For this week’s Friday’s Featured Facility- a community that may represent a trend in senior living. Oak Hammock at the University of Florida in Gainesville is the only university-based retirement community in Florida and one of only a handful across the country. But these types of senior living facilities are attracting attention and popularity among boomers who appreciate the vibrant educational, cultural and social offerings that a university setting can offer.

Oak Hammock’s 136-acre facility is a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), meaning it offers a range of options – everything from independent living to assisted living to memory care and skilled nursing. For a one-time entrance fee, ranging from  $147,500-over $500,000 – Oak Hammock residents are guaranteed long-term care at a significantly reduced rate. There are also monthly fees ranging from $1800-5000 to cover everything from utilities to social activities and some meals.
What makes Oak Hammock unique is its integration with the University of Florida. Star Bradbury, Director of Life Planning at Oak Hammock, told me that the community would not exist without the University. Oak Hammock’s board is appointment by UF’s president, and the school’s deans and staff provide input for the community’s activities. Among the benefits listed on Oak Hammock’s website are:

• Because our 22,000-sq.-ft. Fitness Center is affiliated with UF’s College of Health and Human Performance, attention has been paid to the smallest detail – from installing the right equipment to calibrating the ideal temperature for the swimming pools. 
• The College of Dentistry staffs an on-site, full-service dental hygienist suite.
• The College of Veterinary Medicine operates a Veterinary Clinic at Oak Hammock, providing routine wellness care. Pet sitting is also offered.
• The College of Fine Arts provides performance venues and schedules on-site recitals.
• The College of Medicine provides a Mini-Medical School series.
• The College of Pharmacy provides weekly consulting services with members
• Liberal Arts and Sciences presents educational programs in a wide range of disciplines.
• Oak Hammock members serve as mentors, lecturers and volunteers in the University’s many academic programs. 
• Because Oak Hammock is directly affiliated with the University of Florida, members have campus privileges similar to those of University faculty – with access to sports, performing arts events, library and research facilities, and more.

Oak Hammock is home to approximately 400 people. Most live in independent living apartments or freestanding homes. The facility also has a capacity for 42 people in its assisted living unit, 42 in skilled nursing and 24 in memory care. Oak Hammock currently has a waiting list, but if you are interested, you can secure a spot on that list for a fully-refundable $1500 deposit.

To learn more about Oak Hammock at the University of Florida, visit www.oakhammock.org.

I’m starting a new segment on the Florida Senior Living Advisor blog today called “Friday’s Featured Facility.” Every Friday I’ll tell you about one of the more than 3700 senior living facilities in Florida, everything from assisted living facilities, to nursing homes, continuing care retirement communities, hospice, skilled nursing units and adult day care centers. If you’d like to recommend a facility for me to feature, send it to me at mitra@flseniorlivingadvisor.com.

The inaugural “Friday’s Featured Facility” is Guardian Home Health in Spring Hill, Florida, about 60 miles north of Tampa. This is actually an assisted living facility, but the name “home health” refers to the fact that it is located in a single-family home. The facility is licensed to care for six residents. Of the nearly 3,000 assisted living facilities in Florida, about half have a capacity of less than 10.

Owner Elaine DeCiutiis runs Guardian Home Health, along with her husband Frank and daughter, Paulamarie Aurigemma. DeCiutiis and Aurigemma are both certified nursing assistants and have backgrounds in health care administration. They opened the home last October, with the goal of providing very personalized care to each elderly resident.

“When I’ve gone to big nursing homes, I see people just sitting there and doing nothing,” says DeCiutiis. “We try to keep them active. We play cards.  We discuss current events. We go to the movies or out to lunch.”

DeCiutiis also tailors each meal to the residents’ taste as much as possible.

“You could say we spoil them,” she says with a laugh. “But at their age, they deserve to be spoiled.” Residents are also offered a shower every day, a service that is often not possible in larger facilities where there may not be enough staff to accommodate residents in this way.

For more information on Guardian Home Health, you can visit their website at www.guardianhomehealth.org. You can also call 352-688-8832 or send an email to edecuitiis@tampabay.rr.com.