A New Model in Senior Living – Sage Oak of Denton
What does retirement living look like to you?
For some, it means downsizing from a family home to a smaller residence or condominium. Others may begin to think about moving into a retirement community. But what if there was a third option?
Sage Oak of Denton is a unique campus of smaller residential homes offering that third option. The community provides the intimacy of a small residential facility with the amenities and efficiencies of a large provider.
Great Care. Great Food. Great Communication.
Loe Hornbuckle is the CEO and founder of Sage Oak Assisted Living and Memory Care. He recently spoke with the “Tips From Trestle Podcast” to discuss his background and disruption. Tune in to discover how the Denton senior living community is bridging the gap between hospitality and elder care.
If you’re unfamiliar with Tips From Trestle, it’s an excellent resource for insider information on hospitality and senior living food and beverage operations.
Check out this episode if you’re looking for senior living in Denton or curious about finding rewarding culinary jobs in Denton, TX.
Great Communication With The Sage Oak CEO
Hornbuckle is an incredibly passionate entrepreneur who has built Sage Oak from the ground up. He took his entrepreneurial fire from business and real estate investing and used it to elevate assisted living.
He has the mind of a marketer and salesperson. His personal experience with senior care gave him insight into what the market needed. His vision is what sets Sage Oak apart from traditional elder care facilities.
How is Sage Oak of Denton different?
There are advantages to smaller care settings. Having a sizeable home-like environment for only up to 16 residents eliminates problems like:
- Long hallways
- Inadequate staff-to-resident ratios
- Logistics of feeding fresh food to residents
One campus helps as many people as a large-scale assisted living facility, but it takes place in a much cozier setting. Team members have clear sight lines to resident living spaces. In turn, caretakers have faster reaction times in cases of emergency.
“It’s a better mousetrap,” Hornbuckle says. Older adults and their family members deserve an alternative to traditional nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Sage Oak is leading that charge.
Food is one way the community gives older people something to look forward to daily.
Why is dining at Sage Oak of Denton different?
“We’re literally cooking in front of the residents and then plating in front of them,” says Hornbuckle.
Hornbuckle compares the service at Sage Oak of Denton to a hibachi grill or soda fountain experience. Each home on the property has a central kitchen where everyone gathers for daily nutrition.
It’s the first thing visitors see when they walk in the door.
There is instant feedback, thanks to the environment created at Sage Oak, if someone doesn’t enjoy a meal. Feedback and instant gratification are much harder in traditional senior living community dining programs.
Chefs in our community also offer an extra set of eyes and monitor how residents get along. They form bonds and can recognize when a resident requires additional services. Food is a personal experience essential to creating a home-like atmosphere in each building.
Hornbuckle set out to create an experience that’s very personal.
“We want to move away from uniformity and towards individualization. Our model allows us to do that,” says Hornbuckle. “That’s what we think boutique means: small, personalized experiences.”
Cooking is storytelling. Hornbuckle used his interview to announce the new “Food is Memory” campaign. It’s an initiative to learn more about residents. This experience is a chance to reintroduce favorite foods to residents and their new friends.
This program will allow chefs to remain creative while involving the community and bringing everyone closer. The dining experience for seniors at Sage Oak of Denton is unlike that in other senior living facilities.
“It’s like a dinner party at a chef’s house … it’s like thanksgiving every day.”
The Benefits of Small Residential Homes
One of the most significant selling points of Sage Oak of Denton is its smaller residential homes. Each home houses just 8-10 residents, which allows for more individualized attention and care.
The staff-to-resident ratio is much lower than that of a traditional senior care community. Residents can get the care services they need when they need them.
Another benefit is the encouragement of socialization and a sense of community among residents. Sage Oak is creating long-term care that uses hospitality as a catalyst for health care.
With just a handful of residents in each home, everyone gets to know each other quickly and can form lasting friendships. There are ample opportunities for socialization, both within each house and across the campus as a whole. Staying social at an older age is good for physical and mental health.
Learn More About Sage Oak of Denton
It was clear from the interview that Hornbuckle has put this mantra into practice at Sage Oak. The company is constantly innovating and expanding, and it’s clear that they care deeply about its residents and team members.
Contact Sage Oak of Denton to arrange a personal tour of assisted living and memory care reimagined.