Graceful Ageing in Avon
Basic information
Project Title
Category
Project Description
How can an old folks’ home foster graceful ageing? The Avon project is all about pioneering new ways in managing ageing issues and caring for the elderly as active mobile members of society. LogiRys, which manages the Avon-based senior residence, has placed happy ageing at the heart of its vision and practices. At Avon, LogiRys is experimenting with a new approach to caring to seniors. The results are impressive. The eldest resident is an active joyful 103-year ‘young’ lady !
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
Which funds
Description of the project
Summary
As Western societies grow older, ageing is becoming an important social challenge. How can we support older generations in an inclusive manner ? Ageing comes with a whole set of physical, mental and emotional issues yet ageing doesn’t need to be a depressing time of life. At Avon, the Jean Fontenelle Residence for mobile seniors has transformed into a new generation old folks’ home where ageing comes with smiling, friendship and activity.
When Groupe Polylogis took over the senior home in 2020, the first step was to renovate a decaying 45-year old building with 25 senior residents. It took one year and over 5 million euros for a complete transformation focused on ensuring optimal wellbeing of the residents while keeping rents at an affordable level. Today, it is a 76-apartment building, comfortable (including thermally), luminous, safe, functionally adapted to old age and pleasing to the eyes. It meets sustainable targets, leading to a cut in energy costs. The surrounding environment supports the residents’ ability to enjoy outdoor activities within the frame of a biodiverse garden, where nature's beauty and therapeutic effects foster wellness.
However the Avon project goes beyond traditional homes for seniors. It relies on a new vision for CARE. It is based on heart-centred values and a proven approach to support ageing, with innovative customised services to meet each resident’s needs. Caring is about understanding the physical and mental issues that affect old age but also the related emotional impact. This is where the Avon project is making a difference by applying innovative geriatric practices that are showing incredible results and improving the daily lives of these elderly.
Care can only happen with a dedicated team of experienced professionals who value the opportunity to elevate the seniors’ home into a model for such senior homes.
Lastly, this beautiful home celebrates the beauty of social housing. It doesn’t discriminate when resources are limited.
Key objectives for sustainability
To thoroughly renovate a 45-year old building with minimal disturbances to the occupying residents was a challenge. Yet the challenge was met and today the residents are all but smiles when talking about their new comfortable and beautiful home. The expensive renovation was focused on improving thermal comfort with good insulation and an efficient heating system whilst reducing energy and maintenance costs for the tenants. Cooling capabilities were also added to ensure optimal wellbeing during summer heat waves. Care was taken to provide plenty of natural light in all apartments and pleasant living conditions for all residents. Most apartments have a balcony and all windows overlook a beautiful garden.
Efforts were made to combine comfort and functionality with beauty. Everywhere flowers and colours ornate tables, walls or furniture for mental and emotional wellbeing.
Beauty had to be indoors as well as outdoors.
Avon is adjacent to the Seine river and the Fontainebleau forest, in exquisite surroundings that have inspired many painters. The spacious garden of the residence is blessed with old trees, flowers and all conditions for a thriving biodiverse life. Residents and non-residents alike are welcome to enjoy the serene garden.
As improvements never stop, a therapeutic garden respectful of biodiversity is in the making in 2022, with the involvement of the residents.
Sustainability has also been included in the digitalisation of many functions whenever possible. To help senior citizens keep up with the times, in a spirit of autonomy and feeling of belonging, computer trainings are provided to the residents.
Sustainability also comes with reducing waste and the residents are trained in using the respective recycling facilities.
Nutritious healthy food is essential to good health and an affordable in-house restaurant helmed by a dedicated chef is supporting the nutrition needs of both the home residents and other senior residents of the town of Avon.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
It is well known that one’s environment affects all senses and has an impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Graceful ageing can only happen within a beautiful and peaceful environment, where one feels supported by kindness as well as experienced geriatrics-trained professional caretakers.
