Page 17 - Healthcare News Nov/Dec 2022

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SENIOR LIVING CONT’D
From the beginning, the family sought out growth opportunities, and took full advantage of them. Indeed, senior housing was available in Aga-
wam and Wilbraham, but not in many other places around Western Mass. at the time, Robertson said. Th“efirstArborsfacilitywasbuiltinAmherstin1998.
We eventually found our new normal, and all the practices we have in place to keep our residents and staff safe are a part of our
everyday life now.”
Five more facilities were added by 2009, in Chicopee, Greenfield, Stoughton, Taunton, and Westfield.
“At the locations [Agawam and Wilbraham] that our parents managed, we would do landscaping or activities or housekeeping,” she explained. “From there, they evolved into creating assisted living. Assisted-living facilities were few and far between at that point in time; we were one of the first assisted living in the area. And it obviously is an industry that has grown exponentially from there.”
The Arbors offers independent-living, assisted- living, and memory-care services. Robertson told
HCN that all needs are diverse and vary from person to person, so individuals are able to create their own service plan, detailing their personal-care needs and preferences.
Each resident has their own private apartment withafullkitchenette,privatebathroom,living room, and bedroom. Staff members assist individu- als with everyday tasks, such as bathing, dressing, preparing meals, and managing medications.
Respite services and short term/trial stays are also possible at the Arbors. With move-in-ready apart- ments, individuals are able to stay and make sure they find the right fit.
In 2010, the third generation took over the Arbors management, making it a women-owned and operat- ed family business. Robertson, Quinn, and Hanrahan started Integra Home Health Agency and built new assisted-living facilities in Dracut and Stoneham. The third generation also created a Connecticut brand, the Ivy at Ellington and the Ivy at Watertown.
“At this point, we were fully immersed in the senior-living industry and our careers, so we decided to grow again,” Robertson said. “Our assisted living was all-inclusive. A lot of assisted-living facilities
at the time were starting to transition into levels of care. We didn’t really want to do that because we liked that it was all-inclusive pricing at the time. So we were utilizing Integra Home Health to kind of
fill that void to cover additional services that our resi- dents needed that we weren’t able to offer. It took the business to the next level.”
Integra Home Health Agency offers personal
The Arbors is now women-owned, by (from left) Amie Hanra- han, Emily Quinn, and Sara Robertson.