The Admiral at the Lake, a continuing care retirement / life plan community near Lake Michigan on Chicago’s lakefront, has decided to end its affiliation with the Kendal Corporation.
The CCRC said Friday that it had reached the decision “after careful consideration,” with its board working with advisers, the management team and other stakeholders “to analyze the opportunities that exist for The Admiral at the Lake under a variety of scenarios.”
“Over the last several years, and as part of a periodic system review process, The Admiral at the Lake has participated with the Kendal System in assessing, in good faith, the direction of the Kendal System going forward. Concurrently, The Admiral’s Board of Directors has worked through a rigorous process of self-discernment, as The Kendal Corporation was a critical partner in The Admiral’s redevelopment,” the CCRC said in a news release. “After much deliberation, The Admiral’s Board of Directors has decided to end its affiliation with the Kendal System.”
The entities said that they will work together to ensure a smooth transition, and they expect that the process will “take place in incremental steps over the coming months.”
“The decision to leave the Kendal System allows The Admiral at the Lake to expand its focus on major business goals, such as exploring innovative technologies and processes — and growing relationships with new partners,” the CCRC said. “Additionally, the organization will explore new efficiencies within its operations and more ways to advance its strategic plan.”
Each Kendal senior living community is considered an affiliate of the larger Kendal system and is locally owned, managed and led, according to Kendal.
“Our mission has been sustained for generations by a commitment to continuous evolution,” CCRC CEO Nadia Geigler said in a statement. “It was that spirit that led The Admiral at the Lake to redevelop into the community we are today, and it is in that same spirit that we look forward to our vision of being Chicago’s community of choice for vibrant senior living.”
With the departure of The Admiral at the Lake, Kendal will have 10 affiliated senior living communities and Kendal at Home. The communities are located in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New York and Virginia. The newest community, the Zen-inspired CCRC Enso, is set to open soon in Healdsburg, CA.
“We at The Kendal Corporation understand the need for change and growth, and we support The Admiral at the Lake’s decision,” Kendal’s Chief Financial Officer and interim CEO Amy Harrison said. “Kendal continues its focus on service, support, innovation and growth, both for Kendal-affiliated organizations as well as future partnerships.”
Founded in 1858, The Admiral at the Lake is Chicago’s first and longest-serving not-for-profit senior living community, according to the CCRC. It is named for a hotel that once stood on its site.
The CCRC won a Silver award this year in the McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards. The award came in the Senior Living track’s Innovator of the Year category, for “Real-Time Responsive Communication Gives Teams Better Tools,” about the use of the HUCU.ai communication platform by MPAC Healthcare.
