The Sunday, May 28 issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer has a story, starting on page 1, about “Adapting to Independent Living.” It concerns a University of the Sciences class project which paired 14 independent living residents at The Quandrangle, a CCRC in Haverford with 14 graduate level Occupational Therapy students. Interestingly you wouldn’t know from reading the article that the Quandrangle is a CCRC, but it is. https://www.sunriseseniorliving.com/communities/the-quadrangle/overview.aspx
The thrust of the article is that it takes a long time to feel at home, that it’s a challenge to find dinner companions. The article also makes the point that people tend to wait to long to leave home. They should do it when they’re young enough to invest energy in new friendships and activities. I have not yet found the article online. It’s by Stacey Burling. I’ll try again tomorrow to get a link.
One Response
I totally agree. When we were new we had the same problems. People already were into their own groups and as a newcomer, it made you feel like the new kid on the block in school. Also to make it even harder, my husband has Parkinson’s and although people are friendly, that can present other problems. Yes, people are living longer but most are healthier than a generation ago. All in all though I am healthy and my husband’s caregiver , at this stage of our lives, this is the best place for us. I’d be happy to talk to someone about living in a CCRC community, especially since I am the President of our Residents Association.