Dylan Thomas may have died a young man, but his famous perspective on old age was wise beyond his years. Like the Welsh poet, we want to shake loose the notion that age limits us. Unfortunately, the majority of older Americans today are prone to use age as a reason to stop reaching for what’s possible. Our Vision is to change the way people age by first changing the way they think about aging—their own and others'.

Innovation drives our “Vision” at The Freshwater Group. We dislike the common practice of warehousing elders of reduced capacity in sterile, non-productive environments. We go beyond “reinventing retirement living,” and are contunually drafting updated blueprtints for un-retirement living. Our forward-looking optimism continually produces fresh, new ideas for enjoying life more fully as we age, even as we cope with illness, loss and death.

98-year old Dorothy Helbig gets a dolphin kiss. Read more.

At the core of our Vision is our unwavering commitment to attract residents and staff who share our excitement over what’s possible. The culture we propagate encourages everyone to continually examine their performance to determine what they can do better, and acknowledges the reality that we all can do better, always, in our thoughts, words and actions.

It is in this spirit of always learning, and from that unquenchable thirst we have for discovery, that our company and our communities have become magnets for like-minded people. And it is those people, our customers and our associates who, in turn, keep us ever reaching, and challenging the status quo.

Elsewhere in this website, we present the seven dimensions of wellness as the foundation on which all our efforts are based. Maximizing the wellbeing of one’s mind, body and spirit is, after all, what we so desperately want for ourselves and those we serve.

Where our efforts and our Vision coincide, you will see progress taking many forms. One example is in our advertising efforts. Express your Self is more than a tagline; it is the gauntlet we throw down to our employees and our residents alike. It’s a challenge to every person to “not go gently into this good night.” Express your Self is also the philosophy behind our management style. We encourage and reward ideas and action on the part of our staff and residents, as opposed to rote mandates from managers.

One of the Villas at The Watermark at Logan Sqaure

Our Villas concept is another manifestation of our Vision. Based on the principle that people’s minds, bodies and spirits are better served when they have choices and the ability to express those choices freely, we have conceived of a new approach to providing care. It’s more accurately a very old approach. Not too many generations ago, families cared for their own. Sons and daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren all pitched in to help their loved ones in need. Those loved ones remained vital members of their households, contributing their wisdom and participating in chores to the extent possible, and therefore preserving their sense of dignity and self worth. In relatively recent history, nursing homes replaced family homes, and industrialized warehousing of seniors stripped our elders clean of their purpose in life.

The Villas are a complete departure from the old-school nursing home concept, where tiny shared rooms were located on either side of long, brightly lit hallways with shiny linoleum floors; where a patient’s very existence was at the mercy of a strictly scheduled nursing staff; and where even the joy of eating was reduced to routine blandness. The Villas are characterized by spacious, private living areas; pleasing family-scale residential environments; high staff-to-resident ratios; freshly cooked meals; and workers universally cross trained to serve a wide range of resident needs, whether it be bathing, serving, nursing, driving or housekeeping.  And most importantly, the care is provided on the residents’ schedules rather than for the convenience of the staff.