WesleyLife, the region’s largest non-profit provider of health and well-being services for older adults, is offering an innovative, cost-saving option designed to meet the needs of people who have no interest in moving to a senior living community.
“While we believe deeply in the value inherent in our Communities for Healthy Living, statistics are showing us that 93 percent of people who are age-eligible to live in one of those communities have no desire to ever do so,” Rob Kretzinger, WesleyLife’s president and CEO, said. “We have a real desire to serve that customer, and this new offering is designed specifically to do just that.”
The offering, WellAhead, a WesleyLife Well-Being Experience, is aimed at people who not only want to remain in their homes, but are planful about their future needs and associated healthcare costs. For a membership fee and monthly service fee, it offers programming and amenities specially crafted to help people remain healthy at home, including 24/7 wellness coaching, access to fitness centers, and more.
Then, if an enhanced level of healthcare is needed later on, 100 percent of all long-term support services will be covered if rendered through WesleyLife, potentially providing significant cost savings as well as guaranteed access to comprehensive health services.
“It’s not unusual to see someone live at home until something serious happens health-wise, then be unable to gain access to a community or quality home healthcare services for an enhanced level of living or healthcare,” Kretzinger said.
“With WellAhead, there’s no waiting and no uncertainty. Members will have immediate access to the services they need, and any service that’s determined to be necessary to their well-being will be paid for.”
Uniquely positioned to help!
As a health and well-being organization with an unprecedented network of services in the markets we serve, WesleyLife is uniquely positioned to help people remain healthy enough to stay in their homes as long as they can, Kretzinger said. But he added that WellAhead’s healthcare-related advantages are also tremendously valuable — in terms of peace of mind as well as financially.
“Studies tell us almost all adults worry about future healthcare costs,” Kretzinger said. “WellAhead negates that worry while actively encouraging health and well-being for a more satisfying experience at home. A person can live better and potentially longer without the stress that comes with uncertainty about the affordability of care.”
Only about 40 programs similar to WellAhead exist in the United States, Kretzinger said, adding that as an organization that has served the market for 77 years and is focused on innovation, WesleyLife is a natural choice to offer a program that’s outside the senior living norm.
“We’re committed to revolutionizing the experience of aging, and that involves realizing that the experience is different for each person,” he said. “A choice to live at home is every bit as viable as a choice to move into a community, and we’re happy to be able to offer such a valuable health solution to a broad segment of the market.”
Anyone 55 and older is potentially eligible to join WellAhead. WesleyLife is holding events around the Des Moines Metro to introduce the offering; to learn more, visit wesleylife.org/wellahead or call (515) 642-1726.
