We live in a time where we have begun to really understand the true value of our social connections. As we age, our connections with each other are what keep us strong and resilient.
For this reason, more than any other, many retiring Baby Boomers are choosing to live in retirement communities. This simply means that they are choosing to live near other retired people who are close to their same age with similar interests. Living with peers offers friendship, companionship and a sense of community where you are looking out for each other.
Retirement communities are full of folks in the same age demographic, yet the age variance may be up to 35 years. Most retirement communities enjoy a level of peace and quiet that cannot be found in the general community.
They also have events and activities that can vary to the degree that it caters to all individuals and provides opportunities for socialization. People have become traveling companions and created friendships who can share a cup of coffee and fellowship.
After devoting years to work and family, many seniors have a desire to experience traveling, deepening relationships or simply enjoy doing the things that interest them. There is a sense of freedom when you leave on a trip knowing the staff and friends of the retirement community are watching your place.
For many people, becoming a resident of a retirement community is a wonderful thing because many of the worries and burdens of life are gone. You do not have to worry about who will water the lawn or what if the water heater springs a leak. The chores of keeping up a house and the need to keep up with the yard are things of the past.
Shopping can be done independently or with the group that choose to take the facility bus for the weekly shopping trip. The ability to know what your rent will be and what your extra payments are help with budgeting for the future. Also, ancillary services are available to keep people living independently as long as possible.
“My senior apartment at Sierra View is the best of both worlds,” said Joann. “I have friendship, community, and resources like meal delivery and grocery shopping services when I need them. However, I also have the freedom to go shopping myself when I feel comfortable doing so, and the ability to just jump in the car and go when I need to get out of the house! I feel so sorry for my friends who are stuck in their homes with no one looking out for them and no community resources to draw upon. Moving to Sierra View was the best choice I’ve ever made.”
Another Garden Apartment resident agreed, “One of the best decisions in my life was coming to live at Sierra View Homes Retirement Community. On the day I arrived and moved into my apartment, I was welcomed by many of my neighbors. One of my neighbors even brought over some cupcakes to enjoy with my coffee. My doorbell rang quite often during that first week. Though I didn’t know them, they’ve since become good friends. It’s so nice to know that I’ll always have someone to talk to, someone who notices when I’m away, and always someone who will help when it is needed. The whole staff has been so friendly, available and courteous. And, there are so many opportunities here for those of us who enjoy volunteering. It’s the best place to live as a retiree.”
Kintsugi
For years I’ve been intrigued by Kintsugi, the ancient Japanese craft of repairing broken pottery with gold-laced glue. Rather than trying to disguise where something has been broken…
Friendship Does Not Have an Expiration Date: Finding Connection in Every Season of Life
As we grow older, making new friends can feel less natural than it once did. But that doesn’t mean the opportunity for friendship has passed…
HAL and Dust
I have been a Word Nerd my whole life, and I am more fascinated than ever by some of the words in Genesis. At the pinnacle of Creation, we’re introduced to…
Strength Is More Than Muscle: Staying Capable for Everyday Life
We sometimes picture strength as something that belongs in a gym. It certainly can. But for most of us, the real value of strength is much more practical….
Living Longer Is Only Part of the Story: Why Engagement Matters
When people hear the words “stay active,” they often picture a brisk walk, a fitness class, or someone lifting weights. But an active life is about much more than exercise…
With Us
As I continue to learn the original languages of the Bible, I grow more intrigued by all the different ways people have tried to capture its words. I recently came across a book that…
Small ‘c’ Chaplain
Whenever I say or write “Chaplain Len,” I add a little silent prayer that people wouldn’t be too focused on the capital C. I’ve never been big on titles, although I was fascinated to learn the story behind mine…
We “Walked” to Kansas!
Dinora Negrete, Assistant Activities Director at Sierra View Homes Retirement Community, noticed a problem. Sierra View Homes has a well-equipped Wellness Center, complete with indoor pool and machines that assist exercise at all fitness levels, however she noticed that fewer residents were using it than really should. Remaining active as we age is critical, but what could she do to incentivize residents to come work out?
She ended up coming up with a fun and creative way that has made a permanent impact in the lives of multiple residents!
