Downsizing: Two cars to One!

Shannon and I have always had two cars, since we married in 1971 

Now, at the Glenridge, there are so many activities "on campus" we discovered that in our first two months, we'd never had both cars off the campus. 

So, I traded my big Cadillac DTS for a golf cart. For a couple of months we made due using Shannon's Honda Civic hybrid for any trips around town. 

The problem is, I'm 6 foot 2 inches, and she's 5 foot 2 inches. I had difficulty scrunching down to get in, and I must have looked pathetic prying myself out of the little honda civic. 

We needed to find a car that we were both comfortable getting into and out of. 

Our primary criteria were that the door be wide, and the seat height was approximately butt level, so we could get in and out without climbing up, or dropping down. We just wanted to swing our legs and walk out. 

I researched the issue on the internet and found two cars that looked like they would work, the honda element, and the Toyota Scion xb. 

We went out to look at these on Christmas eve. Honda was closed, but Toyota was open. 

We stepped into the Scion xb, and it was exactly what we were looking for. Hard to believe, but it fit us both very comfortably. We drove it, and we bought it. 

So, if you're looking to cut back from two cars to one, and you're different sizes, I suggest you look at the Toyota Scion xb. Best news of all was the price. Around $18,000 with tag, tax and title. 

I gotta tell you, though, the car is not beautiful. In fact, it's pretty ugly. But, as Shannon says, "it's so ugly it's cute."

Other couples have downsized from two cars to one. The retirement resort style living offers so much on campus, there is much less need to go outside. 

Phil and marion used the transportation department to drive them out for their anniversary celebration. Out and back in a limo for a total cost of $10. Can't beat that. Our CCRC is pretty full, so there may be a waiting list, but if you want to see what a first class resort style retirement community looks like, visit the Glenridge web site. 

My 99 year old Mother is well & back home

Thanks for all your interest in my 99 year old mother. As I said in an earlier post, she needed rehab after a short hospital stay. 

We brought her up to The Glenridge, to stay in the Carrol Center. She was thrilled with the skilled nursing care she got at the Carrol Center. 

Shannon and I were also thrilled to have mom just a block away. We stopped by a couple of times a day. 

You should see the Carrol Center. It's not like any nursing home I've ever seen. There is a huge aviary in the center which is filled with finches. We were among the many folks who spent time just watching the action among the finches. 

Besides being beautiful with delightful distractions, it was impeccably clean. Instead of the normal linoleum tiles, there was carpeting everywhere. There was no odor. The rooms were beautiful and the fitness center was wonderfully complete. 

Best of all, the nurses and staff were delightful, patient, and caring. If I ever need skilled nursing care, there is no place I'd rather go.

Anyway, Mom is fine and much stronger for the rehab. She pushes a mean walker, and there isn't a hint of weakness or stumble. Unfortunately, the assisted living section here at The Glenridge, is reserved solely for members, so mom had to return to her assisted living facility in Venice. It's nice, but nothing like the assisted living facility in the Glenridge. If only mom and dad had made the decision to move to a continuing care retirement community when they were younger and able to walk in. 

We learned the value of making a choice while we could qualify. Perhaps this blog will help other retirees see the merit in making an early choice. 

Yours for a healthy retirement,

Ken Johnston 

Elderly Sex? Does it ever end?

"There's a popular perception that older people aren't as interested in sex as younger people," said Stacy Tessler Lindau of the University of Chicago who led a study of more than 3,000 U.S. adults ages 57 to 85, published in August by the New England Journal of Medicine. 

The study found that between 50% and 75% of those studied remain sexually active. 

Holy Smokes! The study also found a close link between sex and health, with healthier people reporting the highest rates of sexual activity. 

The Glenridge is totally dedicated to keeping all of us retirees healthy and active. What a stroke of luck that we ended up here. 

Who would have thought? Most of these wonderful, healthy, oldsters are enjoying a healthy, vibrant sex life ... and nobody talks about it. I guess that's the way we were brought up. 

Thanks to all the fitness options and the focus on healthy eating we not only can expect to live longer, but with this discovery, it seems we'll enjoy our later years even more. 

More later,

 

Ken Johnston

P.S. To get on the waiting list to become a member of this fantastic place, take a look at The Glenridge web site. 

