Life plan communities offer a continuum of living situations to residents, from independent living to assisted living to advanced nursing/memory support. A person can spend the rest of their life within a life care community, accessing higher levels of care as needed. The idea is that once you move in, you can “age in place” safely. If your partner needs a higher level of care, they can be close by in assisted living or a memory care unit. We plan to assure access to primary care health services and care coordination for specialty care, both in Humboldt County and out of the area, so that care is timely, communication smooth and travel and accommodations are comfortable as possible. There is no such a life plan community option within 200 miles, and Humboldters have been forced to leave their community connections behind and move away in search of supportive living situations.
Vision
Life Plan Humboldt will be a non-profit resident-led senior “aging in place” community in Humboldt County providing a continuum of services in a safe, secure and environmentally responsible setting that supports independence, socialization, personal growth, community involvement, and intellectual stimulations.
Core Values
• To enable residents to maintain independent lives in their own homes
• To enhance the quality of life and nurture a sense of community
• To promote an environment of continued learning, culture, wellness – fun
• To welcome all people
• To provide high quality healthcare programs along a continuum of services
• To adopt a model that ensures affordability and security
• To participate in and contribute to the well-being of the larger community
• To engage in sustainable practices that improve our environments
• To foster a rewarding work experience and professional growth opportunities for staff
• To foster a culture of generosity
Feasibility Study
An initial feasibility study in August 2019 confirmed that there is a sufficient population base and potential demand for new services to support a non-profit senior life plan community in Humboldt. The initial vision is for 80 independent residences expanding to 144 with time, assisted living services offered in residents’ independent homes and a 12-suite memory care home. Preliminary plans are for studios and 1- and 2-bedroom independent residences sized 600sf to 1800sf. These could be built as freestanding homes, townhouses, or in apartment-style buildings. We will utilize “universal design,” barrier-free, accessible design that helps everyone, not just people with disabilities, and takes appearance as well as function into consideration. For example, all doorways will be wide enough for wheelchairs. Assisted living will be located in multi-level buildings. Memory care will be provided in a home-like setting following the “greenhouse” model.
Next Steps
We continue to look closely at properties in McKinleyville and Arcata to create a campus-like residential setting and hope to include an additional 3-4 acres for a farm to service the community. We are working with Greenbrier, a company that has helped develop many life plan communities for other organizations. They have set up financial modeling and are advising us on how to get our community built. Final buy-in and monthly fees will depend on final construction and financing costs, the breadth of services, size of the residences and operational costs. Average life plan community entry fees in the U.S. range from $150,000 on the low end to $1,000,000+ on the high end with a blend of contract types. We are focusing to keep our entrance fees in the range of $250,000 to $600,000 with the option of paying approximately 60% more on entry so that 80% of the entry fee can be returned to a resident’s estate at the time of death. See our Sample of Potential Residence Sizes and Pricing page.