You can listen to Episode S4E7 right here!
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
Hello, and welcome to the Third Age Design podcast sharing essential information on senior environments. I’m Lori Pinkerton-Rolet. And did you know that there are people who live at resorts? I don’t mean places designed to mimic the lifestyle of resorts but actual resorts with retired people living in them, people speaking different languages, tourists, and all that that entails. What are the potential benefits to seniors of this lifestyle option? And which elements might you consider when designing or operating retirement facilities elsewhere in the world? Today we’ll speak with a representative of just such an option, as our World Series of Design continues with a visit to Benidorm, Spain. And in our Innovation Spotlight, we’ll review the importance of the humble clock in dementia environments. This month I’ve got a truly great opening quote for you which I’ve taken to heart myself. It’s by author Anais Nin. “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” Okay, let’s face it getting older, in and of itself takes courage. Choosing to move into retirement accommodation or accepting that you need the support of a care or dementia environment takes courage. Those of us who are lucky enough to work in this sector are there to support these people of courage and we cannot let them down. The Third Age Design podcast is here to highlight the latest design concepts from around the world. Use the episodes to inspire what you do, to start conversations with your colleagues and to stay at the forefront of innovation. And, if you go to the website at Third Age Dot Design and hit the ‘Join Us’ button, you’re going to automatically receive A TAD Extra exclusive information for our community members. The new one follows up on the end-of-life design and the impact that these spaces have on patients and family members, including children. What are you waiting for? The Third Age Design podcast is supported by Wissner-Bosserhoff. Elevate nursing care with intelligent beds from Wissner-Bosserhoff. Blending modern day smart care technology with comfort, empowering caregivers worldwide. Discover more at www wei-bo.com. That’s www dot wi dash bo dot com. Okay, let’s get started as we head to Spain. If I mention the Canary Islands, Jajorica, Andalucia, Tenerife, what do you think of? I’m guessing it’s probably sun and sand and sangria and other things beginning with ‘S’. But did you know that Spain also boasts ski resorts- 30 of them, most of them are in the Pyrenees. Overall, the very idea of resorts has become part of the Spanish culture. About 15% of the population is foreign born roughly 7.2 million people, including 5.1 million born outside of Europe, and many of these people are retired as 20% of the overall population is over the age of 65. A simple internet search is going to give you countless retirement options, and companies set up specifically to help foreigners to retire in Spain. But there are some very clever organisations who successfully combined actual resort living with international retirement. And that is our focus today. Benedorm is a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Spain, part of the famed Costa Blanca and today my guest is Line Coleman, commercial director of Ciudad Patricia in Benidorm, and I’m going to say up front Spanish is very much a foreign language for me. So I’m going to I’m going to ruin all the pronunciation today and I asked for everyone’s forgiveness on that. Line, thank you for joining me on the Third Age Design podcast.
Line Coleman
Thank you for inviting me, Lori.
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
We’re very happy to have you. It’s a wonderful resort. We’ve we’ve done our research here and I’m just wondering if you just to start with could describe Cuidad Patricia in just a few sentences for people not familiar with what you do.
Line Coleman
So the most important thing from my point of view, it’s to emphasise that we are an independent senior living which means that You cannot live here, like if you live at your home. But with all the help and security you can have at your doorstep, if it’s correct the expression. Yes, it’s so it’s really, it’s nothing to do with a nursing home or something like this, it’s very more like you your home, but with help, and also to live in a community, which is, in fact, the most important thing, you will not be alone. And you will have all the possibilities around you.
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
But the very unusual thing that I can see in your model is that the community is likely to consist of people from different cultures, which adds an entirely different flavour to it. For example, it looks as if you are marketing to Spain, Germany, France, and you yourself speak several languages, Dutch, I believe is one of them as well. So how did the idea of making this a truly international Senior Living option come about?
