A New Approach to Ageing : the Jean Fontenelle Residence Success Story
How can an old folks’ home foster graceful ageing? The Avon project is all about pioneering new ways in managing ageing issues and caring for the elderly as active independent members of society. LogiRys, which manages the Avon-based senior residence, has placed healthy happy ageing at the heart of its vision and practices. At Avon, LogiRys is experimenting with a new approach to caring to seniors. The results are impressive.
Local
France
Avon, Ile de France
Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-11-02
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): LogiRys - Jean Fontenelle Autonomy Residence Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Morgane Last name of representative: Papin Gender: Female Nationality: France Function: Managing Director Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: 16 rue Jean Fontenelle Town: Avon Postal code: 77210 Country: France Direct Tel:+33 7 87 78 12 40 E-mail:papin.m@polylogis.fr Website:https://www.polylogis.immo/logirys-dediee-aux-seniors-et-aux-personnes-en-situation-de-handicap
As Western societies grow older, ageing is becoming a critical social challenge. How can we support older generations in an inclusive manner? Ageing comes with a whole set of physical, mental and emotional issues yet it doesn’t need to be a depressing time of life. At Avon, the Jean Fontenelle Residence for independent seniors has transformed into a new generation old age home where ageing comes with smile, friendship and activity.
When LogiRys took over the nursing home in 2020, the first step was to renovate a decaying 45-year old building with 25 senior residents. It took a year and over 5 million euros for a complete transformation focused on ensuring optimised wellbeing of the residents while keeping rents at a very affordable level and lowering energy costs. Today, it is a 76-apartment (thermally) comfortable building, luminous, safe, functionally adapted to old age and pleasing to the eyes. It meets sustainable targets on all points. The surrounding environment supports the residents’ ability to enjoy dedicated therapeutic outdoor activities within a biodiverse garden where communing with nature fosters wellness as a key part of the “new way”.
The Avon project goes beyond traditional homes for seniors. It relies on a new vision for CARE, based on heart-centred values and a proven approach to support ageing, with innovative customised services to meet each resident’s needs. Caring is about understanding the physical and mental issues that affect old age but also the related emotional impacts. This is where the project is making a difference by applying innovative geriatric practices that are showing incredible results and improving the daily lives of these elderly.
Care can only happen with a dedicated team of experienced professionals who value the opportunity to elevate the seniors’ home into a model for such homes.
Lastly, this beautiful home celebrates the beauty of social housing. It doesn’t discriminate when resources are limited.
Care
Autonomy
Dignity
Prevention
Ageing
To renovate an old building with minimal disturbances to the occupying residents was a challenge. Yet the challenge was met and today the residents are all smiles when talking about their new comfortable and beautiful home. The expensive renovation was focused on improving thermal comfort with good insulation and an efficient heating system whilst reducing energy and maintenance costs for the tenants. Cooling capabilities were also added to ensure optimal wellbeing during summer heat waves. Care was taken to provide plenty of natural light in all apartments and pleasant living conditions for all residents.
Efforts were made to combine comfort and functionality with beauty. Everywhere flowers and colours ornate tables, walls or furniture for mental and emotional wellbeing.
The focus being on wellness, beauty had to be indoors as well as outdoors. Avon is adjacent to the Seine river and the Fontainebleau forest, in exquisite surroundings that have inspired many painters. The spacious garden of the residence is blessed with old trees, flowers and all conditions for a thriving biodiverse life. Residents and non-residents alike are welcome to enjoy the serene and therapeutic garden. The garden is more than a garden: it is a tool for good health. The Avon project has pioneered dedicated activities centred around nature and specifically directed at geriatric issues.
Sustainability has also been included in the digitalisation of many functions whenever possible. To help senior citizens keep up with the times, in a spirit of independence and feeling of belonging, computer trainings are provided to the senior residents.
Sustainability also comes with reducing waste and the residents are trained in using the respective recycling facilities. Nutritious healthy food is essential to good health and an affordable in-house restaurant helmed by a dedicated chef is supporting the nutrition needs of both the home residents and other senior residents of the town of Avon.
