Immanuel Living to Add Apartments, Helping Fill in the Gaps for Senior Living
By the time the groundbreaking ceremony for The Lofts took place on May 30, all 39 apartments were already reserved
By Zoë Buhrmaster
Senior living options in Kalispell are getting a boost with the addition of a 39-residence development at Immanuel Living’s campus.
The developments, dubbed The Lofts, will be built on existing green space on the nonprofit’s campus, as independent living apartments for those 55 and up. The residences will range from 550 to 1,725 square feet, with a skybridge to cross the street in the winter, and access to amenities such as a heated swimming pool and hot tub, fitness classes, and other programs.
By the time the groundbreaking ceremony took place on May 30, all 39 apartments were already reserved, providing homes for about 60 new residents.
President and CEO Jason Cronk said the demand for space at the senior living campus has been high since the nonprofit’s first senior project, another independent living space called The Villas that opened around 2018. Planning for The Lofts began in 2021, and the homes are anticipated to open in 2027.
“As demand continues to rise, we’ve found ourselves in a position where we simply can’t build fast enough to match the interest,” said Cronk. “That’s a great challenge to have, and one we embrace with thoughtful planning and passion.”
With baby boomers aging and living longer than prior generations, there is an increased need for senior living homes in the valley. Montana also has a disproportionally higher senior citizen population than most states at almost 20%.
“For every one person that we would previously see walk through the door, we see 3.5 times more people walking through looking for all kinds of senior living,” said Cronk.
The faith-based nonprofit offers both more hands-off independent senior living and supportive living such as outpatient therapy, memory support and short-term rehabilitation. Both have waitlists. Over 50 are on the waitlist for independent living and over 60 for supportive living.
The reservation list for an apartment at The Lofts opened in August last year. Three months later, 70% of apartments were reserved, and the list was completely filled by May.
Other than its physical location and supportive services, the motivation to live in senior living comes from a need for socialization, Cronk said, as applicants to the programs often live alone.
To help meet that need, Immanuel Living also has an at-home program where caregivers visit a member’s house and help with care planning, daily tasks, and other forms of assistance. Currently, caregivers see over 200 people a week, which is open to applicants without a waitlist, Cronk said.
“It’s kind of an unlimited runway,” he said. “As long as we can hire the staff, we can grow the program and meet the needs as we get clients.”