Lanier Village Estates— Julie Kuchemann
Julie.Kuchemann@actslife.org
Magnolia Trace—
Jason McKnight
JMcKnight@actslife.org
Matthews Glen—
Lara Hill
LHill@actslife.org
Park Pointe Village—
John Redmond
John.Redmond@actslife.org
Tryon Estates—
Moose Penfold
Moose.Penfold@actslife.org
Heart & House is a publication of the Acts Sales & Marketing Team
For Suggestions And Comments
HeartHouse@actslife.org
Editorial Group
Lori Woodward
Chief Marketing Officer
Beth Carey
Corporate Director of Brand & Promotions
Kimberly Burke Director of Sales
Lisa Sileo
Marketing Manager
Jill Quirk
Marketing Manager
Contributors For This Issue
Editorial Lisa Sileo Design
Lia Calhoun Graphic Design
Acts Resident Photography
John Warner Photography
Bren Photography Production
Beth Carey & Jill Quirk
Acts Mission Statement
Acts is committed to providing security and peace of mind to seniors by being a preeminent provider of retirement-life services, responsive to individual, social, personal, health and spiritual needs in a Christian atmosphere graced with Loving-Kindness, dignity, sensitivity, honesty and respect, without prejudice or preference.
Acts Retirement-Life Communities Corporate Services Center 420 Delaware Drive Fort Washington, PA 19034
www.actsretirement.org
“I’m so blessed and very fortunate to find Tryon Estates,” said Katherine Jeter, who lives at the Acts Retirement-Life Community in Columbus, North Carolina with her husband Jack, surrounded by incredible scenic views of the picturesque Blue Ridge mountains amid hiking, horseback riding, and nature. At 84 years old, Katherine is an avid cyclist and skier, and in November she will rappel over the edge of a 10-story building to raise money for a local charity fighting cancer. Katherine herself is a breast cancer survivor. “I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 66. As I approached my 70th birthday, I wanted to do something that showed I’m more than a survivor, I’m a thriver!”
“We love everything about Tryon Estates—certainly love the fitness training and the encouragement. I was not an athlete as a young person,” Katherine said. “I lack hand-eye coordination for sports. I came to skiing and cycling very late.”
KATHERINE JETER LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST AT THE FIVE BORO BIKE RIDE IN NEW YORK CITY THIS PAST APRIL.
Clinton & Kathryn Pettus
Bayleigh Chase RESIDENT PROFILE
Katherine bought a bicycle before her 70th birthday and rode 70 miles to mark the momentous occasion, raising $70,000 for her two favorite charities. Two years later, she took her bike cross country—riding 3,100 miles from San Diego, California to St. Augustine, Florida. To celebrate her 75th birthday, Katherine climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. This summer, she was one of 32,000 cyclists riding the Five Boro Bike Tour, an opportunity to roll through all five boroughs of New York City. “Cycling is exhilarating, challenging, and a positive addiction for me,” she said. This adventure-seeker found the perfect fit at Acts' Tryon Estates. “The community is like heaven; it’s in a unique part of North Carolina. The area is rife with cyclists, horse people, and hikers because there are so many trails. It’s a nature lover’s paradise!”
“Tryon Estates sits at the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains and the views are just beautiful,” she added. Katherine also has all the encouragement and support she needs from the fitness staff, exercise
classes and athletic opportunities on campus.
“Our fitness trainer, Caroline, is the most amazing human being. I've never seen anyone quite like her! I have a reputation for being enthusiastic, but I can't hold a candle to her enthusiasm for fitness, positivity, and health,” said Katherine. “She is perpetually dedicated to keeping everyone as fit as they possibly can be.”
Katherine and her husband decided to move to Tryon Estates to escape the burdensome responsibilities that come with maintaining a home to focus more on truly living! “Why would I stay in my home? To preserve my pride? We only have a finite amount of time and energy. It’s much better to use that energy doing something you love,” she said.
“Why would I want to age in place? What benefit is that?” Katherine continued. “I want to age in a place where I can do all that I can do to live fully. It’s a marvelous quality of life.”
Most people realize that at some point they'll have to downsize and simplify their living. It's one of life's major transitions that received a negative connotation somewhere along the way.
Maybe it's because of the work involved. Maybe it's the assumption the project will come with too much stress and anxiety. But ask yourself this: When have you ever been afraid of a little work in life? Here are some great tips for making “rightsizing” easier.
We know what you're thinking: why “Rightsizing?” Truth is—downsizing is not a blanket process. It's going to be unique for everyone. It needs to be right for that individual or that couple. Rightsizing is the first step in moving to a smaller space. It means establishing a living space that meets today’s needs, which include comfort, safety and personality. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming or daunting. Just ask our residents…
“We are very comfortable and happy after downsizing,” said Susan Fischer, a resident of Lima Estates in Media, Pennsylvania. She and her husband sold their large five-bedroom home in New Jersey. “You know the saying ‘less is more’ and it really is true. You think you need everything and above, but you really don’t because there’s so much to do here.”
“Moving into a smaller place, you experience the most freeing feeling. We spent most of our lives collecting things to fill up rooms in bigger homes,” said Shirley White, a resident who moved into Matthews Glen in Matthews, North Carolina last December. “You don’t really need all that stuff
because once you get rid of it, you will realize that’s all it was—stuff.”
