By Anu Panchal
When Penny Kauffman was 4 years old, a new, soon-to-be-adored person entered her life. Her 15-year-old half-brother, who had been in boarding school in England, moved in with his mother and step-father in Tampa. Kauffman was immediately captivated, and the sibling bond blossomed, with Anthony Hamilton (her brother) even allowing his kid sister to tag along on his dates with him to the roller skating rink in Tampa.
Three quarters of a century later, Hamilton, a former reporter and photographer for Tampa’s WFLA-TV (Ch. 8), suffers from age-related dementia, and when it became impossible for the 79-year-old to stay in his Seven Oaks home, Kauffman and her husband, Ken, had to find a better alternative that would allow them peace of mind and proximity to Penny’s beloved brother. After stays in three different facilities, they finally struck gold close to home: the brand new Legacy at Highwoods Preserve, on Highwoods Preserve Pkwy., less than two miles from Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.
“We’ve hit out of the ball park with this one,” says Kauffman. “We’re very pleased with The Legacy.”
The Legacy (owned by Houston-based PinPoint Commercial ) opened its doors last summer and boasts spacious rooms, an extensive array of facilities and amenities, expansive views over a nature preserve outside and even a putting green at the center of one of the facility’s courtyards.
The Legacy has the capacity to house 88 seniors in 82 private, self-furnished suites, and community relations director Aarene Alessi says, “we are on target with projected occupancy goals.”
Five floor plans range from 330-sq.-ft studios to 525-sq.-ft. deluxe suites. There are 60 suites for assisted living, as well as room for 22 residents in the secured memory care wing of the impressive building.
As part of The Legacy’s all-inclusive package, residents are served three meals a day at the Palm Pavilion (think fine linens and menus). They also can grab a snack from the Key Lime Bistro any time of the day or night, meet for a drink at the Hurricane Sports Bar, or book the Coconut Grove private dining room for a meal with visiting family members.
There’s also a full-service salon, game room, theatre, library, a grand piano a putting green and a fitness center. Residents’ medical needs are monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) with oversight from Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs).
Both the salon and the fitness center also are open to the community at large. Alessi says that the public will also be able to book meeting space for up to 75 people in the facility. “We want to be a resource for the community,” she says.
Technological innovation is at the forefront of all of The Legacy’s offerings. The fitness center boasts state-of-the-art HUR equipment for senior exercise, which residents can activate with a touch of their radio-frequency ID wrist bands that also alert the machines to the user’s preferences and goals.
With no weights or chains to struggle with, this unique equipment minimizes falls and injuries, which is so important for active seniors. The wrist band, which they also can wear as a pendant, also functions as the resident’s room key.
For Francene Newbury, whose mother, 96-year-old Laura Augustyn, moved into The Legacy last October, that technology has made all the difference in the world. “For the first time in years, I am sleeping at night,” says Newbury. “That’s huge for me.”
In the nursing home where Augustyn lived before she moved into The Legacy, Newbury says her mother would often fall at night. Because she would have had to crawl to her bedside and pull a cord for help there, Newbury got her mother a pendant with a button that linked to Newbury’s cell phone. She says she got numerous calls from her mother for help, and by the time she would make the 15-minute drive from her Tampa Palms home to her mom, she says the staff there were often just becoming aware that there was a problem in the room.
But now, at The Legacy, Laura and all of the residents wear pendants that can alert caregivers on staff instantly.
Health care providers also use handheld mobile devices, called Point of Care Solutions, to electronically record all interactions with residents and even send electronic prescriptions to pharmacies. Cameras and 18 monitors keep a watchful eye on public areas, and residents are protected (privacy intact) inside their suites with the Quiet Care System, a motion monitor that gets to know their behaviors and patterns.
If something is out of character — such as a resident getting up unusually often at night — the system alerts the CNAs so they can monitor the resident for conditions such as a possible urinary tract infection, a common problem among both male and female residents.
Kauffman says this system helped alert the staff that her brother was waking up too many times at night, and helped them make a decision to switch the timing of his medications because they may have been keeping him up.
Anyone entering the facility, whether they are family members, third party providers or doctors, is checked out by Accushield, a digital sign-in kiosk that verifies providers’ credentials, time spent in the building, and even criminal and health backgrounds. All visitors are issued a badge with a photograph, but the ink on the badge will disappear after 24 hours.
“Technology gives us the cutting edge,” says Alessi. “But, (it’s the) people (who) take care of the residents. It’s very important to us to hire and have a team that is passionate about senior living.”
Recreation is an important part of The Legacy’s offerings, and area residents may already have seen the bright Legacy logo adorning the motor coach that takes residents to restaurants for lunch, to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa or the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.
“My mom would just sit in a chair and snooze,” says Newbury about her mother’s former assisted living facility.
Today, Newbury’s mother participates in movies, Bingo, musical events and some outings. “It makes her feel like she’s not just stuck in a place living out her remaining days,” she says.
Another attraction? Chef Fred (photo on pg. 20). Not only is the chef part of the group that sets up each resident’s “wellness plan,” he also is eager to accommodate residents’ individual tastes.
When Hamilton’s son brought his father a traditional plum pudding from England to celebrate Christmas, Hamilton said he would like to introduce such a dessert to his fellow residents. So, Chef Fred agreed to whip one up which Hamilton will share on Super Bowl Sunday.
“They’re onto something,” says Newbury of The Legacy. “This is the way of the future. As boomers get to the point where we need added care, this is the type of arrangement that makes sense. We’re finally moving away in Tampa from the nursing home concept to an engaged, safe arrangement for senior parents.”
The Legacy at Highwoods Preserve is an assisted living and memory care center located at 18600 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. For more info, call 375-9858, see the ad on pg. 33 or visit LegacyatHighwoodsPreserve.com. You can walk in or schedule a tour Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sun., 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
