The Valley’s diverse landscape of retirement communities offers various levels of care to suit your lifestyle needs. Whether you’re looking for personalized fitness programs, a strong sense of community, a luxury living space or cutting-edge dining concepts, there’s a local senior community you can be proud to call home. With pioneering research programs and innovative specialty clinics, the Valley is full of facilities that are the gold standard for your golden years.
Fellowship Square
Part of the Christian Care family of communities, Fellowship Square Phoenix is a nonprofit, faith-based retirement facility nestled next to picturesque North Mountain Park in Phoenix. Built in 1987, the property has since undergone several renovations to improve the quality of its amenities, which include a dog park, fitness center, pool and putting green.
“Keeping up with our residents’ active lifestyles and diverse interests is just one way we strive to make our retirement community the best place to call home,” says Amy Borders, Fellowship Square’s director of sales and resident services.
Providing a fulfilling lifestyle and promoting independence are at the core of Fellowship Square’s care philosophy. Various levels of care, including independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care and healthcare services allow residents to feel safe, secure and comfortable. Independent living residents receive 25 meals per month and have access to scheduled transportation, specialized wellness and fitness programs, biweekly housekeeping services and planned social activities.
The community’s activities department works tirelessly to put together a creative monthly calendar with a little something for everyone, including a continuing education program that offers classes on everything from history to how to use a cell phone.
Fellowship Square was finally able to bring back its popular Fall Festival event this year after a pandemic pause. The annual gathering is open to the public and invites both residents’ and employees’ families to attend. “It’s always such a great time to see everyone enjoying each other’s company and coming together as a community,” Borders says. “This first year back was particularly special.”
Borders points to a recent review from a resident to summarize what sets Fellowship Square apart: “Everything we need is available here: clean apartments, good food, wonderful activities for all abilities, a good fitness center and swimming pool, and most of all, a friendly and competent staff.”
Providing a fulfilling lifestyle and promoting independence are at the core of Fellowship Square’s care philosophy.
The Terraces of Phoenix
Recently voted Best Continuing Care Retirement Community by U.S. News & World Report, The Terraces of Phoenix is designed to empower its residents to “live their best life with passion, purpose, a plan and a promise for the future,” says the community’s director of sales and marketing, Jason Giorgio.
The Terraces fosters connections between its residents, team members and the world at large. “We know that maintaining strong social connections and avoiding isolation are critical to aging well,” Giorgio says.
Two key components that bolster this belief are the community’s commitment to overall well-being and the peace of mind that comes with it.
“The Terraces of Phoenix is a place where everybody knows your name, life at every stage is celebrated and residents with a long history in North Phoenix can easily embrace their deep ties to the area,” he adds.
The community’s independent living program boasts lush gardens, welcoming neighbors and a secure plan for future care that includes assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing as needed. A variety of floor plans cater to different budgets and lifestyles. Select services include flexible dining options, housekeeping, 24/7 emergency response and scheduled local transportation.
An all-new putting green, 22 acres of scenic green space, a fitness center, lending library, heated swimming pool, 85-seat theater and full-service salon and barbershop allow residents to enjoy their surroundings in myriad ways.
Fitness programs including aquatic exercises, tai chi and yoga, dance classes, book clubs and game nights encourage residents to pursue their interests while cultivating a sense of community.
Residents also can’t say enough good things about The Terraces’ team members, who enjoy connecting with residents, getting to know them and playing an integral role in elevating their experience.
Westminster Village
According to its chief marketing officer Cathy McCullough, Westminster Village’s status as Scottsdale’s sole not-for-profit continuing care retirement community provides peace of mind to its residents. “When our residents move into our community, they have the reassurance of knowing they have a home for life,” she says.
The resort-style community offers an approachable air of luxury while actively engaging its residents through various committees that dictate decisions from dining to landscaping. “Our CEO and entire management team are on-site, so residents can easily interact directly to share their ideas, concerns and accolades,” McCullough says.
Enhancing the independence, dignity, health and well-being of all residents is at the center of Westminster Village’s ideology, contributing to an elevated environment of inspired living. Residents thrive within a secure, connected community committed to a broad and balanced landscape of residential life care programs and services.
Nature – and its ability to foster healing and connection – is also at the heart of Westminster Village. Two of the community’s most popular campus amenities are the on-site observatory and Monarch Garden, a certified monarch waystation in collaboration with Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale. These popular programs encourage residents to enjoy the outdoors and connect with friends and neighbors who share similar interests.
“Westminster Village is a place where new neighbors quickly become old friends,” says McCullough.
The CORE Institute
This orthopedic and spine care practice, with more than a 15 locations across Phoenix, ensures that patients remain active regardless of their age. Focusing on improving patient outcomes while reducing costs, The CORE Institute has set the benchmark for orthopedic care through evidence-based medicine and standardized protocols.
