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 

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