Pittsburgh Area Retirement Community Receives Center for Successful Aging Distinction
January 14, 2019
UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA–Friendship Village of South Hills in Upper St. Clair is now the first retirement community in Western Pennsylvania to be recognized as a Center for Successful Aging (CSA). The community received the honor from Masterpiece Living®, an organization that partners with more than 80 senior living organizations across the country in support of successful aging initiatives.
Currently, there are only 21 CSA-certified retirement communities nationwide. To receive the distinction, these organizations must showcase exemplary strides in criteria set by a team of experts in the field of aging, including leadership, outreach, team member engagement, resident engagement and purposeful programming.
“Successful aging is ingrained in our community culture, and this certification is affirmation of the vibrant lifestyle we offer residents on a day-to-day basis,” said Bryan Welty, executive director at Friendship Village. “We’re incredibly thankful to our residents and team members for their enthusiastic involvement in our intellectual, spiritual, physical and social initiatives. Their support is what makes achievements like this possible.”
Welty also credited the certification to Friendship Village’s continuing efforts to bolster its services and amenities. The community is currently undergoing a $39.5 million expansion, which will add 50 new assisted living apartments, 32 memory care suites, and various amenities and wellness services. The project is scheduled to be completed during the summer of 2019.
“We’re all about maintaining an environment that’s conducive to the health and well-being of the people who live and work here,” he added. “We take a holistic approach to the retirement experience, and we’re consistently working to enhance it.”
Friendship Village, located at 1290 Boyce Road in Upper St. Clair, provides seniors with a unique lifestyle experience and a variety of residence options, including maintenance-free residential living apartments and carriage homes. As a Life Care community, with unlimited access to long-term care, residents also have options such as rehabilitation, including occupational, physical and speech therapy, as well as memory care and skilled nursing care, if ever needed.
Friendship Village of South Hills is owned and operated by Lifespace Communities, Inc., based in Des Moines, IO. Founded in 1976, the not-for-profit organization has grown to own and operate 12 continuing care retirement communities in seven states, serving more than 4,300 residents and employing more than 2,800 team members. The organization is recognized by the LeadingAge Ziegler Top 150 as the 11-largest not-for-profit senior living provider in the country.