Who Lives In A Retirement Community?

Everyone starts the process of looking for a retirement community in the same way, they know someone who has looked or lives at a place, they have their kids check into it, and maybe, just maybe they might go for a tour. But who really lives in a retirement community? As someone who has been in sales in the senior housing industry, I have found that there are four types of people that typically move into a senior living community: worriers, planners, health conscious and social butterflies.



The Worriers: These people move because they are concerned about the next time something goes wrong in their house, a leaky roof, the furnace going out, the next BIG snow storm. These people move to a senior community because most communities offer 24 hour maintenance, lawn and snow removal that will alleviate the stress of the person moving in. Most of the time the “worriers” end up with more time to do the things they enjoy doing because they no longer have to be concerned with what they have to do.



I once had a gentleman and his wife come in to look at the community where I was working. Both looked very healthy, but the wife had some dementia. The husband liked to go fishing and would occasionally leave for a fishing trip for a couple of days. He was always worried when he left that she would go out for a walk and get lost or that she would cook something on the stove and forget to turn it off. Moving to a retirement community helped take those worries away. When he went off on a fishing trip, he simply let the community know and they made sure to keep an eye on his wife. He could go and enjoy his trip and know that his wife was safe.



“Worriers” usually will come in to my office after they have settled in and tell me that they wish they had made the move sooner.



The Planners: This generation has saved and saved their whole lives and they want to be able to leave a legacy for their children and grandchildren. The “planners” move to senior living communities because most offer some sort of refundable entrance fee. This allows the resident to preserve some of their nest egg for their family. Also, the monthly fee eliminates having to write several checks every month because many communities include things like maintenance, lawn and snow removal, flexible dining options, transportation, utilities, housekeeping, and fitness memberships. This allows this group to budget more effectively because they no longer have to deal with the fluctuating costs of homeownership, plus, in most cases there are no property taxes to pay!



“Planners” often have dealt with a family member or someone close to them who had a crisis and had to scurry around to try and find a place to go. This group doesn’t want to be a burden to their family and friends when the time comes to make a move. They like to have everything in order and want to be in control of their decision about where to go and when. They tend to choose a community that offers a continuum of care in case they may need further assistance in the future.



The Health Conscious: This group overlaps the two groups above in that there is some worry about their future health and they are looking ahead and planning in case a need should ever arise that may require them to have more care. Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) offer residents the opportunity to move to a higher level of care if a need should arise. Also, most senior living communities offer a variety of health and wellness programs from professionally staffed fitness centers to on-site medical offices that are available to help residents stay healthy and active.



The comfort of knowing that there is nursing staff available 24-hours a day is sometimes all this group needs. They want to know that should something happen there is someone on-site that can respond quickly. This is also great peace-of-mind for family members; at most communities, there is some sort of system that checks on resident’s well-being every day, allowing family to relax and go back to being a son or daughter rather than a caregiver.



Social Butterflies: This last group of people are those that are looking to be connected to their community. A resident can be as active as he or she likes with a wide variety of trips and activities offered every day of the week. Senior housing provides residents with the opportunity to keep active and meet new and interesting people.



A prospect I was working with said that she was excited to be moving to my community because she had been having dinner with the same man for 15 years. I said, “You never told me that you had a husband that was coming with you.” She laughed and said, “I don’t. I have been eating dinner in front of the TV watching Tom Brokaw. I am so excited to finally be able to have a conversation again during dinner!”



Senior living communities are great for people that want to meet new people. I often hear from families that they can’t get in touch of their mom or dad because they are never home. Or, that he or she is busier now than they were when they were working. The opportunity to socialize keeps residents from falling into a sedentary lifestyle and gets them to interact with others with similar interests and backgrounds.



All four of the above groups of people are seeking to find ways to be more independent and enjoy their retirement. It allows them to do the things that they want to do rather than the things that they have to do in their houses.

The Decision that Rocked our Friends and Family!

This is written by a resident at Villa St. Benedict:

"Polly and Ken have done WHAT?" "What's Wrong?" "Has Ken had some bad news about his health?" "Is Polly giving up her business?"

All of these questions and more we heard after we started telling our friends about our decision to sell our home of 39 years and move to a CCRC. Our two boys, now grown with families and careers of their own, were actually relieved, after the initial shock.

There were plenty of reasons for us to make this move. Polly has done Estate/Moving sales for 38 years and almost every family she worked for that moved to a retirement community said, "We should have done this 10 years ago." Part of our decision was based on that very thought. We are at that "10 year stage." Health history on both sides, both min and Polly's played another part in our decision. But even more significant were the immediate things we were facing: The house needed to be totally updated in decorating, carpeting, upholstering, and maintenance. Earlier in my live, I did all of the wall papering and painting. But time moves ever onward, and I could no longer do the decorating. It had been 15 years since we had done a complete job, even to the extent of major remodeling to the kitchen and living-room. We had a contractor do that remodeling. (It took 9 months for the work to be completed.)

The logical thought was that even if we went to the expense to update, how long would we be in this house? And, more significantly, anyone who would by the house, freshly updated, would most likely change it anyway.

We had also decided that we did not want to make a move to a condo and "down-size' twice, as many as our friends had done. Why go through that aggravation? We knew what our goal was and were determined to reach it. Thus I undertook the BIG STEP, and started to look at alternatives. We both knew that we were not ready for an "apartment atmosphere" as our condo decision had proved, and we wanted to continue to be able to travel and move about freely. We liked the privacy that a villa or cottage provided.

