Last Friday, October 9, Richard Marshall offered a viola recital for the residents of Kendal at Granville. The Amelia Room was packed and the audience delighted by the performance.
For many years Marshall has been a member of the Minnesota Symphony. He is also the son of an emeritus member of the English Department at Denison University. This local tie meant that his appearance at Kendal provided an opportunity for many of his relatives and friends to hear him perform. Since his accompanist, Philip Everingham, was also a local figure – the organist at the First Presbyterian Church – the occasion was altogether a memorable and happy get-together of music lovers and friends.
Before playing, Marshall set the stage for the evening by speaking a bit about his enterprise and his instrument. He called his diverse program the "Marshall Plan." He followed that remark by immediately referring to his imminent performance as a "Marshall Art." We had been alerted by quips. A chuckling audience was prepared for an evening of entertainment.
The program was varied. Marshall began with an unaccompanied bouree by J. S. Bach. As he proceeded through his diverse program he evoked the schmaltz of Vienna with several lush compositions or arrangements by Fritz Kreisler, shifted eras by introducing us to a lovely work by Maria de Paradis (a contemporary of Mozart's), brought the room to silence with the haunting Vocalise by Rachmaninoff, and concluded the evening with the familiar "Smile Though Your Heart is Breaking" by . . . Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin? Who knew? I sure didn't.
A standing ovation followed the concert. No surprise there. The music was lovely, the performance splendid, the entertainment value high, and the sense that we were welcoming a local boy home gratifying. It was a memorable evening for Kendal.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Opportunities for a Lifetime of Learning
Like all Kendal affiliates, Kendal at Granville declares itself a supporter of lifelong learning. The ambition is grounded in the belief that any effort to transform the experience of aging must foreground the importance of being engaged with the world. No kind of engagement rivals education as a path toward enriched lives, widened curiosities, and enlarged hopes. So education is what Kendal encourages.
My mind was turned to these sorts of thoughts as I reflected on how so many of my friends and I are seizing upon the opportunities that are available to us by virtue of living right here in Granville.
First of all, there's Denison University. Our partner in many activities, Denison welcomes senior citizens into its classrooms and laboratories. Denison has long sought to be a welcoming neighbor to Granville residents who want to get back into the classroom after lives and careers in fields as diverse as the clergy and the military, medicine and homemaking, farming and the law. One of my friends is enrolled in a German class because he wants to visit and talk with relatives in Europe. Another took a class in classical and medieval philosophy because he was curious about natural law teaching. A third has taken so many classes in the studio art department that she has been allowed to offer a pottery course to Kendal residents, using the University's studio facility.
In the recent past I know of Denison classes taken in art history, earth science, English poetry, the history of Islam, macroeconomics, music theory, and the Old and New Testaments. So far as I know, in every instance the senior enrollee has come away from the experience of reentry into the classroom exhilarated by the subject and delighted by the chance to talk with the young women and men who attend Denison.
But Denison isn't our only source of opportunities. The Lifelong Learning Institute, operating under the sponsorship of the Central Ohio Technical College, is offering a rich array of courses this fall, and – switching completely to personal experience now – I have found four that I'm signed up for. The first, just wrapped up, was a humdinger – "The Civil Rights Movement and Black Power." Our instructor teaches at OSU, Columbus, and thanks to her well-organized presentations I now have a much better understanding of the sequence and meaning of various tumultuous events which occurred during my lifetime but which had all become rather muddled in my mind.
I'll soon be taking a course with the provocative title of "Beethoven and Berlioz did WHAT?!?" It is designed to be a "light-hearted" classroom experience, and our instructor is a conductor, composer, and arranger affiliated with Muskingum University. Sounds good to me!
Next in line will come a course on the Cold War. It's another of these large historical moments that I lived through but need instruction on. Our guide will be an award-winning emeritus professor from Miami University, who has written widely on the subject.