Line Coleman
It was naturally done. I mean, people choose since a lot of time to go to retire themselves in Spain, or boats on houses for their vacation. So there is a large proportion of people who have decided to retire in the sun, and all the they had their own holiday home. And one thing leading to the other, they decide to stay in Spain. So that’s, that’s the origin of having so much different people here in the complex. To give you some figures, we have 48% of people coming from the UK 33, from Holland and Belgium. I mean, Dutch speaking people, then we have people from Switzerland, Germany, from Belgium, and a little percentage of French speaking people since I’m here because I was the only person speaking French in the in the complex. And actually, we have only one Spanish resident and is married. Yes, he’s married to a Swiss lady speaking French and Spanish, logically, hopefully for him. And it’s very nice, because he’s giving coversation classes to the other residents. So it’s more people who already lived here or had the house here, or choose to come to live here. And I don’t know if you heard about the blue zone.
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
I have. But please explain. Yes.
Line Coleman
Yes. So the blue zone, it’s something you can find on Netflix, but also on Wikipedia. It’s zone where people can live more than 100 years. And the objective of analysing these blue zones is to investigate. How is it possible? What are the criteria to be able to live longer and healthier. And I think that the place which is the Costa Blanca is very important is in this decision of taking the retirement in Spain, because we are next to the sea. We still stay in Europe. So it’s more easy for people from France, Belgium, or the European country to come to live in Spain. The food is very healthy, too. So there is a lot of criteria that you can find back in the in the Costa Blanca,
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
Am I correct that when you have spaces of facilities that are not currently occupied? Do you offer those outside of the initial community?
Line Coleman
No. What we propose. It’s activities that the resident can share with their family or friends, okay. We accept people if we go on excursion, but we also have to apartment will stay always free for the family of the resident, because they live here in Spain and most of the time the family live outside of Spain. We would like them to be together with a family without having the family at home. It’s not always easy all the time. So they can have two apartments, but one or two weeks for up to four people. So it means that they’re going to share the facility with the family or friends that they can receive not at home in the complex.
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
Right. And so the the accommodation within the complex because you’ve got a lot of different cultures of people coming there. Has it been designed specifically to match the sort of Spanish resort aesthetic rather than the aesthetic of the UK or any of the places that the people have come from? Particularly if the residents already were mainly based in Spain? Is that is that the theory?
Line Coleman
It’s yes and no. Because we exist since 40 years, and the buildings were made 40 years ago, or a little bit less in some of the case. So the architecture is really from the year 60s 70s. Every, yes, but we make every time a complete refurbishment. So, so the installation, the double, double glass of the window, it’s something very important. So from outside, it seems a little bit like in the year 70, which I like a lot, but it’s, it’s my point of view. But what is very important that you have a lot of green spaces, if you see the construction that we are doing now, there is very few green spaces free, and so on. So here we have five swimming pools. One is an indoor swimming pool, and we have 10 hectare of park, the mountain. It’s really in the nature. So you have open views, you don’t have one building in front of the other one. And that makes us unique. So if the people like it or not, it was not designed on propose to attract foreign people. It wasn’t more done by a Spanish architect at this period. The owner of the complex had a doctor which was called Patricia and from that constantly.
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
I understand. With all of the various expat people, do you have any competition because I couldn’t find anything in Spain that was that open to expats had the open spaces had the resort lifestyle, but was specifically meant for older people, it looks like you’re really in the forefront of this sort of offer. Is that correct?
Line Coleman
Yes, it’s correct. There is other places. And if you search in Spain, or in other countries in Europe, you can find some independent living places. But here it’s it’s really more like oasis is correct. In English. Yes,
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
Yes. Oasis.
Line Coleman
I mean, the city was not the construct after Cuidad Patricia. And so the localization is very important. And the major point of us, because, for example, we have the city bus, which is coming up to the central building, you can take the bus, and you will go to the to the centre of the city, which will take you less than 10 minutes, you can go buy food, so we are in a protected area in the mountain, that’s difficult to find. And that’s very difficult to be able to build something in such an area. And also we are connected just down the street with with the city. So there are other offers. That’s true. But creating one like us will be very difficult because we are here since for fourty two years. So that makes us really different than unique.
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
And you were talking about when you do refurbishment, you go all the way to the glass and things I understand you just relaunched a restaurant, what was what are the special features, and what did you get involved with in order to do that particular offer?
