Finding the right senior residence

As Rich’s parents entered their 90s they increasingly struggled maintaining the safety and cleanliness of the home they’d lived in for 60 years. Despite our urging they resisted moving to a senior residence. Although emotionally and physically draining we eventually had to move them to a senior residence. Mom died a year later and Dad enjoyed six pleasant years until his death in August 2023.

Dad quickly made friends at the facility. Food was excellent, and the staff and fellow residents were helpful and caring. Although it met his basic needs, Dad often expressed frustration that the facility lacked things he valued. The grounds were immaculately tended. Nary a blade of grass was out of place. It was a wildlife and native plant desert that frustrated a man who loved animals and natural diversity. Sidewalks wound through manicured lawns but none traversed natural vegetation. Recycling was minimal and abundant waste was dumpstered. As a career teacher Dad loved interacting with children. They were absent at his new home.

We turn 75 this year. As much as we love our home and yard, we recognize that calendar pages advance and someday we may need to live where life is easier and, hopefully, pleasant. So, we’re researching.

Flyers advertising Corridor senior residences come to our mailbox, television and computer. We’ve driven by some and toured a few. All seem well managed and fill basic needs, but few address important values that Dad found lacking at his last home and that we value.

The grounds of most senior residences are manicured and manipulated. Not a blade of grass is out of place, and even occasional ponds are lined with white rocks that communicate sterility. Where are the cattails?

Seeing photos of older people playing cornhole at their senior residence communicates boredom. Like Dad, we don’t just desire, but require, access to natural beauty and the opportunity to interact with children. These add enjoyment and meaning to life…..as does recycling, composting, and gardening. We’ve yet to find a senior place in the Corridor that offers us a lifestyle we find attractive.

An ad in SMITHSONIAN Magazine caught our eye. It featured lifestyles offered by facilities managed by nonprofit Kendal, including one in Oberlin, Ohio. We stopped by in June.

Driving into their property made us feel at home. Clover lawns showed that they shun herbicides. Eight ponds sustained lilies and cattails as birds soared in front of our car, and trails wound through natural areas. It was like a senior residence set in a nature center.

Marketing Manager Terry Kovach confirmed that Kendal prioritizes recycling, composting, energy efficiency and children. “Our in-house preschool is a benefit for staff who have young children. It enables residents to interact with kids often. That helps everyone. Residents read to kids, swim with their grandfriends, and help them learn to cook through the cooking club,” said Kovach. Interacting with children in these ways would have brought joy to Mom and Dad but was not available where they lived.

After only an hour at Kendal we felt comfortable. The nonprofit company has similar senior residences in several eastern states and is building two in California. Perhaps they’ll come to Iowa. Or, maybe there is a similar existing senior residence in the Corridor we’ve yet to discover. The development of the former Dows Farm may create a good living fit for us.

We’re not yet ready to send a deposit to any senior residence, but when we do it will be a place where we feel at home at a place that shares our values.

Rich and Marion Patterson have backgrounds in environmental science and forestry. They co-own Winding Pathways, a consulting business that encourages people to “Create Wondrous Yards.”