By Laura Hipshire
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Doctors at the Johns Hopkins Geriatrics Center treat many more accidental injuries during the winter than other times of the year, says Dr. Bruce Leff, an associate  professor of medicine at the center. As a result, communities are modifying their design and services to become more winter-friendly for the people who live there.

Fox Run, in Novi, was one of the first communities built with winter in mind. Its features, amenities, and services exhibit the types of choices other communities are making.

Snow-free services
The grounds staff shovels and de-ices the sidewalks and parking lots. Local, onsite shuttles are also available to take residents where they need to go whether it be holiday shopping or to a theater show.

Trekking out during the winter months for doctor’s appointments can be daunting. More than 800 residents living at Fox Run have the luxury of living just steps away from an on-site medical center.

“It’s so convenient to have an internist here who I can see,” says Joan Lee, who moved from Saline in 2005.

“I don’t have to go out in the snow or ice—I can just walk downstairs and get an appointment.”

Lee is equally impressed with Fox Run’s maintenance- free lifestyle. “Maintenance is taken care of. If your furnace breaks down, you just call up, and somebody will come and fix it for you,” she says.

She also enjoys the convenience of living under the same roof as a full-service bank and market. “It’s great because, in addition to having a bank where I can deposit checks, they have an ATM machine right in the lobby. So if the bank’s not open, I can just go there and feel perfectly safe,” she says.

Fewer worries about things like maintenance leave Lee more time to explore Fox Run’s more than 100 classes, clubs, and groups, from travel to digital photography.

Detailed design, social environment
The glass-enclosed, climate-controlled walkways that link every building provide a warm and toasty walk to all of those on-campus locations.