Seashore Highlands Retirement Community
Gulfport, Ms
Planning continues for a new campus to replace the Methodist Senior Services Seashore Retirement Community formerly located on Biloxi’s Beach Boulevard. Last December MSS bought 20 acres of land on new Highway 605 just north of I-10 and has been working since then to determine what the new campus should look like.
Working with consultants from the Aging Research Institute (ARI) and McCarty Company architects, Seashore Highlands and MSS representatives have considered a number of design options that will help us fulfill our mission of serving older adults in the spirit of Christian love. We remain committed to providing those services in a manner that’s affordable for the average Mississippian.
One obstacle continues to delay the project: part of the property has been designated a wetlands by the Army Corps of Engineers. From his D’Iberville office Seashore Highlands Executive Director Mike Mahan is working with other MSS staff and a consultant to find a solution. Until then we cannot finalize a design, obtain permits to install utilities and roadways, or begin construction of the first campus home. However, we are confident a resolution can be found within the next few weeks.
Earlier this year Mahan and MSS staff from Tupelo learned about a new concept that fits our dream for the campus. The program would reach seniors who have limited support from family and friends, but who are not ready to leave their homes. By providing an array of services through the Seashore Highlands campus, we could double the number of individuals served by the ministry. In addition the program would allow Seashore Highlands residents to age in place without having to leave their campus home.
Research shows that most seniors want to remain at home as long as possible, so creating resources to make that possible is the next step in older adult ministry. It helps elders maintain independence and preserves their dignity. This new program will lower healthcare costs, shorten hospital stays and improve the quality of life for participants. We believe this new program will help us create the retirement community of the future.
Six years ago Methodist Senior Services began what would eventually become a revolution in skilled nursing care—the Green House® concept. We opened the nation’s first Green House homes and spearheaded a movement to replace institutional facilities with small homes of ten or twelve residents. Since then more than sixty other organizations in America and around the world have joined the revolution, and the number grows each year.
We built the first Green House homes because it was the right thing to do for elders. We feel the same way about our new program concept for Seashore Highlands and the Gulf Coast. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has endorsed the idea, and we hope the Mississippi legislature will also approve the program.
Initially Seashore Highlands will have one memory care Green House home on the new campus for residents with dementia. We also intend to build a 40-bed personal care facility for elders who need limited assistance with the activities of daily living. It will function as four separate homes using the Green House concept, but the common construction will provide lower operating costs.
The new Seashore Highlands campus will also include villas for those who want to remain independent in a home, but free from the worries of maintenance and lawn care. Plans for additional independent living options are also underway, including the restoration of our subsidized housing apartments that were lost in Hurricane Katrina.
One thing will not be provided at the new Seashore Highlands—market rate apartments. This decision reflects a shift in our strategy that matches the research cited earlier: people want to remain in their own homes as long as possible. We believe it is good stewardship to provide community-based services to elders because we can serve more people with the same dollars.
Continue visiting this web site for additional updates. If you would like to receive our email newsletter, sign up in the yellow box on the left side of this page. For more information, call Mike Mahan at 228.354-9551, or email him at
mikemahan@cableone.net.
