Aging members of the military and their spouses from across the country and some parts of the world are finding long-term housing and full-service healthcare in an unexpected place -- San Antonio, Texas.
"We're not your typical retirement community," said Torry Winfrey, assistant director of resident services at Blues Skies East, part of a full-service retirement community of homes, apartments, recreational facilities and healthcare clinics. In an interview with Military.com, Winfrey explained the national and international draw for patrons from across the U.S., and as far as away as England and Germany.
"When you live here, you don’t have to go to the hospital, or get memory care or rehabilitation. Your doctor, your dining room, your gym are all here," Winfrey said.
For more than 50 years, Blue Skies of Texas has offered all the benefits of independent living with the security of healthcare through end-of-life care, on-site. Its origins date back to 1961, when Mrs. Helen LeMay, wife of the late Air Force General Curtis LeMay, who was then Chief of Staff for the U.S. Air Force, launched a campaign to establish a home primarily for Air Force widows.
In the decades since, the home has evolved into an open-enrollment life plan community, dedicated to providing independent senior living and care, with a military connection.
"Basically, it’s all here, the active lifestyle, the wellness, even hospice care if it gets to that point," said Winfrey. "But at our core, we are a community of like minded individuals who share a common bond of military service, with lots of stories to tell."
Blue Skies Caters to an Aging Population Worldwide
The services Blue Skies of Texas offers are in increasing demand. According to the World Health Organization, by 2030, the number of people aged 60 years or older worldwide is projected to reach 1.4 billion, rising from 1 billion in 2020. Winfrey says those statistics play out every time the phone rings with a senior looking for a home with healthcare services on site.
"We are not just talking about possible future healthcare," reads of the Blue Skies of Texas website, reviewed by Military.com. "We provide care and support for each resident by addressing emotional, occupational, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual needs."
In addition to housing, there are cafeterias, recreational facilities, doctors' offices, libraries, walking trails, interdenominational chapels, and more, all in a gated community. Patrons must be 65 or older, and the cost varies, depending on level of care and living arrangements, renting or buying, as well as meal plans, and other amenities.
"In the early 2000s, Blue Skies started accepting civilians of all walks of life," said Winfrey. "But out of the more than 700 individuals enrolled here annually, we still have 60-70 percent military veterans and their spouses or widows."
National Accreditation as a Military-Related Community
Blue Skies of Texas is not unique. There are other full-service retirement communities across the country and around the world, though few have a military roots. In 1987, Blue Skies of Texas earned joint national distinction to become the first military-related retirement community to be accredited by the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (CCAC), which is now known as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, or CARF.
Blue Skies website says, "only 17% of communities across the United States have earned this recognition, and Blue Skies East & West are the only CARF-accredited Life Plan Communities in Texas." The distinction guarantees that Blue Skies of Texas meets and maintains the highest standards of quality and service across the continuum of care.
"I wouldn't live anywhere else. Not in good times, bad times, scary times," said Pat S., in a testimonial on the Blue Skies website, shared to Military.com. "It's the staff...remarkable, amazing people."
As a current staff member, Winfrey sees himself as a future patron of Blue Skies, seeing firsthand the benefits of living and being cared for in such an enclosed and supportive environment.
“Being retired Air Force myself, I have relied sometimes on outside support. I did 22 years, traveled the world, and did some great things," he said. "But after working here, I know it will be a place where I can grow old with care."
