Senior housing booms in NW Arkansas

NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Work continues Friday, March 2, 2018, at the Grand Village at Clear Creek independent living community in Fayetteville. The number of facilities and units available for elderly people is on the rise as the population continues to grow and age. The new living community, expected to open in December, will offer a huge range of amenities to people 55 years old or older.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Work continues Friday, March 2, 2018, at the Grand Village at Clear Creek independent living community in Fayetteville. The number of facilities and units available for elderly people is on the rise as the population continues to grow and age. The new living community, expected to open in December, will offer a huge range of amenities to people 55 years old or older.

FAYETTEVILLE -- More housing dedicated to people ages 55 and older -- from independent living to full-time nursing care -- is going up in Northwest Arkansas.

"The number of facilities -- actually, it's growing all over the place," said Jeff Cooperstein, economist at the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

The total number of facilities for the range of care provided is hard to come by, but state officials, developers, city planners and economists agree the number and kind of places has grown over the past decade. The trend is likely to continue as Washington and Benton counties' population grows and ages, Cooperstein said.

It's an issue of supply and demand, he said, and demand is up.

Options were limited 20 years ago, but now people can choose residences with no nursing assistance, some assistance, elevated care or full-time care. Some facilities offer a blend of care and an array of amenities and living services, including prepared meals.

Residents at Butterfield Trail Village in Fayetteville, for example, first live in a villa, cottage or apartment while independent, then, if needed, progress to assisted living or full-time care.

Other facilities don't offer nursing care at all or offer a limited range. The big draw is services outside of health care and living space. Applicants want trips, activities, theaters and social gatherings. Facilities must renovate and expand to keep up with expectations, said Melinda Silva, marketing director for Butterfield.

"[Senior citizens] aren't sitting on porches rocking anymore," she said.

IN WITH THE NEW

Many care facilities are expanding, state and local records show.

Butterfield, which has more than 400 residents, finished a major five-year expansion on its 44 acres last year. Additions include a performance hall, bistro and meeting space.

Brookstone Assisted Living Community in Fayetteville added 37 beds in 2016, and two wings were added in 2015 at Providence Assisted Living in Springdale.

Other developments are newer.

Magnolia Place Alzheimer's Special Care Center in Rogers opened last year.

Primrose Retirement Community of Rogers opened recently. Mount Carmel Community in Bentonville opened in January.

Arabella of Rogers plans to add 19 beds in a $4 million project.

In Fayetteville, plans for building Grand Village at Clear Creek are underway. The community is set to open on 21 acres in northeast Fayetteville in December. The first phase will have 25 cottages for residents ages 55 and older who don't need assisted living.

Bill Seeger, whose family is behind the project, said he expects Grand Village to have amenities including a theater, pool, concierge and prepared meals. He described the village "like a cruise ship," except residents never have to leave.

The Seegers aren't alone. Plans for another facility at 3434 N. Crossover Road were submitted recently to the Fayetteville planning department. Other developers are researching similar projects, Cooperstein said.

GROWING NEED

Even with new projects and expansions coming, Northwest Arkansas doesn't have enough space to meet the demand, state and local officials say.

Butterfield, for example, has about 170 applicants on a waiting list.

Benton County has 1,293 licensed beds in nursing homes but needs more. The county could fill about 552 more beds, if they were available, according to the Arkansas Services Health Permit Agency. By 2022, Benton County will need about 1,100 more beds, agency records show.

Washington County shows a need for only 16 nursing home beds and no assisted living beds. The study does not include numbers on independent living facilities.

Benton County has 23 long-term care facilities. Washington County has 25, according to online state records. The state has about 465 facilities, and they're filling up.

The need is partly connected to population growth, officials say. The number of people 55 and older has ticked up from 2010 to 2016, according to census population estimates.

Metro on 03/12/2018

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