Environments for Aging - Summer 2019 - 28

VASSAR BYRD
CEO, Rose Villa Senior Living (Portland, Ore.)

orking as an economist and consultant, Vassar Byrd
became a certified long-term care ombudsman for the
state of Oregon in 1995 and was assigned to a nursing home
"that had terrible problems." She eventually uncovered that
leaders were selling and using narcotics prescribed to residents,
and she helped to have their licenses revoked. The experience
angered her but also opened her eyes to the possibilities that
exist to improve seniors' lives.
Fast forward to 2006, and Byrd made an even deeper commitment to senior living by taking the helm as CEO of Rose Villa
Senior Living in Portland, Ore. When she first arrived, the cottage community was old and rundown as well as financially burdened. But despite the dire
conditions, she found spirited residents who loved their way of life there. So, Byrd set out to
improve upon it, starting with Phase 1 of a major repositioning that demolished a significant
part of the campus to introduce pocket neighborhoods with common gardens, connected
walking paths, and a cool town center complete with loft apartments.
Described as "determined, visionary, fearless," Byrd continues her personal mission to
support adults in their journey to live the lives of their choosing. Most recently, she completed
Phase 2 of that project in June, introducing more pocket neighborhoods, Garden Grove, as
well as the Pacific Northwest's first zero-energy senior living community, The Oaks. Here, she
shares more about what drives her and what's next.

Environments for Aging: Tell us about Phase 2 and what you hoped to
achieve through this piece of the project.
Vassar Byrd: We wanted to created even more choices for how to live your life at Rose Villa.
Our pocket neighborhood cottages are extremely popular. We also heard a desire for more
modern architecture, which we were able to satisfy in the Garden Grove neighborhood, as
well as offer a stunning view into our large community garden and the river below. And, of
course, The Oaks is a one-of-a-kind neighborhood in a senior living community where our
residents can really live their values.

How does The Oaks help residents
live their values?
I have found that elders in our area really
care about global conservation and preservation of habitat. They have the benefit
of perspective, which gives them a much
better grasp of consequences. A lifetime
of experience also tells them that each
choice they make does make a difference.
I believe this is true of elders in general,
and it is particularly true of elders in the
Pacific Northwest. I knew that a zeroenergy neighborhood would be compelling; I just wasn't positive they would pay
for it. I cannot say that I am surprised, but
I am deeply appreciative of the leadership
role these residents have taken. They are
well aware that their example helps to pave
the way to change how we build buildings
in the future.

How are you fighting to reinvent
this industry?
Every study shows that when you ask
an older person's family what's the most
important thing to them about their loved
one's living environment and life, the family
members overwhelmingly say "safety."
When you ask the elder, they say "autonomy." Being able to make choices, to
create your own path, is the most precious
aspect of an adult life. My goal is to ensure
that ability to choose is not compromised.
I fiercely believe that anyone who is tough
enough to make it to their 70s, 80s, 90s,
and beyond is fully capable of continuing
to drive their own bus. What a community
can do is support those choices, make
sure those choices are informed, and
assist elders to create their own, unique
futures, regardless of healthcare "status."

The Oaks, Rose Villa Senior Living, Portland, Ore.

EFAmagazine.com * Summer 2019

Innovation means stepping outside of
senior living as much as you can when
you think of how life is lived. Great design
should invisibly support people as they
age, but the main word there is "support."
Those considerations should not define
or control the design. Too much focus on
age leads to poor design. You design for
the personality of your neighborhood first.
Then, underneath, add the supports for
the people who live there.

BILL PURCELL PHOTOGRAPHY

What does innovation mean to you
and how can design do a better
job of embracing it?

http://www.EFAmagazine.com

Environments for Aging - Summer 2019

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