Finally, in an effort to guard myself against terminal fuddy-duddiness, I've signed up for "Introduction to Facebook." Almost every week I have an occasion to feel embarrassed by what I don't know about my Facebook account, and so I hope to begin to remedy my ignorance. Our instructor is a retired trainer for JP Morgan Chase, and I'm treating this course as my "Facebook for Dummies" experience.
There's much else on offer from the Lifelong Learning Institute – a POW's story, for example, or a tour of Union Cemetery in Columbus, or the history of Columbus aviation. My point, however, is broader: Kendal takes seriously its commitment to fostering lifelong learning, and our happy proximity to Columbus and Granville – to Denison, COTC, and two branches of The Ohio State University – allows the community to connect with an array of educational opportunities. It's another of the benefits of living at Kendal.
My mind was turned to these sorts of thoughts as I reflected on how so many of my friends and I are seizing upon the opportunities that are available to us by virtue of living right here in Granville.
First of all, there's Denison University. Our partner in many activities, Denison welcomes senior citizens into its classrooms and laboratories. Denison has long sought to be a welcoming neighbor to Granville residents who want to get back into the classroom after lives and careers in fields as diverse as the clergy and the military, medicine and homemaking, farming and the law. One of my friends is enrolled in a German class because he wants to visit and talk with relatives in Europe. Another took a class in classical and medieval philosophy because he was curious about natural law teaching. A third has taken so many classes in the studio art department that she has been allowed to offer a pottery course to Kendal residents, using the University's studio facility.
In the recent past I know of Denison classes taken in art history, earth science, English poetry, the history of Islam, macroeconomics, music theory, and the Old and New Testaments. So far as I know, in every instance the senior enrollee has come away from the experience of reentry into the classroom exhilarated by the subject and delighted by the chance to talk with the young women and men who attend Denison.
But Denison isn't our only source of opportunities. The Lifelong Learning Institute, operating under the sponsorship of the Central Ohio Technical College, is offering a rich array of courses this fall, and – switching completely to personal experience now – I have found four that I'm signed up for. The first, just wrapped up, was a humdinger – "The Civil Rights Movement and Black Power." Our instructor teaches at OSU, Columbus, and thanks to her well-organized presentations I now have a much better understanding of the sequence and meaning of various tumultuous events which occurred during my lifetime but which had all become rather muddled in my mind.
I'll soon be taking a course with the provocative title of "Beethoven and Berlioz did WHAT?!?" It is designed to be a "light-hearted" classroom experience, and our instructor is a conductor, composer, and arranger affiliated with Muskingum University. Sounds good to me!
Next in line will come a course on the Cold War. It's another of these large historical moments that I lived through but need instruction on. Our guide will be an award-winning emeritus professor from Miami University, who has written widely on the subject.
Finally, in an effort to guard myself against terminal fuddy-duddiness, I've signed up for "Introduction to Facebook." Almost every week I have an occasion to feel embarrassed by what I don't know about my Facebook account, and so I hope to begin to remedy my ignorance. Our instructor is a retired trainer for JP Morgan Chase, and I'm treating this course as my "Facebook for Dummies" experience.
There's much else on offer from the Lifelong Learning Institute – a POW's story, for example, or a tour of Union Cemetery in Columbus, or the history of Columbus aviation. My point, however, is broader: Kendal takes seriously its commitment to fostering lifelong learning, and our happy proximity to Columbus and Granville – to Denison, COTC, and two branches of The Ohio State University – allows the community to connect with an array of educational opportunities. It's another of the benefits of living at Kendal.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Moving On
Moving On - 31 August 2015
This is my final blog about life as I see it at Kendal at
Granville. No I am not moving away from
Kendal at Granville. If you have read
any of my blogs written in the past five years, you know that I am indeed “a
happy camper” I still firmly believe that my decision to
move to Kendal is one of the best decisions I have ever made. It is not because there is nothing more to
write about. Kendal is ever evolving,
ever changing, and ever renewing itself.
So there will always be something to write about.
So why is this blog my final blog?
