You’ve visited them before, elderly relatives, maybe your own mother and father, in nursing or retirement homes. Some of these homes are beautiful on the outside, some are not, but either type may have the same basic issues, regardless of the price: poor quality food and insufficient care.

We are left frustrated and distraught, knowing our loved ones should be better cared for with the money we invest into their safety and well-being. Well, two Michigan men have made landmark choices to change the way our loved ones spend their later years, and it truly gives hope for a brighter future.

Mohammed Qazi, is a successful businessman who invested in the future of Michigan’s retirement community in 1989. No stranger to kind deeds, he is on the board of many nonprofits and sponsors some great organizations, like The Detroit Rescue Mission, but the mammoth undertaking of creating a better skilled health center for seniors was close to his heart.

“I’m a Detroiter,” Qazi says. “I love to be a part of the city and its new growth and in addition to that, my Pakistani roots have always shown me the importance of honoring our aging community and ancestors.”

Mohammed Qazi, center left, at the opening of the Regency, skilled nursing center in Shelby Township, Michigan.

And honor he has, with more than 15 Ciena Healthcare highly skilled after-hospital nursing facilities in Michigan. With gourmet chefs, fresh food and late-hour room service, patients at Ciena are recovering stronger and happier every day.

Qazi knows that fresh food is key to recovery and health. Someone else who understands that concept is Jerry Beznos, partner of All Seasons, an assisted-living community for seniors that recently opened in Birmingham and Rochester but has other facilities across the United States.

“I became interested in assisted living when looking for a place for my own mother,” he says. “I remember thinking, ‘My mother deserves better.’ This is why I put so much time and effort in developing an alternative retirement community, which offers higher quality care for aging loved ones.”

Walking into All Seasons Birmingham is reminiscent of entering a swanky 1940s lounge with a modern feel. It is not unusual to hear Beznos on the piano playing music for residents, to see friends at the bar café sharing a drink and laughing or listening to live music on the outdoor patio on the top floor.

These refreshing changes in elder care follow a sharp shift in the last 20 years. With people living longer, more choices and options must be put in place for different stages of life. Progressive businesses focusing on health, quality and care are defining the senior movement and making the archaic idea of the cold, lonely retirement institution obsolete.

You can find more information on health and longevity in my “Beyond Natural Cures” book series or on my website michiganhealthstar.com, or visit All Seasons in Birmingham for one of my health classes on Gentle Choices in Health and Aging. Ciena skilled nursing can be found at cienahealthcare.com.

Aurore Henze is the CEO of Michigan Health Star, a division of Health Star Media, a multi-media hub that features progressive Michigan business, she is also an author and naturopath specializing in body/mind health, located in Birmingham. Please SUBSCRIBE to the YOUTUBE channel today!

Reposted from: The Oakland Press, By Aurore Henze, For Digital First Media 02/15/17, 5:53 PM EST

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