What will my tomorrow look like?
When the years go by and the nest empties and your large, beloved house becomes difficult to maintain, the future becomes a series of questions. Will I/we stay in my house? Will I/we be able to maintenance help if needed? Will I/we be able to hire household help? If our health declines, will home healthcare be available? Will I/we be able to maintain our social life?
Exploring retirement communities helps to arrive at answers. A conversation about these issues revealed the various pathways that led current residents to Carolina Meadows.
“How you live each day” was the most important factor for one resident. She considered “the hurdle” of finances first before making her decision to find a CCRC to meet her needs. Her focus was on the support she would receive as she aged. She studied the variety of activities available as well as the higher levels of care if you no longer can live independently. Her conclusion: “Try to find a CCRC that exceeds Carolina Meadows!”
One resident remarked that she and her husband also based their decision on finances initially. Safety was also high on their list of essentials, and they welcomed having security personnel available 24 hours a day. After living at Carolina Meadows for eight years, they now appreciate not only feeling safe, but the true, warm, positive family atmosphere that exists between residents and staff
Making a choice between a villa and an apartment is a big step for many. One long time resident who warily faced that decision waxes poetic about her apartment that faces the golf course. A people watcher, she takes delight in looking out of her windows at the dog walkers—yes dogs as well as cats are welcomed at Carolina Meadows—and a beautiful landscape that offers seasonal changing colors of trees and the variety of flowers planted by a team of expert gardeners. She enjoys the camaraderie of her fellow apartment dwellers—their birthday celebrations, dinners together, exchange of ideas and problems.
A staff member listening to the discussion chimed in, “Twelve years ago, when I started working part-time, it was. Job that helped me make ends meet. As the years went by, I realized how close I was to many of the residents. They became an extension of my family. Carolina Meadows has become more than just a job: it is an experience that I really enjoy.”
Regardless of how your steps bring you to this campus, each day is a life that can be lived to the fullest.