Grand Living Park at Lake Mary

by Laura Breen Galante

Grand Living Park at Lake Mary recently celebrated its one-year anniversary as a valued member of the Grand Living family of senior communities.

The resort-style, all-inclusive senior-living community offers independent living, assisted living, and memory care for its 300-plus residents. Since being acquired by Grand Living, the Lake Mary property has been undergoing numerous enhancements to its campus.

“Grand Living has already and is continuing to put in a lot of capital improvements,” says Rachael Guernsey, executive director of assisted living and memory care. “They really want to elevate the community.”

That’s Grand! 

From the outside in, Grand Living Park is being renovated to better reflect the luxury lifestyle for which the community is known. The campus consists of assisted living and memory care, plus independent living, which includes separate two-bedroom, two-bathroom villas with garages. The villas flank the property, and while they include full kitchens, the residents who live there also have access to the dining rooms and gathering and activity spaces in the main independent-living building.

In addition to overhauling the campus Wi-Fi, Grand Living upgraded all the kitchen equipment and switched to a modern menu and ordering point-of-sale system that tracks residents’ dietary preferences and restrictions. 

“We have made grand improvements in our menus,” says Su Prasad, executive director of independent living. “We use eMenuCHOICE, which gives us a more in-depth profile of the residents’ culinary needs when they come into the dining room.” 

The system also helps the on-campus executive chef note which dietician-approved recipes are favorites among residents. The chef curates menus based on recipes created by Grand Living’s national director of culinary operations to please both independent and assisted-living residents.

Staying Fit and Having Fun

Canary Island is a new courtyard that will feature two pickleball courts, three putting greens, a firepit, picnic areas, and a bocce ball court.

“Residents are super excited,” says Su. “They’ve all been wanting outdoor things to do. This gives them a space where they can go out. When the weather is cool, we’ll light the firepit and host activities like movie nights out there.”

The second exterior project, which is also under way, is the Fountain Walk. It will feature a beautifully lit three-tier fountain with paths to connect the independent and assisted-living buildings, plus a gated pet park with benches and dog showers.

The independent-living building already sports a beautiful pool and cabana area, and soon, the assisted-living area will have one, too. Grand Living will break ground on that project in 2025, says Rachael. Once the pool is completed, water aerobics classes geared toward assisted-living residents will be added.

Sprucing Things Up

In 2026, interior renovations will begin in common areas. That work will include upgrading carpets, wall coverings, countertops, and light fixtures as needed. While many of the interior appointments are already decidedly modern, Grand Living is committed to preserving a luxurious look for its residents. After that, upgrades will begin on the residential units.

“The plan is to renovate all units on campus for an updated look, starting with independent living first and moving forward in stages,” says Rachael. 

The work will be carefully orchestrated and planned with the residents’ schedules in mind, adds Su. 

Other recent improvements have included adding two more registered nurses, increasing staff levels to provide 24-hour nursing in assisted living and memory care, adding gym equipment for the fitness program, and hiring fitness assistants for assisted-living residents.

Grand Living’s extensive and ongoing improvements to Grand Living Park at Lake Mary will benefit the senior-living community’s residents for many years to come.