Author Archives: Tabby Alford
Lifecare as Preventive Medicine
We all have heard about the benefits of “preventive medicine.”
You eat healthfully, exercise, and visit your doctor when you
should. Do you know that some people view their decision to move
to a PA retirement community as a form of preventive medicine?
Residents thrive at Sherwood Oaks. The entire lifecare program is
designed to keep residents healthy and independent for as long as
is possible. In addition to the health screenings and fitness
opportunities, this PA retirement community offers educational classes, day
trips and a wealth of convenient services and amenities on site.
Best of all, Sherwood Oaks is affordable. If you haven’t already
received our Cost Comparison Calculator, call Sherry or Phyllis
today and request a copy. When you add up all the benefits, you
will see for yourself that Sherwood Oaks is one of the nicest retirement communities in PA.
To receive a copy of the Cost Comparison Calculator, or to
schedule a revisit to the campus, call Sherry or Phyllis at (800) 642-2217.
Learn more about our Fitness Program by attending a Lunch and Learn on
Wednesday, February 15th or Thursday, February 23rd at 11 a.m. here at
Sherwood Oaks in the Cranberry Lake Grill.
Please call 800 642-2217 to reserve your spot!
Are Retirement Communities Financially Stable?
It is important for seniors to ask careful questions as they consider which retirement community is best suited to their needs. Some recent newspaper stories have asked if retirement communities in PA are financially stable. Sherwood Oaks willingly answers inquiries about our financial stability as a retirement community-PA facility. We believe that Sherwood Oaks is among the financially strongest retirement communities in the region because:
- The Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community has successfully operated for 28 years. We are proud of the good reputation that we’ve established, especially in the North Hills and Cranberry Township areas.
- The Sherwood Oaks audited 2009 financial statements show positive net assets of $5.5 million. Audited statements for FY 2010 will be released soon, and they are expected to show strong operating income, positive investment returns, and continued investment in capital assets.
- Resident satisfaction at Sherwood Oaks, as measured by an outside consulting firm, shows that residents have rated Sherwood Oaks as exceeding national benchmark scores for many years.
- The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center UPMC is our parent company and one of the most financially sound organizations in the region.
- Sherwood Oaks is one of the few retirement communities PA has that is fully accredited by the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission, www.carf.org. We have achieved this mark of distinction and maintained it since1993.
Experts have commented that retirement communities in PA requiring an entrance fee present a risk, “perhaps a little risk, but still a risk.” Although this is true with any endeavor, we would point out that not living at Sherwood Oaks presents a risk, too. We believe that the enjoyment of the amenities, physical security, and the knowledge that unlimited continuing care is guaranteed at Sherwood Oaks far outweighs the small risk.
Please contact our marketing office at 1-800-642-2217 if you have questions about Sherwood Oaks. We are happy to provide any information you may need about all aspects of our retirement community and the many entrance options available at Sherwood Oaks.
It is important for seniors to ask careful questions as they consider which retirement community is best suited to their needs. Some recent newspaper stories have asked if retirement communities in PA are financially stable. Sherwood Oaks willingly answers inquiries about our financial stability as a retirement community-PA facility. We believe that Sherwood Oaks is among the financially strongest retirement communities in the region because:
Research Shows Reasons Why Retirees Don’t Move to a Retirement Community
Recently we discussed that the #1 reason why retirees move to a retirement community is the guarantee of health care.
But, what about those who choose to stay in their homes? Our research shows that these are the reasons why retirees stay where they are:
1) Cost – You may think that a retirement community PA has is costly, yet you may also be surprised to learn the value of services that are included in the monthly fee. Many costs that you now pay separately are paid for in the monthly fee. For example, utilities, housekeeping, home maintenance, transportation and some meals are included. Residents at Sherwood Oaks no longer pay real estate or school taxes, and receive a tax benefit because they’ve pre-paid much of their future medical expense. Most importantly, retirees have the financial security of not having to set aside money for the high cost of extended health care.
2) “I’m Too Young” – Most residents I’ve spoken with wished they moved sooner, not later. The younger you are when you move, the more you can benefit from the health care plan and enjoy the lifestyle and activities.
