This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on March 11, 2024 - March 17, 2024

Pacific Senior Living Sdn Bhd, which is part of Columbia Pacific Management Group, has begun operating its first senior living residence project called Acacia, which is located in Klang, Selangor. The group is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, in the US, and is currently managing 28 healthcare and senior living facilities across the world. Acacia is the group’s first senior living facility in Malaysia.

“Pacific Senior Living is basically a long-term care community, providing services for the seniors of Malaysia. Our services range from independent to assisted living and day care services called the Silver Club,” Pacific Senior Living CEO and director of health services Dr Ramnan Jeyasingam says in an interview with City & Country.

The four-storey Acacia occupies the site of the former four-star Merrida Hotel building in Klang, which ceased operations during the Covid-19 movement control order period.

Acacia has 136 rooms in total with three layouts: Superior Room (312 sq ft), Executive Room (377 sq ft) and Premier Room (592 sq ft).

The starting price for these rooms is RM8,500 per month. For assisted living, there are three levels, with each level priced at an additional RM700. “We have been very transparent with our care costs. That means we only charge based on the care that you need. For example, independent living residents will not be charged for care. Those who utilise our assisted service, depending on their level of care, [will be charged accordingly],” Ramnan says.

He says all the rooms and facility areas have senior-friendly features such as anti-fall furnishings and ergonomic layouts. “There is enough space for the seniors, not only for themselves but also for their personal belongings. All the rooms come with en-suite bathrooms and everything is personalised. What we have learnt from the recent pandemic is that these personal spaces are very important.

“Because, to some extent, it will prevent the spread of communicable diseases. So, most of our rooms are single rooms but we do have a small number of double occupancy rooms ... for married couples,” he says.

Opened to the public in November last year, Ramnan says the senior living facility has a current occupancy rate of almost 10%.

Acacia offers facilities such as a senior-friendly swimming pool designed with safety rails and non-slip stairs, a heated jacuzzi, a barbecue area, alfresco dining areas, a mini theatre and karaoke room, billiard and mahjong tables, a gymnasium, a game room and a café. It also provides specialised facilities such as in-house physiotherapy services and hobby workshops.

Members of the Silver Club would also have access to all the facilities on offer, says Ramnan.

In addition, medical-centred services provided at Acacia include pre-medical assessments upon check-in, scheduled visits from healthcare professionals, 24/7 access to trained wellness associates onsite, supervised medication and supplement administration and gourmet meals customised to individual nutritional plans.

On how long a resident can stay at the facility, Ramnan says, “As long as their medical condition allows, they can stay here as long as they need to. However, they might reach a stage where they may no longer be able to fully enjoy our offerings. This could be due to severe deterioration in their medical condition and then, of course, we would have to move them to another facility that is more catered towards their medical needs.”

According to Ramnan, Pacific Senior Living has already made such arrangements with other service providers. “We have a partnership with Columbia Asia to provide us with healthcare and medical support for our residents. Residents also have the choice of visiting Columbia Asia Extended Care Hospital in Shah Alam.”

Hospitals and clinics in Klang close to Acacia include Columbia Asia Hospital Klang, KPJ Klang Specialist Hospital, Eastern Healthcare Centre and Klinik Kesihatan Bukit Kuda, among others.

One of the biggest challenges of developing a senior living facility in Malaysia is the lack of manpower, says Ramnan. “Getting the right people to work in this environment might be challenging. I think the industry lacks caregivers for seniors; we term them wellness associates.”

Another apparent challenge would be the public’s sentiment towards these facilities. “The sentiment is definitely different from, say, an old folks home. I think moving forward, we need to work on changing the mindset of Malaysians to accept this kind of resort-style living once they reach a certain age ... for them to actually accept that these are the services they need.

“In Malaysia, generally, we might find many elderly couples, or they might even be alone, where they may be living [alone] in their own home and struggling to meet their housekeeping needs. I think some of them even experience loneliness and that is a big problem. So in these facilities, they get to live in a community with people around their age.”

In Acacia, Ramnan says everything is within reach. “Many of our residents, when they move into this community, realise that all their needs are being met. And if I may mention, we even go to the extent of providing concierge services for those who need to go for their medical appointments.”

Ramnan expects about 15% of the Malaysian population to be above the age of 65 by 2040. “Right now, we are an ageing society and by 2040, we will be an aged society. With declining fertility rates and with people living longer but not necessarily healthier, we may find that senior living facilities are becoming a need for many.”

In the future, Pacific Senior Living plans to set up more branches in Johor Bahru, Penang and within the Klang Valley.

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