Lenbrook

When my husband of 58 years passed away in April of 2009, I knew exactly what I was going to do. We had visited a friend from high school in Dallas, Texas, who lived in a lovely CCRC ("Continuing Care Retirement Community"). I couldn’t forget it, and immediately set about getting my Dunwoody house ready to sell so I, too, could make this kind of a move for the rest of my life.

Research, Sale and Move

I heard an analogy not too long ago from an advisor at Jackson Spalding and it stuck with me ... so much that I used the analogy to kick off a monthly resident information meeting. It's about the making of a cake. 

Most cakes are made with simple ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, milk or water, baking soda, eggs, and of course flavoring -- vanilla, chocolate, etc. When you see a cake, whether it's a sheet cake or a seven-layer cake, do you see the eggs? Not really. Why not? Because all the ingredients combine to make it into a fluffy, delicious dessert. 

Chances are you started receiving lots of Medicare notices, updates and advertisements toward the end of summer. Now it's officially time to review your Medicare benefits and ensure you are in the best plan for the coming year. You have from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 to make any changes during "Medicare Open Enrollment."

For many years, we lived happily in our older home in Buckhead's Tuxedo Park in the summer and in our patio home in Tequesta, Florida, in winter. In January of 2013, however, our Atlanta home was burglarized while we were away. Then, in February, a large pine tree fell on the roof during a storm. All of this prompted us to begin thinking about the next phase of our lives, which would likely involve simpler living arrangements.

Doing Our Homework

Who would have thought the name of a fruit -- "apple" -- would become the name for the world's most valuable company? Apple co-founder Steve Jobs said he chose that name because he thought it sounded "fun, spirited and not intimidating." Ultimately, that name set the tone for Apple's culture as a creator of easy-to-use, innovative products. It got me to thinking about how we select the names for our programs and services at Lenbrook. 

Lenbrook was the natural choice for us when my wife and I decided it was time to move into a senior living community. It was the right choice for several reasons. For one, my parents chose to live in a CCRC (continuing care retirement community) way back in 1964. My father lived there nine years and my mother 22 years. Those were happy years for them in Penney Farms, Florida. So I’ve known what a CCRC is for a long time.

At our age, there's plenty to get grouchy about -- creaky knees and achy joints to name a few. So to help keep things on the brighter side, I work out regularly in our fitness center and I stay active on resident committees and community activities. But one of the best ways I've found to lift my spirits is to keep a "gratitude journal." It's amazing how this simple habit works so well and in so many ways.

Let’s face it. I’m an “artistic type” through and through; I love the arts. Fortunately, I’m in good company. So many of our Lenbrook residents share a passion for the arts, frequenting the theater, symphony and museum at The Woodruff Arts Center. I’m very excited that we will celebrate art and life together in a very special way at The Woodruff coming up on Sept. 10.