The building refurbishment has fully integrated the need for aesthetics, both indoors and outdoors. Colours enliven the walls and furniture of the common areas of the building. Flowers ornate tables. A piano is available for those who enjoy music. LogiRys has focused on the need to provide specialised quality services to elderly people who are mobile and who can participate in physical activities.
Graceful ageing comes with respect, dignity and integrity. It also comes with prevention so as to maintain mobility and ability to perform basic daily tasks in old age. To that effect, the residents can enjoy daily exercise by a trained professional in gerontology to support their physical health and mobility.
Ageing comes with a whole set of issues and nonetheless some physical issues that are often considered socially shameful, such as urinary incontinence. This is a little talked about topic that has a huge (unknown) impact on self-confidence and the ability to participate in society. Older generations are often affected by this problem and at Avon, some residents were retreating in isolation into their quarters for fear of wetting themselves. Care comes with the understanding of old age dis-eases and how to support those who suffer from them. Thanks to dedicated professionals with empathy and specialised training, these unspoken issues affecting the residents of Avon have been resolved with simple exercises. With simple techniques, smiles can be brought back onto faces. Meeting with friends, participating in daily activities, going to a museum, enjoying a walk in the garden or to town can once again become enjoyable, comforting to the mind and soul.
Key objectives for inclusion
When LogiRys took over the property two years ago, the priority was not only the complete refurbishment of a decaying building but also the creation of a home model for mobile senior citizens.
The town of Avon was fully involved and worked hand-in-hand with LogiRys, especially through its social service centre, that still manages the restaurant of the estate. That restaurant is open to all Avon senior citizens and not only those from Jean Fontenelle. Meal prices are based on resources so that meals can be affordable to all. Affordability to low income senior citizens is also a key feature of the project, with even some apartments available to very poor seniors. Renovating the building allowed for a significant reduction in energy and maintenance costs whilst adding much needed thermal comfort.
Graceful ageing also comes with social interactions including inter-generational. Within the residence itself, the generational gap is over 40 years as the youngest is 60 and the oldest 103. The integration of newcomers is managed smoothly for the benefit of everyone. Catherine, the longest resident, summarises it best: ‘We all get on well and the newcomers are really nice.’
The estate is secure yet open so as to allow a generational mix where younger generations, including schools and of course the families are invited to visit and participate in some of the daily activities organised for the residents and/or Avon senior residents, including festive activities.
The property is located close to city amenities and transportation is also available. The residents are encouraged to “go to town” or meet with friends to maintain social interactions beyond the community of the residents.
Results in relation to category
The prime impact of the Avon project is to provide affordable, comfortable and beautiful housing to senior citizens who are mobile yet can no longer live alone. It supports the inclusion of vulnerable older generations and strengthens their feeling of belonging within an evolving and digitalising society.
The project leverages on ethical values, respectful of human dignity and integrity. The approach to care that is being developed at Avon focuses on all aspects of being and has proven successful in restoring self-confidence and joy as required. With such care, which is based on the principle of prevention, the elderly are able to remain mobile, active and creative at an older age than they may without. The oldest resident is 103 and she is a smiling joyful lady.
Social interactions are important and the elderly, especially when they experience widowhood, tend to suffer from loneliness and sometimes complete isolation. The Avon project has helped elderly people find new support in connecting within a community where friendship is available. It has also managed the perfect balance between allowing an opening onto the outside world and the need for privacy and a personal space, at the sole discretion of the resident. 91 year-old newcomer Madeleine said : “I had been isolated on the 4th floor of my building and had not ventured out for 10 years. Today I have new friends. I feel I am living again.”
Through the daily activities on offer, the residents may enjoy creative work, gardening, singing, reading, cultural visits, physical exercise, walks and even computer training. When ageing, time doesn’t feel the same anymore and it is important to maintain mental stimulations to keep a clear mind. As Catherine said ‘We have activities on a daily basis and it is important.’
