Trillium Woods, which opened in Plymouth in July 2015, isn’t what you’d call a typical senior housing facility.
Built on 46 acres of rolling hills, woodlands and protected wetlands in Plymouth — off 494 and Schmidt Lake Road — it’s large enough to offer not just one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments, but also duplex-style garden homes with garages, plus suites dedicated to specialties such as skilled nursing, rehabilitation, memory care and respite care.
Why are there so many types of units?
Trillium Woods is, technically speaking, an upscale Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC).
Wait, scratch that.
There’s a new term for this type of facility: Trillium Woods is a Life Plan Community (LPC).
No, that’s not marketing language from the facility’s owners.
It’s a new housing category name for more than 2,000 CCRCs in the U.S. that offer a continuum of health care, starting with independent living and ending with full-time skilled-nursing care, if needed.
LeadingAge, an association of not-for-profit aging-services providers, has lead the charge on the industry-wide naming convention, taking two years to get to this point.
Why?
Today’s older adults — baby boomers — are looking for ways to experience life and reinvent themselves in retirement. The phrase “continuing care” suggests that residents will be immediately in need of care, which can be misleading since the primary focus of many senior-living communities is active lifestyles.
So if you start to see more LPCs — and fewer CCRCs — in the years ahead in Minnesota, now you’ll know why.
Another feature that sets apart Trillium Woods is its contemporary-designed buildings.
Last year, the facility for ages 62 and older was honored for its modern, prairie-style architecture when it was named a finalist for a 2016 Senior Housing News Architecture & Design Award in the CCRC category.
Trillium Woods is also LEED Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, thanks in part to a geothermal system that relies on 240-foot-deep wells that provide extremely energy-efficient heating and cooling.
At the resident level, Trillium Woods’ claim to fame is that it puts a heavy emphasis on resident choice and flexibility when it comes to experiences and activities.
In fact, resident committees influence the social, recreational and cultural programs in the community, which is focused on residents’ well being, including fitness, nutrition and active and social engagements.
In 2016, Trillium Woods was named Best Senior Living Residence by Plymouth Magazine.
Last month, The Birches health center at Trillium Woods received a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a federal agency that created a rating system to help consumers compare senior communities more easily.
Trillium Woods
Location: 5855 Cheshire Parkway N., Plymouth
Opened: July 2015
Number and types of units:
209 one- and two-bedroom apartments with dens, duplex-style garden homes with garages, plus suites dedicated to skilled nursing, rehabilitation, memory care and respite care
Ages welcome: 62 and older
Types of care: Independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, long-term care and 24-hour emergency assistance by licensed health care professionals
Cost: Entrance fees for a single resident start at $300,000 and monthly fees start at $3,100.
Ownership: Trillium Woods is owned and managed by Life Care Services, based in Des Moines, Iowa.
Info: 763-744-9400 ortrilliumwoodslcs.com
One of Trillium Woods’ claims to fame is its high level of resident choice and flexibility when it comes to experiences and activities.
The Trillium Woods retirement community, build on 46 acres in Plymouth, features expansive grounds with walking and biking trails.