Line Coleman
The restaurant it was I am directors not since a lot of time it’s been six months that I have this job. As you know. It’s difficult to to speak together because I had a lot of things to solve and to learn. And one of the things I would like to learn was also to listen to the people. So if we speak about the restaurant, for example, I’ve decided in the beginning to create a task force. So a task force for the restaurant, but also task force about the gardening, the renovation, also because the needs that the people have can be different with a certain age, it’s so a lot of aspects are important in the situation that we need to listen to the people. So for the restaurant, we want, we wanted to create a place with conviviality, that’s what we searched for a name. And we found that Le Club was the best name, we can be nice. It’s, it’s in every languages. And also, it’s like community. the restaurant is very important in, in, in a resort, and more here, because we have a lot of buildings who are not connected. So you have to go out, take your your electric scooter, if you cannot more work, or working, and you go to the restaurant. So it’s you have to choose to go to the restaurant, you just not push on a button in the lift, and you go down to the restaurant, and you don’t have to choose. So here we are in Benedorm,so there’s plenty of different restaurants, we needed to be competitive, but for our people, so that’s why the task force was very important to choose the menu, the prices so that everyone can be able to come to it to the restaurant and be together. We don’t want people to they can be alone if they want to if they choose to be alone, but it cannot be a finality. So it’s important to create an atmosphere a place where people can meet, have a drink, it’s not only a restaurant, it’s also a cafeteria. So you are not obliged to eat if you don’t want to you can just share a drink.
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
Right and and am I correct you can sit outside if you if you wish to look like you have some overhanging areas so that you can enjoy the climate as well. So if I understand this correctly, the residents were on the task force they informed the decisions that were taken, they have other options, but the options might be in town because you’re so close. And so the restaurant has become a hub for everybody being able to speak and socialise. So it’s a very very, very important offer. You have five swimming pools, one is inside, are there any other special facilities that you’ve developed specifically for this site?
Line Coleman
is here if we begin with the central building where the restaurant is located, the reception and also the bus stop. We have also the bibliotech tech and movie room. We’re gonna organise breakfast and movie so that for the weekend or in the hot afternoon that we’re gonna have for the next two months, people can come and have lunch and then stay to see a movie. So that’s it’s the the objective of the next two months. Then we have the lounge which is for resident if they want to organise their birthday party they can use the lounge. Sorry, we have darts we have beer.
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
Beer a beer and darks got together in England. Yes very much so.
Line Coleman
In the in the ground floor we have the hairdresser the beauty health and beauty centre. We have a pathologist and a physiotherapist also. So here, you can have all kinds of services but we have also a mini golf court. A tennis court. A picnic lunch area. Wow. Yes. So gymnasium because we have at least two activities a day. So for example, we have also a…choir for singing. Yes. Yes. And we have 40 people participating every weeks some they organise also concert for people from outside. So there is a aqua gym, fitness coach who organised activities but collaborative, not just you do your fitness in your place. No. He makes two teams and they share activities in teams, with the fitness coach, we have Yoga also. And we’re going to have Pilates
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
Right. And how many people live on the site? Again, how many people live there?
Line Coleman
One hundred twenty eight.
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
OK so obviously, it’s large enough to facilitate all of those different activity. I mean, you’re selling it, I’m thinking, I’m thinking of the future and thinking this sounds very, very inviting. If operators that lived somewhere else, and maybe don’t have the weather, for example, that you have or might not have, they might have a lot of acreage actually, in other other countries, there are people we’ve spoken with another countries that have lots of different things. But what elements of what you do at Cuidad Patricia is the most important to you think?
Line Coleman
it’s, it’s very important, because if you want to create something in the middle of nowhere, I think it’s not a very good ID, because people living here need to be connected with life, which is the city. And also I take two important things, but the team is very important. Here, the people working for Cuidad Patricia, the half of them live also in the complex. And that is very important. For example, the doctor is living in the complex, the resident manager, also the housekeeper live in each of the buildings. So it means that the experience of the working team is nearly the same as the residence. So we we don’t come only at nine o’clock and go out at six o’clock, the job is done and we go home. No, we are really sharing times with the residents. And that’s very important. So I would say the team, and the team needs to love what they’re doing. Because without love, you will not listen to the people, you will not have patience, you will not take time to be with the people so that that’s very important.
