A range of senior living facilities

Jun 20, 2022 • 7 min. read | By Jenny Callison

(Photo courtesy of Liberty Senior Living)

 

It’s no secret that the Wilmington area of Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties has become a popular choice for people who are retiring or plan to retire in the near future. The market is responding with a variety of options, from age-restricted communities that partner with health care facilities to Continuing Care Retirement Communities – known as CCRCs. 

 

CCRCs offer an entire range of living for older adults: independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing care. They may be operated by a nonprofit or a for-profit entity, and payment may be on a rental or buy-in basis.

 

Here is a sampling of local retirement communities.

 

Arbor Landing

13937 N. U.S. 17, Hampstead

Completed in 2018, Arbor Landing offers independent and assisted living services as well as memory care. It also operates an on-site home care agency, Summit Care at Home, that can provide more comprehensive health care services. 

 

Units range from studios to two-bedroom apartments. Arbor Landing does not offer amenities such as tennis courts or swimming pools, preferring to focus resources on its “people, systems, and programs to maximize health and create holistic wellness,” according to the website.

 

Arbor Landing is owned and operated by Kernersville, North Carolina-based Ridge Care. Its financial model is rental, with a monthly rate for room and board that includes utilities, housekeeping, social activities and scheduled transportation. Each new resident pays a “community fee” equal to one month’s rent upon moving in.

 

Cambridge Village of Wilmington

75 Cavalier Drive, Wilmington

Cambridge Village provides independent living for its residents in a range of apartments, from studios to two-bedroom units. 

 

It offers residents several dining options, salon and spa, indoor pool and fitness center, in-house movie theater, on-site chapel and many activities, including a putting green. Transportation services are available for errands and entertainment opportunities.

 

While Cambridge Village is not a CCRC, it employs a hybrid health care model, leveraging partnerships with area health care providers to give residents on-site primary care, therapy, home care services and rehabilitation and skilled nursing care.

Cambridge Village of Wilmington, like its sister establishments in Raleigh and Apex, North Carolina, operates on a rental model that enables residents to add any needed health care services that allow them to age in place.

 

The Davis Community

1011 Porters Neck Road, Wilmington

Long known for its rehabilitation and skilled nursing care, The Davis Community this year has added rental independent living cottages and apartments, along with the amenities to support those new residents. The monthly fee includes 24-hour security and a continuously monitored emergency response system, property taxes, maintenance and utilities. 

 

Residents can choose to cook for themselves or dine at Cornelia’s restaurant or Nibble’s Café, meet friends at two on-campus watering holes, and shop for anything from milk to munchables at a small market. There is a club room, art studio, spa and salon. Coming in 2022 is a new auditorium.

 

The Davis Community began as an assisted care facility. Since then, it has added rehabilitation, skilled nursing and memory care. Most recently, Davis launched Concierge Care home health services, available to older adults living independently in neighborhoods near the Davis campus.

 

Liberty Senior Living

Brightmore of Wilmington, 2324 41st St., Wilmington

Carolina Bay at Autumn Hall, 630 Carolina Bay Drive, Wilmington

Now under one brand banner, the sister CCRCs of Brightmore and Carolina Bay are part of Liberty Healthcare, a family-owned company with a 125-year history in the health care and residential arenas.

 

While each of the communities has its own distinctive look and amenities, both are designed to appeal to active older adults but ensure a continuum of care as they age. Both operate on a rental basis.

 

There is no upfront cost to move in, said Dean Dellaria, corporate director of marketing and sales. The monthly fee covers living and dining, along with maintenance, utilities and a range of concierge services. Both communities give residents more than one choice of dining venue, and host classes, activities and transportation to shopping and area events.

 

The rental model gives people flexibility, he added. “Today our communities might work wonderfully, but sometimes things change.”

 

Brightmore’s campus is located near midtown Wilmington and offers independent living, two levels of assisted living and two options for memory care. 

 

At Carolina Bay, located near Wrightsville Beach, residents can choose independent living apartments or garden flats. Bradley Creek Health Center, part of the campus, offers inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation as well as assisted living, memory care and long-term skilled nursing care.

 

Plantation Village

1200 Porters Neck Road, Wilmington

Plantation Village is in the midst of a major expansion project, adding a variety of new residential units (and options) and renovating its dining and common spaces. 

 

This nonprofit CCRC operates on a buy-in basis but has an “estate preservation” plan that returns 50% or as much as 90% of the entrance fee when residents leave. A hardship clause guarantees residents can remain in the community even if their assets become depleted.

 

Monthly fees cover living and dining, maintenance and weekly housekeeping, security and emergency response, and regularly scheduled transportation to shopping and appointments. Through a partnership arrangement, Plantation Village residents have priority access to rehab, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing care at the nearby Davis Community.

 

Plantation Village is managed by Life Care Services, which oversees more than 100 retirement communities in the U.S. Fitness programs are supported by a new wellness center and indoor saltwater pool.

 

Trinity Landing

4915 Masonboro Loop Road, Wilmington

This newest of the area’s communities is owned and operated by Lutheran Services Carolinas.

 

Set to open this year, Trinity Landing offers one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments. It’s a sister establishment to nearby Trinity Grove, which provides rehabilitation and higher-level medical care assist services. Through this partnership, Trinity Landing can provide continuing care to its residents.

 

The campus borders the Intracoastal Waterway, giving residents direct water access for recreation, anchored by a waterside pavilion. There is a wellness and fitness center and a wide variety of activity options. Residents can choose to dine at the community’s restaurant or pub.

 

Trinity Landing requires an entrance fee, a portion of which may be refundable, depending on a resident’s contract choice. A monthly fee covers living expenses and amenities.

 

The Woods at Holly Tree

4610 Holly Tree Road, Wilmington

This community, part of the Hawthorne Senior Living group, offers independent living for senior citizens, but with an added layer of security: a pendant residents wear off-campus that is professionally monitored anywhere there’s a cell phone signal.

 

Monthly rent includes three meals a day, transportation, events and activities and weekly housekeeping. Basic health care assistance can be contracted through a third-party home health care provider that serves The Woods at Holly Tree. Residents choose studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units with a variety of floor plans.

 

Hawthorne also offers a Resident Travel Program, enabling people at any of its more than 45 communities in the U.S. and Canada to “vacation” for up to seven days at another community at no extra cost.

 

Active Living Communities

Not ready for a retirement community? The greater Wilmington area is home to an increasing number of active living communities, including a Del Webb development in Riverlights and a new community Liberty Senior Living is developing in Leland. These are age-qualified developments but don’t necessarily offer health care or other support services.

 

Active senior living is “going to appeal to someone who says, ‘I don’t want to be in my home any longer,’” said Liberty’s Dellaria. “They want a social component, activities, a robust fitness center, pool or aquatic center, and opportunities to gather. They don’t need dining or housekeeping services.”