Coeur d'Alene-based retirement community, Bestland Senior Living, helps people transition from an independent life at home to an independent living community, says Bestland Senior Living Executive Director Dana Klaas.

Operating at 606 E. Best, the independently owned and operated community is managed by Spokane-based McCathren Management & Real Estate Services Inc., Klaas says. The property is located northwest of the Interstate 90-Fourth Street interchange, about a mile northeast of Kootenai Health's medical campus, at 2003 Kootenai Health Way. 

Bestland's location supports an independent lifestyle with nearby shopping centers, medical facilities, and other activities, which appeals to many residents, Klaas contends.

Amenities at Bestland include three cooked meals a day, activities and programs managed by an activities director, housekeeping services, scheduled transportation access, a fitness center, beauty salon, general store, and utilities and maintenance, which are included for a rental rate of nearly $2,000 a month, Klaas says. These amenities and others support residents transitioning to life at a senior community, she adds.

“If you're moving into an apartment building, you're going to make that that decision pretty quickly within a month or two — six months max,” Klaas explains. “With our residents, many of them have never even lived in an apartment building in their life, and so it's a complete lifestyle change and downsize. They might start touring but not move in for two years.”

Deciding to move into a senior living community is often an emotional, complex, and difficult choice for older adults, Klaas says. 

Some older individuals are accustomed to spacious rural living, she contends, which means support is helpful to transition from a single-family home to an independent or assisted living apartment.

"There's a lot to be said for the social aspect of retirement living and for your brain development," Klaas says. “They're coming from homes that they may have owned for 30 or 40 years, so the transition is not as easy as somebody that's moving from one apartment to another apartment."

The community was constructed in 1972, and was expanded with an additional wing of apartments constructed in 1980. The building is in the shape of a square with a courtyard in the center for resident use, Klaas says. The property has the capacity to accommodate additional expansions if needed in the future, adds Klaas.

Bestland Senior Living offers 82 independent living apartments with supportive services, which are nearly full, says Klaas, who expects to fill the remaining vacant apartments within the next several months.

Currently, 15 full-time employees and five part-time employees work at Bestland, including a night manager who can offer assistance in case of emergencies, she adds.

Klaas, who has worked at Bestland for 16 years, notes that many of the company's employees stay long-term, contributing to a tight-knit community enviornment. 

“That’s important (to the community), because you see a lot of turnover elsewhere, but we don't have that here at Bestland,” she contends. “You can feel the difference when you walk in our doors.”

The longtime Coeur d’Alene-based retirement community's business and revenue are steady this year, compared to previous years, but the company is expecting future growth as more people reach retirement age. 

Bestland hasn’t experienced a significant rise in demand yet, says Klaas, who attributes current demand to older individuals in North Idaho who are working longer and are choosing to live at home in retirement.

“We haven't had a huge surge of baby boomers yet,” she says. “They're just starting to kind of trickle into the retirement communities, at least in Idaho. They may have hit the Spokane market, but they haven't really hit our market (yet).”