Business Strategy Overview

Watermark Retirement Communities, in partnership with The Freshwater Group, is a classic development and management team. We’ve got a remarkably deep practical knowledge of industry practices and we put that knowledge to use throughout our uniquely broad portfolio. From home health care, to medium sized communities offering assisted living and memory care, to Life Care communities and classic CCRCs, we’ve brought our expertise to a wide spectrum of projects. And we’re just getting started. We’re managing and building innovative Villas homes loosely based on the Green House model, as well as Cottages homes, offering spacious private living with all the benefits of the Watermark lifestyle. Our renovations and expansions are visionary and innovative, and with each project we become even more committed to our vision to create extraordinary places that are unlike anything you’d ever expect from retirement communities.

(Photo: President David Barnes, Managing Director Debbie Penn and Executive Director Kathy Wise assemble a bike for Watermark for Kids as part of a team-building exercise at an annual retreat.)

Our Freshwater/Watermark team has excelled at acquiring not-for-profit retirement communities, particularly CCRCs, and smoothly and successfully transitioning them to a for-profit model. From 1993 to 2001, our team purchased eight communities from not-for-profit organizations, including Good Samaritan Society, the Episcopal Diocese, the Presbyterian Church, several hospital and healthcare systems and single-purpose 501(c)3 organizations. In 2006, in conjunction with our equity partners, we purchased 3030 Park (now called “The Watermark at 3030 Park”) in Bridgeport, CT, a large CCRC that was owned by a single-purpose 501(c)3 organization. More recently, we purchased East Hill Woods (now called The Watermark at East Hill) in Southbury, CT, which previously owned by a not-for-profit organization.

We’re often selected over other for-profit bidders, and in many cases, other not-for-profit bidders. Why? Because the sponsors of not-for-profit communities recognize our sincerity and sensitivity when it comes to mission and culture. They see that when we own or manage communities, we take into account far more than just the bottom line. Our team has demonstrated respect for the vision and mission sponsors have instilled in their communities and we’ve followed through on our commitments to build on those visions to enhance and improve them.

The Freshwater/Watermark team has developed a distinct model of care loosely based on the Green House model. We’ve learned that seniors thrive in an environment that’s designed to look and feel like their own residence, and the Villas do just that. Especially appropriate for residents requiring memory care, the Villas concept focuses on spacious, private living areas in family-scale residential environments, where fresh meals are cooked by caregivers in the spacious shared kitchen, oftentimes with residents right alongside them. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the staff from visiting family members, as they might be watching a resident’s favorite movie with them, folding laundry together, potting plants on the patio, or enjoying the typical activities of daily life.

At a Villas community, staff-to-resident ratios are high, usually two caregivers to 10 residents. Because they serve a wide range of resident needs, the caregiver relationship becomes richer and more nuanced, allowing them to give better and more proactive assistance. And it’s not just better, it’s tailor made.  If a resident prefers a bath at 10:45PM then at The Villas, our only question is “bubbles or no bubbles?” And if they’d like a burger with their favorite fixings in front of the big game at 3:17, that sounds good to us. You get the picture. At The Villas, it’s all about creating an environment that isn’t just “home like,” it’s home.

In December of 2007, our Freshwater/Watermark team completed the acquisition of Scottsdale-based home health agency SafeNet. SafeNet, JCAHO accredited and nationally acclaimed as one of the top home health care operators in the country, has enthusiastically embraced the Watermark culture of choice, customized care, and our express your Self® vision. The home care team has found that express your Self® articulates a special quality that sets SafeNet apart from the rest of their industry.

Executive Director Patty Kuzia says it best, “We know that a patient’s recovery is not just physical. So we set up a program that addresses immediate physical care needs, but also includes other dimensions of wellness. And we listen. If their goal is a walk in the garden to check on their roses, we build that walk into their overall wellness plan. The result is a robust program of wellness care and education that we believe benefits our clients far beyond the fulfillment of their immediate clinical goals.” Well said, Patty! That’s what express your Self® is all about, and with it in mind, we’re differentiating Watermark Home Health Care across the country.