When John and Dottie Driskill decided it was time to consider assisted living, Dottie had reservations.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I could do it,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 was thinking of the places my mother was in.鈥
Then the couple learned about The Hacienda at the Canyon, 蜜柚直播 newest luxury senior-living facility on the northeast side of town.
鈥淭his is no nursing home,鈥 said Dottie, 84. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like being on a cruise ship.鈥
The Hacienda, a development by 蜜柚直播-based Watermark Retirement Communities, was built on 60 acres on Sabino Canyon Road, just north of River Road.
Designed as an integrative wellness community, The Hacienda offers three levels of care, independent living, assisted living and memory care.
Amenities include five dining venues, art barn, a golf simulator with top-rated courses on the screen and an on-site medical clinic staffed by a nurse practitioner and pharmacist. Dr. Steven Wool also has office hours there.
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Continuing education programs in partnership with the University of 蜜柚直播 are offered and were a big selling point for the Driskills.
John and Dottie Driskill have enjoyed the activities offered at The Hacienda at the Canyon and have found their schedule booked for up to two weeks out.
鈥淚f we were still at home we wouldn鈥檛 be exposed to these experiences,鈥 said John, 86, noting he鈥檚 especially pleased by the golf simulator. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to play 18 holes at Pebble Beach.鈥
Active-adult communities, along with independent and assisted living complexes have sprung up across the 蜜柚直播 area in the past five years, as aging baby boomers shun the traditional nursing homes and seek places with amenities and interactive experiences.
Opened in December, The Hacienda鈥檚 163 independent living units were 90% reserved.
The facility also has 68 assisted living units and 40 for memory care.
Construction of 30 casitas and bungalows for independent living is also underway.
Since opening their first senior community, the Fountains at La Cholla in 1987, developers David Freshwater and David Barnes have built facilities around the country.
The Hacienda at the Canyon is the duo鈥檚 third local facility. The Hacienda at the River, on River Road near Hacienda del Sol, was built in 2016.
Rent at The Hacienda at the Canyon runs between $3,000 and $6,500 a month, which includes a $500 card that can be used for meals or services.
Suzette Davis, 80, moved in Dec. 3 and raved about the food, noting she鈥檚 had a hard time staying within the card鈥檚 $500 limit.
鈥淎nd I like to be able to eat whenever I want to,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 visited a friend at another facility and they ring the bell for meals.鈥
The Hacienda at the Canyon has five dining venues.
Her children thanked her for making the move on her terms, Davis said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 beautiful and I have a six-burner gas stove and french-door refrigerator but do you know how much cooking I have done?鈥 she asked with a wink. 鈥淣one.鈥
Once her large home with a swimming pool and guest house became too much for her, Charlotte Hanson, 87, decided to look for a place to move.
Because she knew Freshwater, she chose The Hacienda at the Canyon and has taken cooking classes offered there and is signed up for Spanish classes and balance lessons.
鈥淕uess what?鈥 she asked. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned how to make mozzarella cheese.鈥
Hanson enjoys socializing and meeting new people.
鈥淚 find the people I鈥檝e met here to be quite compatible,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a certain charm to going into the dining room, seeing an empty chair and saying, 鈥楳ay I join you?鈥欌
Charlotte Hanson donated all of her books to The Hacienda at the Canyon library. 鈥淲hich means I gave them all away but I still have them,鈥 she said.
A lover of the outdoors, Hanson likes the setting, with many hiking trails, and is especially pleased with the library, which is stocked with many of the residents鈥 books that were donated when they downsized.
鈥淚 donated all of my books,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hich means I gave them away but I still have them.鈥
