Lenbrook

A number of my fellow residents have asked me if I’m looking forward to completing my tenure as Lenbrook's Resident Association president at the end of June.  Frankly, I have mixed emotions.

There’s no doubt that this position is demanding and time consuming. Lenbrook has 500 residents and a very busy campus on 6.5 acres. I am certainly looking forward to having a lot more time to spend with myself and my wife, Lea.

Sydney is 3rd from the left.

Maya Angelou said once: "I've learned that people will forget what you said; people will forget what you did; but, people will never forget how you made them feel." My intern experience at Lenbrook has been fascinating. Most of all, Lenbrook made me feel like I had another home.

We're located in the vibrant Buckhead district of Atlanta, where arts, culture, and world class dining are practically in our backyard. It's kind of tough to compete with all these services and venues. But we do. Here's a look at what goes into our secret sauce hospitality – The Lenbrook Way.

Flexible Menu of Choices, Master Our Craft

Before I came to Lenbrook, I had to maintain a large home, buy groceries, fix my own meals and pay all the bills associated with keeping a home functioning, including utilities. It wasn't fun when my water heater broke one weekend and I couldn't get a plumber in until Monday. And when I had my total knee replacement, the three flights of stairs in my home became quite a challenge.

For over 60 years, my parents lived in the same house in Rome, GA. Boy, talk about people who did not want to move when the time came. My dad was 93 and mom was 84. And the time came. Mom was showing signs of Alzheimer's and, for her, taking care of dad, the house and cooking had become too much.

Our Journey

My husband Richard and I had to step in and firmly guide my father to select an independent and assisted living community in Rome. He did and they moved. We assumed power of attorney and sold the family home for them.

According to an article in Psychology Today, one of the major reasons people tend to stop exercising after recently starting an exercise routine is that they do not want to experience discomfort. After reading this article, it made me wonder whether this is the reason some residents are more hesitant than others to incorporate exercise into their everyday lives. Investigating further into this, I had conversations with several residents about this.

The one true certainty we have in this life is that it is unpredictable and anything, good, bad or otherwise, can happen. Additionally, “it” is not only defined by the passage of time. "It" can also be influenced by proactive planning or, on the flip side, lack of planning. Let's take a look at the "10 Tough Questions About Life Planning."

Being able to live your best life, in all stages of life, takes planning. And we're not just talking about planning for your golden retirement years, but also for your end-of-life needs and wishes, too.