The Bristal at White Plains
Many adults over the age of 65 could use some assistance, whether with housekeeping and meal preparation or for a serious condition such as Alzheimer’s disease, and no longer want to live at home.
In an effort to help older adults, The Bristal at White Plains assisted living facility recently opened. The four-story facility is owned and operated by the Engel Burman Group, which owns and manages senior living properties on the east coast.
The facility, which is starting its third week of operation, formerly housed St. Agnes Hospital and took two years to renovate.
Susan Yubas, director of business development for the Engel Burman Group, provided a tour of the assisted living facility last week.
The Bristal has a variety of features, including a library, a bistro offering beverages and snacks 24 hours a day, a game room, a bingo hall, an arts studio, a play area for young children, a movie theater that screens films twice a day and also houses religious services, a gym for personal training and physical and occupational therapy, and a beauty/barber shop, which are all located on the first floor activities wing.
The Bristal provides a bus with a full-time driver who takes residents to a variety of locations, including shopping areas, theaters, museums and restaurants. “We do have scheduled activities in the building and scheduled activities outside of the building,” Yubas said.
The downstairs level of The Bristal includes the regular dining room, an outdoor dining area with a barbeque, a private dining room that can be reserved for dinners and parties, a country kitchen for both private resident meals and cooking demonstrations and a lounge. “This whole floor has food related activities,” Yubas said, adding the area also includes a putting green and a small heated swimming pool that is in the process of being built. The floor also houses a conference room that is available to the general public for meetings and other events.
The second floor features a business center, which includes Wi Fi for the residents.
The Bristal has 148 apartments for 190 seniors. Housekeeping services are provided daily. Thirty-two of the apartments are in the secure memory care wing of the facility “for the people who have advanced dementia, have Alzheimer’s, who may be at risk of wandering,” Yubas noted.
There are studios and one and two bedroom apartments. Monthly rates range from $4,000 to $8,000.
An important aspect of the facility is its ability to provide several socialization opportunities for the residents throughout the day, Yubas said. “Just the buzz of the building is very stimulating,” she added.
Health care services are provided by doctors who regularly come to the building. There are nurses onsite.
“We want people to have as good or better quality of life as they had when they were home,” Yubas said. “The Bristal lets seniors maintain their dignity. That’s what we’re all about,” she added.
Assisted living is not institutional care like a nursing home, Yubas said. “We’re really trying to change the concept of what it means to be older in Westchester.”
The Bristal at White Plains is located at 305 North Street. Visit www.thebristal.com/white-plains.php or call 914-202-2656 for more information or to schedule a tour.
