Erickson Tribune

Eagle's Trace

UPDATED: Thursday, October 05, 2006

Texas Two Step

Posted on Sunday, October 01, 2006
 

By Sunny McKinnon
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Dallas retirees are dancing to a new beat since Highland Springs, the second Erickson community in Texas, celebrated its Grand  Opening on Wednesday,September 20. Company executives, the press, invited guests—and of course, the very important residents—  gathered for a morning of fun and  festivities to christen the new building. 

 All of the amenities of Highland Springs were open for touring, from apartment homes to the Medical Center, a large community greenhouse, and other recreational facilities.

Sharing the Vision 
His pride in opening the doors to a new community for the 15th time was evident as founder and CEO John Erickson  welcomed the pioneer residents to their new Dallas home. But rather than reflect on the past, Erickson enthusiastically shared his vision for the future, and outlined several new initiatives  that prove he’s putting his money where his mouth is.

The Erickson School of Aging Studies
Statistics indicate that life expectancy in the United States has reached an all-time high of 77.6 years, and in 2006 some 78 million baby boomers began turning 60. 

Recognizing the  scarcity of academic programs that study the economic and social impacts a consistently rising median age will have on the world, The Erickson Foundation gave the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) $5 million to create a school that will offer degree plans that focus on the issues of aging.

“We’re going to need very bright people who understand aging to put policies together that drive effective change,” Erickson says. 

Students are studying the mental and physical processes of aging, analyzing the economic and public policy ramifications, and developing the specialized management skills necessary to serve this rapidly growing population.


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The Erickson HealthSM Advantage
“One of the problems in our country is that we pay for sick care, not health care,” says Erickson. “As a result, we make a lot of bad decisions. So we petitioned Medicare to give us our own medical plan, and let us show that we can move people out of hospitals and into a better quality of life. 

“It took more than seven years, but Medicare finally approved the Erickson Advantage Plan. With our doctors  spending 20 minutes with a patient instead of 8, and an  electronic medical records system, Centricity, to measure what people really need, we have less than half of the hospital time than the same person would have if they stay at home,” Erickson states proudly.

Erickson Advantage is scheduled to be available Erickson communities in Texas early next year.

Retirement Living TV
“People in our country tend to communicate very negatively about aging,” says Erickson. “Yet retirees make some of the greatest contributions in philanthropy, community involvement, mentoring, the arts—everywhere.”

To help reverse this negative perception, Erickson has launched a new line-up of regional cable programming it hopes will become a national Retirement Living Channel for the more than 40 million older Americans television currently under serves. (www.RL.tv)

Programming includes fitness, travel, cooking, finance, call-in health programs, and features on the extraordinary lives of ordinary older Americans.

Enjoying the Ride
“We can’t stop aging, that’s not the answer says Erickson. It’s more like the old James Taylor song, where he said ‘the secret to life is learning to enjoy the passage of time.’ 

“We can all enjoy the passage of time, and work together to improve our lives, and the world around us.”

Spread the Word
Like Eagle’s Trace, Dallas’ first gated community affords residents an energizing lifestyle in a fullservice, maintenance-free environment. The smalltown ambiance comes with a built-in social life, a choice of dining options, and a variety of venues in which to share talents and interests. 

 If you know someone in the Metroplex who might enjoy the benefits of a worry-free retirement lifestyle, or would like more information on any of Erickson’s 17 other communities across the country, visit www.erickson.com

In the meantime, spread the word that life doesn’t end when you retire. For more and more people, it’s truly just the beginning.



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