Over this last year, I have thought and written much about what we have been experiencing in the aging process. I’ve written that we never once stopped and thought about getting old during our youth, middle age, and well into senior years. It just did not exist in our doing things and planning. Then, one day, about five years ago, Lenette decided we needed to consider moving to a single-story house. She also began looking at senior living complexes.
What she experienced in her search was not pleasant. Nothing she visited appealed to her. What she felt in most of the complexes were people waiting to die. It was an awakening experience for her since the whole idea of our getting old and needing to prepare for this eventuality was new to us.
In time, she found a complex that was under construction. A perfect location on the old Harrah’s Ranch with a full view of the Sierras and Mt. Rose. A complete facility with apartments, recreation facilities, a restaurant, a bar, and staff to support it all. More important were the words and behavior of the sales staff. They spoke of community and participation. It met Lenette’s requirements, and I felt the same way when I went to meet the people.
Soon, we will have been here for four years. We do live in a caring and supportive community, but it is also an aging one. Having never lived with or related to a population our age, this has been what we used to call just about everything at camp: A “learning experience.” It is not easy being with a population that loses people almost daily. And, if not dying, aging. Which, without question, includes us.
With some experience now, we advise thinking of your situation.
Sy
