Carefully designed communal spaces. Smart home technology. Safety initiatives shaped from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sounds like an ideal dwelling for millennials or even Gen-Y, but these are just a few of the key features in the new senior adult living community called Atria Newport Beach which opened this month across from the Hoag Hospital campus.
Atria offers independent living and assisted living in a selection of 85 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, all pandemic ready with dedicated “contactless” visiting areas for families, and socially distanced (and open-air) dining venues.
“Much of what we’ve seen through COVID-19 has confirmed the direction we were heading with new communities like Atria Newport Beach,” said John Moore, Chairman and CEO of Atria Senior Living. “Before the pandemic, we had already shifted our design focus to include things like larger apartments with kitchenettes and full-sized refrigerators, large and open communal spaces, more access to outdoor spaces, a heavy focus on daylighting, and using technology.”
Technology is a key component to the experience at Atria Newport Beach, Moore said. Apartments are equipped with the Atria Smart Home System, which features a smart thermostat, automated window shades and smart lighting – all controllable through an interface on the pre-installed smart TV in each apartment.
Technology also helps reduce touches, trace human interactions and provide safety monitoring, among many other infectious disease factors. Wearable technology, similar to a smart watch, promotes resident safety by providing keyless apartment entry and access to rooms and amenities, provides immediate fall detection and two-way communication with staff, and monitors and documents contact tracing if needed.
There’s even a technology concierge—the first in Atria’s 185+ properties in the U.S.—to ensure that all residents are up to speed on technology to communicate with loved ones and use the tech tools provided for safety.
Residents also have access to a dedicated care staff available 24/7 as well as the latest in telehealth support.
Ready to be impressed? Atria residents have access to more than 30,000 square feet of indoor amenities including a fitness center, yoga studio, salon and spa, theater, game room, and library. Dining and restaurant options include lighter fare at 1888 Bistro, cocktails and small bites at Bogie & Bacall’s Lounge (Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall had their sailboat docked in Newport Harbor and were regular visitors to Newport Beach), and fine dining at Vasco’s Restaurant. An interior courtyard garden provides residents with a space to enjoy the ocean breeze.
Atria’s “Engage Life” program features socially distanced events such as conference call book clubs, themed food and beverage carts, and guided meditation. The community is also offering in-apartment dining to residents who prefer this extra safety measure.
“Atria Newport Beach was already planned to raise the bar for the ‘community of the future,’ and it’s now also designed to be the best equipped senior housing community for life in a post-pandemic world,” said Moore. “It has all the comforts of home with the technology of tomorrow to anticipate, protect and connect our residents with communities, families, neighbors, staff and the healthcare environment. The lessons we’ve learned in the pandemic have influenced our final design for what was already planned to be a prototype senior living community of the future. The lessons we learn at Atria Newport Beach will help guide our design and practice for other Atria communities.”
For more information about Atria, visit AtriaSeniorLiving.com.
