Survey explores market for retirement community

By Dan Cabot - August 16, 2007

Proponents of Vineyard Village, a proposed continuing care retirement community (CCRC) for the Island, have released the results of a mail survey taken in early summer.

Vineyard Village, which is conceived on the model of Beacon Hill Village in Boston, would be a facility on the Island with quarters for assisted living at various levels, as well as independent living and nursing care. Such a facility would work in concert with Windemere and complement its services. Each resident would have available the services he or she needs at any particular stage, and an outreach function of the model would provide limited assisted living for those still in their own homes.

While they work on finding land and financing for a bricks-and-mortar facility, the directors of Vineyard Village, Inc. - Polly Brown, David Roush, Mike Loberg, and John Schneider - have begun reaching out to independent and quasi-independent seniors to find out what gaps they see in the services now available, either because they do not qualify for help, or because they cannot find the specific help they need here.

According to Liz Dunleavy, spokesman for Roush & Associates, about 40 percent of about 1100 questionnaires were returned. In general, respondents said they are in good health, and 94 percent have no plans to leave the Vineyard in the next three years. About half of those who answered a question about services for seniors said that Martha's Vineyard offers adequate services to seniors, and another 42 percent said they were "somewhat" adequate. Only 24 respondents (6 percent) said "no" to this question. In response to another question, a similar number (27) replied that they were not aware of services for seniors on the Vineyard.

A copy of the survey questionnaire is available here.

When asked whether they would consider moving into a CCRC on the Vineyard, only 17 percent said "yes," but more than half said "depends" (they would need more information). About 30 percent said "no."

Vineyard Village plans to offer a concierge service to CCRC residents and to those still living in their own homes. If services were available at a reasonable price, a number of respondents said they would be willing to pay for such things as grocery delivery, spa services, personal trainers, off-Island excursions, and transportation.

The full results of the survey are available here.

For those interested in a CCRC for themselves or for parents or other loved ones, Roush & Associates will hold focus groups next week. There will be two groups at the Howes House in West Tisbury on Wednesday, August 22, at 10 am and 2 pm; and one at the Edgartown Council on Aging on Thursday, August 23, at 10:30 am. To enroll in one of the discussions, for directions, or to learn more about the study, please contact Gardi Hauck at Roush & Associates, 1-781-213-9099, ext. 26.