TUCSON, Ariz.—Maureen Graff, LNHA, CTRS has joined The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights, a 275-unit luxury seniors housing residence, as memory care program director.
Opened in October 2020 after a $330 million redevelopment and renovation, The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights is one of five properties managed by Watermark Retirement Communities in their Élan Collection. This lifestyle brand of premier properties offers personal service with grand scale amenities. The extensive renovation of this historic property at 21 Clark Street has converted it into Brooklyn’s first luxury senior living community and the first new one to open anywhere in New York City in nearly 20 years.
“The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights provides seniors in the New York City market with a high quality retirement living option. We are delighted to welcome Maureen Graf, LNHA, CTRS, an experienced Human Services leader, to manage the Memory Care Program at our newest property,” said The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights’ executive director Rocco Bertini.
“The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights offers a safe, positive environment with extraordinary services for members of the Memory Care Program,” added Graf. “I look forward to working with our staff to provide a joyful, dignified life for our members that will enable them to thrive and maintain their sense of self.”
Graf is tasked with developing innovative programing that engages and enhances the quality of life for the members of The Watermark’s memory care community. Her responsibilities also include training the staff to guide members through their day and maintaining a safe, upbeat, and homelike environment.
Prior to joining Watermark, Graf was the director of therapeutic recreation at Eger Health Care, a 375-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation center in Staten Island, N.Y., where she transformed the delivery of programming by focusing solely on the person-centered care model. By increasing community sensitivity to the needs of seniors, she raised over $300,000, enabling Eger to procure state-of-the-art equipment and introduce high quality programs such as advanced senior technology and microgreens farming.
Graf, a licensed nursing home administrator, has devoted over two decades to working with seniors at all levels of care, always maintaining her mission to positively advance the way care is provided to the senior population. She has extensive experience working in senior living, skilled nursing, and adult day care settings. She was previously an Engage Life Director at Atria Senior Living and a Senior Activities Therapist at Coler Goldwater Nursing Facility, both in New York City. Graf received a Bachelors degree in Therapeutic Recreation from St. Thomas Aquinas College and is currently completing a graduate degree in Public Administration at Long Island University.
The memory care program at The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights occupies two floors. The interiors are specifically designed to meet the needs of the residents and include carefully chosen color schemes to minimize overstimulation, circadian lighting to regulate sleep and wake cycles, and enhanced safety and security features.
The Greenhouse, a dedicated indoor gardening space, is accessible to members for a horticulture experience, which has been demonstrated to improve memory, balance, muscle coordination, and stress management and helps build strong social connections or, if preferred, a quiet space for green meditative gardening. The mission of the program is to ensure that members are connected to the community and their loved ones through person-centered engagement and extraordinary activities that respect cognitive, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual growth. Individualized programs provide a framework that ensures ensure each member experiences an exceptional positive adjustment and continual support throughout their time at Watermark.
The meaningful relationships that develop between residents and caregivers are key to the program’s success. Watermark calls their care providers “Nayas,” a word taken from the Sanskrit language. A Naya is a guide, person of wisdom and a leader who is engaged in the present moment. Nayas are trained in partnership with the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners to provide an unsurpassed level of care that enhances the quality of life of members as they progress through various stages of memory loss. Nayas support the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs of the residents, support their daily activities, and help with cognitive stimulation and other activities. They may read with members, spend time to talk about their lives, encourage participation in enjoyable activities, and develop personal connections just as a loving family member would.
Gourmet Bites, Watermark’s signature culinary program, restores the joy of dining for individuals living with physical, neuromuscular, and cognitive changes. As individuals face the challenges of memory loss, they often have reduced appetites, lose interest in eating, or develop a dislike for particular food consistencies. The Gourmet Bites program, developed by Watermark’s noted executive chef Kfir Kertes, includes meticulously curated menus of high quality, freshly prepared bite-sized dishes with modified textures and enhanced appearances and aromas that are easy to eat and appealing to residents. Nayas are trained to prepare the dishes so that food is available whenever a resident might request a meal.
The memory care program stimulates members through a range of engaging activities. Music programs, individualized for each resident with personalized electronics, and art activities are used to stimulate creativity. Indoor gardening projects undertaken in the greenhouse provide a sense of purpose. A dynamic calendar of events and adaptive outings, including Watermark University classes specially designed for residents with memory care needs, offer intellectual stimulation.
