New Senior Housing Under Construction

The North Side will soon offer a new choice for senior housing.

Construction is well underway on S.L. Start & Associates’ Northpointe Retirement Community. Located at 1110 Westview Court, off Nevada and north of Magnesium, the community will be the company’s first in Spokane.

The Northpointe campus will have 80 independent and assisted living units - scheduled to open in early 2000 - and “Arbor House” - three specialized care units for Alzheimer’s patients, which should open in early fall.

“Our focus is on helping people live independently,” said Connie Fomasi, director of Alzheimer’s services.

Spokane-based S.L. Start & Associates currently operates communities in California, Arizona and Washington. They also managed the Park Place community in the Valley before it was sold.

Like all of the company’s communities, the Northpointe will offer a full range of services - from cooking and laundry to transportation. Various activities, like exercise classes, bingo and overnight trips, are planned daily.

Apartments will be available in a range of sizes. Monthly rates vary accordingly, and are based on the level of care the resident needs.

The campus will also have a library, convenience store, beauty parlor, coffee shop and computer room with Internet access. Two-way television is in the works as well.

“We work on ways to enhance the lives of the residents,” said Ann Martin, marketing manager for S.L. Start. “We try to be innovative.”

Innovation is essential in the increasingly competitive field of senior housing. Leisure Care Retirement Communities also plans to open an independent- and assisted-living center on the North Side.

But one thing that sets the Northpointe community apart from others, Fomasi said, is its Alzheimer’s care.

“It’s different from any Alzheimer’s home I’ve ever seen,” she said. “It’s so intimate. It’s like walking into a large cottage.”

Each Arbor House building will contain 10 apartments, arranged in a circle. Care is given to making each as home-like as possible, and activities are tailored around each individual’s interests.

Also, staff members are trained to help promote independence.

“We encourage people to brush their own teeth…get dressed by themselves,” Fomasi said. With an employee-resident ratio of about 1-to-3.5, the Northpointe Retirement Community will also provide many employment opportunities, like cooking, maintenance and housekeeping.

“We try to provide the highest level of customer service possible,” Fomasi said.

For more information about the Northpointe Retirement Community, call 328-2740.