Before Odette Rubright and her husband, Bill, moved into a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom independent living unit at Fairwood Retirement Village & Assisted Living three years ago, the couple visited multiple apartments at the facility. 

“We looked at a number (of units) that came available during that time I was on the waitlist,” she says. “Sheila (Fritts) would call and say, ‘I think there’s an apartment or two I think you should look at,’ but I had pretty specific things that I was wanting — ground floor, and light was a biggie to me.”

Rubright was already familiar with Fairwood because her father, Fred Gilbert, lived there for 17 years. After more than a year on the waitlist, Rubright chose a unit with a sunroom — “the only one on campus,” she says.

“Every single unit is different from the next,” says Sheila Fritts, marketing director for the retirement community. “It’s fun being on the waitlist because you come look at things and see if it’s the right one for you.”

Since Fritts began working at Fairwood 7 1/2 years ago, the business’s paid waitlist has grown from three people to 73, she says.

“In the past, it was a refundable or nonpaid waitlist. When I became the marketing director, I started really seeing the value in Fairwood, and I started spending a lot more energy educating people about what Fairwood is, what the business model is, and how this can work for longevity and continued independence,” says Fritts.

Fairwood charges a $1,000 nonrefundable fee to join the waitlist.

“I always say, don’t get on our waitlist unless you’re planning on living here, because it’s $1,000 and there’s no reason to spend that money unless you’re ready to make a decision, even if it's 20 years down the road,” she says.

Every individual on the waitlist has been offered a unit at some point, Fritts says.

“They’ve all been offered something, but they might just want to wait,” Fritts says. “Sometimes, their kids have moved in with them for a temporary amount of time. Sometimes, they decide to stay home for one more year. Sometimes, they’ve renovated a bathroom, and they want to get their value out of that, but they really like knowing that they’re going up the list.”

Despite the increase in demand over the years, Fritts says there are no plans for expansion at Fairwood.

"We would have to disrupt our residents' lives to do that, and we would have to eat up our green space. There's no plans for expansion. 
We're large enough," she explains.

Fairwood is located at 312 W. Hastings Road, just west of Mead High School in North Spokane. The retirement community first opened its doors in 1988.

The retirement community has 165 independent living units, 30 assisted living units, and 49 memory care units. Assisted living and memory care includes three daily meals, transportation, housekeeping, RN support, a salon, a special care unit, and other limited care services.

Independent living amenities include full kitchens and laundry in each home, fine dining, a heated indoor pool and spa, a fitness room, activities, transportation, a salon, and more.

The average age for residents in independent living is 86 years old.

“It’s a huge deal,” says Rubright. “I’m astonished, actually, at the success of older people, and how many people who are older than we are and still very active and with it.”

Fritts also emphasizes the significance of the average age of Fairwood's residents.

“We have a tremendous number of residents who are over 90 and still independent and healthy and active,” says Fritts. “It’s a big deal.”

Employee turnover is low at Fairwood, Fritts says, noting that the organization doesn't face some of the same staffing issues that have plagued other businesses in recent years.

That low turnover brings comfort to Fairwood's residents, she says, as they get to see more familiar faces.

Many employees, including the administrator, business administrator, and CEO, have known every single resident at Fairwood since the community’s creation, says Fritts.

"They’ve known their families. They’ve been there when there was an emergency. They know they’s pets’ names; I hear stories about cats that lived here 25 years ago. I hear the best stories, and every single one of them remembers Odette’s dad,” says Fritts.

Rubright says she enjoys the different activities available at Fairwood. She’s gotten into the exercise classes, a quilting group, a mahjong group, and picked up the ukulele.

A group of residents learning to play the instrument call themselves the "Fairwood Ukulele Ensemble," she says. A concert is in the works for this month.

“August is always Luau Month at Fairwood, and we have all kinds of Hawaiian celebrations,” says Fritts. “Every month has its own theme.”