Holiday Fund: Lytton Gardens: warm, safe, vibrant community for seniors Holiday Fund: Lytton Gardens: warm, safe, vibrant community for seniors (November 27, 2002)

By Jane Knoerle

Almanac Staff Writer

More than 10,000 seniors have been served by Palo Alto's Lytton Gardens since its founding in 1968. Today 550 residents call Lytton Gardens, at 437 Webster St., their home.

Lytton Gardens offers three programs with a variety of health-care services. In independent living, 375 seniors live in their own apartments. They can take college courses, work out at the fitness center, get their hair done, play bingo, and join fellow residents every night for dinner.

The residents give back to the community by teaching arts and crafts to pre-schoolers, tutoring at Garfield School, serving lunches at Avenidas, and volunteering at the Palo Alto public library.

When needed, there is assisted living, where 50 seniors receive assistance with bathing, dressing and medication while still living in their own apartments.

The skilled-nursing facility offers rehabilitation, post-operative, Alzheimer's, long-term and hospice care for 125 patients.

All these facilities cost money. Lots of it. The average cost to Lytton Gardens for each resident in independent living is $9,500 a year; for assisted living, it's $19,400; and for the health-care center, it's $60,000.

To qualify as a resident of Lytton Gardens, applicants must fit the HUD income requirements which means roughly a $48,000 a year income for a single person; $55,000 for a couple, according to Gery Yearout, vice president of residential services at Lytton Gardens. The average income for residents, however, is actually less than $13,000 a year. Residents contribute according to their ability.

Applicants, or a family member, must also live within the communities of Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside, Portola Valley, Redwood City, East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos or Los Altos Hills.

Most Lytton Gardens revenue (59 percent) comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Medicare and MediCal. Residents, donors, corporations and foundations make up the rest. Revenue from grants, foundations and corporations in the fiscal year ending in March 2002, however, was down to $160,000, from $282,000 in the previous year.

The number of seniors over the age of 65 in the United States is expected to grow 60 percent by 2020, according to Lytton Garden figures, with the population over 85 nearly doubling. Today the average age of its independent living residents is 79 and rising.

Lytton Gardens was founded by Palo Alto community leaders, including the congregations of the First Methodist Church and First Presbyterian Church. Its goal is to give seniors an opportunity to live their so-called "golden years" in a warm, safe and vibrant community.

Lytton Gardens is one of the beneficiaries of the Almanac's Holiday Fund.

To give to the Holiday Fund, use the coupon in the print edition.