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Sound Publishing | 2011 SENIOR HOUSING GUIDE
Life in a Retirement Home for the Elderly BY LOU GUZZO
Back in the late 1970’s, while serving as chief policy adviser to my old friend Governor Dixie Lee Ray, one of the many tasks she assigned me was a visit to all the rest homes and retirement homes for the elderly. It had been reported that the old folks were not being treated properly at the time. My visits took me several weeks. I was in my late 50’s at the time and was deeply impressed --- and somewhat depressed --- by what I saw. Women and men in their late 80’s and 90’s were bent over and forced to maneuver in carriages and walkers, and at best, leaning on canes. But they were remarkably happy with their lot and smiled constantly in the many interviews I arranged. They may have been examples of the lame and the halt in our society, but they didn’t utter a single complaint to me. Nevertheless, I said to myself that I must never grow old like these forlorn people. Little did I realize that when I turned 90, my wife, Madeleine, and I would be forced to give up our home in Issaquah and find a suitable retirement home to live out the rest of our lives. Alas! I was myself to join the lame and the halt.
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My wife and I searched the field, visiting several retirement homes in the Seattle, Bellevue and Renton area. The one we finally chose was Regency Newcastle. And the reason that we selected it was the congenial staffers, beginning with the pleasant marketing director, Kathy Kappler, the similarly pleasant manager, John Kotalik, and above all, the incomparable activities director, Shawna McGovern. I suppose other retirement homes have equally fine staffs, but we believe those at the Regency must top them all. In no time, my wife and I found that we had certainly made the right choice. And what of the “lame and the halt” that I had encountered more than four decades earlier? Well, we soon discovered that these oldsters may have some physical disabilities, but they were
friendly, still bright despite their years, and the epitome of great conversationalists. In other words, we found these residents at the Regency to be of the highest caliber of friends we had known. Now, I have wondered at the age of 92, that if we had not chosen to live at a home like the Regency, we would never have had the chance to meet these bright, interesting, and immensely likeable old folks if we had, instead, chosen to move in with one of our daughters. Suddenly, we were in the midst of more than a hundred superb friends who never complained about their physical problems and who were a delight to be with. In addition the activities are endless --- with something for everyone, as the old saying goes. In fact, the Regency just recently won a national award for being the most enterprising activities homes for the elderly. Credit for that award should go Shawna for her incredibly frequent and interesting daily activities for the residents. Once each month, the residents meet to discuss the activities, the excellent dining facilities, and all other issues. At these meetings, they are invited to voice their gripes, their wishes, and their likes --- whatever occurs to them. In addition the executives who run the home provide a monthly meeting at which the residents are free to offer their problems, their wishes, and anything else. In our comfortable two-bedroom apartment, my wife and I have resumed life as if nothing had changed. I have continued my writing, turning out daily commentaries for my website, www.louguzzo.com, and adding to the number of books I have written. In addition, I am pleased to deliver talks twice a week to the residents. Some of the talks are on the news of the day. And others are from my vast collection of jokes --- most of them jokes I had collected in my days as a speaker on the national circuit and as a speech writer. The Regency has its own doctor in residence, as well as a well-staffed nursing crew. It also has daily exercise sessions, a swimming pool, a movie room, and other advantages. As one might say, it has all the pleasures of home.