It is well known that one’s environment affects all senses and has an impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Graceful ageing can only happen within a beautiful and peaceful environment, where one feels supported by kindness, the beauty of Nature as well as experienced geriatrics-trained professional caretakers.
The building refurbishment has fully integrated the need for aesthetics, both indoors and outdoors. Colours enliven the walls and furniture of the common areas of the building. Flowers ornate tables. A piano is available for those who enjoy music. LogiRys has focused on the need to provide specialised quality services to elderly people who are mobile and who can participate in physical activities.
Graceful ageing comes with respect, dignity and integrity. It also comes with prevention so as to maintain mobility and ability to perform basic daily tasks in old age. To that effect, the residents and the town senior citizens alike can enjoy daily exercise by a trained professional in gerontology to support their physical health and mobility. They can also enjoy dedicated specifically designed outdoor activities in the beautiful biodiverse therapeutic garden that connects them with nature and also promotes their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
When LogiRys took over the property three years ago, the priority was not only the complete refurbishment of a decaying building but also the creation of a home model for mobile senior citizens in every aspect.
The town of Avon was fully involved and worked hand-in-hand with LogiRys, especially through its social service centre, that still manages the restaurant of the estate. That restaurant is open to all Avon senior citizens. Meal prices are based on resources so that meals can be affordable to all. Affordability to low income senior citizens is also a key feature of the project, with even some apartments available to very poor seniors. Renovating the building allowed for a significant reduction in energy and maintenance costs whilst adding much needed thermal comfort.
Happy ageing also comes with social interactions including inter-generational. Within the residence itself, the generational gap is over 40 years as the youngest is 60 and the oldest close to 100. The integration of newcomers is managed smoothly for the benefit of everyone. Catherine, the longest resident, summarises it best: ‘We all get on well and the newcomers are really nice.’
In addition to the restaurant, all the activities on offer are open to all senior citizens, both from the residence and the Avon town. They are advertised on the city council website and transportation is provided to the town’s senior citizens. These are therapeutic in many ways: they promote physical, mental and emotional wellness and encourage social interactions. They allow every senior person to enjoy the benefits of the new approach to geriatrics experimented by the Avon project which is not only gentle and fun but also so effective.
The estate is secure yet open so as to allow a generational mix where younger generations, including schools and of course the families are invited to visit and participate in some of the daily activities including special festive activities.
The property is located close to city amenities and transportation is available. The residents are encouraged to “go to town” or meet with outside friends to maintain social interactions beyond the community of the residents.
In other words, the Avon project is fully dedicated to keeping old age issues at bay and promoting a happy old age life, benefiting many.
LogiRys took over the management of the autonomous old age residence three years ago and worked hand-in-hand with the town of Avon to make it a model residence. Some financial support was also provided by the old age national pension fund (CNAV) that continues supporting the innovative projects of the residence.
The town council remains very involved in the project at many levels. They promote all the residence’s activities and encourage the senior citizens of the city to attend. The social community centre of the city is managing the residence restaurant. For LogiRys, this fruitful partnership and alignment with the city of Avon have been critical to the success of the project.
The core of the project resides in using an affordable refurbished residential old age home to develop an exemplary geriatrics management approach in order to foster happy ageing. Medical care is naturally fully available to all residents and the “new way” pioneered by the Avon project is to complement such medical care in order to promote optimum wellbeing and prevent the discomforts of ageing, such as incontinence or isolation.
The Avon project has successfully introduced specific geriatrics methods through dedicated experienced professionals whose focus is on care.
Therapeutic physical activities have been specifically developed at Avon to promote breathing and the mobility of limbs, minimizing body discomforts and aches. Ageing comes with a whole set of issues, nonetheless some physical issues that are often considered socially shameful, such as urinary incontinence. This is a little talked about topic that has a huge (unknown) impact on self-confidence and the ability to participate in society. The elderly are often affected by this problem and at Avon, some residents were retreating in isolation into their quarters for fear of wetting themselves. Care comes with the understanding of old age dis-eases and how to support those who suffer from them. Thanks to dedicated professionals with specialised training, these unspoken issues affecting the residents of Avon have been resolved with explanations and easy exercises. With simple techniques, smiles can be brought back onto faces. Meeting with friends, participating in daily activities, going to a museum, enjoying a walk in the garden or to town can once again become enjoyable, comforting to the mind and soul.