After much research, I came to the conclusion that a CCRC was in our future. I began in April 2008 visiting facilities that offered the accommodations we felt were important to us. Some facilities offered only apartment living. A few others had both apartments and villas or cottages. I moved toward this arrangement. At first I was very interested in a facility where friends had moved. It was close to our family and had cottages that were very nice. Unfortunately, there was a two year waiting list and perhaps a move to an apartment before a cottage would be available. We did not want to be involved in two moves and having to store belongings for a cottage. Finally, I found a community that was only 10 miles from our home. It actually put us closer to both our sons who live in the area. Polly and I toured the various offerings and liked the arrangement. It was early summer and we were now into our summer home and the usual guests that arrive. During this time Polly and I had decided that we should make a commitment and get on with the move. We made a trip from Holland, MI to tour the community. We were impressed and found that it offered us the plan that we had been looking for. In fact, it solidified our plans and we moved with great speed to empty our house and select only those items we really needed. In less than a month, we moved out, Polly ran an Estate/Moving Sale and we MOVED!

After a year, we looked back at all that took place and marvel at how right this decision was and still is.

Our acceptance in the new "community" by the other residents and staff could not have been smoother. We have maintained our friendships from our former hometown and church, and have entertained both family and friends using the amenities available to us here. And, Polly is still running her her Estate Sale business full time.

For us, being in our early 70's puts us among some of the younger residents here. It makes no difference as the new friends we have made here have welcomed us and we find them to be very delightful and fun to be with. We share past experiences of family and work. We find these folks to be extremely interesting and stimulating.

All in all, I must say, that this move, albeit most ambitious, was the wisest decision we could have made!

Ice Cream Social for the Pen Pals

Yesterday, Villa St. Benedict hosted an ice cream social for the participants of the Pen Pal program. This is the second year that 28 of our residents have corresponded with second graders from Spring Brook Elementary School (District 204) in Naperville. Both the students and their families came to the Villa Center for the event.
Earlier this month, the VSB residents met their pen pals for the first time when they were invited to a party at the school. What a wonderful and fun way to keep the art of letter writing alive and well through this inter-generational way of communication.

Relaxing at the Salt Caves

Today, the residents are off to visit the Galos Salt Caves in Chicago. This man-made cave is constructed from Crimean salt from the Black Sea. Sixteen thousand tons of salt were formed into bricks to create the walls and several inches of loose rock salt cover the floor of the spa. For centuries, Eastern Europeans have sat in natural salt caves to help relieve respiratory, circulatory, skin ailments and stress.
VSB residents will have 45 minutes of relaxation, while sitting in beach chairs listening to gentle seaside music. When the session is over, everyone will be headed to a separate cave which is actually a restaurant that serves a wonderful Polish buffet. Sounds like a great day at the shore!

A Fragrant Day at the Park

Yesterday, Villa St. Benedict residents took a trip to Lilacia Park, better known as the jewel of Lombard. Located on 8.5 acres, Lilacia features a horticultural park, greenhouse and a historical building. This beautiful park was the former estate of Col. William Plum and his wife, Helen Plum. It became known as Lilacia, the Latin term for lilac. The Plums developed their love of lilacs after visiting the famous gardens of Victor Lemoire in Nancy, France. They purchased cuttings of two varieties--double white and double light purple--from which the present collection got its start. When Col. Plum passed away in 1927, he gave his land to the people of Lombard as a public park. Because of the Plum's generosity, Lombard has the most unique park in DuPage county.
Following the tour, VSB residents lunched at a Greek restaurant.

In Honor of Mom

The Villa Center dining room at Villa St. Benedict was the site of a special Mother's Day Tea for all residents of the community, both in independent and assisted living. This was the 4th year that the Resident Services Dept. sponsored this beautiful event, which also included family members. A blue and white motif was chosen for the place settings. The prayer before lunch was said by Sr. Regina Ann. The menu featured fresh fruit, the "Villa" salad of apples, strawberries, candied walnuts over mixed greens with raspberry vinaigrette and a delicious croissant filled with chicken salad. The dessert tray offered cream puffs, eclairs and chocolates. Of course, a myriad of teas were available. The residents were waited on by managers and staff members from various areas. Entertainment was provided by harpist, Laura Utley. Everyone left with a unique gift and a wonderful memory.

A Battle of Skills in VSB's Kitchen Stadium

Ask any resident what they enjoy most about living at Villa St. Benedict and chances are they will say the fine dining experience. Morrison Senior Living provides the culinary services at the community, headed up by Director Lisa Reid and Regional Executive Chef Chris Moore. Last week, Chef Chris decided to challenge the VSB cooks to an Iron Chef competition. He was looking to provide a training tool for recommending areas of improvement, a way to see individual capabilities and, of course, to have a fun time in the process.
Judges for the challenge were Chef Chris, Culinary Services Director Lisa Reid and VSB Assistant Administrator Kathy DiCristina. Each cook was judged on technique, presentation, taste and skill. Everyone was given a specific list of ingredients to create a salad, an appetizer and an entrée within a two hour timeframe. There were 100 possible points for each course. The top three contenders were awarded knives, with the winner receiving a 5 piece set. Congratulations to our big winner, Frankie Abundes, for his culinary supremacy! Second place was taken by Marcus Galli and third place was claimed by Dan Vogel. A big thank you to all of our participants for getting those creative juices flowing. You make us all proud