The Senior Program, Planning and Development Committee (SPPDC) was formed in April 2003 to develop the environment and program for a unique, lifelong learning and retirement community on the East Campus of Regis. But this isn't just a traditional retirement community. Our community integrates the College’s mission, programs, students, and services with the developing concept of aging in place in a setting of gracious living and services. This new, innovative model for learning in the real world takes into account the degrees of intellectual, emotional, spiritual, physical, and social intelligence we all possess.
From the College’s mission statement flow the four foundations for our community: Aging in Place, Lifelong Learning, Spiritual Growth, and Open Community. Each of these will permeate the programmatic cores of Residence Life, Academic Life, and Wellness and Health Services.
Our multigenerational living and learning community recognizes a simple fact: people want to age in place. Our residents will have made the choice to move from their homes into our community. But, unlike other traditional continuing care communities where residents move from one location to another when they require formal supportive health care, our residents will continue to live in their own apartments where home care services at all levels will be provided.
The living and learning community will be open to any senior looking for an intellectually stimulating environment. With a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, we will easily accommodate singles, couples, or friends living together. Common spaces and apartments will be designed for aging in place. Apartments will be accessible to accommodate temporary or permanent changes in a resident’s mobility. State-of-the-art technology and architectural design will facilitate these objectives.
As a living and learning center, learning will take place anywhere and everywhere! Learning can occur with on-line courses accessed from the resident’s apartment or winter home in a warmer climate, classrooms on the East Campus, or the main campus. The common areas will include wired classrooms in the center of the community. “Traditional” college students attending scheduled classes on the retirement campus and the presence of a childcare center will enhance the community’s intergenerational feel. In addition, students in the undergraduate and graduate programs will participate in practice internships offered through the retirement community. Courses will be open to members of the larger Weston senior community.