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Senior Living
I have never been a successful planner of my life. Not due to lack of
effort. I was dutiful about writing down goals and ambitions, but
circumstances have a way of subverting my best intentions.
A good example is the plan my husband Al and I agreed on was to “age in
place” and leave our home on Big Sugar Creek feet first. Well, that
idea ended with a flash flood in 2011 that left us homeless and
desolate. We moved to Minnesota to (ostensibly) collect our wits and
make a new plan. After renting a house for a year, we bought a home and
decided on a new plan to “age in place”. That plan expired when Al’s
health failed after successfully battling multiple sclerosis for more
than twenty-five years and he had to move to an assisted living
apartment nearby. Al passed away in 2019 and once again I planned to
stay in place. Our home was handicap accessible, my son and his family
lived nearby, and I didn’t mind living alone.
Nevertheless, upon the recommendations of trusted advisors, I visited
several Senior apartments so that if I did need more care I could go to a
place of my choosing. There were long waiting lists for larger
apartments, and I could always decline an opening if I was unwilling to
move at that time. Then in January 2025 I got a call that a two-bedroom
apartment was available in the Beacon Hill complex in nearby Minnetonka.
I visited it and decided that a more ideal place was unlikely to be
available when I wanted to move. The time was now. My advisors had been
adamant that if I were to move to an apartment, it would be when I was
still able to be active, participate in activities and (hopefully) make
friends.
Thirty short days later I was a resident of Beacon Hill Terrace. The
apartment was at the end of a long hallway (exercise! quiet!) on the top
floor (4th) of the building. It is a pleasant place surrounded by trees
that will change with the seasons. In the warm months my leafy bower
offers privacy and I can keep the shades open in the large windows.
I arranged the space rather unconventionally, but perfect for my
interests. I sleep in the smaller bedroom and the larger one is devoted
to my hobbies – sewing, quilting, and other crafts. I don’t anticipate
having dinner parties, so the sunny dining room is my writing space.
Lots of room for my computer desk, printer and books My orchids reign in
the corner for an extra dose of beauty.
I have lived at Beacon Hill for six months now. It has been a more
pleasant experience than I hoped. The residents and staff are friendly
and I already feel at home. I have dinner with others in the dining room
and have a very nice kitchen (granite countertops!) for breakfast and
lunch. Of course I have had lunch at nearby restaurants a few times with
friends. I am busy with projects and participate in activities like the
weekly movie, and a writing group. My most time consuming project has
been making “dining scarves”. It is fun to exercise my creative ideas in
a positive way by making them personal for each recipient. If I am
paid, I give the money to the local food bank, so it is a real feel good
endeavor.
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