Never Taser A Rottweiler

I learned so much from my relatives during a fantastic thanksgiving feast my nephew's wife made for our extended family. 

I learned that while a taser can stop a human being cold, it just makes a Rottweiler mad. So I vow to never taser a Rottweiler. 

For the first time since we've been in Florida, Shannon and I didn't host the big family feast. Consider that when you're doing your retirement planning. If you choose a big house with lots of bedrooms and a pool, you're likely to host more than your share of family gatherings. 

We drove to their lovely home. We were guests at the party. I loved it. Hosting is hard work. When you're hosting, you run around seeing that everyone has everything they want. When you're a guest, you get waited on, and you have time to talk and listen to the conversations. 

Since we moved to this delightful CCRC (continuing care retirement community) we no longer have the biggest house, so the next generation has stepped up. My nephew and his wife did Thanksgiving. My son and his wife will do Christmas, and Easter is to be announced.  But, it won't be at our house. 

One of the benefits of reaching your seventies is a future filled with being a guest. I've compared living at The Glenridge to resort living, because it really feels like a retirement resort. I feel like a guest in our retirement community. All our needs seem to be anticipated, and built into the single monthly fee. 

I like being a guest. I loved hosting when I was younger. But, now, I love being a guest. If I weren't a guest on thanksgiving, I wouldn't have learned to never taser a Rottweiler. 

I hope your holiday was delightful and filled with interesting conversations. 

Yours for a fun filled, stimulating retirement experience. 

Ken Johnston 

P.S. If the term CCRC is new to you, find out about them. They are the next great thing in retirement living. Ours is pretty full, but their web site will show you what is possible in a Florida retirement community. Sarasota CCRC

99 year old Mother suddenly needs skilled nursing care.

I've mentioned before that my mother is 99 and lives in an assisted living facility in Venice, just south of Sarasota. A couple of weeks ago, she spiked a temperature and the assisted living folks sent her the hospital for what turned to be only a bladder infection. Thank goodness. 

The doctor was a nice young fellow and kept in touch with us daily. After three nights in the hospital, the doctor told us he was releasing her to go back to her home. 

Knowing how quickly one can lose muscle tone while in bed, we asked if someone had been getting her up and walking every day. He said, "Oh, that's a good idea," as though it hadn't occurred to him before. 

The next morning, the physical therapy folks gave her an evaluation and recommended that she be sent to a skilled nursing facility for physical therapy before being released to go back to assisted living. They estimated it would take mother 10 days to 2 weeks of therapy to be strong enough to walk unassisted with her walker. 

The nursing home they wanted to send her to was adjacent to her assisted living facility. Both of my sisters have spent time in that nursing home, and we hated the place. The nurses were cranky and unpleasant. The place smelled bad throughout, and everything was very institutional, in our judgement. 

We quickly checked with The Glenridge, the CCRC (continuing care retirement community) we live in, to see if they had room in their skilled nursing section, called the Carroll Center. They did, and we quickly had mother moved there, right down the street from us. 

Frankly, I had never seen the inside of the Carroll Center, but had heard great things about it.  I was dazzled by it. The room was private. Each room was decorated like a bedroom at home would be, and the nurses were delightful and caring. Mother got outstanding physical therapy sessions every day, not just weekdays. She loves the place. She doesn't want to go back to her home. 

Unlike other nursing homes, the Carroll Center had no odors, no feeling of being institutional, and delightful surroundings. I hope I never need skilled nursing, but I know now, if I do, I'll get the best care possible. 

Mom's still in the Carroll Center, and if we can, were trying to get her into the assisted living portion of The Glenridge. Normally, they only have room in assisted living for Glenridge members, but this is the first time a Glenridge member's mother requested space, so they might be able to work something out. I'll let you know how that goes. 

Yours for a happier, more stimulating, more exciting retirement,

Ken Johnston

P.S. If you're interested in discovering more about living in a CCRC, check out The Glenridge web site and see what you want to look for for your retirement community. 

Best Places To Retire

Everybody wants to know, "What are the best places to retire?" 

The answer is highly personal. You may like California. I like Florida. So, I won't say anything about where. 

The best places to retire, in my judgement are CCRCs. Continuing Care Retirement Communities are very special places, and for our third home since we've been retired, we finally hit a home run. 

