All in the Family

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

One Of The Key Contributions To The Sweet Life Of Seniors In The Gables Is The Ability To Host And Entertain Visiting Family Members

Photo by Rodolfo Benitez

As we walked past the resort-style pool at Grand Living, residents Alan and JoAnne Kane mentioned that the water aerobics class was one of their favorite weekly activities, and that their daughter Rachel had taken it with them and loved it too. It was a simple observation, but the kind that immediately undercuts the old stereotype of senior living as static or solitary. By lunch time, grandchildren were dropping by, and with their parents, joining residents for meals. Across the adult facilities in Coral Gables, such scenes are not uncommon. These communities are not simply places where older adults live, but places where family can fold into the day more naturally – whether that means joining a class, staying for dinner, or just showing up and pulling up a chair.

“We See A Lot Of Both, At Least Once A Week Or More. My Parents Are Busy All The Time And May Have A Better Social Life Than I Do…”

Julianne Kane On Visiting Her Parents At The Grand Living

GRAND LIVING CORAL GABLES 

A contemporary and somewhat quiet approach shapes daily life at Grand Living Coral Gables, where the emphasis is on independence and flexibility rather than a highly scheduled environment. The building is contemporary with understated design, and the social structure a bit more self-directed. 

For long-time Florida resident Norma Berenfeld, that was exactly the point. After her husband died, she chose to move before she needed to. “I don’t really need assistance,” she said. “It’s just good socialization for me. I need socialization.” 

Her routine reflects that balance. Norma has a sister living in the building, and the two have dinner together almost every night, talk several times a day, and, by her own account, have “become very, very close” since living there together. She has also claimed a small corner of the property as her own, rehabbing orchids that other residents passed along when they stopped blooming, placing them around the pool. “I put them in the trees. I take care of them,” she says. The orchids have become part of the atmosphere there, something residents enjoy showing off and objects of beauty that visitors tend to stop and admire. Her children live out of state, but visit when they can, and their time together sounds refreshingly simple: “We go to Fairchild. We go out to eat … and we just spend time talking with each other.” 

She also spoke plainly about what happens without this kind of environment. “The worst thing for elderly people is to be isolated… if you stay in your home and you’re by yourself; you’re going to deteriorate.” So, she makes the effort. “I get dressed, I go downstairs, I talk to people.”

Family is part of that rhythm. Guest suites allow relatives to stay nearby, and the building often fills with visiting children and grandchildren. “It’s wonderful to really see the families… it’s nice and it’s so warm,” she said.

The Kanes, a couple living there, described a slightly different version of that same dynamic. With two daughters nearby, visits happen regularly. “We see a lot of both, at least once a week or more,” says JoAnne. Their routine moves easily between the building and the surrounding area – dinners on site, rooftop evenings, and shopping trips. Daughter Julianne said her parents are “busy all the time” and may have “a better social life than I do.” Father Alan put it more bluntly: “This is very much like a cruise ship on land… it’s all here if you want to get off your hind end and do it.” 

BELMONT VILLAGE SENIOR LIVING CORAL GABLES 

Opened in 2013 near Merrick Park, Belmont Village Senior Living Coral Gables offers independent living, assisted living, and memory care in a setting that residents tend to describe less in terms of services and more in terms of ease. Much of daily life centers around shared spaces, especially the dining room, where meals double as a kind of informal gathering point. 

The Walkers, a couple who moved there after downsizing, remember their first impression clearly. “The minute I walked in and saw that Van Gogh book on the table, I thought, this is it. What interested me most were the residents. We may all be old, but they’ve had lives, they’ve traveled, and they have stories.” What followed, Joan Walker said, was a shift toward something more social than she expected. “Dining is an experience here… you can decide if you want to sit alone or if you see a couple and you haven’t met them, you go over and introduce yourself. So, we’ve made a lot of new friends here.”

That openness carries into family visits. Instead of being set apart, those visits tend to blend into the environment. “The nicest thing to see is some old couple with their daughter and granddaughter at the table,” she said, describing a moment that repeats often enough to feel routine. 

