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Senior living center planned
06-27-2007
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New complex will strive to let seniors have independence, convenience
BYLINE: Jenny Burns, The Sun News - SECTION: D; Pg. 1
A new $94 million senior living center that will bring 180 jobs to Horry County is coming to Carolina Forest's new Town Centre.
The campus of Brightwater - at the intersection of International Drive and S.C. 31 - will have 100 independent living single-family homes, 160 apartments, a health care clubhouse, 48 assisted living units, 24 nursing beds and 24 Alzheimer's units. A learning center operated by Coastal Carolina University also is being considered for the area.
Zoning for the new center was approved by Horry County Council last week.
The center is the latest independent living community for seniors that has moved to the area, which is a popular retiree haven. Seniors ages 65 and older are expected to make up 36 percent of the Grand Strand's population by 2025. They made up 21 percent of the population of Horry, Georgetown and Brunswick counties in the 2000 census.
Brightwater's developers say the market for senior living communities is underserved in Myrtle Beach, especially for facilities that offer all steps of care.
"There's plenty of room in this business for competitors," said Stewart Wiley, vice president of marketing and sales for developer Senior Living Communities, which also owns The Lakes at Litchfield, a senior living center in Litchfield.
Brightwater is expected to be done in November 2008. Residents pay one monthly fee for their house and all the services, but prices have not been set yet, Wiley said.
A retiring baby boomer population in Myrtle Beach bodes well for the continued growth of senior living facilities on the Grand Strand, said Rocky Cartisano, associate director of Coastal Carolina University's Center for Active Aging and Retirement.
"You have to consider not only the people that are here right now but the people that are coming," he said.
Cartisano says more senior living centers will sprout up, such as the area's newest center, Eagle Crest on Grissom Parkway in Myrtle Beach.
Brightwater's campus will offer amenities such as meals in the clubhouse, activities such as yoga and day trips, housekeeping and a 24-hour emergency response system. A wellness center with indoor and outdoor pools, aqua therapy and nursing rehabilitation are planned.
Many seniors want a maintenance-free lifestyle and the opportunity to give up the daily task of cooking meals, Wiley said. "We want them to live independently as long as they are able. The reality is the majority will never require assisted living. Most will continue to live in their homes," Wiley said.
Senior Living Communities has five other properties in the Carolinas and Florida.
The developers are interested in having a CCU Lifelong Learning Center nearby.
Jan Bowman, director for Center for Active Aging and Retirement at CCU, said the university is interested in partnering with them. Putting educational centers by senior living communities is a nationwide trend, she said.
"A lot of people are interested in continuing lifelong learning. And this would make it convenient for them to get to," she said. Seniors are interested in studying finances, health and ways to delay dementia, she said.
A marketing trailer for Brightwater will open at the town center in August and offer programs to explain the facility.