Old age also comes with mental afflictions and it has been proven that Nature can provide tremendous healing. The Avon project is successfully experimenting mental and emotional wellness using the biodiverse garden as a therapy tool with the help of a dedicated geriatrics professional.
The Avon project benefits first and foremost the residents of the Jean Fontenelle autonomous old age home and the senior citizens of the town of Avon.
The almost daily activities offered by the residence from specialised professionals and sometimes even some of the residents themselves are freely available to all and specifically dedicated to their needs and wellbeing.
The nutritional restaurant is ensuring that the elderly can eat healthily thanks to a very affordable (and subsidized) price.
The mindfully designed therapeutic activities in the biodiverse garden support the mental wellbeing of the senior citizens of Avon.
The dedicated physical training supports the physical wellbeing and mobility of the elderly of Avon and, whenever needed, alleviates old age discomforts and aches.
The Avon project creates a blueprint for the management of mobile senior citizen residential housing. Whislt it caters to an ageing population, it is fully dedicated to delay ageing.
The Avon project goes beyond traditional old age residential housing. Thanks to the dedication of an experienced team, it has proven a model in providing affordable housing to senior citizens who are still able to walk thus supporting their graceful and happy ageing in a warm environment that cares for their daily needs and beyond.
The Avon project has proven that it is possible to delay ageing and alleviate its discomforts thanks to dedicated activities, including specialized physical training as well as specific outdoor activities in connection with Nature. The presence of a biodiverse garden combined with the skills and empathy of experienced professionals who understand gerontology is a must in order to make the model complete.
The Avon project is making use of all what is available to push the boundaries for the benefit of delaying ageing and promoting wellness through old age.
The approach is focused on CARE. It requires the understanding of the needs of senior citizens who are still able to walk and still enjoy physical autonomy and independence. It is centred around the knowledge of advanced geriatric methods founded on specific physical and mental activities and exercises as well as the use of nature as healing tools to promote physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and delay ageing. The implementation of this approach and its methods can only be performed by trained professionals.
Preventing isolation and ensuring social interactions through group activities support the emotional and mental wellbeing of old people.
The daily physical exercises specifically catering to old people supports their physical mobility and helps alleviate aches and old age discomforts, such as incontinence.
The communing with nature through therapeutic outdoor activities in a biodiverse garden is an all-round healer. It promotes general wellbeing and works on all the senses, improves memory and mental health, relieves stress and provides comfort to the mind and soul. Advanced therapeutic techniques using nature have been used successfully in cases of mental issues.
The Avon project is fully replicable anywhere. Both the building with its mindful decoration and the garden serve as the necessary “hardware” to implement the project. However the key factor of success resides in the “software” being the empathetic dedication and skills of trained professionals in gerontology who care for the wellbeing of the elderly. Eventually it is about people caring for other people.
The methods are simple and centred on a heat-based approach. They require the understanding of ageing and its related effects on the body, the mind and the emotions. They require the extra mile to experience with nature-based techniques in order to promote wellbeing and improve the life of other people, thus supporting their sense of still belonging to society.
Most countries are faced with an ageing population. In modern societies, the old model where the younger ones take care of the older ones doesn’t apply anymore and the elderly would usually leave their homes to go to dedicated homes for senior citizens. It is important for society to support the physical autonomy of the elderly so that they may age gracefully and happily.
Entering an old folks’ home is traumatic for many and the Avon project has been dedicated to making this transition as comfortable and pleasant as possible. By joining the Jean Fontenelle residence, the senior citizens bring their belongings and retain a sense of "home". They are supported in their feeling a sense of belonging to society through social interactions with other senior people but also with the outside world. They are fully supported in their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing so that ageing comes with happiness.
The solutions developed by the Avon project to address ageing issues are simple, gentle, joyful yet very effective at many levels. They have been proven to make a real difference in the lives of these elderly people and for the better.
The Avon project pioneers a new way in caring for senior citizens that aims at being a model easy to replicate in order to address critical societal ageing issues.