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
And do you find if they’re not actively working, that they ever participate in things? Or do they tend to integrate only with other staff members? Or do they become literally part of your community?
Line Coleman
Part of the community? 100% That’s extraordinary.
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
That’s extraordinary. That is the first time I have ever I’ve been doing this for more years than I’m going to say. And that is the first time I have ever heard of that. I think that’s fantastic.
Line Coleman
Thank you. You know, for me, it’s very important because you’re the the inhabitant, because I always used the term which is resident, but the inhabitant, not only resident, and they rely on us and on the housekeeper, sometimes, if if someone don’t see another person for some days, or you know, we always are searching, what happened, do you want to come and have a coffee, we have a social worker, which is Jane, she’s very important for for the people because she will stay in contact in any situation of life. And that’s, that’s, that’s like a family. Yes. So it’s not perfect, because it’s never perfect. But we try to be logical. And because we love what we are doing. We are patient and we are listening to people. And I really I love my job, really.
Lori Pinkerton-Rolet
I can hear that. And your your I can hear your enthusiasm. And I want to just thank you so much for your time. Thank you for opening up some of these other concepts regarding location, the integration of, of staff, with residents, all of the issues that you’ve talked about today involving your staff member or your residents rather, in these task forces and not just keeping them on the outside and then telling them what’s being done. All of this is, is really, really exciting stuff that you’re doing. So thank you for joining me today. Thank you. And you’ll find links to Cuidad Patricia, and retirement in Spain on the podcast page for this episode at www Third Age Dot Design. Time now to talk about clocks. See what I did there?. I frequently visit care in private homes where Ppeople with dementia live, but they appear to be missing what one might call the right piece of equipment. According to Prestige Nursing and Care, when the brain is affected by dementia, it’s not unusual for people to lose the reasoning and analytical abilities needed to tell the time or even remembered the day. So when looking at a regular clock, they might not even understand it. There are several types of dementia- suitable clocks that you’ll want to be aware of. First of all, analogue wall clocks. They’re the traditional wall-mounted clocks, but dementia versions can be found with larger hands and fonts. And while these provide a certain amount of normalcy, they can be difficult for people in later stages of dementia to read. Day clocks actually don’t even tell the time but they do differentiate between morning noon and night time. Very helpful for anyone who’s lost this ability and that is actually a lot of people. Digital clocks have large displays which show the time, day ,and date yet look like traditional alarm clocks, except for the really large labelled buttons. And finally ‘talking clocks.’ While, this can be useful for anyone with a visual impairment, as it announces the time that certain hours, can also remind somebody to take medication; could this be confusing for someone who has dementia paranoia? I think the jury’s out on this one as far as TAD is concerned. But you can read up on all of these options, as well as some recommendations on the podcast page for this episode at www Third Age Dot Design. From our TAD iIternational Events Calendar, I’d like to highlight ‘New Horizons: Innovating for Dementia” which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from the eighth to the tenth of October. And prior to that September is a really busy month for us here at TAD. We’re sponsoring the Best Architect and Design Award at the Health Investors Senior Housing Awards at Grosvenor House Hotel in London, England on the 24th of September, and the entire TAD crew will be there so it’d be lovely to meet you. Also, I’ll be hosting a panel discussion and podcast recording up in Dewsbury, England, on Tuesday the tenth of September, as part of the shiny new showroom launch for Shackleton’s furniture. The topic? The next senior living design challenges, it’s free and you would be most welcome to participate. And as always, you’re going to find more information and additional events on the international events page at our website at Third Age Dot Design. Thank you for today’s special guest, Line Coleman. To our sponsors Vista ball surhoff elevate nursing care with intelligent beds from Wissner-Bosserhoff, blending modern day smart care technology with comfort and empowering caregivers worldwide. To our editor and producer Mike Scales who put up with all of my edits this month. To Valerie Adler of The Right Website… to Peter Thorne, who composed our theme music and is playing the piano with Mary Blanchard on flute…and to you for listening. I’m Lori Pinkerton-Rolet And next month we have an exceptional treat for you. What happens when a design legend takes on senior living? What rules are there to be broken? And what are the advantages of breaking them? Join me and my guest Sue Timney in our August podcast to find out. I do hope you’ll join us.