Why Move to a Retirement Community?
— Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 by Luise Volta
My husband and I came to the Warm Beach Retirement Center ten years ago. He was 89 and I was 73. We didn't need to come...and that's exactly why we did! We wanted to be an active part of the community for as long as possible.
We both love volunteering. It's a priceless gift. I want to tell you about that.
We actually moved to a fancy, for-profit retirement center first but it was a dreary affair. Volunteering there is against the law because it could become exploitation, profit-wise. So...you sit in your unit and watch TV, then you sit in the dining room and eat, then you sit in the activities room and are entertained and sometimes you go on trips where you sit in a bus. Waiting...sitting and waiting.
In the non-profit setting here at Warm Beach, you can volunteer and feel useful...as in BE useful! Did you know that statistics show that being useful promotes longevity? No "sitting and waiting" for us!"
It's wonderful! You meet other like-minded folk and you have fun. It feels like an extended family. Stop by sometime...you will feel the Holy Spirit at work the minute you step foot on our campus.
Last year Warm Beach Residents put in about 30,000 hours of volunteering. That's equal to replacing 18 full-time employees. On top of that, we earned over $100,000 in our Thrift Shop, Ceramic Shop and annual Bazaar and poured those funds back into the community.
Now, my husband, who will be 99 in October, is in nursing. Warm Beach is a Continuous Care Community, so we get to stay close. I go over twice a day to see him and take him his little Chihuahua pup to hold and love. He's among familiar faces and feels at home. That's because he IS at home.