Every individual type of property’s commercial landscape comes with its own set of challenges and landscaping at senior living communities is no different. There are some highly unique landscaping considerations for retirement communities and other senior living facilities that should never be ignored or overlooked.
After all, the outdoor common areas and the landscape are often a huge feature and an important benefit for residents in these types of communities.
The property’s outdoor areas help to create the first impression of these communities. And these spaces are often enjoyed by both the residents themselves as well as their families and guests. When family members come to visit loved ones, they don’t want to see that their mother, father, aunt, or uncle is staying at a place that can’t keep the grounds looking their best. It creates a negative impression before they even go inside.
The last thing that you want is for your landscaping to have a negative impact. When it comes to attracting potential new residents and keeping existing residents and their families happy, a poorly-kept landscape can imply that the level of care inside the building isn’t as good as it should be.
That’s why it’s important that your commercial landscaping partner is paying attention to special landscaping considerations for your senior living community.
Here are a few of those considerations to keep in mind.
Making Safety a Priority
Of the landscaping considerations for retirement communities and other senior living facilities (particularly skilled nursing and assisted living communities), is that the safety of the residents must always come first.
Landscaping mistakes or oversights are unacceptable and can even be a dangerous liability. Residents often use outdoor spaces like courtyards and walking paths to enjoy special time outdoors, so you can’t risk any trip-and-fall hazards or other potential issues that would compromise safety due to negligence on your landscaping company’s part.
This is why it’s so important to choose a commercial landscaping partner who will truly make safety a priority. Your landscaper should work closely with you to make sure that all the unique considerations of your community are taken into account. These can differ from property to property, so it’s critical that they are working with your specific needs.
For instance, we understand that applying products to plants in an area where memory care patients are present might require highly specialized attention as these residents might handle the plants differently than other residents. It will also be important to time visits around the residents’ schedules (which we will talk about more below).
We also understand that locked gates and security, in general, are a really big deal in many of these communities (again, particularly so in memory care facilities). We’re working very closely with our partners to ensure that we’re dotting all of our i’s and crossing all of our t’s when it comes to the safety of your residents.
Working Around the Residents’ Schedule
For Yellowstone Landscape, another major consideration is the schedule of the residents in the senior living community. This is particularly important for assisted living and skilled nursing communities.
We understand that we must be highly tuned in to their schedules so that we are not negatively impacting their ability to enjoy their time outside.
Whether they’re taking a class outside or just enjoying the outdoors on a warm day, we don’t want to interrupt that time. If the residents are trying to participate in an outdoor art class, we understand that mowing near that area is going to create noise and disturbance that will interfere with that activity.
That’s why we’re focused on working around the residents’ schedules.
And we’re also paying attention to details including how the residents like to spend their time outside. What landscaping tasks or enhancements can we add that might help to enhance their experience if they’re completed? We are always looking to be very in touch with how we can best meet the needs of each individual property.
Timing Services for the Most Value
Another major consideration for landscaping at senior living communities is the timing of the services in order to get the most possible value.
We understand that when families come to visit their loved ones, they want to have beautiful outdoor spaces where they can spend time. This includes well-groomed walking paths and beautiful flowers in garden areas. These are the spaces that ultimately become a place to spend quality time with family and friends.
For that reason, we often try to coordinate our services as late in the week as possible so that the landscape looks its best when loved ones visit on the weekends. We understand that the families are often the ones that are paying for their loved one’s care, so they want to feel like they are getting the most out of their investment. A beautiful and inviting landscape is a big part of that.
As we mentioned previously, we also understand that family members often equate what the property looks like on the outside to what the care will be like on the inside. Even if you have an amazing care team, if the landscape looks unkept and messy, you could risk a negative impression that carries over to your nursing staff.
Working Together for Landscaping Solutions
Another consideration that Yellowstone Landscape takes into account is how we can work closely and interact with our clients to ultimately become an extension of their team. We love helping our landscaping partners to come up with ideas of ways that they can get more out of their outdoor spaces.
For instance, over the years, we have added herb or vegetable gardens in order to provide opportunities for residents to do some gardening.
Gardening is known to have a lot of therapeutic benefits and there are some residents who might have spent many years of their lives doing it on their own. This can give them a special place where they can enjoy an old hobby once again.
But adding garden areas can also keep the residents from attempting to tend to the flowers in other areas of the property where you want them to be meticulously maintained by your landscaping partner (such as at your entranceway).
We have also added perennial materials to attract butterflies as part of a butterfly garden. If you add some benches, these areas can become special places for residents and their families to sit and enjoy a beautiful view.
No matter the specifics, we really appreciate the opportunity to work closely with our clients and develop solutions that work best for their individual needs.
We understand that each property will have different needs in different areas of the property as a whole. Many communities offer continuity of all care levels, from fully independent living all the way through assisted living and memory care in a single facility. Because of that, we understand that we may need to adapt our plans throughout your space to come up with one comprehensive plan that covers every part of your property.
Making Your Wise Choice for Landscaping at Senior Living Communities
You deserve a commercial landscaping partner who is going to take all of these special considerations into mind, along with anything else that is specific to your community. It really does become a partnership to achieve the best possible results, while also fully meeting your needs.
We understand the magnitude of responsibility that you are entrusting us with when it comes to handling your senior living community’s landscape. This is not something that we take lightly.
We recognize that we are playing a role in the way in which your current residents and staff enjoy your community. Plus, we are also impacting whether future residents are attracted to the space, too. Ultimately, it is our goal to always make sure you look good.
If you’re ready to work with a commercial landscaping partner who is going to take all of these important considerations into mind, then we’re here to help. We take a lot of pride in our partnerships and love working toward common goals, together.
Are you ready to hire the best landscape company for your senior living community? Request a quote and let us answer any additional questions that you may have.