It’s because I have reached a point n my life’s journey not unlike when
I retired from nursing. It is time for me to move on. It is a time for me to do
something different. A compelling factor pushing me to make this decision
has been my ongoing struggle to adjust my life to my increasing blindness.
Everything I do now takes more time so I am finding it necessary to
prioritize my activities. As a result I
have dropped out of some where either my blindness precludes participation or
others can carry on without me. From my
point of view blogging is one of the things others can do as well, if not
better than I can.
In addition I have been finding it increasingly difficult as well as
more and more time consuming – thus my decision to “move on.”
And so, dear reader, if you are
reading this to help you decide whether or not you want to “move on” to Kendal
at Granville, I encourage you to make the “move” and join us here. It’s a great “forever” home.
I strongly urge you to do it sooner than later. I am glad I cane when I
could be fully independent. I learned my
way around when I had no problems with my sight. I learned to know the other residents and staff
as well as routines when it was easy to do so.
This I do know – there are many avenues for me to explore as I move on
and lots of people here who will support me as I move on.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Why I Chose Cendal at Granville
Both personal and professional factors
entered into my decision to choose Kendal at Granville as my “retirement”
home. It was the professional factors
which made me choose Kendal and the personal factors that made me choose the
Kendal at Granville.
The professional factors affecting my choice
were intertwined with my career as a nurse educator. Teaching geriatric nursing was a part of my
practice as a nurse. Living in a
Philadelphia suburb as I did, I couldn’t help being aware of the fine reputation
of the nearby Kendal communities and what they were doing to transform the care
of the aging. I was familiar with what
they were doing to free people from restraints, both physical and chemical –
something I had advocated for some time.
I also was aware that Kendal was working to improve the quality of care
by setting standards and establishing accreditation of institutions caring for
the aged. Parallel experience in nursing gave me first hand experience of the
role of accreditation initiatives in bringing about improvements in nursing
education.
Knowing the reputation for the quality of
life as a Kendal resident, Kendal efforts to free patients from restraints, and
what they were doing to improve standards of care of the aging convinced me
Kendal would be a good choice. Having
made that choice I had to decide which Kendal.
After my husband died in1995 the trip back to
my home state of Ohio grew longer and longer each time I made it to visit my
son and his family in Lancaster, Ohio and my stepson and his family in Lima,
Ohio. As my young granddaughter in Lima
told me, “Grandma, I like to visit you, but I don’t like making the long
trip.” I could see the writing on the
wall. If I wanted to be closer to family
so I could be a part of their lives, I would need to find a Kendal or something
akin to it in Ohio. I could scarcely believe it when I learned
there was a Kendal being built in Granville, Ohio which was only a thirty
minute drive from my son’s home in Lancaster.
Looking back over my life here since July
2005 I believe my choice of Kendal at
Granville was one of the best decisions I have made in my 88 years. I have no regrets and I should add that my
family members are thankful not only that I am nearby but also in a place where
they don’t have to worry about me. My
grandsons have loved coming to visit me and take advantage of our wonderful
pool. They also have enjoyed eating here
with me frequently. Now that they have
gone off to college and so no longer visit me frequently I am grateful that for
the past ten years I have been close enough to have been more involved in their
lives.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Kendal Throws a Party
In case you hadn't heard, Kendal at Granville had a gala party last month. A Tenth Anniversary Party!! A party to make everyone happy! A party to remember! I've been late in commenting on it because I wanted to give myself time to get my mind around what we'd done. I'm not sure I've accomplished that goal, but the clock keeps ticking and I don't want to be hopelessly late in posting this entry. So. . . .
The official birthday of Kendal at Granville was Wednesday, June 15. But preparations began much earlier, allowing expectations slowly to spread. A planning committee was formed. Announcements started to appear, reminding residents to save the dates. Notices were emblazoned in issues of Tower Lines, the monthly newsletter. The Kendaliers began weekly rehearsals for a new Kendal anthem. A schedule of events was distributed. A videographer visited the campus, recording various activities. Gradually residents began to realize that something big was afoot and to talk ever more widely about the coming celebration.
