KLANG: Pacific Senior Living (PSL) Sdn Bhd, which provides seniors with holistic well-being and rejuvenation, has opened Acacia, a new concept in senior living, giving the Merrida Hotel building in Klang, Selangor, new life.

Due to the pandemic, the once-four-star hotel had to close during the Movement Control Order.

PSL took over the building and transformed it into 136 rooms with modern medical facilities and sizes ranging from 312 to 592 square feet, all in a resort-like setting.

It offers specialised facilities, such as in-house physiotherapy services and hobby workshops, catering to diverse resident interests and needs.

The facility was officiated today by the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who was accompanied by Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin.

PSL is a part of the Columbia Pacific Management Group (CPMG), a multinational organisation that invests in, develops, and runs senior living and healthcare facilities.

The company's chief executive officer, Carl Nicholas Isaac, expressed his company's excitement at launching Acacia, the first purpose-built assisted and independent living community in the Klang Valley.

"As Klang moves closer to being recognised as the fourth city in Selangor and 20th in the country, we are confident that Klang will be able to provide families with the necessary services that are efficient, of good quality, and of international standards that will supplement the growing demand for innovative senior living solutions within Klang Valley," he said.

He said that Acacia was founded in response to the country's changing demographics.

By 2056, more than 20 per cent of Malaysians will be 65 years of age or older, making the country a "super-aged nation," according to World Bank projections.

PSL was lured to Malaysia by the country's favorable investment climate and the chance to address the rising demand for high-quality, reasonably priced healthcare services, according to CPMG's global managing director, Nate McLemore.

"We are proud of the success of Columbia Asia hospitals and the millions of patients served over these past decades. And we are pleased to have Columbia Asia serve as a medical partner for PSL today.

"With the opening of our first senior living community in Malaysia, we recognise that many of the same dynamics are at play: a strong investment climate and increasing demand for high-quality, international-standard senior living services," he said.

Nearly 30 years ago, Dan Baty, the chairman of CPMG, founded Columbia Asia Hospital in Kuala Lumpur.