3) “I Don’t Know Where to Begin my Move” – That’s where we can help. We’ve assembled a complete package of services to help you move. From realtors to moving companies to estate sales, we work with a solid, professional team who understands what you are going through. We even pay the cost of a professional moving organizer to meet with you in your home and get you started.
If you have a personal circumstance that you’d like to discuss with a member of my staff, contact them at marketing@sherwood-oaks.com. One last thought – putting off a move to next year does not make it any easier.
Research Shows #1 Reason Why Retirees Move to a Retirement Community
Our most recent survey of residents shows that the #1 reason why retirees move to Sherwood Oaks is the availability of guaranteed, on-site health care. “Retirees really want to plan for their futures,” remarks Mark D. Bondi, President and CEO of Sherwood Oaks, “and securing convenient and top notch health care is a prime consideration for where they want to live.”
In 2009 Sherwood Oaks undertook a major expansion of health care services. The Oak Grove Center, a 30 bed care facility was recently completed that offers private, personal care to persons suffering with memory loss. In addition, renovation is currently underway to the community’s skilled nursing facility. These changes will provide residents with private rooms that are organized in a home-like setting. The renovations to nursing care are expected to be completed in 2011.
“These renovations are a wonderful benefit to persons considering a move to Sherwood Oaks” concludes Bondi, “although you may not need health care now – you want to be prepared for what life has in store for you in the future.”
Our next story will discuss the reasons why retirees decide not to move to a retirement community-PA facility. Stay tuned.
Sherwood Oaks Residents partner with Seneca Valley High School to Judge Senior Projects
Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania―
Twenty-four residents of the Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community (PA) will act as judges for the Seneca Valley Senior High School’s 2010 senior projects presentations. The residents will volunteer their time for judging duties and will undergo training in order to understand the scope and criteria for awarding entries.
Madelin Clements, a resident of Sherwood Oaks, served as a judge during the 2009 Seneca Valley Senior High School’s senior project presentations. She enjoyed the important experience and interested many of her friends at Sherwood Oaks to join this year’s panel of judges. The senior projects cover a wide range of topics including career entrepreneur, community service, visual and performing arts, humanities, mechanical design and construction and more.
The Seneca Valley School District is a suburban district serving Butler County, Western Pennsylvania. The district covers 100 square miles and includes the townships of Cranberry, Forward, Jackson and Lancaster and the boroughs of Callery, Evans City, Harmony, Seven Fields and Zelienople. Seneca Valley School District comprises four elementary schools, two middle schools (5-6 grades), one middle school (7-8 grades), one intermediate high school (9-10 grades) and a senior high school (11-12 grades).
A total of approximately 7,300 students per year are educated in the Seneca Valley School District (2009). The school district reports SAT scores which rank consistently higher than the state and national averages. The district ranks within the top 20 of Western Pennsylvania schools (2009 ranking) and the Seneca Valley middle school was named in the top 10 (2009 ranking).
Katherine Vojtko, Vice President of Sherwood Oaks, isn’t surprised at the many residents who want to offer their time and expertise to the school project. “It’s a perfect partnership. Residents of Sherwood Oaks are retired or semi-retired people who have been business leaders, medical professionals, teachers, lawyers, engineers and more. They have done great things with their lives and have so much to offer as well as being great role models for the students.”
Sherwood Oaks is a continuing care retirement community PA has for people age 62 and over with patio homes and apartments offering secure, maintenance-free living with fine amenities, activities and programs with on-site assisted living, skilled nursing and memory support care. The mission of Sherwood Oaks is to foster independence, health and wellness, and financial security for residents while preserving a quality and dignity of life in which residents may realize their fullest potential. Sherwood Oaks is part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) retirement communities.
The Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community is situated on an 84-acre wooded campus 25 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. Visit www.sherwood-oaks.com.
A Note Recently Written to Sherry Cook, Client Advisor
Dear Sherry,
Thank you for all of the thoughtful ways you helped us in the decision-making process as we considered Sherwood Oaks. We are sooo glad this community “won” in our evaluations, and the professionalism with which you met us and your desire to have us here played a large part in our decision.
Thank you again and may God bless you!
Sincerely,
John and Harriet Burress
PS – The Moving Seminar was great. did i get oral herpes We recommend it as an ongoing marketing tool.