On June 1 the first mark of the celebration burst on the scene when the gallery opened a month-long display of photos. They showed early residents and staff members struggling with the challenges of creating a new community amid mud and partially constructed housing units, organizing themselves into operational committees, enjoying their time together in parties, celebrating national holidays, and pausing to pose proudly as they settled in to their new lives with their many new friends in their new community. Some of those in the pictures have died over the past decade; but many still live at Kendal. All these faces reminded us in 2015 of the debt we owe to those who, in 2005, had the optimism and courage to sign on to the new venture. Nor surprisingly, the exhibit was popular with everyone, and almost any time you passed through the gallery you found people – residents and guests – viewing the display.
The next major event was held in the Amelia Room on the evening of Monday, June 13. It was a kind of preparatory moment, and because it was the occasion for the official group photo of all current residents, virtually everyone attended, some of them sporting Kendal gear of various shapes and colors. Amid laughter, chatting, and brief breaks for sobriety, we lined ourselves up and posed en masse for a three-part photo that, by the magic of photographic coordination, will be converted into a single horizontally extended picture of about 170 people.
The Monday gathering provided an opportunity for other activities too. The new Kendal video was premiered, to wide approval. The new anthem was debuted and encored. The special commemorative issue of Tower Tales was distributed to all residents. It featured pieces by residents and staff who were present at the founding and color photos of many of the events and people from those founding days. A questionnaire about Kendal trivia was distributed, and residents were given two days – until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday – to decide upon their answers. [Sample questions: how many pianos may be found at Kendal? Name the resident who was a Rhodes Scholar? Which staff member was once an employee of the Columbus Blue Jackets?] Cheating was encouraged!
The big day, of course, was Wednesday, the 15th – the All-Day Anniversary Celebration. It began with a continental breakfast, attended by both residents and guests. A panel discussion (the Founders Reflection Coffee) followed, featuring a few individuals who had played determinative roles in the founding of Kendal at Granville. Above all, there was Jack Heller, Jane Heller, and Dave Richards, three members of the quartet (with Dave's late wife Dee) who first had the vision of creating a CCRC in Granville and the salesmanship to persuade the Kendal Corporation to buy into that vision. Also on the panel were Harriett Stone, the very first resident to move in; Bobbi Thios, popular director of marketing and cheerleader of the early enterprise; and Tom Mitchell, clerk of the works as Kendal at Granville rose from a field of ground southwest of the town. Interest in the panel was so great that the overflow from the Heller Room filled almost all of the Richards Room.
The mid-day meal was a community pot luck and luncheon, served in the Amelia Room and offering delicious options and surprises and a startling array of scrumptious-looking desserts. The crowd was so large that it spread out through hallways and public rooms. But wherever you went it seemed, there were instrumentalists providing lovely music.
At 1:30 the Anniversary Tree was dedicated. A gift from KAGRA to the community, it was a sour gum or black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), a tree native to Ohio that flowers in the spring and provides breathtaking foliage in the fall. A slow drizzle did not discourage a crowd from gathering for the event.
At 3:00 the the trivia challenge awards were conferred, and against a background of giggles, chortles, and gasps as answers were announced, a variety of hard-researching or maybe just plain lucky residents won well-earned recognition as those among us who were most knowledgeable about our community.
The major gathering of the day – the moment for Celebration Remarks – drew a large gathering back to the Amelia Room at 4:00. Doug Helman, Executive Director of Kendal at Granville, honored the Hellers and the Richards and told the audience that Kendal at Granville's story was a tale of "self-determination, perseverance, generosity, and community outreach." [His full remarks were printed in the July edition of Tower Lines.] Mike Rapp, Chair of Kendal at Granville's Board, spoke of the importance of Kendal. Seth Patton, Chief Financial Officer of Denison University, our invaluable partner in the Kendal story, talked of Denison's role and commitment to Kendal at Granville. Finally, John Diffey, Chief Executive Officer of Kendal Corporation, spoke warmly of the happy months he had spent in Granville prior to the opening of Kendal, working with public officials and private individuals to help smooth the path toward eventual success. Since John has recently announced his coming retirement, and since for many of us he represents the values that undergird the Kendal project and mission, he was warmly received.
