Assisted living is not only for those who need a little extra help with daily life; it is also a great choice for seniors who lead active lives.
After her husband passed away, Jean Marion’s children worried about her living alone and encouraged her to move to Provision Living. After nine months of being there, she has adjusted well to her new home and is happy about having made the move.
But, in the beginning, she really wasn’t fully onboard with the move.
“When I first came, I wasn’t sure that I was going to stay. I wasn’t sure I wanted to eat meals here. They are healthy and I am used to it now. I wasn’t sure this was the place for me to be truthful. I kept thinking I should just find me a smaller apt. someplace. But, my daughter said, ‘you will still be by yourself’. It took me a couple of months, but after I got accustomed to Provision Living, I think it’s wonderful.” said Marion. “The management is good. The help here is great and that means a lot.” she said.
When Marion moved to Provision Living, she was in good health and at 88 years old, she is still physically capable of caring for herself. Her perception of who needs assisted living was not someone healthy like herself. It took looking at assisted living differently for her to feel like she belongs.
When Marion first moved to Provision Living, she compared herself to other residents.
“Oh my, I don’t have issues like most of the people here, I don’t think. I thought a lot of these people are in pretty bad condition, but I’m not,” said Marion. “I am 88, but I mean, I get around and all and I don’t have to use the walker and that helps. But, I have discovered there are other people here, I can help and that helps me too. It makes you feel worthwhile, I’ll put it that way. It is nice to help others,” she said.
“It helps when others come in and they probably feel the same way at first as you did and you go out of your way to be friendly to them. That helps everybody, including me,” said Marion. “They (the staff) work with us here too, honestly they do.”
Marion and her husband were married nearly 67 years when he passed away. Her children were concerned that she would be lonely living in her apartment by herself. It was big and a lot to take care of. One more concern they had, Marion has diabetes. Her diabetes is not a concern to her; she says she has that under control.
Marion’s son described her as a “people person who needs to be around other people”. The family’s main objective for encouraging their mother to move to assisted living?Opportunities for socialization.
“They (her children) just didn’t want me to be alone, because I am used to being around people,” said Marion. “I have found I am very well satisfied here. It’s nice to be around people and I’ve found some really good friends here and that helps. There is this one Italian lady here and we just really get along fine. She is really special,” said Marion.
Some of Marion’s children live near Provision Living in St. Louis Hills. They and their mother find comfort in the close proximity to one another.
“I am better off here and I realize it. It is peaceful here for me. My children are happy that I am here too,” said Marion. “My kids don’t worry. I am happy they aren’t having to worry about me. So that helps me,” she added.
One of the things Marion attributes her speedy adjustment to the changes associated with moving to an assisted living community, is the fact that her husband was a career soldier and retired from the military. They moved around a lot and with each move she had to adjust to a new place, new people and new surroundings. Marion commented that her children were all born in a different state. She and her husband lived in Japan with her first two for more than one year.
One change that was hard for Marion at first was going from living in a house by herself to living in a community full of people. Now, she enjoys that she has the best of both worlds, people with which to do things and to socialize and a private apartment when she wants time to herself. Marion participates in the many activities that are available to the residents at Provision Living including Wii Bowling, morning exercise classes. She also enjoys other amenities such as the beauty shop and the library.
With all the wonderful things to do and the people she enjoys, Marion finds a way to balance an active lifestyle and time for herself.
“You can find something to do all of the time. I read a lot and there is a library here. I go to my apartment and read. I like being alone. It is fine for me. I am well satisfied here,” said Marion.