Campus Life Is Rich With Activities, Hobbies, and Fun
“Make the decision to come to Sherwood Oaks while you are young as active enough to enjoy it,” advises Loretta Pospistle, 67. Loretta and her husband Richard, 72, have been residents since 2006. They love the fact that the residents develop and run the activities at Sherwood Oaks and they are taking full advantage of them to match their energetic lifestyle.
Loretta participates in Tai Chi and yoga and shares a weekly walk as part of the Walk with a Friend program. She puts on her dancing shoes and joins husband Richard to take part in line dancing fun. “I enjoy games,” says Loretta, “and I play poker and dominoes. I also like to play Mah Jongg, but there wasn’t a play group here at Sherwood, so Richard and I started one!”
“I enjoy being active and helping others,” says Richard, who possesses many high technology skills. He volunteers weekly in the Sherwood Oaks computer center where he assists residents with projects like email, word processing and slide shows. As chair of the audio visual group, Richard manages the set up of projectors, microphones and sound equipment for campus movies, concerts and presentations. And Richard is involved with the organization of Sherwood’s summer games during which residents compete for bragging rights in games of croquet, golf putting, horse shoes, bocce and other sports.
Now that he has time to devote to it, Richard is getting back to painting as a member of the art group. He spends time with the resident art instructor and is working in both acrylic and watercolors. He is part of the Program Committee that secures outside entertainment such as musical, comedy and guest speakers to perform at Sherwood Oaks. And as a member of the Dining Services Committee, he participates in determining healthful and appetizing food options and reviews resident comments.
As a member of the Health Affairs Committee, Loretta receives health care concerns of residents and helps develop educational programs, such as preventing falls. She felt honored when asked to create a permanent Sherwood Oaks historical display for the Oak Lodge. “Richard and I love to be active and involved, but we make certain to set aside time each day to spend with each other.”
Helen Haberlein came to Sherwood Oaks in 2008. “I am happy here at Sherwood Oaks and there is certainly lots of activity and enjoyable things to do,” says Helen, 77. She swims twice per week and plants and tends flowers as part of the Landscape Committee. She has high praise for the books she reads and discusses at the book club.
“I also make use of the ceramics and pottery studio,” says Helen. “I enjoy ceramics and the studio is fully equipped with a pottery wheel and kiln.” Helen also likes to work on her golf putting on the campus putting green.
Sherwood Oaks residents currently have over 50 committees and activities available on campus. They know that active people are happier, healthier and a whole lot of fun to be around.
Going Green at Any Age—Purchase of ZENN Electric Car Reflects Progressive Vibe at Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community
Based on their commitment to independence, dignity, and quality of life, resident advisors give the green light to zero-emissions acquisition.
With the blessing of their community’s transportation committee, headed by a retired electrical engineer from the Westinghouse nuclear division, executives with Sherwood Oaks, a retirement community in Cranberry Township, today announced the strategic addition of a ZENN electric car to the campus motor pool.
Hinting at both the due diligence of the resident committee he chairs as well as a lifetime of attention to detail, 91-year-old Melvin “Jud” Judkis, an 11-year resident of Sherwood Oaks, reels off the compelling stats that helped drive executives’ decision to go green.
“The fuel economy was listed as 245 miles per equivalent gallon of gasoline,” he says. “The cost of operating the car on electricity would be about 3.4 kilowatt-hours to drive 25 miles. That turns out to be about 40 cents, based upon the price of electricity.”
According to Sherwood Oaks president and CEO Mark D. Bondi, those facts made sense in terms of both bottom-line savings and in the way the purchase reflects the unique collaborative dynamic between Sherwood Oaks administrators and its clients who live there.
“We have a bunch of residents who are very bright,” says Mr. Bondi. “They’re retired engineers, retired educators, business owners. These are people who have planned very carefully all their lives. The residents really have a voice in what happens here, and they’re a resource for us.”
Manufactured by the ZENN Motor Company (www.zenncars.com), the new car will be used at Sherwood Oaks as an on-campus-only vehicle to supplement an already busy fleet of gas-powered cars and buses used by residents for transportation both on and off campus, to the airport, to doctor visits, and for shopping excursions.