The speakers' remarks were followed by the public recognition of two important groups: staff members who have served here for ten years, and staff members who had recently graduated from degree programs.
Even after the meeting ended, many who had attended stuck around for some important photo opportunities. The first – the most significant of all – was of the more than fifty current residents who are classified as "founders" [defined as people who moved in during the first year of Kendal at Granville's existence]. Then photos were taken of the staff and of all Board members, past and present. Future historians should have no trouble finding images for any study of Kendal's glorious Tenth.
Credit for this unforgettable celebration is owed to many people. My own perspective is no doubt incomplete, but it seemed to me that the person who led the organizing of the celebration and oversaw the skein of events that constituted it was Ashley Wade, Director of Marketing. Many thanks should go to her.
In retrospect I have been struck by how moved I was by the unfolding of the celebration. We were all having fun and didn';t care that the weather was disobliging. We learned about our history and the debt we owe to the vision and determination of the founders. We felt the power of the sense of community that knits us together. We gained a richer sense of the promise of the future as we thought about our role in the Kendal universe. We came together. It all left a nice, warm feeling.
And one thing is for sure: Kendal at Granville knows how to throw a helluva party!
The official birthday of Kendal at Granville was Wednesday, June 15. But preparations began much earlier, allowing expectations slowly to spread. A planning committee was formed. Announcements started to appear, reminding residents to save the dates. Notices were emblazoned in issues of Tower Lines, the monthly newsletter. The Kendaliers began weekly rehearsals for a new Kendal anthem. A schedule of events was distributed. A videographer visited the campus, recording various activities. Gradually residents began to realize that something big was afoot and to talk ever more widely about the coming celebration.
On June 1 the first mark of the celebration burst on the scene when the gallery opened a month-long display of photos. They showed early residents and staff members struggling with the challenges of creating a new community amid mud and partially constructed housing units, organizing themselves into operational committees, enjoying their time together in parties, celebrating national holidays, and pausing to pose proudly as they settled in to their new lives with their many new friends in their new community. Some of those in the pictures have died over the past decade; but many still live at Kendal. All these faces reminded us in 2015 of the debt we owe to those who, in 2005, had the optimism and courage to sign on to the new venture. Nor surprisingly, the exhibit was popular with everyone, and almost any time you passed through the gallery you found people – residents and guests – viewing the display.
The next major event was held in the Amelia Room on the evening of Monday, June 13. It was a kind of preparatory moment, and because it was the occasion for the official group photo of all current residents, virtually everyone attended, some of them sporting Kendal gear of various shapes and colors. Amid laughter, chatting, and brief breaks for sobriety, we lined ourselves up and posed en masse for a three-part photo that, by the magic of photographic coordination, will be converted into a single horizontally extended picture of about 170 people.
The Monday gathering provided an opportunity for other activities too. The new Kendal video was premiered, to wide approval. The new anthem was debuted and encored. The special commemorative issue of Tower Tales was distributed to all residents. It featured pieces by residents and staff who were present at the founding and color photos of many of the events and people from those founding days. A questionnaire about Kendal trivia was distributed, and residents were given two days – until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday – to decide upon their answers. [Sample questions: how many pianos may be found at Kendal? Name the resident who was a Rhodes Scholar? Which staff member was once an employee of the Columbus Blue Jackets?] Cheating was encouraged!