How Citizens benefit
The senior housing estate used to belong to the town of Avon. It had been built in 1976 and needed an important and costly refurbishment. The town also wanted to upgrade the services to the residents and, to that effect, hired a professional in geriatrics, while at the same time preparing the transfer of the operations. This project is the result of a long process started in 2014 by the town itself. To successfully complete it, the right partners had to come on board and everyone had to agree on the best solutions, with the ultimate view to benefit elderly people.
LogiRys took over the property in 2020 and started the renovation work, with an effort to mitigate the impact on the 25 senior residents of that time. The residents were the ones who would be impacted by the works and resulting dust and noise, yet they proved very patient and understanding. They were also the ones who would eventually benefit and they participated in their own way. Catherine, who has been residing there for over 15 years, commented: ‘We were all a little worried, but eventually, everything went well and I find that it went fast. I can tell you that it makes a huge difference, it is like night and day!’
The social service centre of the town of Avon remains involved to a certain extent as they manage the in-house restaurant which is not only open to the residents but also to all senior citizens of Avon. It is helmed by a chef whose cuisine is reputed and appreciated. To make it even better, the bright and thermally-comfortable restaurant has been set up in a nice area of the building with a view, where large windows open up onto the beautiful garden.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
Studies on ageing have shown that the median age when people start losing their autonomy is 83 years old. At the Avon home, the oldest resident is 103 years old and she is still mobile. Prevention is one of the key principles applied by LogiRys in the management of the facility so that the elderly can age healthily and happily. It has been proven that daily exercise supports mobility and a trained professional offers daily exercise catered to the very needs of each resident.
Innovation comes in many ways. For example, dealing with urinary incontinence with non-invasive techniques is an innovative way of solving a dis-ease that is perceived as shameful and negatively impacts self-confidence and life in society. The approach has made an enormous difference in the life of the elderly residents affected by this issue as they now participate in the multiple social activities on offer. They have been able to regain their self-confidence and joy.
Innovation is also about people and the passionate team at Avon makes the residents feel part of a big family. As a result, newcomers adjust faster to a new environment that is to become their new home.
Old people have often been left behind the digitalisation of the economy. Being able to use online tools, especially for communication or administrative purposes, is a huge step towards feeling a sense of belonging in a modern society, keeping mentally young and in contact with younger family members. Costs are often an issue for low income residents so the ability to learn and use these tools is a feature of the LogiRys model.
A key success of the renovation is the blending of the building within its soothing green surroundings. From wherever they look out, the residents can enjoy a serene landscape.
Another pioneering feature is the affordable cost associated with such high quality senior housing: Avon is modelled on social housing and is available to low income and even very low income elderly people.
Learning transferred to other parties
Firstly, the building that houses the seniors’ home needs to meet all conditions required of a thermally/energy efficient, sound proofed, functional, affordable, comfortable and beautiful building. This is the work of architects and builders who understand both (sustainable) building principles and the physical and technical requirements of housing suited to old generations.
There are financial costs involved and the will to spend the necessary money to reach the goal. Providing quality housing is part of Polylogis’ DNA so whatever was necessary to renovate a decaying building accordingly was done.
It is proven that nature is a natural healer. Trees not only support carbon capture to fight climate change but also provide oxygen for optimal wellness. A housing estate with a garden is preferable. The Avon project is blessed with delightful natural surroundings and a spacious garden open to all to enjoy. Offering to old people the ability for daily rejuvenating walks or contemplation in the garden is important.
Ethical values of integrity, dignity, wellbeing, care and empathy are at the heart of such a project. They are the underlying absolute principles that guide all actions in relation to such a project. The wellbeing of the senior people comes first.
Managing a senior citizen’s home requires the support of geriatrics trained professionals who take their mission at heart. Everyone in the Avon team is passionate, trained and experienced in what they do so that the results can be as remarkable as they are.
Providing the opportunity for daily customised exercise, healthy food, activities, involving the residents in matters related to the housing estate requires both dedicated facilities and underlying ethical values.
At Avon, LogiRys has created a model that is not only replicable but meant to be replicated. As a result, LogiRys is leveraging on all the learning from Avon for all its senior housing estates in France.