Think of all the excitement (and liberation) that can come with this transition. It's an adventure to embark on such a project, and adventures always come with a little adrenaline rush. Remember those butterflies you felt before moving into your college dorm, your first apartment or your first home? It's a good bet that you'll get those same butterflies moving into an amenitiesfilled retirement community with countless activities! Here are seven tips for organizing and/or downsizing your life to make your cozier space work wonderfully for you.
1. Make sure what you keep is really something you can't live without. Is everything you own worthy of a space in your home? Look at each item and categorize it: practical and useful, beautiful and inspiring, or one of a selected number of things you keep because of the memories associated. Surround yourself with things that make your heart sing or make your life easier. Just OK is not OK—don't keep stuff that takes up valuable space!
2. Regarding the sentimental stuff: Sometimes it’s helpful to take a picture of an item and let the original go. Keeping antique furniture that does not fit your decor, style or taste for sentimental value will always stick out like a sore thumb. If no other family member is interested, keep the picture of it and donate it to a good cause.
3. Make use of all the space you have. Sometimes that means adding a shelf to a cabinet, so the space can be used better. Sometimes that means putting artwork on the inside of cabinet doors and/or adding hooks and jewelry hangers to walls. Find special sized wire wall storage or shelf baskets to organize or hang the most used items.
4. Make sure all furniture serves a multi-function. You may only have room for one table, which may have to double as a coffee table, task table, office workspace and meals table. Find a desk that can be closed at night to disguise work if it is out in the middle of your living space. Find a hall organizer to put at the front door with specific bins to collect keys, bags, coats and shoes. Sofas and chairs can also be converted to sleeper beds if you no longer have a guest room. Wicker baskets are attractive storage containers that can be slipped under things and stacked on shelves. Cubes can double as storage or extra seating.
In any bathroom, you should have one wicker basket to pull out for all your makeup, another one for all hair appliances and a drawer for brushes, combs and other essentials. Pull them out when using them and then store in cabinet or drawers the rest of the time. You know what you use regularly and like, so only buy what you need and discard the rest, and resist taking samples from hotels.
6. Limit the amount of space you're willing to give to any type of item: Keep only the books that fit on the bookshelf; keep only the greeting cards that fit in the appropriately sized box or what you designate to keep for that kind of memorabilia. Get serious about
your closet. Statistics show that we wear only 20 percent of the clothing in our closet 80 percent of the time.
7. Limit your collections. You may love crystal and previously had room to display all of these wonderful gems, but it may clutter a smaller place. Box them up and tuck them safely under the bed where you could get to them easily. You can display a handful and rotate them out every few weeks. You can still enjoy them, but this way you really see them because the display always looks fresh and interesting.
Also remember the advantage of living at a retirement community where all the many amenities, gathering spaces, sports and fitness areas, and restaurants are an extension of your apartment. Consider limiting kitchen items, serving trays and platters because you’ll be cooking far less.
“We were used to entertaining at a large scale, often 30–40 people at a time. We had a lot of trays, bowls, four or five sets of dishes,” said Mary Alice Trotter, a resident of Park Pointe Village in Rock Hill, South Carolina, “We still love to entertain and enjoy people in our home, we just do it a little differently, hosting two to four people at a time.” Residents can also entertain large parties in their community’s upscale private dining areas which can be reserved for special occasions and celebrations.
“Living simply and minimalistic is trendy right now. It’s never too early to start downsizing,” said Susan Mooney, Vice President of Client Experience at Wayforth. Susan has been part of the senior move management industry helping clients maximize their living space for more than 15 years. “Does it bring you joy? Hold onto your favorites and let the rest of it go.”
A TASTE OF ACTS
A TASTE OF ACTS
A flavorful fall recipe you can prepare at home from our chef at Tyron Estates.
A flavorful fall recipe you can prepare at home from our chef at Tryon Estates.
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" x 9" pan.
2. Beat butter for 1 ½ minutes. Add cake mix and beat on low until well combined. Reserve ⅓ of mixture for bar topping.
3. Press remaining mixture evenly in pan bottom, approximately ½" thick.
4. Mix cream cheese and sugar in bowl on low for 2 minutes.
5. Add pumpkin, eggs, vanilla and spice. Mix on low for 1 minute, scrape side of bowl and continue at medium speed for 2 minutes.
Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup cream cheese
1 box yellow cake mix
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup cream cheese
1 cup canned pumpkin
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning
½ cup of chopped pecans
2 large eggs
½ cup of chopped pecans
A TWO-MINUTE TIP From our Fitness Team
A TWO-MINUTE TIP From our Fitness Team
Here are a few exercises to get you moving and improve your brain health.
Here are a few exercises to get you moving and improve your brain health.
6. Spread pumpkin and cheese mixture to cover base in pan.
7. Pour reserve base mixture over top and sprinkle pecans evenly over.
8. Bake 35–45 minutes until golden brown and center is set. Remove from oven; cool completely on wire rack and refrigerate.
Makes 16 bars and serves 10–16 people. These bars freeze well.
of loving kindness, we salute our residents who remind us every day that age is just a number.
