CONSTRUCTION UPDATE:
Today was the busiest day yet! The heat didn’t slow down the construction crew at all! The floors on more than half of the first level were poured and finished today with the expectation that tomorrow the entire first floor will be done! While that was being done the delivery of our metal studs arrived and will carefully lifted and stored on the appropriate floor. I had never seen lifts of studs transferred so gracefully from forklift to Lull before! The roof is almost all done and will soon be covered with something that at a distance might look like tar paper but which is actually something very different. It has different names (such as Ice and Water Shield) but it is an underlayment for shingles that actually seals (heals) around nails. Many only use it on the bottom 3 foot of a roof — ours will go all the way up. A busy place!
MANAGING THE HEAT:
With special thanks to Steve for putting in air conditioners wherever possible – we have a very comfortable building. We decided that this year in light of all that we have gone through with covid and with some construction-related disruption that we would not charge extra for air conditioner use. A good thing given how hot this summer is starting out with. For those of you who venture outside — please be careful out there!
TELEPHONE CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS:
We of course want to provide the greatest level of service for our Members as well as to our callers. The balancing act of course is the challenge created because not every incoming telephone call is more important than the care needs of the Resident who we might be tending to. We will of course continue to strive to answer calls within 3 rings but at certain busy times we will put the phone system into what is called ‘Night Answer Mode’. When this is on any call not answered within 3 rings will immediately be transferred to the voicemail of the nurse’s phone. A light goes on and you will be called back as soon as possible. I want to thank you in advance for your understanding.
Eventually, we will have what is called ‘Direct Inward Dialing’ where you will be able to call indirectly to the person you want to speak with. It is definitely a part of the new building and with a little bit of luck, Steve is hopeful that we can have it here as well. In general, we are trying to make as many changes as we can before we move into the new building.
A MARKETING MOMENT
Yesterday Marylee and I recorded two episodes of her Eldertyme television show for the Lakes Region Cable Access. It got me thinking about some of the changes that have happened with retirement living over the decades. From the end of World War II until the end of the century the value most pursued by those looking for retirement living options was ‘Security’. People wanted to be guaranteed that they would receive care and that they would never run out of money. To respond to this need Lifecare Homes and Continuing Care Retirement Communities were created.
Then things changed: the retiree of today is more than likely to be a ‘Baby Boomer’ born after 1946. Boomers value Independence and Control much more than they do security. Boomers don’t want to be told what to do, they don’t want to be locked into non-refundable contracts and they do not want to be treated like a number. They want it ‘Their Way’.
Peabody Place is here to do just that. No entrance fee means that a Member is never trapped financially. No entrance fee means that if 5 years from now you want to move to Florida, you can move. We know that things change and that what might make perfect sense today might not in a few years. The Member is always in control at Peabody Place! We do not earn your business once: we earn it every single day!
Security comes with the price of extremely high non-refundable entrance fees that come with high monthly fees as well. That is an option for some — but our Mission as a Charitable Not for Profit is to be affordable to a very broad range of people. We do not aspire to be exclusive. We aspire to always be inclusive. If you haven’t already, you should be sure to check out the Peabody Place Difference!
-Howie
