TEMPE, Ariz.— Mirabella at ASU is a university-based retirement community located on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe. Owned by Pacific Retirement Services, it is the first facility of its kind in the world to be located on campus.
Mirabella at ASU offers multiple different types of residences in-house, including independent living-style apartments and memory-assistance residences. Outdoor spaces, exercise facilities and game rooms complete the facility that was opened in 2020.
Lindsey Beagley, the Senior Director of Lifelong University Engagement, said that Mirabella is a community of life-long learners.
“What most people don't realize is that residents spend a great deal of time volunteering and mentoring students on campus. So they take classes and they do all kinds of fun stuff on campus,” she said.
The interactions between younger ASU students and Mirabella residents can be symbiotic, according to Beagley.
“These encounters that they have on campus challenge each other's stereotypes about one another,” Beagley said. “And it's not just like young people that have stereotypes about older people, it's older people that have stereotypes about younger people. And the only way to overcome that is through personal exposure.”
Dena Trangsrud is the epitome of a Mirabella resident; civically engaged and overwhelmingly enthusiastic about it. A Tempe native, Trangsrud lives on the third floor of Mirabella with her husband, Jim. She said she and her husband were among the first people to move into Mirabella when it opened, and they made the decision to move into a place like Mirabella to avoid the health concerns that come with living in a residential-style home.
“We can move down into skilled nursing if we need it, and if we have problems with memory issues, we can go to the memory center, so it's all in one building,” Trangsrud said.
Aside from security about possible health crises, in their time at Mirabella, residents have the opportunity to take advantage of ASU’s many resources. This includes taking classes and mentoring students. This mentorship program can involve volunteer efforts, working with preschool students on campus, or practicing English skills with international students. Beagley said approximately 40% of Mirabella residents take classes at the university.
Trangsrud’s most memorable class at ASU was Neon Sculpture. With supplies provided for her, she was able to branch out and try to learn a new skill that she would have otherwise not been able to experience without Mirabella’s connection with ASU. Through her time in the class, she became acquainted with a couple of students, who then “adopted [them] as grandparents.”
Shelley Malinoff, another resident of Mirabella, hails from New York and loves the vibrancy of Mirabella’s connection to the ASU campus.
Malinoff’s love for life in Tempe is reflected in her busy schedule. She is the founder of Mirabella’s chorus, and takes pride in the community that music has brought her.
“I love being in a high rise, and I love being in a city, and I love having the noise around me, and I love the restaurants, and I love walking on campus and having students all around and I love taking classes,” Malinoff said.