What Is the Philosophy of Longevity?
Today, I would like to talk about your new company, OriginWay Longevity Living. Its planned activities caught my attention and inspired me to propose this interview. To begin with, I would like to ask about the Origin name and the tree symbol in the logo, which also appears in connection with other companies. I have to admit, I find it slightly confusing.
Let me start with Origin Active Lifestyle Communities, a Canadian company that has been run for several decades by my business partner and friend, Neil Prashad.
After graduating in architecture from Harvard, together with several colleagues he founded Amica, which soon became one of the largest operators of senior care residences in North America. After several years, Neil decided to pursue his own path. He began by purchasing and modernizing a struggling care facility called Origin — which is where the name came from.
Why?
Neil is an exceptionally interesting person. Raised by an Indian Buddhist father and a Portuguese Catholic mother, he combines many of the best qualities of both traditions: calmness, empathy, integrity, and a profound perspective on life.
His mother spent her entire professional life working as a nurse in care facilities, including palliative care. I believe it was largely through her influence that Neil developed such a strong desire to help others.
You established Origin Polska in Poland?
Yes. The company was registered in 2013.
Our first facility was developed based on my initial sketches, which were the result of many months spent studying therapeutic architecture. I strongly believe that the space in which we live is one of the most important factors that can support our health.
Originally, we planned to focus exclusively on caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
But your first facility, Centrum Origin Otwock, focuses primarily on rehabilitation.
Yes. That was driven by market demand. There was, and still is, an enormous need in Poland for modern, comprehensive rehabilitation for people with serious health conditions, particularly neurological disorders.
Centrum Origin Otwock is divided into seven independent areas, which we call clusters. At present, only two of them are dedicated to people with dementia.
The facility currently accommodates 130 patients, and we are about to begin its further expansion.
Am I correct in understanding that you are still active in the rehabilitation sector?
Together with our new partner, LNA Santé, we established the joint venture LNA Santé Origin in February 2022.
We bought out all of the previous investors, and today it is LNA Santé Origin, rather than Origin Polska, that operates our facilities. I serve as Chairman of its Management Board.
Day-to-day operations are managed by an excellent team of specialists who have also received additional training in France.
There is information online about the complex in Mechelinki, and it appears that this was also your project.
After our success in rehabilitation, I wanted to continue developing my interest in healthy lifestyles and, above all, disease prevention. For many years, I had wanted to create a complex dedicated specifically to these goals.
I found an exceptional site in Mechelinki near Gdynia, located on a hill several hundred metres from the beach, with a beautiful view over the Bay of Gdańsk.
Based on my concept, a complex was developed there which I named ReVital. It included my first serviced residence project.
The development was made possible through financing arranged by Origin Investments, a company I founded specifically to organize investment financing.
I am no longer associated with that company, and the Mechelinki development is now being continued without my involvement.
There are relatively few such places, and in my opinion the majority of services marketed under the longevity label have very little to do with living a long life in good health.
Very often, the primary objective of these services is simply to drain customers’ wallets. In some cases, the treatments offered not only fail to help, but when used over the long term may even cause harm.
That sounds worrying.
Unfortunately, it is.
Some entrepreneurs want to profit quickly from high demand and limited supply, without investing in the expertise that is genuinely required, because developing that level of knowledge is both difficult and expensive.
As a result, places are being created that are connected with medical longevity in name only.