University Living plans to open in mid-AugustANN ARBOR—A new $12 million assisted living facility that is partnering with the University of Michigan Institute of Gerontology is expected to open in mid-August with about half its 75 rooms already reserved.

Founder Dean Solden envisioned a community with more than just comfortable surroundings and medical care. He wanted someplace that helps seniors maintain their intellectual and cultural dignity in an environment that develops mind, body and spirit.

Toward that goal, he partnered with the U-M Institute of Gerontology, which will maintain an office inside the privately developed University Living. Solden will provide $15,000 annually in research funding for U-M. U-M professors and students will work with residents to learn more about seniors, providing a relationship and activity for seniors and research for the students.

One such project is in the planning phase, under the direction of Richard Adelman, former director of the Institute of Gerontology and now a U-M professor emeritus. Undergraduate research assistants will be paired with seniors who have reserved apartments at University Living, with the students keeping a journal on such topics as how the student-resident relationship affected each other’s ongoing intellectual and cultural development and whether the student and resident changed their perceptions of each other after spending time together.

Additionally, Adelman will help coordinate opportunities to expose University Living residents to U-M’s cultural and intellectual opportunities. Residents will have the opportunity to take courses at their facility or audit U-M classes, for example, and plans are in the works for seniors to mentor students and give lectures and lead groups, as well.

“A major benefit for the seniors is exposure to the infectious nature of cultural and intellectual growth that inevitably accompanies the learning experience of undergraduate students. In turn, the anticipated intergenerational exchange broadens each participating student’s perspective,” Adelman said, noting that very few students have the opportunity to gain from the life experiences of someone 80 or older.

The facility incorporates a variety of features to keep seniors active and intellectually stimulated, including a library-technology center, an exercise facility and a cultural center, where lectures and concerts will take place.

For example, residents can participate in the Ann Arbor Senior Computer Club, a dance program, a dinner club, and soon, an online book club. As seniors use the on-site exercise equipment, gerontology researchers plan to conduct a project studying how they feel before and after exercise.

Each apartment is wired for high-speed Internet access, and residents will have access to video conferencing facilities to visit with distant relatives.

“This is the first multi-housing unit in the country where Comcast is offering broadband to every resident apartment, and this is the first time we are offering phone, cable and broadband to every resident in an assisted living community, or any multi-housing unit,” said Liz Wineka, multiple dwelling unit coordinator for Comcast Cable. Philadelphia-based Comcast is the third-largest cable company in the country, with 8.5 million subscribers in the United States, 2 million of them in Michigan.

“Connection for the residents is a very important part of what University Living is all about,” Solden said.

Solden expects residents with an average age of 80, and hopes the facility will appeal to retired alumni, faculty and staff of U-M who crave ongoing intellectual input, though residence is open to all individuals, regardless of affiliation with the university. Of the 35 people who have already put down a deposit, Solden noted that about 20 or 25 do not need assisted living care but have signed on because they like the programming of University Living.

For details on University Living, including a fact sheet with cost of project, price of apartments, and names of developer and architect, visit http://www.univliving.com/ or call (734) 669-3030.

Institute of GerontologyDean SoldenUniversity LivingRichard AdelmanComcasthttp://www.univliving.com/