TRANSCRIPT:
These courtyards are kind of broken up into neighborhoods. So people typically live in an area with their neighbors in the same physical and cognitive state that they are. So the friendships generate pretty naturally.
You look outside some of the rooms, you will see extra cushions, plants, flowers, some personal effects. That just tells that a resident typically spends a lot of time outside, whether reading the paper or a book or just kind of winding down the evening with their family or friends.
Aside from all the residents being able to come out of the rooms and open up to the outdoors, they do host a lot of activities in these courtyards. There are also volunteer dogs that come around. They check on each resident. There are two different groups. One of just Labs and one of – they call themselves the “Dynamic Dogs” of the villages. So they will come around and check on the residents when they come a few times a month.
We do make a lot of improvements to the area just based on feedback that we get from residents. Some of the recent ones have been these large canopy overhangs just because they want to feel some shade, some relief from all the sun that we had this summer and also a big suggestion that we recently got was all these colorful plants back here. They wanted to have like a rainbow bush in a way so in a month or two, check back with us.
So the koi pond really started over 20 years ago. We had a facility in Hollywood, Florida and the residents there wanted something to take care of and coincidentally a family wanted to donate their kois to an already existing pond. The residents found a habit of it, right? So they would make that their daily routine and in a way had somebody else or something else to take care of.
The residents loved to feed the fish. Families loved to come by and feed the fish. That’s when we got this old school gumball machine, kind of circumventing the units. So now it doesn’t require quarters. The one problem we had was residents were actually feeding the fish too much and they were growing too quickly that we have to now limit. So the team will come out every morning, fill it up until about halfway through and then just make sure the koi are getting enough food but also not too much.
So one of the most quiet areas that we have here at the facility is back here at the gazebo and honestly one of my favorite. Assisted living by definition is residential. It should be somebody’s home and a lot of times you see facilities that butt up right to commercial areas or right on main drags.
We’re fortunate enough to be here kind of nestled in the residential area, right? So it’s all residential homes to the sides and behind us and then a small church across the street. So this really is one of the most quiet, serene areas here and again there is the water feature there at the bubbler and it’s just really lush landscaping, flowers and a lot of activities do happen out here also.
We have a Mancave Monday and so every Monday all the guys on the property get together. This is the common spot for them. Today they did pretzels and beer but they might also play cards, share stories. So this is kind of a quiet time for groups to get together as well as when families come to visit. They haven’t seen each other in a long time. This is a great spot for them to hang out.
So undoubtedly this is our largest courtyard. We certainly prefer this one for light events. At the center of it, you will see this large fountain. Most of the residents do like to have the courtyard-facing views for their bedrooms, which kind of our surprise because they want to wake up and be able to see the lights coming from it and hear the sounds from it.
But the hidden gem of this courtyard is right behind it is the barbecue island. It has been a tradition now of ours for 20 years to have a family and friends barbecue on Sunday. So we invite everybody here in the area, have live music in the courtyards and we undoubtedly have the most families and friends here in the area on Sundays and we hope to see you guys here soon.
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At A Banyan Residence, we’ve transformed the perception of what assisted living & memory care can be. Our strategically designed community gives residents exposure to outdoor air, communal distancing, and cleanliness, providing a major advantage against the coronavirus. Between a wide range of impressive amenities, a robustly social lifestyle and the benefits of having a plan for life care in place, every aspect of our community is expressly designed to foster a remarkable retirement.
A Banyan Residence – Assisted Living
12427 Co Road 101
Oxford, Florida 34482
(352) 618-3900
