A national real estate development, construction and advisory firm is launching what it says is the “next evolutionary phase” in senior living, introducing “proactive aging” into the active adult model.
Viva Bene, the brainchild of real estate development firm Avenue, is bundling active adult living with preventive health services, including primary care. Greystar will manage its first 161-unit suburban St. Louis building, Viva Bene St. Peters, scheduled to open in December.
In what it calls a “first-of-its-kind” approach, Viva Bene is launching its 55-plus mid-market priced rents with onsite and virtual access to primary care and preventive care-focused wellness activities. Laurie Schultz, Avenue principal and co-founder, told McKnight’s Senior Living that Viva Bene is integrating the social aspects of a residential community with preventive health and wellness activities in one location.
“A lot in our industry of senior living is reactive. A lot of our residents go into assisted living with eight to 12 chronic conditions,” Schultz said. “We are wanting to keep our aging population healthier longer in their own home. We’re targeting a younger population to manage any existing chronic conditions they have.”
WellVB, with its wellness provider, Sevi Health, will integrate primary care, care coordination and chronic care management. Sevi Health will provide residents with a personalized experience at its on-site clinic through a “well concierge” to help navigate a complex healthcare system and allow for a holistic, proactive approach to healthcare.
Sevi WellVB services will include the personal wellness concierge, health navigation services, scheduling assistance, an on-site wellness and consultation space, virtual wellness visits, annual wellness assessments, and seminar and fitness classes.
“They’re really bringing personalized concierge medicine to our residents without the cost,” Schultz said, adding that Viva Bene has a mid-market rental focus based on demand. She said the goal is to delay the onset of a move to a higher-needs setting, with a goal of maintaining residents for 10 years in an active adult setting rather than the historical six to eight years.
“Our goal is to hit an active adult rental market with added-on services that work with existing insurance so you don’t have to get on a Medicare Advantage plan — we want to keep residents healthier longer,” she said.
The WellVB component of the programming is included in rent prices. Sevi Health, Schultz said, is an optional program. Residents who participate in Sevi Health will be billed directly through their insurance.
“Out of all the medicine that our founding team has practiced, the medicine we’ve found most exciting is care delivered inside senior living facilities,” Schultz said. “I think there’s something to be said about seniors and their needs as they age, as well as how the system has not adapted to meet those needs.”
Viva Bene has a pipeline of approximately 500 units that it plans to develop in the next two years, with a focus on Midwest. After that, Schultz said, the company will look at extending its model beyond that region.