Each of The CORE Institute’s sub-specialized physicians adheres to clinical pathways and protocols that cater to each patient’s condition or circumstances.
If surgery is needed, patients have the option to have their procedure at a number of hospitals across the Valley or The CORE Institute Specialty Hospital, a state-of-the-art facility with some of the most advanced surgical technology anywhere in the Valley. It is frequently touted for its quality, safety and positive patient experience.
Non-surgical care options include physical therapy and interventional pain management.
The CORE Institute’s founding principle was to create a better patient experience at every level, whether that’s offering convenient orthopedic urgent care and extended hours in its clinics or ensuring patients are fully informed about their condition and engaged in their treatment.
Verena at Gilbert
This luxury independent senior living community allows active adults aged 55 and older to enjoy a close-knit community with a slew of social activities and outings, robust fitness and wellness programs and an array of amenities including a gym, community pool, salon and art studio. Daily chef-prepared meals and restaurant-style dining, housekeeping services and a series of workshops and leisure activities contribute to Verena at Gilbert’s reputation as a top-tier community.
Spacious apartments include cotemporary fixtures such as crown molding, granite countertops and stainless-steel kitchen appliances, plus comfortable and convenient features like walk-in closets, private patios and washers and dryers in each unit. Verena at Gilbert is a pet-friendly community.
All of Us Research Program
The senior population is one of the most underrepresented demographics when it comes to biomedical research. The University of Arizona and Banner Health is trying to change that by building the largest and most diverse database of health information in the U.S. through a pioneering research program called All of Us.
The goal is to better understand how diseases manifest differently as a person ages or how a person’s body reacts to medications as they mature. Collecting this kind of data will allow more diverse information to be accessible to researchers so they can customize medical approaches versus a one-size-fits-all method. This also allows researchers to eliminate the tedious and costly process of recruiting a cohort. They can now get straight to studying. More than 50,000 participants have enrolled in the program in Arizona, which has already supported nearly 2,500 crucial studies on conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and more.
Sun Health at Home
As the only continuing care at home program in the state of Arizona, Sun Health at Home gives members the freedom and comfort of aging in place while getting guaranteed lifetime access to health care and services if and when their needs change.
Sun Health at Home provides members with a custom plan to remain active, healthy and independent through the same life care benefits and amenities available at Continuing Care Retirement Communities – with the added benefit of living in their own home.
Recognized and regulated by the Arizona Department of Insurance, Sun Health at Home is more comprehensive and cost-effective than long-term care insurance plans. The program provides a lifetime health care guarantee regardless of financial status changes, and its knowledgeable wellness coordinators are experts in navigating the ever-changing health care landscape. They are specially trained to arrange and coordinate services based on each member’s unique needs, allowing them to live independently longer.
Members set the tone and pace of their own routines and requirements, but Sun Health at Home provides a safety net should things change. In-home safety assessments supply members with customized recommendations to enable members to remain in the homes they love. Round-the-clock emergency response systems provide peace of mind, and varying levels of assistance ranging from meal prep and scheduled transportation to housekeeping and companionship can be incorporated into a custom Sun Health at Home plan. This pioneering insurance-health care hybrid allows aging adults to enjoy their retirement years without stress or financial burdens on themselves or their loved ones.
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Culinary Program at Maravilla Scottsdale
People don’t typically equate senior living communities with fine dining, but the culinary program at Maravilla Scottsdale is just one example of why this retirement resort is a cut above.
Helmed by experienced executive chef Erika Escobar, the ever-evolving menu and elevated dining experience at Maravilla Scottsdale includes four daily chef-inspired evening specials in addition to an extensive list of traditional favorites with modern twists.
Escobar enjoys mingling with residents and learning their preferences to add a personal touch to the community’s dining choices. She and her talented staff are constantly coming up with new and exciting ways to introduce fresh, seasonal and local ingredients. Her signature dish is a spin on beef wellington with salmon instead of the traditional tenderloin. She also offers a vegetarian version with wild mushrooms.
Five years ago, the American Culinary Federation-certified chef and her team launched FreshZest, a diverse and thoughtful plant-based dining program for those looking for an alternative to meat-based menu options.
“Cooking really is an art form,” Escobar says. “You look at your blank canvas, which is the plate and then begin to be inspired by all the exciting ways to create a spectacular dish.”
Maravilla Scottsdale features restaurant-style dining, as well as cozy, intimate areas and a picturesque patio for al fresco dining. They often host elaborate wine or themed dinners for residents throughout the year.
Escobar was recently granted a MVS scholarship to continue her culinary education. She pays it forward with the Let’s Dish program, during which she hosts monthly menu previews and cooking demonstrations at Maravilla Scottsdale. This provides a hands-on forum for residents to give feedback in a fun way.
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