In addition, iN2L (It’s Never Too Late) screen technology connects members with the world and the people around them through over 5,000 content-driven experiences that are engaging and tailored to their interests. The technology enables residents to practice cognitive and memory activities, Skype with family members, travel to foreign countries, and experience religious services from their rooms.
“The customized programs and incomparable care at The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights memory care program ensures the well-being of our residents and provide them with meaningful experiences that enhance the quality of their lives,” adds Graf.
The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights is owned by a partnership of the majority owner Kayne Anderson; the operator, co-developer, and minority owner Watermark Retirement Communities/The Freshwater Group; and the development partner, minority owner, and construction owner’s representative Tishman Speyer.
Located at 21 Clark Street in the heart of the fashionable Brooklyn Heights Historic District, the 350,000-square foot property was originally constructed in 1928 as the Leverich Towers Hotel, which served as a haven for many celebrities and cultural icons, including the Brooklyn Dodgers. The recent renovation preserved much of the building’s original structure and history, while adding a stylish interior. At 16 stories, with a breathtaking rooftop terrace, garden, and Skyline clubroom, The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights offers sweeping views of New York Harbor, the Manhattan skyline, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty.
The building’s 275 apartments include 145 for independent living, 88 for assisted living, and 42 for memory care.
About Watermark Retirement Communities
A privately held company with a reputation for service, innovation, integrity and financial stability, Watermark Retirement Communities is based in Tucson, Ariz. The Watermark team has more than 30 years of experience creating retirement communities that offer extraordinary independent living, assisted living, and memory care, as well as skilled nursing. It is the 11th-largest senior living operator in the United States in 2020, according the American Seniors Housing Association. The company currently operates 65 communities across 21 states, including three opening in late 2020, with nearly 11,500 beds under management. Seven more properties are currently under development. Watermark has been named among the top 25 Best Workplaces for Aging Services in a national program conducted by the Great Place to Work Institute and published on Fortune.com.
Two regional communities are already in operation in Millbrook and Tuckahoe, New York, with 12 others in upstate New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Watermark Retirement Communities places great emphasis on curating programs that are unique to each location, facilitating experiences that are far removed from the traditional concept of senior living. Through an extensive list of engagement and wellness opportunities, members remain consistently inspired, active and catered to in every possible manner. To learn more, please visit watermarkcommunities.com.
About Watermark’s Élan Collection
The newly launched Élan Collection creates an elevated standard in senior living and care, blending ageless style with leading edge innovation, personal service with grand-scale amenities, intimate tranquility with engaging opportunities and a spirited lifestyle with customized care. Along with The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights, the Élan Collection features four other premium locations: The Watermark at Westwood Village in Los Angeles, The Watermark at Napa Valley, California, and The Hacienda at the River and The Hacienda at the Canyon in Tucson, Ariz.
About Kayne Anderson Real Estate
Kayne Anderson Real Estate (KA Real Estate) is a leading real estate private equity investor in seniors housing, medical office, off-campus student housing, and self storage. As of November 30, 2020, KA Real Estate had over $10 billion in assets under management across its opportunistic equity, core returns and real estate debt investments. KA Real Estate is part of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, an investment firm that manages $30.5 billion in assets under management, and has more than 30 years of successful experience in the real estate, infrastructure, credit, and private equity sectors.
About Tishman Speyer
Tishman Speyer is a leading owner, developer, operator and fund manager of first-class real estate around the world. Founded in 1978, Tishman Speyer is active across the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia, building and managing premier office, residential and retail space in 29 key global markets for industry-leading tenants. The firm has acquired, developed and operated a portfolio of over 175 million square feet with a total value of approximately US $94 billion spread over 411 assets. Signature assets include New York City’s Rockefeller Center, São Paulo’s Torre Norte, The Springs in Shanghai, Lumière in Paris, and OpernTurm in Frankfurt. Tishman Speyer currently has projects at different stages of development in Boston, Beijing, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Madrid, New York City, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Washington, DC. The firm also operates portfolios of prominent office properties in Berlin, Paris, Chicago and London. For more information, visit tishmanspeyer.com and on social media @tishmanspeyer.
