Riverview Retirement Community, which has been operating here for nearly 50 years, says it has been taking needed steps to adapt to changing consumer demands and heightened competition from players hoping to capitalize on the graying U.S. population.


Among those steps has been the launch of the North Side complexs $12.5 million Village West project, a 45-unit independent-living development that got under way last year, as well as planning for an expansion of its skilled-nursing center, says Wm. Patrick ONeill, Riverviews president and CEO. Another focus has been to market Riverview as an affordable place for seniors to spend their sunset years, ONeill says.


Our residents are people who are looking for value, he says. We want to make sure our costs are reasonable.


Riverview Retirement is associated with Lutheran Churches of the Inland Northwest, and operates under three separate nonprofit organizations, named Riverview Terrace, Riverview Village, and Riverview Lutheran Care Center. Those organizations together currently provide housing for about 450 residents and employ 250 people.


Riverview Retirement, originally called Riverview Lutheran Home, opened in 1959 in a roughly 200-unit facility at 1801 E. Upriver Drive, north of the Spokane River and just northeast of Avista Corp.s headquarters. Today, the complex has 75 skilled-nursing beds, 85 assisted-living units, 60 boarding home units, and 117 independent-living units on its 27-acre campus, plus the new Village West, ONeill says. Units in the main complex range in size from 300 square feet of floor space to 900 square feet of space. Independent-living units, excluding those in Village West, rent for about $1,600 to $3,515 a month, depending on their size. For assisted-living services, Riverview charges a monthly fee of $2,070, in addition to room rent.


The first phase of the Village West expansion project wrapped up last year. Located on the west end of the complex, it includes 18 units spread among a mix of duplexes and triplexes, plus a model home. Those units, which range in size from 1,650 square feet of space to 2,250 square feet of space and are priced between $290,000 and $329,000, are fully occupied, he says.


Riverview plans to start work on the remaining units in a couple of months. They will have about 1,400 square feet of space and are to be priced at $289,000, ONeill says.


Features are to include heated floors, granite countertops, gas fireplaces, and two-car garages. In addition, residents can customize aspects of their home designs.


Riverview plans to build units as theyre sold, so a completion date for the entire development hasnt been set, although ONeill expects it likely will be completed within the next two years.


Residents occupy Village West units through whats called a life-tenancy contract, he says. The ownership of the land and the buildings remains with Riverview. Residents pay a purchase price for a home, then get 80 percent of the value of the home, including any appreciation, when they leave or die.


Residents of Village West also pay a monthly fee of $425 for singles and $455 for couples, which covers sewer, water, maintenance, landscaping, garbage, 10 days of care annually in Riverviews care center, nursing services, and access to Riverviews recreation facilities, he says.


Amenities at the Riverview complex include a dining room, exercise and rehabilitation room, a massage therapy room, a home theater, an indoor pool, a library, and laundry rooms.


Three daily meals, as well as a wine cart, are included in the monthly rent for all residents except those at Village West, as are 24-hour nursing services and a full-time chaplain. Village West residents can buy meals in the dining hall, but the three daily meals arent included in their monthly fees.


Riverview decided to build its Village West independent-living units because of rising demand among younger seniors for homes that allow them to remain independent, but still get help with home maintenance, he says. That option especially is attractive to seniors who spend several months of the year in another location, such as Arizona.


Its a trend where people are selling their second homes and choosing to rent a place for three months instead, he says. Our residents are well-traveled and educated and theyre looking for a good value.


Younger seniors, in particular, also are more conscious about being green and increasingly are looking for facilities that are environmentally conscious, he says. Riverview is looking at ways to go green, such as using organic cleaning products and organic fertilizer for its lawns, he says.


People moving in here want to see if were good stewards of our environment, and thats certainly something we want, too, ONeill says.


In addition, younger residents increasingly are looking for retirement communities that offer adequate exercise facilities and recreation activities, he says.


Along those lines, Riverview plans to build an extension to its skilled-nursing care center that would include a state-of-the-art rehabilitation and exercise room, ONeill says. About 45 beds at its care center are used by its residents, rather than for short-term visits by non-residents recently released from a hospital, for instance. It expects residents use will increase as the number of total residents at Riverview increases, which means it will need to expand its rehabilitation capabilities.


Riverview also wants to meet needs created by increasing numbers of seniors who want private care-center rooms. The new wing wont add any beds to the 75 licensed beds available at the center, but will boost the number of private rooms to 52 from the 24 there currently. Riverview is in the design phase of that project, and hopes to break ground in about a year. CRS Architects Inc., of Portland, Ore., is the architect.


In addition, Riverviews close proximity to the Centennial Trail has proven to be an advantage in attracting younger residents, he says.


To help keep its residents active, Riverview takes them on day trips to places such as Lake Coeur dAlene. For its more adventuresome seniors, it offers an annual whitewater rafting excursion. Last year, that trip included a 92-year-old female resident, proving that younger seniors arent the only ones who take advantage of the recreation services, he says.


Demand


Demand has been consistently high over the years at Riverview, which is nearly fully occupied, ONeill says. About 100 people are on a waiting list for the skilled-nursing care center, and 96 are on a waiting list for an independent-living unit. That list, however, includes some people who are waiting either until they cant live in their current home or until a certain room at Riverview becomes available, he says.


When Riverview started offering assisted-living services in 1989, it was the first retirement facility here to do so, ONeill claims.


Then, as the baby boomer generation started reaching retirement age in greater numbers, more assisted-living facilities started opening, and now, he asserts, the area has become overbuilt.


Competition has increased, especially in the assisted-living field, he says. I think thats because of the changing demographics and people started thinking that it would be a lucrative, easy business.


A big part of Riverviews competitive strategy is emphasizing that it offers whats called a continuum of care, rather than just independent living or assisted living, he says.


People know that everything is here and that they can get all levels of care on campus, he says. They like to know they can stay where their spouse and friends are rather than having to move if something happens.


While some retirement communities emphasize luxury amenities as a way to attract seniors, Riverview has decided to focus on quality and affordability, he says. A common thread among most of its residents, whether theyre low-income or multimillionaires, is that theyre on a fixed-income and have planned ahead for their retirement.


The people who move here are planners, he says. They tell me, This is the best thing I could do for my kids so they dont have to worry about me.


Riverview Retirement accepts Medicaid residents, and also has a fund to help residents when theyre having difficulty making their payments.


We can do that because were nonprofit, ONeill says. Some places will kick you out when you cant make a payment because theyre responsible to their shareholders to watch the bottom line.


Low Medicaid reimbursements pose a concern, though, he says. Last year, the typical skilled-nursing center in Washington state was underpaid an average of $45 per resident per day, while the typical assisted-living facility was underpaid $25 per resident per day, he says.


In addition, Riverview Retirement is having difficulty finding employees for its skilled-nursing center, thanks to a shortage of qualified nurses in the workforce here, he says.


Looking ahead, Riverview Retirement is considering ways to make technological improvements, such as by implementing an electronic medical records system, ONeill says. Its also looking at providing wireless communication devices to its staff.


Contact Emily Brandler at (509) 344-1265 or via e-mail at emilyb@spokanejournal.com.