ACTS

Source: Healthcare Digital

Date :12/12/2007 05:17:07

How will you jazz up your senior years? ACTS has the answer, according to President and CEO Marvin Mashner

Written by Ian Armitage and Produced by Tom Venturo

With a vision born from faith and guided by a commitment to loving-kindness, ACTS Retirement-Life-Communities is an active lifestyle retirement community pioneer, setting the standard for independent senior living at its 18 retirement communities in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

ACTS can trace its origins to the concern of a suburban Philadelphia pastor and members of his church who sought a dignified and acceptable retirement setting for the older members of the congregation. From there, ACTS opened its first community in 1972, and has continued to expand its unique concept of independent retirement living ever since. The industry has exploded and nearly 8,000 retirees, age 62 and beyond, now live at ACTS’ resort-style retirement campuses.

“We stand out from the crowd of retirement living choices,” explains Marvin Mashner, ACTS President and Chief Executive Officer, who has more than 35 years’ experience in the healthcare sector and has been with ACTS for 17 years.

Today, ACTS is the largest not-for-profit owner, operator and developer of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in the United States and has a wealth of expertise in providing a comprehensive range of senior living services. Residents enjoy a resort lifestyle with a second-to-none combination of surroundings, atmosphere, services, comforts and conveniences.

The ‘what if’ factor

All ACTS communities feature Type A extensive life care contracts, the safest and most complete contract in the CCRC industry. This, according to Ray Hunter, Senior VP Sales and Marketing, is a huge benefit. “We do offer other types of contracts, but less than two percent take them. The Type A contract gives residents tremendous peace-of-mind – they are secure in the knowledge that their monthly fee will never go up as health care needs change. If they do go up, they will only rise on a minimal annual basis,” he says. “With Type A contracts, we offer residents asset protection, controlled increases in cost and numerous tax advantages. Perhaps more importantly, the ‘what if’ factor is removed.”

Mashner adds: “Moving to a retirement community is a significant decision and one that often involves the entire family. Time after time, we hear our residents say that selecting an ACTS retirement community is the greatest gift they've given their family.” In choosing an ACTS community the resident’s family members will not have to make an extremely difficult healthcare decision for their loved one because the details such as where the care will take place and how it will be paid for have already been arranged.

A long and fulfilling life

As a not-for-profit organization, ACTS continues its mission of caring for seniors by continually investing in upgrades, improvements and additions to each retirement community. State-of-the-art fitness centers, casual and gourmet dining options, along with hobby centers and a full calendar of social events are just a tiny selection of the amenities and services provided at an ACTS community.

“We don’t want to offer just a long life, but a fulfilling one,” says Marvin. “It is about quality, not quantity. The lifestyle found in our communities is truly unique, a little pastoral if you like, and is all about creating a residential community in which people can flourish and where every need is taken care of. For example, each day our residents enjoy a nutritious meal at one of our restaurant venues, where dining options emphasize a variety of healthy, delicious food without the ongoing stress of planning, preparing or cleaning up from the meals – it’s like a country club!”

He continues: “If physical fitness is on the agenda, our fitness centers offer the latest equipment and our staff will help tailor an individual exercise program. Our signature wellness programs will help people get and stay on the road to health while keeping fitness fun.”

On top of all that, ACTS retirement communities aim to eliminate the isolation that can lead to depression and inactivity in seniors. According to Mashner, the communities make it easy for residents to take part in inspiring and fun activities, helping seniors make the most of their exciting retirement lifestyle.

“The staff at our communities handle the routine tasks like maintenance work, meaning residents don’t have to worry and can have more time to make the most of life,” says Mashner. “We lighten the load by removing the daily burdens of living.”

Should a resident’s healthcare needs change, ACTS’ continuing care services help maintain an independent way of life for as long as possible, without burdening family or friends. “As someone once said, it’s not the years in your life that matter – it’s the life in your years,” said Mashner. The retirement resort lifestyle at an ACTS community is a sure fire way to add life to your years.

Baby boomers

More than 78 million Baby Boomers loom on the horizon. As with nearly every aspect of their lives — from redefining what it means to be young, attractive and successful, to altering the balance between career and family — this generation is seeking to reinvent what it means to be retired. As such, serving this generation’s needs through retirement and beyond is going to require innovation and re-examining how retirement communities are structured and defined.

“We are leading the way in bringing a new retirement paradigm to this generation,” explains Mashner. “Ten to 15 years from now, we will start to see the impact of the baby boomers, and we are already looking at how to develop solutions tailored to suit their needs. They are used to having things now and they demand choice and are more savvy when it comes to making decisions about their future. How do we best respond to that? Well, we are looking at everything and developing innovative solutions.”

With a waiting list of over five years for some communities, demand is high and ACTS is fast becoming the first choice for many. In years to come, particularly with the baby boomers, this demand will increase and Mashner is extremely excited with what the future will bring, especially given its current popularity. “I have heard residents say ‘I’m not particular about which community I live in, as long as I get to live in an ACTS community’. We love to hear people say that and it puts us in a great position for the future.”