“I wanted residents to come to the Wellness Center, but I wanted (them) to have a motivation, so I started asking them, ‘If you had to choose a place, where would you like to go?’” They chose Kansas because multiple residents have ties to the Mennonite community there. And the “Walk to Kansas” competition was born!
18 residents set out on their ‘journey’ logging their miles. Many visited the Wellness Center to use elliptical machines, bikes, and treadmills. Others logged their steps walking together around the Sierra View Homes campus. Over three months, a friendly competition broke out among the top walkers as they strove to beat each others’ miles. On June 16, when they finally made it, they had a party and gave out medals for the top achievers! The neatest thing? Since then, many have kept walking. They had created a walking habit that stuck!
“They have
become stronger –
that’s what the
purpose was!”
– Dinora
The Benefits of Living in a Retirement Community
We live in a time where we have begun to really understand the true value of our social connections. As we age, our connections with each other are what keep us strong and resilient.
For this reason, more than any other, many retiring Baby Boomers are choosing to live in retirement communities. This simply means that they are choosing to live near other retired people who are close to their same age with similar interests. Living with peers offers friendship, companionship and a sense of community where you are looking out for each other.
Retirement communities are full of folks in the same age demographic, yet the age variance may be up to 35 years. Most retirement communities enjoy a level of peace and quiet that cannot be found in the general community.
They also have events and activities that can vary to the degree that it caters to all individuals and provides opportunities for socialization. People have become traveling companions and created friendships who can share a cup of coffee and fellowship.
After devoting years to work and family, many seniors have a desire to experience traveling, deepening relationships or simply enjoy doing the things that interest them. There is a sense of freedom when you leave on a trip knowing the staff and friends of the retirement community are watching your place.
For many people, becoming a resident of a retirement community is a wonderful thing because many of the worries and burdens of life are gone. You do not have to worry about who will water the lawn or what if the water heater springs a leak. The chores of keeping up a house and the need to keep up with the yard are things of the past.
Shopping can be done independently or with the group that choose to take the facility bus for the weekly shopping trip. The ability to know what your rent will be and what your extra payments are help with budgeting for the future. Also, ancillary services are available to keep people living independently as long as possible.
Another Garden Apartment resident agreed, “One of the best decisions in my life was coming to live at Sierra View Homes Retirement Community. On the day I arrived and moved into my apartment, I was welcomed by many of my neighbors. One of my neighbors even brought over some cupcakes to enjoy with my coffee. My doorbell rang quite often during that first week. Though I didn’t know them, they’ve since become good friends. It’s so nice to know that I’ll always have someone to talk to, someone who notices when I’m away, and always someone who will help when it is needed. The whole staff has been so friendly, available and courteous. And, there are so many opportunities here for those of us who enjoy volunteering. It’s the best place to live as a retiree.”
Chaplain’s Corner: The Sorrow of God
“It is said of God that no one can behold his face and live. I always thought this meant that no one could see his splendor and live. A friend said perhaps it means that no one could see his sorrow and live. Or perhaps his sorrow is his splendor.”
This quote by Nicholas Wolterstorff has come back to me as news reports have come out of Israel, each overwhelming and unimaginable in their horror. Images of mourning parents and dust-covered crying children. A fragile peace decimated in a matter of days in one of the most significant holy places on earth. So many innocent lives changed forever on account of the violent actions of a few. How can this happen? Where is God in this?
“How long O Lord?” This is not a new question. It appears often in scripture, most often on the lips of the psalmists and prophets. It is a question born out of an expectation that the Creator of all things is both compassionate and powerful to act in response.
A fully satisfying answer to this question may need to wait until we meet our Creator face to face. Yet we cling to the conviction that God does indeed care, and that God grieves and that God acts.
We come to understand the compassion, love and yes, sorrow of God, through the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, who wept at the death of his friend Lazarus and again over the city of Jerusalem and the destruction it would soon face. God, through Jesus, entered our suffering, and stands with us in solidarity with our grief.
Yet, to stop there, is to fall short of the calling Jesus set forth for us: to bring about a foretaste of the Kingdom of God, on earth as it is in heaven. This Jesus, who followed love all the way to a cross, forbidding Peter to take up a sword in his defense, is the Jesus we follow today. Let us cry out for peace, with our words as well as our actions, trusting that the God who mourns with us and over us, also works through us to bring peace and wholeness to all corners of the earth.