The big day, of course, was Wednesday, the 15th – the All-Day Anniversary Celebration. It began with a continental breakfast, attended by both residents and guests. A panel discussion (the Founders Reflection Coffee) followed, featuring a few individuals who had played determinative roles in the founding of Kendal at Granville. Above all, there was Jack Heller, Jane Heller, and Dave Richards, three members of the quartet (with Dave's late wife Dee) who first had the vision of creating a CCRC in Granville and the salesmanship to persuade the Kendal Corporation to buy into that vision. Also on the panel were Harriett Stone, the very first resident to move in; Bobbi Thios, popular director of marketing and cheerleader of the early enterprise; and Tom Mitchell, clerk of the works as Kendal at Granville rose from a field of ground southwest of the town. Interest in the panel was so great that the overflow from the Heller Room filled almost all of the Richards Room.
The mid-day meal was a community pot luck and luncheon, served in the Amelia Room and offering delicious options and surprises and a startling array of scrumptious-looking desserts. The crowd was so large that it spread out through hallways and public rooms. But wherever you went it seemed, there were instrumentalists providing lovely music.
At 1:30 the Anniversary Tree was dedicated. A gift from KAGRA to the community, it was a sour gum or black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), a tree native to Ohio that flowers in the spring and provides breathtaking foliage in the fall. A slow drizzle did not discourage a crowd from gathering for the event.
At 3:00 the the trivia challenge awards were conferred, and against a background of giggles, chortles, and gasps as answers were announced, a variety of hard-researching or maybe just plain lucky residents won well-earned recognition as those among us who were most knowledgeable about our community.
The major gathering of the day – the moment for Celebration Remarks – drew a large gathering back to the Amelia Room at 4:00. Doug Helman, Executive Director of Kendal at Granville, honored the Hellers and the Richards and told the audience that Kendal at Granville's story was a tale of "self-determination, perseverance, generosity, and community outreach." [His full remarks were printed in the July edition of Tower Lines.] Mike Rapp, Chair of Kendal at Granville's Board, spoke of the importance of Kendal. Seth Patton, Chief Financial Officer of Denison University, our invaluable partner in the Kendal story, talked of Denison's role and commitment to Kendal at Granville. Finally, John Diffey, Chief Executive Officer of Kendal Corporation, spoke warmly of the happy months he had spent in Granville prior to the opening of Kendal, working with public officials and private individuals to help smooth the path toward eventual success. Since John has recently announced his coming retirement, and since for many of us he represents the values that undergird the Kendal project and mission, he was warmly received.
The speakers' remarks were followed by the public recognition of two important groups: staff members who have served here for ten years, and staff members who had recently graduated from degree programs.
Even after the meeting ended, many who had attended stuck around for some important photo opportunities. The first – the most significant of all – was of the more than fifty current residents who are classified as "founders" [defined as people who moved in during the first year of Kendal at Granville's existence]. Then photos were taken of the staff and of all Board members, past and present. Future historians should have no trouble finding images for any study of Kendal's glorious Tenth.
Credit for this unforgettable celebration is owed to many people. My own perspective is no doubt incomplete, but it seemed to me that the person who led the organizing of the celebration and oversaw the skein of events that constituted it was Ashley Wade, Director of Marketing. Many thanks should go to her.
In retrospect I have been struck by how moved I was by the unfolding of the celebration. We were all having fun and didn';t care that the weather was disobliging. We learned about our history and the debt we owe to the vision and determination of the founders. We felt the power of the sense of community that knits us together. We gained a richer sense of the promise of the future as we thought about our role in the Kendal universe. We came together. It all left a nice, warm feeling.
And one thing is for sure: Kendal at Granville knows how to throw a helluva party!
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Kendal at Granville Tenth Anniversary Reflections
June 2015 marks the tenth anniversary of the opening of Kendal at
Granville. Residents and staff have been
preparing for months to observe this occasion with a celebration indicative of
the significance of this date.
A variety of activities are on the agenda. As a prelude on June first members of the Gallery Committee installed a Photo History Exhibit entitled “From Conception to Reality” in our Art Gallery.