I watched my Mother and Father retire to a condo on the water on the west coast of Florida. I watched my 88 year old mother tend to my bedridden Father, in the living room of that condo. 

If they had chosen in their 70s to live in a CCRC, their later lives would have been vastly different. Dad would have moved to the assisted living section while mother stayed independent. They could have had meals and common activities together, but mother wouldn't have lost touch with her friends, and stopped her activities to care for dad. 

Eventually, dad would have moved to the next building over, to the skilled nursing facility. Again, they would have had all the together time they wanted, but mother would have kept close to her friends and continued her independent activities. And, she wouldn't be an 88 year old nurse and caregiver. 

We tried to get them to consider a retirement home, but to their generation that was the same as a "nursing home" or an "old people's home."

If only they could have lived to see the place Shannon and I chose to move into; The Glenridge. It's incredible. It's like a resort.  We feel secure physically, socially, and financially. We know that whatever healthcare needs that either of us might have, it'll be available for us, at no extra cost. 

We looked at other retirement communities, but we never saw anything like The Glenridge. The others were so institutional. This place is like a resort. There are more interesting activities than one could ever want or need. 

So, getting back to the "best places to retire," I say, look for what is becoming the next new thing in retirement communities, a CCRC.  It's a place you can move to early in your retirement while you're still active and curious and vital. You feel secure because you know healthcare costs can't disrupt your comfortable retirement. No matter what health problems you ever might have, you pay nothing more than you pay while you're totally independent. And, if you find a new CCRC that's like a resort, you've found what I swear is absolutely one of the best places to retire. 

Yours for a safe, secure, worry free, active and vital retirement,

Ken Johnston

P.S. The Glenridge is almost completely full, but you can always get on a waiting list. Take a peek at their web site so you will know what to look for in other CCRCs. 

Funny Retirement Poem

Here's a sample Funny Retirement Poem

An ode to old age:

There's quite an art to falling apart as the years go by,

And life doesn't begin at 40. That's a big fat lie.

My hair's getting thinner, my body is not:

The few teeth I have are beginning to rot. 

I smell of Vick's Vapo Rub, not Chanel #5;

My new pacemaker's all that keeps me alive.

When asked of my past, every detail I'll know,

But, what was I doing 10 minutes ago?

Well, you get the idea, what more can I say?

I'm off to read the obituary, like I do every day;

If my names there, I'll once again start - 

perfecting the art of falling apart. 

(author unknown)

This, like many other funny retirement poems, paints a sad picture of retirement. 

 

I'd like to show retirees there is a different life in a CCRC that focuses on lifelong learning and activities that stimulate. 

I invite anyone interested in lifelong learning, healthy activities, and rewarding community activities to check out the incredible CCRC that we were lucky enough to get into. I'm not selling our community, heck, they may be sold out. It's probably too late now for anything except a waiting list. 

I'm suggesting that people search for continuing care retirement communities that focus on life enrichment, lifelong learning, and building community. Ours is just a good example of what to look for. 

If you want the remainder of your life to be filled with kick the balloon and old people's jokes, there are plenty of retirement homes that will fill the bill. 

If you want life enrichment, lifelong learning, and stimulating, vibrant and interesting people, look for a CCRC that aims for an enriched offering of stimulating opportunities. 

Yours for a retirement full of fascinating people and lifelong learning,

Ken Johnston

P.S. For a good example of what's possible click on: A Great Example of Life Enrichment

Retirement in a Retirement Resort

My mother, (bless her heart, she's 99) lives in a retirement home just south of Sarasota, in Venice. She lived with my sister, who is 77, in her condo on the bay until last year. Then my sister became unable to care for her, so we moved her into a retirement home which offered independent living and assisted living. 

The CCRC Shannon and I just moved into is more like a resort than a retirement home. I'll tell you what I mean. 

Our new continuing care retirement community has over 300 living units for independent living. Each is a complete home. You pay up front for the apartment or club home, and then a monthly fee which covers virtually everything you could imagine. 

That fee may go up each year with inflation, but if we should ever need assisted living, or (knock on wood) skilled nursing care, the fee we pay doesn't ever change. We have no worries about healthcare or healthcare costs. 

I say it's like a resort because of all of the amenities and services that we get for our monthly fee. We can dine in one of three dining rooms. We can get meals delivered to our house, like room service. The list goes on and on, but the main thing is the community is alive and vibrant. People are learning and playing and interacting. 