Another resident, Judy, framed the experience more directly. “One, the residents are very supportive. Two, the management is very open to change. Three, the community nature of being able to have games and meet people and be with people where you would be isolated in your previous setting.” Her daughters and grandchildren visit frequently, and, as she put it, “they love to come here and have lunch and dinner.” Just as important, she added, it reassures them. “It really takes a lot of pressure off of them… they see you have your own friends.” 

The activity calendar includes everything from fitness classes to discussion groups to resident-led events like Judy’s own jam-making session, Jammin’ with Judy. The biggest encouragement to engagement, however, may be one of the simplest. “What do you like best about Belmont? …No cooking,” one resident Mrs. Blanco said. The difference between grocery shopping, preparing meals, and cleaning up versus “Wanna go down? It’s ready,” is not dramatic, but it is meaningful. It frees up time, and just as importantly, energy, to spend with visiting family. 

THE PALACE CORAL GABLES 

A larger, more event-driven environment defines life at The Palace Coral Gables, where the layout and programming make it clear that family is expected to be part of the experience. The community, also opened in 2013, is part of a long-running family-owned brand and is designed with multiple dining areas, gathering spaces, and event venues that can accommodate both small visits and large celebrations. Moreover, The Palace feels more like a posh hotel than an adult living facility, right from its grand entrance – designed to look and feel like the lobby of the George V hotel in Paris – to its elegant bars and full-sized indoor swimming pool.

That philosophy shows up not only in the building, but in how people describe it. “The family is the core of the life of our residents,” says Josh Cabrera, Executive Director of the Palace, and for them a visit to the Palace is a visit to a very special, opulent setting. Even the hyperbaric chamber in the gym has seating for two.

For Alberta Darling, the appeal is straightforward. “I like the Palace, I’m happy here… it’s just a wonderful place, and it’s family friendly, which I really appreciate.” When her grandson visits, the routine is simple, thanks to a grand piano sitting in the large, open second floor living room. “I love to listen to him play,” she says. “We walk around… [and] we go out with my daughter and son” – something facilitated by the shady street outside that is one block south of Miracle Mile. The moments are nonchalant, but that seems to be the point. 

Natalie Shaw, who comes from North Carolina each month to visit her mother-in-law, describes something similar. “This is about family,” she says. What stands out to her is not only the setting, but the people. “It is absolutely positively the people that live here… the caring staff that just go above and beyond.” Her visits tend to unfold naturally. “It’s really spending time with them [my mother and her friends]… learning and growing from it.”

That ease of spending time with relatives is supported by how the community is structured. Families can join classes, attend events, happy hour at the bar, or simply come in for dinner without advance planning. “It’s Friday night. Let’s go in. Let’s have dinner with grandma,” is how Cabrera puts it. Creating that environment may seem like a small shift, but it’s one that makes visits feel pleasant and friction free, instead of tiresome obligations. 

A SLIGHT SHIFT IN SCALE 

Sunrise Senior Living, which is marking its 45th anniversary this year, reflects many of the same priorities but in a smaller, more intimate setting, where the scale of the community changes how family interactions play out. Because the building is more compact, family visits tend to feel more personal, with staff forming relationships not just with residents but with their relatives as well. Executive Director Dr. Erich Companioni described it as a “family-type environment,” one that extends beyond residents to everyone connected to them.

That approach becomes especially relevant in memory care, where residents continue to share meals and time with family rather than being separated from the social life of the community. For many families, the biggest shift is not logistical, but emotional. “The happiness on their loved one’s face… the love that they’re getting… their quality of life totally changes,” says Companioni. 

“The Happiness On Their Loved One’s Face… The Love That They’re Getting… Their Quality Of Life Totally Changes…”

Dr. Erich Companioni, Executive Director Of The Sunrise Senior Living, Where Family Connections Are Priority

What emerges across these communities is not a single model, but a shared adjustment in how later life can be structured. While there are differences in design, scale, and programming, the underlying goal is consistent.

The most meaningful changes are often the simplest. Dinner without preparation, a piano in the shared space, a class that a daughter can join, a visit that does not require planning. As one visitor put it: “This is our family.” That may be the strongest case for what senior living in Coral Gables now offers – not just care, not just comfort, but a version of daily life where connection is more welcoming and easier to maintain.