The schedule for the official Kickoff of Anniversary Week Activities set for Monday, June 15 follows:
4:30 Group Resident Photo Shoot
5:00 Official Opening of Photo History Exhibit
Ice Cream Social (Always a big favorite here)
7:15 Premiere of Kendal at Granville Video
Introduction of “Mound and Tower”, a Kendal Anthem
Distribution of Anniversary Edition of "Tower Tales"
The schedule for Wednesday, June 17 includes:
8:00 Continental Breakfast
9:00 Founder’s Reflections
10:30 Guided Hike to The Pond
11:30 Community Luncheon
1:30 Tree Planting and Dedication
4:00 Anniversary Program with Speakers,
Trivia Prizes and Service Awards
Appetizers and Cocktails
9:00 Release of Luminaria
As I look back over my ten years here I recall how when those of us who were early arrivals found ourselves with what seemed to be a sea of mud. The recently sown grass had not yet taken hold and there had been a lot rain. We discovered in short order that the ground was very hard since the top soil had been removed during the construction phase and the heavy equipment had compacted the soil until it seemed to be as hard as concrete. We tackled the task of transforming our grounds with hard work, mulch, more hard work, (sometimes resorting to pick axes) and finally flowers.
The dinner hour was a great time to take a break from unpacking and spend
timer getting to know each other – where we came from, what we did before
coming to KAG, details about our families, etc. We shared stories about progress or problems
with unpacking. I remember one couple
couldn’t find their toaster for several weeks.
Finally when they got to the last box which was left to last because it
was labeled “pictures” they found the missing toaster. (Wonder what genius of a mover packed it there!)
I wasn’t so lucky. I discovered that the
movers had managed to lose a drawer from one of my small stands. Fortunately I can still use it with the
opening for the missing drawer facing the wall. (Ever so often I wonder what the movers did
with that drawer. Of what use is an
orphan drawer to anyone?) Many of us
discovered that we had more downsizing to do when everything was unpacked and
arranged. So we organized a garage sale
to dispose of our excess and improve the treasury of our Residents’ Association.
As we settled in we grew to appreciate some of the distinct advantages
of life at Kendal. Some of the great conveniences and joys we uncovered here are
1. grass mowing done by summer temporary help, 2. a maintenance crew on hand to
change light bulbs, handle plumbing emergencies, shovel snow, and all that sort of thing, 3. a housekeeping
staff who appeared every two weeks to relieve us of the household chores that have
to be done over and over as a part of life, 4.
a dining staff who made meal planning, food shopping and preparation and
KP a thing of the past for the most part, and 5. drivers to take us to medical
appointments. Best of all the people who
provided us with all of these services were and still are a group of
understanding caring people who manage to always make us feel that they
wouldn’t want to do anything else but be there.
Together these five groups have seen us through several very trying
times with ingenuity and hard work. Two
electric power outages that lasted for days not just hours and one water line
break. You would have thought they
rehearsed what to do in advance. Actually,
as I look back, I realize they had prepared by learning to work together for
the good of all us here at Kendal. It seems to be the
Kendal Way. It certainly is true here at
Kendal at Granville.
One of the things I have come to truly appreciate is the diversity of
residents. Many come from Granville. They help orient newcomers to the area. We
have a goodly number of retired college faculty members representing diverse
fields of study. e.g. anatomy,
athletics, chemistry,computer science, history,
literature. philosophy. Other persons here have retired from careers in
accounting, administration, architecture, banking, business, ministry, nursing,
and teaching – to name just a few of the
occupations in our pasts.
Reading the biographies of our residents or better yet talking with them about their lives in person reveals fascinating information often unexpected. I remember well Mary H. who
Having taken a look back to ten years ago when I arrived here at Kendal
and looking at Kendal as I experience it in my daily life now I can see how
Kendal has grown with grace to fulfill its vision of transforming the lives of
seniors. I have come to appreciate what
it means to live in a community where my joys are multiplied and my sorrows
divided because I am able to share them
with friends and neighbors. Looking ahead I am thankful I chose Kendal at Granville
for my “forever home.”
