Edgewater News

When Bill Brantley and his wife, Helen, decided to downsize from their home of 40 years, they sought a community that promoted an active lifestyle. In August, they became the first couple to move into Edgewater, an “active life community” at 9225 Cascade Avenue in West Des Moines. It is the sixth retirement community in central Iowa operated by WesleyLife. The project has the look and feel of a hotel and targets residents age 55 and older in a variety of housing options.”We try to have this be as much as possible just a change of address, not a change of lifestyle,” said Janel Wells, vice president of marketing and communications for WesleyLife.

Excerpt from Des Moines Register story, read the complete article here.

Discovering the six dimensions of wellness. Writing about your childhood memories during a LifeBio class. Eating brick-oven pizza with friends at the Bistro or hosting a catered dinner party for friends. Taking in a ballet performance down the hall or taking a Tai Chi class in the morning. These activities represent a normal day for many residents of Edgewater, Iowa’s first active life community in West Des Moines.

“The vision to create a community that offers older adults active lifestyle choices with hospitality-driven amenities has become reality here at Edgewater,” said Rob Kretzinger, president and CEO of WesleyLife. “With more than 60 years of experience in the industry, WesleyLife has applied our in-depth understanding of the needs and interests of older adults to create an environment where residents are empowered to live an active retirement lifestyle that suites them.”

Iowa’s first state-of-the-art active-life community is now open in West Des Moines. Beyond the wellness amenities offered to residents and staff, Edgewater welcomes the broader community to take part in health programs offered like the LifeBio and some of the exercise courses. Located in the main building, The Marc Stephens Salon and Spa and the Bistro are open for the public to enjoy as well.

Read the full news release.

“This is definitely not my grandmother’s retirement community,” said WesleyLife CEO, Rob Kretzinger — to an amused crowd of more than 150 current and future residents, West Des Moines council members and local business leaders during last week’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. Rob was telling the crowd that many of the new residents participated in an impromptu midnight pool party the night before.

Residents have been moving in since mid-August and already the fun-loving, active-life and wellness philosophy  is already becoming part of the Edgewater culture. Learn more about Edgewater.