At Inspīr, we think time spent with family is a wise investment. In fact, research has shown that spending time with family can help you live a longer, happier, healthier life.
You may be familiar with the work of National Geographic researcher Dan Buettner, who studied cultures around the globe where people lived the longest, healthiest lives. He called these areas Blue Zones and found that the inhabitants shared several social and lifestyle commonalities, including making family members and other loved ones among their highest daily priorities.
We couldn’t agree more just how important family connection is for well-being. When we set out to develop Inspīr Carnegie Hill, our goal was to design a truly transformative senior living experience that promoted health and wellness as well as harmony and connectedness for residents, families, and staff. We looked at the foundational pieces of the lifestyles Dan Buettner found in the Blue Zones and refined them into our Nine Core Elements, family, of course, being one of those elements.
We believe that maintaining loving relationships between family members is critical. We encourage family involvement and help spouses, adult children, grandchildren, and extended relatives stay connected, no matter how busy their lives are or how far apart they live. We recognize that no matter how hard you try, making time with family and loved ones a daily priority can be extremely challenging.
That’s why we incorporate family into every aspect of our resident experience. From that very first call to the day-to-day happenings, we have the best interests of our residents and their families in mind. We even developed a comprehensive technology suite, called Allī, to promote resident and family connectedness, and improve safety, health, and happiness.
Molly Fisher, Director of Program Innovation and Education, told us, “All of us here at Inspīr Carnegie Hill become extended family. Not only to our residents but also to their families. All of our experiences at Inspīr are built with family involvement in mind. In the lead-up to opening our doors, we’ve been hosting a variety of virtual engagement and educational programs for the whole family. This has been especially helpful during the pandemic as it has created new ways to connect with one another.”
Once we open, we will provide a variety of experiences that offer families the opportunity to continue to do what they love to do together. Those who appreciate the theatre or brunch will really enjoy our Sunday Broadway Brunch, featuring top talent from our programming partner Sing For Your Seniors (SFYS). We will also offer family-oriented art classes, fitness and dance classes, a talk series, culinary experiences, museum tours, and more.
A recent article, Keeping in Touch With Family Can Keep You Healthy, shed light on the importance of family connection to our overall health. “This idea of feeling connected becomes very reinforcing to all of us, and it contributes to happiness, it contributes to mental health, and it does contribute also to physical health,” says psychologist John Northman. “It’s well known that when people feel better connected, that they feel better physically, they’re certainly less likely to feel depressed—or if they do, they’re in a better position to get out of being depressed. Overall it leads to a feeling of a greater degree of support and connection psychologically,” he said.
Beyond the scheduled experiences, Inspīr Carnegie Hill was designed with beautiful and inviting spaces that welcome families to sit and stay for a while. From the lively lobby lounge to the formal dining room at 1802 and the more casual Onyx bistro, there are plenty of options to enjoy conversation over a glass of wine or a meal. And if you are looking to celebrate a special occasion with family, we offer private dining rooms on both the ground floor and the 17th floor SkyPark level.
The gardens at the SkyPark have been planted with a variety of scented flora and flowering trees, creating a soothing outdoor space that is also great for families to reconnect. And if the weather isn’t right for going outdoors, you can sit inside by the fire and enjoy the spectacular skyline views of the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Whatever you need to keep your family connected, Inspīr Carnegie Hill can make it happen.