According to Ralph Edgar, director of security and transportation for Sherwood Oaks, the four-passenger ZENN car is ideal for daily use around the community’s 84-acre campus. It has a top speed of 25 mph; it can be recharged overnight via a standard household electrical outlet; and it has a range of up to 30 miles on a single charge.
“We had a demo car for the last three weeks,” he says, “so we’re used to having it in service every day. We looked at some other products, along the lines of golf carts, but this is like a regular car. It’s enclosed; it will protect you from the weather. It’s a nice addition to our fleet.”
In addition to the ZENN car purchase, Mr. Bondi says other eco- and budget-friendly initiatives at Sherwood Oaks include recent construction of a “green” rooftop on the community’s healthcare center as well as energy-efficient design elements included in new apartments under construction, all of which reflects relevant input from some of the more than 50 activity/advisory committees that comprise the Sherwood Oaks Residents Association (SORA).
“Sherwood Oaks is a resident-founded community, and the relationship between residents and staff is extremely cooperative,” says Mr. Bondi. “I think the better communities try to stay close to their customers, like any business should.”
The resident chair of SORA’s transportation committee agrees.
“We try to be progressive in the things that we do, and we like to think that we are having a say in how this place is run,” says Mr. Judkis.
Understanding the Differences Between Continuing Care Retirement Communities
A Continuing Care Retirement Community, or CCRC, is generally a senior community which offers housing, services and nursing care, usually all in one location.
In order to attain a CCRC certificate, an organization applies to the PA Department of Insurance for a “certificate of authority.” If granted, the organization is able to use the title of continuing care retirement community and qualifies for certain tax benefits.
Mark Bondi, President and CEO of Sherwood Oaks, advises seniors to be very well informed when selecting a CCRC for their retirement living. “The tax benefits have spurred a marked increase in the number of communities applying for CCRC certifications during the past five years. Simply having a certification and calling yourself a CCRC doesn’t really mean much,” Bondi cautions. “The CCRC certification does not demand any set of standard services or amenities.”
So, how can seniors be sure which continuing care retirement community is right for them? “The key is knowing that the services that will be rendered to you are governed by the written agreement between the community and the resident. These agreements must be read carefully to determine exactly what is—or isn’t included,” says Bondi.
When John and Harriet Burress began researching retirement communities, they prepared to meet the challenge. “We determined our priorities, and set out to find a community that met them. We visited five different facilities at least four times each,” said Harriet. “Selecting a place to retire is a very big decision and an important financial investment. We did our research accordingly before selecting Sherwood Oaks,” said John.
CCRCs offer many different types of agreements. Sherwood Oaks is a Type A community. The most commonly offered CCRC agreements are:
- Type A (Extensive) Agreement – includes housing, residential services, amenities and unlimited, specific health-related services with little or no increase in monthly payments except to cover normal operating costs and inflation adjustments.
- Type B (Modified) Agreement – like A above, except that a specified amount of health care services are included. After the specified amount of health care is used, a discounted rate or full per day rates for required health services will be charged.
- Type C (Fee-for-Service) – Includes housing, residential services and amenities for the fees stated in the agreement. Access to health care is guaranteed, but it may be required at full fee-for-service rates.
- Rental Agreement – Allows residents the opportunity to rent their housing and provides, but does not guarantee, access to health care services paid on a fee-for-service basis.
Bondi describes an example to illustrate the big differences between CCRC agreements. “If a resident becomes ill at Sherwood Oaks, our Type A agreement offers multiple levels of care at no additional cost allowing the residents’ needs to be met on campus as they change. Other types of agreements do not. Residents who fall ill at other CCRCs will need to find a health provider and arrange for payment of health services on their own. And these payments may be significant—costs for one year of skilled nursing services can exceed $70,000.”
John and Harriet Buress gathered information about various CCRCs and evaluated health services, living spaces, staffing, security features and spoke with residents on their visits. “We selected Sherwood Oaks because it best provided for our needs. The agreement was clear and understandable and we have been overwhelmed with friendly faces and the professional and helpful staff,” the Buresses said.
After only two months, John and Harriet Buress are happy to say that they already feel at home at Sherwood Oaks. “It’s so comforting to know that our healthcare, including assisted living are here on campus and guaranteed. We’re glad we came to Sherwood Oaks when we’re healthy enough to enjoy life, friendships and fun.”