Monday, June 1, 2015
"Deepening the Conversation on Aging"
Have you ever wanted to have a chance to contribute to a conversation aimed at providing guidance for national policy discussions? Kendal at Granville had the opportunity to host such an occasion on Thursday, May 28, when it became the site of an intergenerational discussion on aging. The event was called "Deepening the Discussion on Aging." It was part of a schedule of discussions held all around the country, focusing on the problems facing aging Americans and designed to provide streams of advice to the The White House Conference on Aging, which will hold its national gathering in July. Kendal Corporation was invited to play a major role in this enterprise, and it in turn invited four affiliates, including Granville, to host discussions.
Seventeen panelists – including four Kendal residents, high school and college-age students from Licking County and Columbus, attorneys, a local judge, and social service professionals – participated in a sharing of views. David Skeen, a Kendal at Granville resident, was the facilitator and reporter for our event, and everything was coordinated by leaders in Philadelphia. Because the sprawling event was streamed, the various participating panels had opportunities to receive reports from one another.
Each of the four host Kendals had been assigned a specific topic to discuss. Granville's subject was "Elder Justice." After receiving encouragement from a prosecutor in San Diego – ah, the wonders of streaming! – we plunged into our work, and even though our guide may have wanted us to focus on crimes of violence against seniors, we found ourselves returning again and again to discussion of the types of scams that, when successful, rob the elderly of their wealth, dignity, and ability to sustain an independent life. Perhaps the gravitational power of this subject was provided by the poignancy of the tales that many panelists shared of friends or relatives who had been tricked by criminals.
And the subject turned out to have complexities. As those versed in the law explained, there is nothing illegal about an elderly individual whom society deems competent to make whatever decisions he or she wishes about the disposal of personal wealth. So among the themes that emerged from our conversations were these: the need for people – children, friends, doctors, clergy, bankers, social service professionals, and neighbors – to remain unintrusively attentive to what seniors are doing; the value of having adult children maintain lines of communication with their elderly parents; and the importance of social organizations' working assiduously to keep an awareness of the dangers posed by those who prey upon the elderly before the eyes of the community.
The Granville participants felt that the conversations had been eye-opening. And so, no matter what happens nationally, there is already talk of organizing follow-up activities here at Kendal. The protection of seniors in our society against those who would target, rob, and cheat them seems an eminently appropriate task for a community like Kendal at Granville to undertake.
Seventeen panelists – including four Kendal residents, high school and college-age students from Licking County and Columbus, attorneys, a local judge, and social service professionals – participated in a sharing of views. David Skeen, a Kendal at Granville resident, was the facilitator and reporter for our event, and everything was coordinated by leaders in Philadelphia. Because the sprawling event was streamed, the various participating panels had opportunities to receive reports from one another.
Each of the four host Kendals had been assigned a specific topic to discuss. Granville's subject was "Elder Justice." After receiving encouragement from a prosecutor in San Diego – ah, the wonders of streaming! – we plunged into our work, and even though our guide may have wanted us to focus on crimes of violence against seniors, we found ourselves returning again and again to discussion of the types of scams that, when successful, rob the elderly of their wealth, dignity, and ability to sustain an independent life. Perhaps the gravitational power of this subject was provided by the poignancy of the tales that many panelists shared of friends or relatives who had been tricked by criminals.
And the subject turned out to have complexities. As those versed in the law explained, there is nothing illegal about an elderly individual whom society deems competent to make whatever decisions he or she wishes about the disposal of personal wealth. So among the themes that emerged from our conversations were these: the need for people – children, friends, doctors, clergy, bankers, social service professionals, and neighbors – to remain unintrusively attentive to what seniors are doing; the value of having adult children maintain lines of communication with their elderly parents; and the importance of social organizations' working assiduously to keep an awareness of the dangers posed by those who prey upon the elderly before the eyes of the community.
The Granville participants felt that the conversations had been eye-opening. And so, no matter what happens nationally, there is already talk of organizing follow-up activities here at Kendal. The protection of seniors in our society against those who would target, rob, and cheat them seems an eminently appropriate task for a community like Kendal at Granville to undertake.
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