It’s a big decision when a family decides to move an older family member into a senior living community. When it’s time to find care for your loved one, bring them home to Paddock Ridge.
“Let our family take care of your family.”
That’s the invitation from owners Barry Mansfield and Scott Ryan, who set out a few years ago to create an assisted living and memory care facility that was “good enough for their own mothers to live in.” After building many senior living properties during his 30 years with Cullison-Wright Construction, Mansfield had seen a lot of facilities he says were run “like a business.” With his parents and his wife Sandy’s parents advancing in age, he knew they needed a better option for parents and grandparents to live their best lives during their golden years—a place they can truly call home. “It is time for Ocala to have a new community with fresh unique ideas for senior living,” stated Ryan.
In April 2019, Mansfield and Ryan opened Paddock Ridge, an affordable, distinctive community with a different outlook and philosophy which tailors services for its residents. This is combined with comfort, luxury and security to give families a new solution for their loved ones.
Mansfield drew on his experience building assisted living facilities throughout Florida, Texas and Missouri, incorporating the best features he had seen over the last three decades. Ryan, a longtime friend of Mansfield and entrepreneur, contributed his 28 years of business expertise to ensure no feature was overlooked. Together they created Prospera Senior Living, LLC and spent more than two years designing and finding the perfect location for this distinctive neighborhood-based community. They consulted with senior care experts from around the country to design an atmosphere that provides every amenity with elegance and comfort. Then they staffed Paddock Ridge with highly trained, nurturing caregivers—from nurses to administrative staff.
The result was the ideal senior living community with neighborhoods that have the amenities residents want, the safety features they need, and a nurturing, family-like environment that reassures residents’ loved ones that they are receiving the very best care.
Neighborhood Living
Today’s senior citizens are baby boomers who grew up in neighborhoods where neighbors knew each other, helped each other and enjoyed each other’s company. They had neighborhood barbecues, played cards on Friday night, and knew that if they needed help there was someone close by.
Paddock Ridge is the place they can feel that same sense of community. Its four distinct neighborhoods, each with 18 private apartments nestled within its common areas, create a nurturing, familial setting. Their very first resident, Don McKinney, enjoys the company of his neighbors, calling them “a mighty good group.” He appreciates the independence of having his own apartment in close proximity to caregivers. “Everyone has the help they need no matter what it is,” he says. He has a simple explanation for why he thinks the staff is the most outstanding feature of his community: “They love you.”
Executive Director Shane Potter says having just 18 residents per neighborhood provides the best environment for both residents and staff. “The caregivers are assigned to the same neighborhood every day, so they develop relationships,” he 
explains. “You get to know the residents’ families and you become family with the residents. They develop a stronger bond, the relationship is there, and that translates to trust. The biggest thing in this environment is trust.”
With no long hallways to navigate, residents have easy access to comfortable common areas within each neighborhood where they can relax on plush sofas by the fire and visit or watch movies together, shaded outdoor seating areas for fresh air and conversation, and family rooms where they can host visitors for small gatherings and celebrations.
Neighborhood Dining
Dining areas are focal points in each neighborhood, offering family-style dining with gourmet cuisine.
“I enjoy meal time the most,” says resident Don Doiron. “It allows me to chat with other residents during the meal, and with the design of the building and the floor plan, it’s easy to get to in a wheelchair.”
Healthy nutrition is vital to keep these active seniors mentally sharp and physically strong. Every chef-created, dietician-approved dish is designed to tempt the residents’ taste buds. Menus change daily and feature entrées with seasonal fresh produce. For example, tender pork steaks, rubbed with a blend of seasonings, seared and roasted to perfection, served with a sweet applesauce glaze, were on the lunch menu recently, as were beef fritters, topped with warm, homemade mushroom gravy. Residents can order their choice of starters, entrées, vegetables, accompaniments and desserts at standard mealtimes. An always-available menu featuring fresh salads, fruit, sandwiches and burgers allows residents to order a meal or snack at any time of day.
Residents are encouraged to request changes to the menu through the resident council.
“The menu changes based on what our residents want,” Potter explains. “We have a food committee that meets once a month and we can alter the menu based on what the residents like. They let us know they wanted less tilapia and more salmon, so we started serving more salmon. Last month they let us know they really wanted garden salad on the always-available menu.”
