Watermark University

Over the past several years, Watermark Communities has integrated programmatic offerings in the seven dimensions of wellness (spiritual, emotional, vocational, physical, social, environmental, and intellectual). We have branded the collective offerings “Watermark University” (WU).  Programs that focus on enhancing the mind, body and spirit are not  unusual in senior housing communities. What makes WU special is how the programs are designed and implemented.

WU strives to involve everyone in the community, including residents, staff, family members and community volunteers, both as Faculty and Students.  Students can enroll in classes ranging from guitar lessons to music theory; traditional exercise and fitness to gardening, yoga, tai chi and meditation.  By reaching beyond the typical activity and fitness staff at a community, we gain a connection with the resident, family, staff members and even on occasion our vendors.  The results are as impressive as the variety of offerings.

And Watermark University is not just for those capable of living independently. Residents who require assisted living, nursing care and even memory support  (including their families and our staff) can all be involved in WU at some level.  To illustrate how powerful such a program can be, one resident’s daughter recently remarked that Watermark was the only community that focused on what her mother could do versus what she was no longer able to do.  It is precisely this kind of programming and the connections it makes with residents that sets Watermark apart.