Colleges offer retirees place to live, learn

By Sonia Krishnan
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

TOM REESE / THE SEATTLE TIMES Larry and Gwen Bliss moved into University House in Issaquah. "There's intellectual conversation here," Larry Bliss says.

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It wasn't getting old that scared Gwen and Larry Bliss. They saw that coming for years.

What troubled them was the prospect of falling ill and having someone else call the shots on their final living arrangements. So the Blisses, both 74, set out to find a retirement home while they still had good health on their side.

Larry Bliss, a retired University of Washington professor, and his wife could have headed for the sunny skies and manicured golf courses down South. Instead, the couple sold their Shoreline home and moved to Issaquah last fall because the UW had a place for golden-agers they couldn't pass up.

The Blisses decided to join a growing number of retirees living in college-linked retirement communities. The upscale housing caters to educated clientele who crave lifelong learning and activities that go beyond bingo and shuffleboard. Residents get to attend guest lectures, university concerts and football games. At home, they can debate current events or weigh in on discussions about comparative religion.

"There's intellectual conversation here," said Larry Bliss, who taught botany and ecology. "Everyone's from different backgrounds, but we have something in common. That appealed to us."

As the tsunami of baby boomers hits retirement age over the next decade, universities are poised to become prime destination spots for retirees seeking intellectual fulfillment and a connection with their alma maters.

Longer life spans have stretched out the sunset era, and schools from UW to Stanford University and Penn State are responding by building senior housing through campus retirement associations and outside developers. National organizations say about 60 such centers, with varying degrees of nursing care, operate across the country.

"The concept of retirement has changed," said Jeff Jenkins, spokesman for the Seniors Housing Council of the National Association of Home Builders, based in Washington, D.C. "For a lot of people, there is the lure of feeling connected to their college. They're constantly wanting to learn and enrich themselves."

The relationship is simple and symbiotic: Universities offer personal growth and stimulation to retirees. Nursing and gerontology students get hands-on exposure to an aging population, and alumni associations build a faithful base of donors at their doorstep.

Living among the best and the brightest seniors doesn't come cheap.
 
The Village at Penn State in State College, Pa., for instance, requires entrance fees of up to $361,000 plus monthly rent. At the new luxury facility going up near Stanford University's campus in California next summer, entrance fees range from $600,000 to $4 million, depending on the size of the apartment. Ninety percent of the fee is returned when the resident moves or dies and the apartment is resold.

Locally, rental rates for the 146 units at University House in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood range from $1,876 to $5,489 for apartments between 530 square feet and 1,027 square feet. Monthly rents at University House at Issaquah go from $1,915 to $7,064 for units between 415 to 2,081 square feet. The rent includes meals, transportation, utilities and housekeeping.

Some say the steep costs are worth it.

"I've met incredible people here," said Mary Hubert, 83, a retired librarian for the UW's School of Law, who has lived at the Wallingford center since 2000. "You can't beat the location. I'm on campus all the time. And the social life [in the house] is great."

Put dozens of independent, active adults under one roof and romance is bound to bloom. Whispers of pairing off abound at dinner time.

"There are a lot of single people who double up here pretty quickly," said Elmer Good, a former professor of social work at Ohio State University, who came to Wallingford in 1999 to be near his children.

The places are open to anyone, but most people who live in college-linked housing are drawn to the familiarity of university communities, said Eli Almo, co-founder of ERA Care Communities, which operates the UW houses in Issaquah and Wallingford in collaboration with the UW Retirement Association.

"People like the idea of being in an atmosphere and environment with other people you can relate to," Almo said. "You have people from all walks of life but also you have the same focus on academics, and that brings you together. There's a sense of mission."

A glimpse inside the UW homes reveals a rich cross-section of intelligentsia. Former UW President John Hogness, 82, lives at the Wallingford house with his wife, Margaret. Victor Scheffer, 97, a retired fish-and-wildlife scientist, resides there, too, as does Jan Widgery, 84, a novelist who has penned four books.

Ki Song, 77, spent a lifetime peering inside the human heart, conquering disease with a scalpel and a surgeon's precision. At 65, Song retired from thoracic surgery and moved with his wife from Minneapolis to San Diego. Six months ago, they decided they wanted to be near their son, a professor at the UW, so the Songs left California and set up a new home at the University House at Issaquah.

He enjoys the exercise classes and the discussions on religion and politics. Song doesn't have to do laundry or take out the garbage now. Those chores are taken care of by staff.

Issaquah is probably the Songs' last move, but he doesn't dwell on that. "When you come to the later stage of life, you can't look back and you can't worry about the future," he said. "I'm happy here. I can't expect to grow stronger physically anymore, but I'm young mentally. You have to keep maintaining your brain."

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com.