Mathews-born Stuart Bunting has worn a few hats in his career, but it is in his connection to Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury (RWC), first as CFO in 1999 and then as President and CEO since 2004, that he found his niche. “It’s about what we do here,” Bunting said of what keeps him interested in senior living. “There are the people who live here that we take care of and then there’s the staff. It’s certainly not me doing it all by any stretch. There’s always a lot of neat things going on,” he said.
Bunting was recently named the 2020 Business Person of the Year by the Lancaster by the Bay Chamber, an award that he accepted but shared with the RWC staff.
Stuart Bunting
“I get to take credit for that, but it’s probably more the ‘Business of the Year’ because of all that goes into this place that really makes that all happen. It’s nothing that any one person can carry off. It takes the gifts and talents of everybody that works here to make that happen.”
BUILDING A COMMUNITY WITHIN A COMMUNITY
RWC is located on 165 picturesque acres outside of Irvington, complete with a six-acre lake and walking trails. As a continuing care community, residents never have to leave the community regardless of the level of care they need: independent living homes, cottages and apartments; assisted living suites; and skilled nursing at an onsite health center when residents can no longer care for themselves.
With casual and formal dining, a hair salon, banking, even a concierge service available within the community, RWC feels something like a resort and makes retirement feel more like a vacation. The popular addition of the Life Enrichment Center, the new social hub of the community, offers more opportunities to explore interests or try new things like fitness classes, art and crafts, or special events.
The fun can happen off-campus too. A quick look at the community’s newsletter, The Gazebo Gazette, shows that trips to restaurants and shops in the nearby towns of Kilmarnock, Irvington and White Stone, even the local community theater, are regularly planned. There are also day trips to Richmond and Williamsburg for interested residents to get out and socialize. With all this activity, “there’s a deep level of engagement,” between residents and staff. “It makes it a really neat place to work,” Bunting said.
STAYING FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTING TO CHANGE
While the administration and staff pride themselves on the resort-like amenities and service, in March of 2020, “the wheels fell off the whole world,” Bunting said. “Our number one priority became keeping residents and staff healthy and safe.”
In addition to creating new supply chains, they developed new ways of doing nearly everything, from meal service to classes. Even visits by family members had to change to “drive-by” or virtual options. Since the vaccines, Bunting said they have “crept out of our shell a little bit” with more in-person and smaller group activities.
CREATING THE “SMALLHOUSE PROJECT”
In addition to the array of amenities the community already offers, Bunting is leading the development of another innovative and much-needed service: a standalone memory care home on the campus to address the unique needs of those with mild to moderate memory impairment.
When the project is completed the end of this year, the result will be a private, home-like setting where eight private rooms with private baths are arranged around a central living room and kitchen area. It is designed to keep residents independent as possible while keeping them engaged with their surroundings. They will be able to move freely around the house and the enclosed yard outside, with assistance always nearby for safety.
The project was developed to address the growing number of seniors with memory impairment. “The longer you live, the more likely you’re going to have cognitive impairment,” Bunting said.
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
“People are looking at senior living very differently than they were pre-pandemic,” Bunting said. “The benefit of living in a senior community during the pandemic, aside from the clinical support, was that you weren’t isolated.” Even though regular in-person visitations were not occurring, there was the companionship of other residents. Seniors living on their own, particularly in rural areas, may not get the regular social interaction that is key to avoiding depression and cognitive decline.
“It’s also comforting to know that the clinical care is there, even if you do not need it. If you wake up and want to see a nurse practitioner or physician, you can get in, if not within a few minutes, sometime during the day,” Bunting said.
The dream of a carefree retirement, with assistance as we age, is a common one. Future senior living residents are looking to spend their golden years in a place that looks and feels less institutional and more like the home and neighborhood they have lived in all their lives. RWC has the welcome mat out and waiting for them.