10/26/2026
📣🎤A speech from Hotel Oakland Village Principal Partner, Bill Langelier 🎤 📣
🎊Good afternoon, everyone.
Today we celebrate 15 years of a new approach to healthy senior living, with the formation of Hotel Oakland Village.🎊
In 2011, we began with a simple question:
What if the place where seniors live could help them live longer, healthier, happier and more independent lives?
That question became the goal of our wellness model.
Today, residents have multiple services, benefits and activities each day, where they can participate in health-focused community activities on a daily basis. Recognizing Hotel Oakland’s pioneering model of independent living, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development highlighted Hotel Oakland Village in a 2019 joint U.S.–Japan research paper on aging-in-place communities, identifying it as a leading example of affordable, independent senior living in the United States.
Contributing to the benefits of aging-in-place is our longtime Village Wellness Director and dedicated support staff, who help residents develop annual health plans, set goals and connect with senior health literacy education, health monitoring and ongoing independent living support.
Since 2011, we have been a recognized leader addressing the serious health risks of social isolation that can significantly shorten lifespan. Residents belong to 18 health education groups and also regularly participate in many community wellness programs and benefits that allow them to be proactive in addressing their individual health issues and health needs identified in their annual health plan. The result is a longer health span allowing them to continue living dignified lives independently.
Our onsite Community-Based Adult Services center, Hong F**k, operated by Family Bridges, is one of the largest in California. The fully staffed center addresses residents with diagnosed serious health needs, including those who might otherwise qualify for institutional care and allows them to remain in their original apartment thereby extending their independent living benefits.
And we have important news to announce today. We are excited to advise you about a groundbreaking new service and benefit available free to all residents that can significantly enhance resident wellness and health span. As of today, we are adding My AI Companion, a new service free to all residents. The artificial intelligence “companion” offers realistic conversation in Chinese, medication and wellness reminders, daily safety check-ins, and connections to approved family members and Village resources. It complements the care and human connection available at Hotel Oakland Village, emphasizing the potential benefits of early illness detection that can dramatically reduce ER visits and hospitalizations.
As America considers how to care for its growing senior population, Hotel Oakland Village demonstrates the cost-saving value of starting early: creating community, encouraging self-care, detecting problems early and providing support before independence is lost.
None of this would be possible without our dedicated compassionate and creative staff. They listen, encourage and care deeply about our residents. They deserve our deepest gratitude.
Our residents make this community thrive. They participate in multiple wellness services and programs that support independence, welcome neighbors, and care for one another.
Together, you bring our motto to life:
“Participation equals good health.”
⭐️⭐️Happy 15th anniversary, Hotel Oakland Village. Thank you to everyone who has made this Village a healthy and welcoming home. ⭐️⭐️
