A historic 105-year-old Columbus, Ohio mansion will receive a new lease on life as an Airbnb for multigenerational living, loaded with technology.
Senior living designer Lisa Cini, founder and CEO of Mosaic Design Services in the Ohio capital, announced she purchased the Woodland Manor mansion and will soon redevelop the local landmark into a futuristic hub showcasing the latest technology for senior and multigenerational living. Cini is also a published author and frequent speaker on senior living design.
When the renovations are completed later this year, Woodland Manor will host a range of technologies future seniors can use to age in place longer and prolong the transition into assisted living, Cini told Senior Housing News.
In her experience, the boomers do not want to enter senior living and 90% of the boomers who are able to enter senior living do not want to make the transition. Many boomers are also supporting their adult children while planning for their own retirement.
“They’re the ‘me’ generation,” she said. “They want to have complete freedom and autonomy, not settle down and travel more.”
While Cini intends Woodland Manor to showcase how technology might be able to prevent moves to senior living communities, providers may also find inspiration here for how to design their own units to support residents and extend length of stay.
The Jetsons come to life
The technology planned for the redevelopment will transform Woodland Manor into a “living technology lab” showcasing the possibilities for families to retrofit their own homes to accommodate older family members as they age, Cini said.
Some of the planned features include:
- A high-tech music room
- Smart flooring engineered for high-tech safety
- Motion-controlled LED lighting
- A fitness spa akin to what professional athletes and astronauts use to rehabilitate injuries and maintain range of motion
- Custom designed aging in place furniture
- Toilet paper holders that double as grab bars
- Smart faucets
One highlight of the renovations is a fully automated kitchen designed by Moley Robotics. This kitchen can prepare and cook meals, and clean dishes, and is still in prototype, Cini told SHN. A 3D Foodini printer will also be installed, which can make foods for people having trouble swallowing or handling utensils.
Woodland Manor’s outside will be redesigned to include a pool, bocce courts, reflective pond and a hydroponic herb garden whose yield can be incorporated into the meals. The tech is intended to be mainly in the background, but there in a moment’s notice to serve guests, Cini said.
“Think of it like Alfred in the Batman books,” she said.
Drawing from personal experience
Cini’s plans for Woodland Manor are largely influenced by her own experiences in multigenerational living. At one point there were four generations of her family living under one roof — she and her husband, their children, her parents and grandmother.
“When my grandmother passed, I thought, ‘How could I help others have a choice?’” she said.
To offset construction costs, Cini is partnering with various companies providing the tech for the redevelopment. Shaw Flooring, makers of the smart floors, is on board, as is Delta Faucets. Other companies ranging from entertainment and music services to lighting companies have expressed interest in partnering, Cini said.
“Every partner has a story and is touched by the aging component,” she said.
When completed, the house can be reserved by families for short stays, although the idea of having a senior in residence to show how the tech can make aging in place easier has been discussed. Cini sees this model being replicated in other markets, as it can show seniors that they have the choice of where and how they want to age.
“Not everyone can afford senior housing, and not everyone who can afford it, wants to move,” Cini said.