Community Services and Amenities
Medical Care
Licensed medical and nursing staff are available on-site 24/7 to attend to residents’ medical needs, and transportation is available to off-site medical appointments. Medications are handled through a partnership with a local pharmacy and managed by staff so residents never have to worry about ordering refills or missing a dose. Separate nurses’ stations and medication carts for each neighborhood are more convenient for both nursing staff and residents, and the neighborhood layout means response times to call lights are usually just seconds, not minutes.
Direct care staff are always available to residents to assist with dressing, grooming and bathing. Rooms are equipped with emergency call systems, and every resident is provided with a wearable emergency pendant with fall detection that allows them to call for help and includes a tracker so caregivers can easily find a resident if they get turned around.
Memory Care
One of Paddock Ridge’s four neighborhoods was created especially for the needs of people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It is staffed with caregivers who have specialized training in memory care. Although the neighborhood and courtyard are secure, it has the same expansive feeling as the rest of the community. Residents can stroll the green spaces at their leisure, sit a spell in rocking chairs on the covered porch, and participate in games and specialized memory care activities in their own bright, colorful common area.
Although it is available to all residents, the Country Store is a favorite spot for many of the memory care residents. Thoughtfully designed by Mansfield’s son, Cody, the space is a trip back in time, furnished with antiques, a restored vintage phone booth and a traditional barber chair. With old-fashioned candy on the counter, the space feels like pure fun, but Lifestyle Director Jennifer Hartshorn says it’s actually therapeutic for residents living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. “It’s an opportunity to take them back a little bit and maybe bring back something that feels familiar,” she says. “It gives them a little bit of nostalgia. It’s impressive sometimes the things that they recall and will talk about.”
Physical Therapy
The community’s therapy room, easily accessible from all four neighborhoods, is always open for residents to access exercise equipment to maintain their personal wellness routines and is staffed full-time by licensed physical and occupational therapists. That is a unique setup, Potter explains, which allows staff to be highly responsive to any day-to-day changes in residents’ health. “The caregivers know the residents and their routines,” he says, explaining that therapists are actually integrated into everyday life—they lead morning exercises for residents every day and even participate in bingo games. “They’re here and visible so when our residents need therapy they know them and are really familiar with them. If someone is weaker today, we have therapists right down the hall and we can get somebody started on services right away. That’s one of the best things we have to offer. We’re able to be more proactive with care and help prevent things that can happen in assisted living like falls and sickness.”
Amenities That Help Residents Feel at Home
Paddock Ridge is pet friendly, allowing residents to keep their small pets. Freestyle Hair, the on-site beauty salon, offers hair services for men and women as well as manicures and waxing, and is open daily by appointment. Additionally, individual apartments receive weekly housekeeping, linen and laundry service. Common areas and grounds are impeccably maintained for residents’ comfort and safety.
Community Activities
There is always something fun to do at Paddock Ridge. The daily events calendar allows residents to get involved in physical activities like morning exercise and evening walks; mentally stimulating trivia games and sing-a-longs; hands-on arts, crafts and cooking classes; and entertaining movies and music.
Regular trips to shops and restaurants allow residents to explore Ocala/Marion County. Hartshorn likes to think outside the box when designing new outings. “We try to do things that aren’t mainstream,” she reveals. Residents are encouraged to give input through the resident council. Based on their requests, recent outings have included a live show at the Reilly Arts Center and a local high school football game.
Both staff and residents love Hartshorn’s “mystery rides,” which she says are fun for established residents and newcomers alike. “We load up on the bus and ride around town,” she explains. “One day we might go to see horse farms, another time we might go to the historic district or downtown.” For longtime Ocalans it’s a chance to see what’s new, and for everyone it’s a chance to enjoy some new scenery.
With neighborhood-style living, Paddock Ridge creates a lifestyle that seniors can call home. To see this unique assisted living community, call to schedule a private consultation. With consummate skill and absolute compassion, they are ready to welcome you home to Paddock Ridge.
Paddock Ridge › 4001 SW 33rd Court, Ocala › (352) 512-9191 ›www.PaddockRidge.com
