Medallion Retirement Community

Three levels of care share one roof at Medallion — a 44-apartment building on East Bijou Street in Colorado Springs — and this community stands out locally for billing Medicaid once a resident's own funds are exhausted. Its smaller footprint gives the place the feel of a neighborhood address rather than a large campus. Choosing independent living here means a resident keeps a private apartment with upkeep handled by someone else and no built-in caregiving; assisted living apartments add staff support for things like taking medication, dressing, and bathing; and memory care, housed in the same building, serves residents living with dementia.

Because Medallion is smaller than most multi-level campuses in the area, the nursing and therapy staff tend to be familiar faces across all three groups — and Medicaid covers the cost for qualifying residents once private funds are used up. Staff — nurses, therapists, dietary team — get to know residents individually rather than treating them as a case file, and families who visit often describe a warm reception.

Residents recovering from a fall or other health setback have used the on-site therapy program to rebuild enough strength to step down to a lighter level of care instead of remaining at a higher one. Skilled nursing isn't part of what Medallion offers, so a resident whose medical needs exceed assisted living or memory care would eventually need to move to a different setting. Penrose Hospital sits just minutes from the Bijou Street building for hospital-level needs, and the nearby Academy Boulevard corridor covers everyday shopping and a casual meal when family comes to visit.

The surrounding east-side neighborhood keeps a quiet, residential feel within easy reach of downtown. Between its three care levels, Medicaid contract, and neighborhood-scale building, Medallion gives families a place that can absorb a change in care needs — or a change in how care gets paid for — without forcing a move.