For most people, the idea of an assisted-living facility quickly conjures up images of a plain white décor, bedridden residents, and an overwhelming smell of sterilizer. While that may seem a bit dramatic, seniors who have spent a lifetime doing things on their own often degrade the idea of assisted living. However, the wide-slat wooden floors, warm, sunny open rooms, high ceilings, patios, roof decks, and therapeutic Zen-like feel of the AgeSong Institute paint quite a different picture.
While one residency prospers in a beautiful 125-year-old Victorian home on Laguna Street, its modern sister building sits right across the street in a dwelling just six years old. Both offer the most modern furnishings and accommodations, right down to the nonslip tile in the bathrooms.
The staff at the AgeSong Institute would also cringe at the term “assisted living,” and they also choose not to use such aggressive terms as “dementia care.” AgeSong — supported by the Pacific Institute, a Bay Area nonprofit organization — is a retirement community, and one that the staff has successfully made to feel like home.
Nader Shabahangi, who holds a doctorate in aging, founded the Pacific Institute in 1992 and AgeSong in 1997 with his two brothers. As a licensed psychotherapist, he had the idea of teaching new perspectives on mental health, gerontology, and education in mind when he and his brothers opened the nonprofit retirement community in Hayes Valley. Shabahangi and his colleagues thrive on making AgeSong as comfortable and as independent a transition as possible.
“We’re very culturally and generationally diverse,” said Cristina Flores, Ph.D., R.N., who is the vice president of Operations and Program Development. “We have residents from all over, and from 40 to 102 years old. It’s atypical of assisted living.”
Assorted ever-changing menu items are available for AgeSong residents, which are made from scratch with the freshest ingredients, and most are often locally grown, baked, or packaged. Dining times vary to fit the needs of all the residents and their customs, and specialized dietary needs meet high standards.
AgeSong specializes in gerontological wellness, forgetfulness care, expressive art therapies, and international and intergenerational visitors programs. They employ physical therapists, nurses, interns, psychologists, CNAs, gero-wellness students, and gerontology graduate students; they are also anticipating several medical students from Paris and Germany in the near future. In fact, the employees outnumber the residents — currently 70 people — not including those patients who come to AgeSong for transitional care for a few weeks at a time.
“We take the patients that nursing homes won’t accept,” said Community Relations Director Laura Gibson. “Heaven forbid, some of these people have a history of drug addiction, alcohol problems or violent behavior.” Gibson explained that these problems tend to be immediate grounds for rejection at other facilities.
One such patient, for example, was a woman with an extreme fear of falling. Nursing homes had decided she was too high-risk to be under their watch, so this patient came to AgeSong. Physical therapist Lisa McCarthy worked with the patient — who had been bedridden due to her fear — and within five days the women was up and walking.
“[Shabahangi] wanted to bring clinical support to the institute to reduce hospitalization,” said Flores. “Now there’s a nursing staff working twenty-four hours. That’s one of the things that separate us from other retirement communities. We’re striving for the highest possible standard of assisted living.”
Gibson recalled that a male resident who suffered memory loss kept exclaiming while in the lobby of the Laguna Grove building that he wanted to “get out of here.” When Gibson asked where he would like to go, he told her, “Laguna Grove!” “It’s great,” said Gibson, smiling ear-to-ear. “Even when he didn’t realize he was here, this is where he wanted to be, of all places!”
While Shabahangi’s stated mission of deepening the awareness of the dimensions and expressions of human nature has remained the same, he admitted that the goal has taken on different shapes through the years. “The foundation of deeply caring for another person means valuing their differences. Disturbances are invited; it widens our awareness. That’s where the learning is,” said Shabahangi.
One of the most comforting aspects of AgeSong for residents is the location. Both buildings are in a calm corner of Hayes Valley, and the residents are still part of an urban environment, allowing them to continue doing the everyday things they love. They are near four local parks, Davies Symphony Hall, and several restaurants and markets, including the AgeSong Café, where family and friends can gather for tea, baked goods and fresh fruit.
When asked why seniors choose AgeSong Institute before other retirement homes, Dr. Curtis Greenfield — a postdoctoral intern who is training in Gerontology — replied, “Being here in Hayes Valley where it’s fun and vibrant, they’re still very much connected to the city. I think they like that there are multiple generations here, too. It’s like a snapshot of the world.”
“You can only sip margaritas on the beach for so long,” said Shabahangi, who is known around the community as “Papa.” He added, “That’s not really living. It’s about getting back into daily routines.”
The fees for living at AgeSong vary, depending on a level of care needed and specific accommodations that change with each patient. The base fee starts at $3,850 monthly, and respite care is $275 daily. Each service plan, however, is discussed first with the resident’s family, health care providers, and the Wellness Director before it is developed.
“We have a variety of funding streams,” said Gibson, “between Kaiser [Permanente], Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly [PACE], Medicare, Veteran’s Aid, long-term care insurance, fundraising, and low-market-rate rooms.”
AgeSong’s Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly [RCFE] license allows residents ages 60 and older; however, they accept younger patients whose care needs are compatible. They have capacity for 85 residents between the two AgeSong buildings — Hayes Valley and Laguna Grove — of which they are currently 15 people shy. They strongly encourage companion accommodations, love pets of all kinds, and have even been known to knock down a wall or two for residences needing a larger living space.
Furthermore, if you thought the agenda for residents would display the occasional bingo and shuffleboard games, think again. The August calendar was jammed with activities — from walking groups and exercise to seated Tai Chi, as well as comedy, music, flower arranging, poetry, gardening, scenic drives, religious services, and meditation led by Executive Director Jim Johnson, amongst many other activities. “Dinner and Tunes Monday” seems to be a favorite activity for the residents and staff alike.
“We always end up staying late,” said Gibson, “And the best thing is, it feels like I was out for the night!”
The Pacific Institute also has locations in Castro Valley, Oakland, and Emeryville. Various speaker series are presented at the different locations which are open to the community. The next presentation at the 624 Laguna St. building will be on Sept. 6 from 4:30–6:30 p.m., with a talk by Lew Richmond, the author of “Aging as a Spiritual Practice.” Dinner with the author will follow the presentation at a Hayes Valley restaurant. Reservations can be made by calling (415) 318-8670.
Additional information about the AgeSong Retirement Community can be found on
www.AgeSong.com, or by calling 877-Agesong, or (415) 252-1128.
