By Roger Lanse

Chairman and President A. Roger Meece, of A.R.M. Consulting in Lexington, KY, spoke before the Bridge Community, its board of directors, and other interested persons on Thursday, Oct. 2, at Western New Mexico University. The sponsor of the event was Western Bank in Silver city.

The Bridge Community is a group of local citizens concerned for the aging population of the community, and whose goal is to establish an affordable retirement/senior housing/elder care complex to serve the four counties of southwest New Mexico. The complex would provide a continuum of care from independent living through assisted living, memory care, nursing home care and hospice care.

Introducing Meece, Josh Kalish, BC Board Chairman, said that the group has completed a feasibility study and has demonstrated the need for the facility. "There are a lot of huge companies in the industry, but we are a small market and they want to be involved in building much, much larger facilities," Kalish said. "So, it looks like we're going to have to do it ourselves, but we need help, and we need professional advice and experience, and certainly Roger is that person that could help us."

Meece, who teaches health management at the University of Louisville and whose business provides planning, consulting, management, financing and training services to groups in the healthcare field has assisted in more than 200 developments ranging from mini-homes to retirement centers, he said.

The key elements retirees and other older people look for in a center are security, hygiene, home maintenance, diet, housekeeping, health and transportation, the same elements found in a study done 20 years ago, Meece said.

According to Meece, an estimated 10,000 people retire daily and reaching age 90 is no longer uncommon. As a result, retirement care centers are becoming increasingly popular.

In answer to a question about financing, Meece stated, "What we have found to be more expedient and less expensive and you get it done faster, especially with a start-up, is that generally you start with a bond issue. It's a more simple way of doing it and you have more control of it." A bank would be reluctant to loan the necessary funds, Meece said, and to try to obtain a grant "they drag you along and it's a long process that wears people out."

So, using a bond issue with the county as a conduit for the funds is the method he has found successful, and "that is the avenue we recommend," Meece stated.

In answer to another question, Meece said, "Management and marketing people will be very important down the line."

Kalish closed the meeting saying, "There are firms, which have facilities totaling, 80,000 beds. Universities are now putting in facilities like this to attract their alumni. The industry is changing."

"We've got some possibilities, but it's a slow process," Kalish said. "We're working with the city on a piece of land that looks promising. We're trying to put all the pieces of this complex puzzle together."