Many people wrote to the LiveWell representative; and those residents all received the same “generic” reply from one of the company’s representatives. I am using the word “generic” because the same email was sent to everybody regardless of what they wrote or questions they asked.
Those who did not write to them would not have received this reply. Since it contains a fair amount of information, I thought it should be posted so that everybody has the opportunity to read it.
(Editorial Comment: As for the sincerity of the comments and the accuracy of the claims made in this reply, you will have to judge that for yourself. I still have difficulty with the most obvious contradiction. If these people truly cared what we thought, I can’t understand why they would have purchased the cottages in this manner. They told the Board that they did not want to move ahead without community support, yet they made no attempt to provide the community or Board with information prior to making the purchase. This reply seems to say that they were unable to do what they promised because of their “sensitive and confidential” negotiations to purchase the cottages. That reasoning is totally illogical, and the explanation is therefore disingenuous.
Given their actions to date, it certainly seems as if they plan to move ahead irrespective of anything the residents might think or say. At best, it appears that their only purpose in meeting with the residents or anybody else is to attempt to win people over to their idea; not to determine if people are in favor of it.)
Here is the full reply:
From: [email protected]
Date: April 1, 2015 at 6:52:37 PM EDT
Subject: LiveWell response
Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Diane Beckett and I am the Co-founder of LiveWell.
I am writing in response to your recent inquiry regarding LiveWell’s intended use of the cottages on Club Drive.
Firstly, I would like to apologize for any lack of communication regarding our purchase of the cottages. In particular, as the acquisition of the cottages entailed sensitive and confidential negotiations, we were limited as to the amount of information we were able to share.
Notwithstanding, as it is very important for us to have a direct dialogue with you and the other members of the Governor’s Club community, I wanted to contact you directly so that on a go forward basis, you would be able to contact me personally relative to any comments, questions or concerns you might have regarding LiveWell.
As you are aware, the Governors Club community is comprised of approximately 900 homes with resident profiles ranging from young families to widowed retirees. Based on the demographics of the community, at least 15% (135 individuals and families) of Governors Club residents, have previously, are currently, or within the next 12 months will need to address the issue of providing care for a beloved older adult.
Presently there are numerous individual older adults in Governors Club who rely on the services of part time care givers to maintain a desired quality of life. However as the care needs of these Governors Club residents change and or increase, the care giver services they are currently utilizing may become inadequate.
From our discussions with residents, we know that many of these older adults represent some of the earliest property owners in the Governors Club. We believe these individuals, many of whom have years of volunteering for the betterment of the community and their club have earned the right to live in place.
We want to offer an alternative so these individuals are not forced to leave friends and social activities, just because maintaining the quality of life they have come to enjoy in Governors Club requires some assistance.
LiveWell intends to use our two recently acquired cottages to provide 8-12 older adults with the opportunity to maintain their quality of life while remaining near loved ones and friends.
To be clear, it is not LiveWell’s desire or intent to convert or influence the conversion of Governors Club into a senior’s community. Rather, we intend on providing service to a relatively small percentage of the community who have non-medical related needs.
As a point of validation, during the last several months and, even more specifically, within 24 hours of our acquisition of the cottages, we received several unsolicited indications of interest from individual Governors Club residents, their family members and their representatives. For this reason, my colleagues and I are confident in the prospects of this initiative and excited to fulfill a community need.
One of the questions asked by residents, was the impact our ownership of the properties would have on property values in the Governors Club. Having the ability to age in place and continue to enjoy Governors Club, or having the ability to have a parent who needs assistance live in the same community, or having your spouse who needs assistance be in the same community is attractive to current residents and to prospects who are considering a purchase in Governors Club.
The integrity of Governors Club is most important to you and to us as well, as we are now property owners that have made a significant monetary investment in this community. Our intended use of the properties will not entail any material external structural changes, nor will we be posting any signs within the community. We intend to maintain the cottages that we own so they are consistent with the community standards.
Please note that my partners and I welcome any questions that you or anyone else in the community may have regarding our proposed activities.
Subsequently, I will contact you during the second week in April to arrange a meeting or a phone call to answer any additional questions that you may have.
Additionally, in May it is our intent to schedule a series of information sessions within Governors Club, whereby my colleagues and I will present our capabilities and address any additional questions or concerns, in a forum open to anyone who desires to attend.
Again going forward, please do not hesitate to contact me directly should you have any additional questions.
We look forward to learning more about the care needs of Governors Club residents and making a positive contribution to the community.
Sincerely,
Diane Beckett
LiveWell Co-founder
Phone: 919-719-9127