Lenbrook Celebrates 30 Years of Leadership and Service in Senior Living
National Accreditation Distinguishes Atlanta Retirement Community
(ATLANTA, July 18, 2013) –Lenbrook, Atlanta’s first and only continuing care retirement community to become nationally accredited, continues to set the standard in senior living communities today, celebrating its 30th anniversary of service this month.
Founded by Atlanta businessman Jack Clark, Lenbrook was established in Buckhead in 1983 to offer seniors a new concept in retirement living: independence, inspiration, personal fulfillment and fun all in one campus — and offering full healthcare services on site to allow aging in place. “Jack was an extraordinarily busy man; he was breaking new ground,” remembers Eric Duke, Director of Activities for Lenbrook and Lenbrook’s longest-running employee. Duke joined Lenbrook in 1984. “Jack was a pioneer in the south and it was all out of a need for something better for his own parents.”
When the not-for-profit Lenbrook Square Foundation opened its doors in 1983, it featured amenities and facilities virtually unseen in the area at the time: multiple exercise and game rooms, spa, variety of options for outdoor recreation, a large-screen TV and billiards lounge, onsite restaurant with flavorful cuisine, social activities and more than 200 individualized apartment homes. The community also housed a comprehensive health center offering personalized care, rehabilitation services and skilled nursing.
“Lenbrook set the gold standard for retirement in 1983 and we continue to set the standard today because we operate with the mission to be of service to our residents,” said Becky Webster, president and CEO of Lenbrook. “We were created to enable our residents to live life to its fullest with independence, good health and personal fulfillment,” said Webster. “And that’s what we continue to do today. We have the advantage of being a not-for-profit organization, so everyone — our board, our staff, our associates and our residents — can stay focused on our mission of service.”
The Lenbrook community successfully appeals to today’s new generation of seniors by continuing to reinvent itself and raise the bar on its services:
- In 1992, Lenbrook becomes the first and only CCRC in Atlanta to earn national accreditation from CARF-CCAC, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities/Continuing Care Accreditation Commission.
- In 2006, Lenbrook doubles its campus acreage and starts construction on a major expansion.
- In 2008, Lenbrook opens its new facilities, featuring a second residential building with over 140 apartments with spacious floor plans, granite kitchen counters, walk-in closets, and more. Larger common areas are added including a fitness center with indoor heated pool, three new restaurants plus a private dining venue, library, a 5,000 square-foot event center, 48,000-square-foot plaza gardens, valet parking service, covered parking garage and more.
- In 2009, Lenbrook finishes the complete renovation of its first residential building to offer larger apartments with updated features and amenities, a computer classroom, billiards room, movie theater, various game and card rooms, art studio, resident clinic, convenience store and a business center.
- In 2013, Lenbrook earns Medicare certification for its rehabilitation and skilled nursing health center offering 60 new private and semi-private skilled nursing suites and 16 personal care suites.
“We believe it’s all about people helping people,” said Webster. “That’s the culture we’ve created at Lenbrook. And our national accreditation and Medicare certification demonstrate to others we’re serious about being the best we can be,” she said.
“We all like to do something that we think will outlive us,” said James Dorsey, legal counsel for Lenbrook since its inception in 1980. “I think Lenbrook falls into that category,” he said.
Lenbrook’s outgoing chairman of the board John Gillin echoed Dorsey’s sentiments. “I’ve been involved with Lenbrook for 30 years when my mother and mother-in-law moved into Lenbrook when it first opened,” said Gillin, a retired division president of Coca Cola. “Lenbrook is a leader in senior living in Atlanta and in the national CCRC community first for its focus on service and second for creating a range of living environments that enrich the lives of its residents,” he said. “The future is very bright for Lenbrook.”