa and fitness center. This is in addition to speech, occupational and physical therapies, and an inpatient dialysis center. Other features include contemporary hotel-style finishes and open-concept floor plans that appeal to modern tastes.
The memory care suites, designed for residents with dementia, offer glass-front “memory boxes” alongside their doors. Residents can fill the boxes with personal photos or mementos to help them identify their space by familiar objects.
Blaire Goldstein, executive director at Oak Trace, said the center was designed with comfort in mind. “Every detail was put in place to make it feel like home.”
The second phase of the expansion project, projected at $95 million and set for completion in 2021, will add more than 150 residential living apartments and villas, common spaces, dining venues and more.
“With the completion of the Health & Wellness Center, we are getting closer to truly redefining what senior living means in Downers Grove,” added Goldstein.
The first residents are expected to begin moving into the new Health & Wellness Center in May.