I don't know about you, but in caring for my parents, and Shannon's parents, we scouted out a lot of retirement homes. We saw lots of really old people, and walkers and mobility scooters. When we visit my mother, we see people staring at televisions, with little to do. 

At our new place, there are dozens of activities to choose from daily. It's almost too much. You can read the list of daily activities on their web site, so I won't list them here. Just think resort and imagine living in a retirement resort. That's what it feels like. 

We really feel secure knowing that no matter what healthcare issues we have in the future, we never have to worry about high healthcare costs and outliving our money. 

In your retirement planning, I hope you'll consider finding a CCRC that is like a resort, and for goodness sakes, don't wait too long. Don't wait for health issues to hit you, and like my mother and sister, not be eligible for membership in a retirement resort like ours. 

Yours for a happy and healthy retirement,

Ken Johnston

P.S. To see what makes this place seem like a resort, go to their website and click a few links to see what makes a continuing care retirement community so different from a retirement home. Explore our new community. 

P.P.S. If you want to see pictures of my mother and her many birthday parties, go to our personal website: http//www.kenshan.com

Light Bulbs Out. Call Maintenance!

We just spent 13 years in a wonderful house in a great area. We kept adding on to the house till it was 5500 square feet. It was a fantastic house, but a maintenance nightmare. 

We've been in the new place for 7 weeks and I am thrilled. Yesterday I noticed a light bulb was out and I called maintenance. 30 minutes later the bulb was changed. And, since maintenance is built into our monthly fee, there will be no charge. 

Doris, our friend and neighbor, noticed her refrigerator was not keeping things cold enough. She called maintenance. In less than an hour, two maintenance guys showed up with a new refrigerator. They moved everything from the old fridge to the new one, and wheeled the old one away. (This place is only three years old, the "old" fridge couldn't be that old. 

I'm 73, and while I still glide smoothly around the tennis court, I don't do well crawling around the floor. Five years ago, I couldn't see it coming. I just sort of assumed I'd be nimble and flexible forever. But, that's not how aging works. 

This place comes with free cleaning service, so I'm delighted to save some of the low down tasks for our housekeeper. I call this blog retirement at the last resort, because it is really resort living at its best. It's like living in posh resort. 

In your retirement planning, I hope you'll give some consideration to a retirement with some built in indulgences. You won't always be able to do everything you've always done, and you won't want to. 

Yours for a happy and healthy retirement,

Ken Johnston 

P.S. There are CCRCs all over the country. It's the next new thing for retirees. Discover what you might want to be looking for by taking a look at Our new Place.  

Retirement Planning. Where will you live?

Bill & Nancy retired in place. They wanted to be near to their friends and family. Two years later, they realized that their friends were still working, their kids were involved with their own lives, and they felt left out and ignored. 

They retired to Florida, in a big house in a posh gated community. Now, they had new friends, and people who were available to play golf or tennis during the day. 

Nine years went by. The house was bigger than they needed. It was hard to care for. They wanted something smaller with less maintenance. That's when they made the mistake they're paying for today. They bought a lovely new condo before they sold their house. 

Now, because of the real estate market, they've got a condo they can't sell and a house that still takes a lot of maintenance, and instead of a happy peaceful retirement, they're going nuts trying to get out of the mess. 

They've visited the continuing care retirement community we moved to and they realize they should be here, with us. But, they're stuck. They really didn't consider their healthcare needs or the potential healthcare costs they face. 

I could tell you other, similar stories. For some reason, people delay going into a retirement community and keep making the kind of decisions they've always made. It's as though they don't see the future. 

I hope you study the stories of people who have been retired before you. Time and again, you'll see examples of people who waited too long. Illness struck, and they were stuck. 

The reality of retirement is you get older. Older and frailer. Look ahead. Plan ahead. Start considering different choices than those you've always made. I'm not saying you should move to an over 65 retirement community as soon as you retire. I'm just saying you have more risk if you wait too long, than you face by moving in too soon. 

Your's for a happy and healthy retirement,

Ken Johnston 

P.S. If you want to see something about the place we chose, it will give you some ideas of what is possible. Maybe there is some place like this where you want to live. TheGlenridge