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Senior Living Development andConsulting

122 E. Arrellaga St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101  805.962.6868

The most comprehensive Senior Development consulting performed by Steinfeldt & Associates (S&A) was conducted for the El Castillo Retirement Residences of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  The report developed for the not for profit board of directors summarized the findings of a comprehensive management audit and study conducted over a period of three months.


El Castillo is a life care community in the historic downtown area of Santa Fe offering independent living housing apartments with services including meals, transportation, activities, and health services by clinic staff in resident apartments, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing.

 

The purpose of the study and final report was to address the concern of the board of directors as to whether they should continue to operate as an independent community offering services and housing or should they capitulate and turn the project over to another corporation; one that might be better able to manage El Castillo.  It was a dire time in the life of the life care community.

 

The purpose of the engagement was to assess whether the current programs, services, and facilities needed improvement and or expansion or were satisfactory as they currently existed. Our initial role, as Senior Living consultants, with El Castillo, was to assess the medical program, the general administration of the community by the board of directors, administration and marketing, review the food service program and determine the level of satisfaction by current residents inquiring as to what needed to be addressed and or improved.

 

Furthermore, the study included El Castillo’s competition and the overall aesthetics as well as appropriateness of the existing facilities of El Castillo to provide services and amenities.  To properly perform the consulting an audit was undertaken of all the departments by analyzing all operational detail including resident continuing care agreements, audited financial income and loss statements and balance sheets, interviews with key medical personnel and department managers, meeting with the interim administrator and key board of director members, and conducting a comprehensive survey of the residents regarding their satisfaction with the operations of the community.

 

The findings of the study were reported in a lengthy report identifying the areas studied and provided over eighty recommendations to the board of directors of action items needed to “right the ship”. The board embraced the effort and the report and set about immediately to implement the recommendations.  One significant recommendation was to develop a master architectural plan to refine the program and develop facilities that would best meet the current and future resident needs contemporaneously with the best practices and facilities within the Senior Living Industry at that time.

 

With the help of Steinfeldt & Associates in a continuing consulting role the board and administrator embarked on a full development project to upgrade the campus.  S&A became the project manager and engaged the architects, builder, and attendant other consultants on behalf of El Castillo to bring the project along from design through construction to operations.  S&A was also engaged in formulating the financial structure for the financing and provided consulting to the marketing of the new residential units.  The project included a new three story residential apartment building over an underground parking structure, new assisted living apartments, remodel of the skilled nursing facility, remodel and refurbishing of the dining room, and development of other amenity spaces.  Upon its opening the community filled all of its residential apartments, was operating a first class health facility, and was perceived then and now as the preeminent retirement community in Santa Fe.

 

What this case study outlines are ways that S&A can be of benefit to your planned or existing Senior Living community.  With a breadth of experience and numerous successful outcomes as identified by example with the El Castillo Retirement Residence project,  S& A offers a number of tested services including management audits, development and project related consulting, and assistance to refine and create operational successes.

 

Please give us a call at 805.962.6868 or email us at e.steinfeldt@verizon.net to find out how S&A can be of service to you!

 

 

Edward Steinfeldt, Principal

Case Studies:

El Castillo Retirement Residences; Santa Fe, New Mexico

A Life Care Community in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Life Care Retirement Community