What started out as a plan to provide local area seniors with superior healthcare and a comfortable place to spend their retirement years has grown from one tiny retirement community into something very different.
Moorings Park Communities Celebrates 40 Years of Excellence and Growth
Moorings Park Communities has become one of the area’s biggest employers, and the well-heeled boomers and seniors its three communities serve have become a key driver to Naples’ economic engine. Nationally, Moorings Park Communities has become the benchmark other providers are benchmarking themselves against.
“From our very inception in 1980, our unique communities were designed for those who demand excellence and who are searching for something other than the typical retirement community offering. Our residents are affluent, educated people who have spent their careers looking for every advantage. And now, they are looking for that advantage when it comes to successful aging. They are looking for the Fountain of Youth,” said Tom Mann, Vice President of Moorings Park Communities. “That level of affluence allows us to do things that other communities simply can’t do.”
Resort-Style Living Meets Cutting Edge Wellness
Moorings Park Communities has a long and storied history for extraordinary hospitality, after all, the organization serves people who are accustomed to excellence. The company’s tagline, “Simply the Best” is a brand promise that over 1,000 staff members bring to life at Moorings Park, Moorings Park at Grey Oaks and Moorings Park Grande Lake. Their on-site restaurants and executive chefs easily match up against some of the finest restaurants in downtown Naples. But what has really set the organization apart has been its holistic approach to wellness. Residents of the communities practice proactive healthcare rather than reactive healthcare.
While Moorings Park Communities’ Centers for Healthy Living are impressive structures housing fitness centers, concierge physicians and clinics, outpatient rehab and theaters. There’s a magic ingredient that sets the communities apart. Regina Vaickonyte, Vice President of Delos Labs at Delos, a wellness real estate and technology company notes, “Fostering a wellness-focused culture among residents and staff is key to ensuring that you will have a thriving community. It should be prioritized above everything else.” Vaickonyte recently served as a judge for the International Council of Active Aging’s Beacon Award which named Moorings Park as the number one wellness-based community in North America.
Dr. John Little, a retired brain surgeon, and his wife Veora, who have lived in Naples for decades are prototypical of the type of educated consumer that moves to a Moorings Park Community. They understand the importance of having a robust wellness and healthcare plan included in their contract, unlike what fee-for-service communities are offering. Mann notes, “There are some very important nuances like having a concierge physician included in your monthly service package that astute individuals are able to easily see the value.”
“I’ve had the benefit of being involved with Moorings Park for 15 years and during that time I’ve learned a lot about the aging process, health, wellness and housing,” said Dr. Little, a Moorings Park board member. “My conclusion is, the ideal way to age is in a Life Plan Community like the communities Moorings Park has created.”
“John and I have both been in medicine for our entire careers,” Veora explained. “And so, coming in now when we’re healthy, was a major factor in our decision to move to Moorings Park Grande Lake, with its beautiful amenities and an incredible healthcare program.”
The Tesla of Senior Living
Moorings Park is driven to be the Tesla of senior living, driving innovations which the larger senior living field can then adopt in an effort to keep up. The organization strives to measure the impact of its wellness programs on the health of its residents and freely shares data with others researching the topic. “I respect organizations that work for the betterment of the whole industry,” says Kate Mearns, Director of Spa and Wellness at LIVunLtd., a New York-based firm which oversees services at resorts, spas, residential and commercial buildings and country clubs.
“We are constantly focused on finding ways to improve offerings to enhance the seven dimensions of wellness that foster successful aging … physical, social, spiritual, vocational, emotional, environmental and intellectual,” adds Dan Lavender, CEO and President of Moorings Park Communities. “I can’t wait to see what the next 40 years brings to our team and senior living.”
With a 40-year tradition of excellence that is complimented by A or A+ ratings by Standards and Poor and Fitch ratings services, Moorings Park Communities helps you live a longer, healthier, happier life while at the same time insuring that your future health concerns are taken care of.
To receive a complimentary information kit on Moorings Park Communities, visit MooringsPark.org or call 239-232-3903.
