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The Saint Paul is an independent senior living community in Nashville offering luxury amenities and a community-based approach to care. Owned and operated by three generations of the Rochford family, the team at The Saint Paul understands the importance of family and is uniquely positioned to welcome new residents as they join the community. We spoke to Ross Rochford, Director of Leasing and Marketing, to learn all about The Saint Paul’s offerings and its special approach.
Built in 1989 by his grandfather, Ross says he often jokes that he’s been visiting The Saint Paul since before he was born. “The Saint Paul was one of the first independent, luxury-based senior living communities in the Nashville area,” he adds. “I’ve had the opportunity to quite literally grow up with The Saint Paul … it’s so wonderful to come full circle and share my love of The Saint Paul and the values I’ve grown up with.”
The values upheld by The Saint Paul make it stand out against other senior living communities. When most people hear “senior living,” they might think of cold hospital settings or a loss of freedom. At The Saint Paul, however, the staff works tirelessly to defy these misconceptions, emphasizing independence. “Being in an independent living community means you can maintain all of your freedom while living here,” explains Ross. “You can grow and shape this place into a family community that’s very warm and inviting. That’s what we’re all about — maintaining all of your independence and freedoms.”
In addition to independence, Ross says The Saint Paul operates like a family, offering opportunities for residents to get involved in the community and have their voices heard. “Being family-operated, we’re not really bound by any kind of corporate regulations,” explains Ross. “We are able to involve the residents in life at The Saint Paul as much as possible.” This is done through committees like the central resident council, hospitality committee, and welcoming committee, allowing residents to share feedback and develop new ideas for the community.
While moving a loved one into a senior living community can often feel intimidating and be somewhat of a difficult transition, The Saint Paul team has identified common stress points, and they minimize them with various amenities and services. This includes apartment customization, which allows residents to pick their flooring, carpet, wall colors, and even cabinet colors. “During that process, we sit down with the resident and go through all their options,” explains Ross. “We work with some great companies and make your apartment feel like home before you even move in.”
Ross adds that there is an open line of communication throughout the entire move-in process. Future residents are invited to look over spec sheets of their apartment numerous times and attend lunches with staff members before moving in. “A lot of times (and during almost every tour that I see), there’s a resident that stops in the hall and tells a wonderful story or says, ‘You know, I’ve lived here for nine years, and this is what I’ve noticed,’” explains Ross. “Although this process can be a little intimidating, both the staff and residents really make it a smooth process.”
When residents move in and officially become part of The Saint Paul family, there are plenty of ways to stay busy and active. There are many exciting programming opportunities, from the on-site, resident-operated library to weekly exercise classes, lunch outings, movie nights, and more. Plus, if there is an activity a resident would like to take part in that The Saint Paul does not offer, they can request it. “One of the resident council members recently said, ‘Hey, we want to have an exercise class to focus on motion, fall prevention, and strength building,’” says Ross. “We were able to coordinate that, and that’s an example of how the operations here are a beautiful conglomerate of resident input values. It’s a very special way that we operate.”
It’s also important to note that The Saint Paul is a rental facility, not a buy-in. “A concern for some families looking for senior living is that they might have to liquidate a large number of investments in order to make a hefty buy-in — sometimes upwards of a few hundred thousand dollars — for a senior living apartment,” says Ross. “The Saint Paul’s leasing structure eliminates a huge amount of potential financial stress for those looking for luxury senior living.”
Not only does living at The Saint Paul provide peace of mind for both residents and their families, but it becomes a second family to many of its residents and staff. “I reference the community as The Saint Paul family because that’s really what we are. My grandfather, uncle, brother, father, and I are all huge parts of this wonderful community we’ve built,” says Ross. “As Nashville’s grown, we’ve always been a staple of tradition, heritage, and family values.”
The Saint Paul is located at 5031 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37215. To learn more, call (615) 298-2400 or visit thesaintpaul.com.
This article is sponsored by The Saint Paul. All photography provided.
