This story is brought to you by Elegance Living.
When Elegance Berkeley, the city’s newest senior living community, opens in the Poet’s Corner neighborhood, it will offer a place for Bay Area elders to receive discreet care support and an array of programs and amenities designed to help residents stay involved, socially active and part of a thriving community.
We spoke with Nicole Dodson, Regional Vice President of Elegance Living, about what Elegance Berkeley will offer residents, families, and the city at large.
Q: In a few sentences, who is Elegance Berkeley for and how will it benefit them?
A: Our community is designed to make living in Berkeley easier, safer and more accessible for older people. You receive discreet support with things like bathing, getting dressed, and managing medications all while having direct access to fitness, arts and continual learning opportunities right outside your door. Housekeeping and maintenance, transportation to appointments, are taken care of. You have amazing, healthy food prepared by an in-house chef. When you’re trying to manage all those things yourself at home, or relying on family to help out, it can take up an enormous amount of time and energy. Living at Elegance Berkeley frees you up to do what you want to do, what’s important to you.
Q: What are the apartments like and how many are available?
A: We have 94 apartments in studio and one-bedroom floor plans starting at $6,850 per month. They have high ceilings and kitchenettes, and many have great views of the bay. We are private pay; long-term care insurance and veteran’s benefits can apply. They are filling quickly because people want those gorgeous-view apartments.
Q: Are building tours available? When can residents start moving into the community?
A: Yes, you can now tour the building! We are thrilled to show off the community and we expect residents to begin moving in early July. There isn’t a place like this in the East Bay so I would strongly encourage you to come and see it.
Q: What kinds of amenities and programs can people expect?
A: In addition to an art lab, classroom and salon, our residents will enjoy a bistro and wine bar, a full-service restaurant, a beautiful courtyard that has dedicated fitness equipment, family dining, and an outdoor movie theater. We also have an indoor theater, a record listening lounge, massage suite, telehealth exam room, and onsite physical and occupational therapy. And special sensory relaxation and music rooms for our residents with memory impairment.
Our adapted programs include yoga, tai chi, cardio, ecotherapy and cleansing breathing, museum visits, inspirational services, on-site visits from the California Jazz Conservatory, virtual travelogues, volunteer projects, coffee socials and more.
Q: What inspired the focus on the arts in your amenities and programs?
A: The arts and learning are important parts of a self-actualized life at every age, and Berkeley is at the heart of this ethos. East Bay elders are well educated and well traveled. So we’re partnering with several local arts and learning organizations to support our residents’ interests. We have a wonderful on-site art lab designed for both young and older people where we will collaborate with Sticky Art Lab for on-site intergenerational art programs, Brushstrokes for pottery and ceramics, and Kala Art Institute for a variety of classes.
We are also excited to offer Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UC Berkeley continuing education to our residents.
Q: What is special about your location?
A: Our location on San Pablo Avenue near University Avenue puts it in the center of a thriving neighborhood of international restaurants, local businesses, and specialty boutiques, all just a short walk away.
Of course, the people of Berkeley have a passion for the arts, theater and culture. When they choose to live at Elegance Berkeley, they definitely will not feel as though they’ve moved away from their lives and the things that really get them going. In fact, it will be easier than ever to continue participating, contributing and enjoying regular opportunities to interact with people from all generations.
Q: How will Elegance Berkeley benefit the Poet’s Corner neighborhood?
A: Our goal from the very beginning was to make our community a hub of activity and a fully contributing part of the neighborhood. We’re right on the street, with windows all around and with some of the space dedicated to retail. The ground floor has a salon, a classroom where local organizations can do speaker series, yoga and any number of events of interest to the neighborhood, and a custom-designed art lab. We’ll have a rotating art gallery, and there will be engaging programs going on every single day. So we are committed to being a vibrant part of the city and adding value to the East Bay.
This story is written and paid for by Elegance Living, a senior living management services company headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Elegance Living believes that a thoughtfully designed environment filled with good neighbors and a caring staff, along with nutritious food, accessible exercise programs and opportunities to connect and engage every day, are the right combination for optimal living. The company operates communities across the U.S. In addition to Elegance Berkeley, in the Bay Area Elegance Living operates Elegance Hamilton Hill and Elegance at Dublin.
