TULSA, Okla. — A new senior care facility in Tulsa opened on March 14, after some delay.
Located in midtown Tulsa, the Roma Berry Center for Seniors will act as a one-stop shop for senior care, a place where families can find programs ranging from recreation to health care, LIFE Senior Services CEO Eileen Bradshaw told 2 News.
- Previous coverage >>> New senior center to offer health, recreation programs in midtown Tulsa
"The saddest thing for me in this role is when somebody says, ‘I had no idea I needed those services, and I didn't know they were out there,’" said Bradshaw.
"Just by having this very large physical presence," she continued, "I think it'll help remind people, ‘Hey, LIFE Senior Services, they're there. They might have the answer for me.’"
The Roma Berry Center will have the Active Senior Center, which will provide a performance space, art studio, and pickleball courts.
In terms of health care, LIFE's Adult Day Health Center can be found at this new location.
Bradshaw said all of this will provide safe care and activities for those who benefit from not being alone during the day but who wish to live at home.
The facility will also house its PACE clinic (Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), which, according to the nonprofit's CEO, will offer comprehensive medical care, transportation, and wrap-around services to about 225 seniors.
The Center, located near 51st and Sheridan, was originally supposed to open in January, having been in the works for more than four years.
What prompted them to build a new facility was, in part, the Tulsa area's growing elderly population, Bradshaw explained to us.
According to the latest U.S. Census data, 15.4% of Tulsa County residents are 65 years and older. That’s up from 12% in 2010.
"I think just a little bit of everything" caused the delay, said Bradshaw. "You kept hearing about supply chain things. There was one piece of a switch gear that held us up a little bit — a couple of things like that. But really, overall, I think this has been a pretty smooth project."
LIFE Senior Services already operates three sites, one in Broken Arrow, a second on 31st Street in Tulsa, and another in North Tulsa. Bradshaw said the North Tulsa and Broken Arrow facilities will stay open, moving the 31st Street facility to this new campus.
This new site sits on about nine and a half acres. The two current buildings take up half of it.
"It does give us some room to enjoy that outdoor space for now," Bradshaw remarked. "But it gives us room to imagine for the future."
"One of the things I'm proudest about LIFE Senior Services as an organization, is that as new needs emerge, new services emerge," she added.
She noted that her grandmother, at 65 years old, is "very different than a 65-year-old today," and she also mentioned that technology continues to change things.
"So, what's next? I can't tell you," Bradshaw said. "We couldn't anticipate the pandemic."
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