As a Salvation Army officer for 23 years, Jean Frailey moved six times throughout her career. After completing a degree in Hospital Administration, she headed Marketing for two hospital systems. Eventually, she returned to The Salvation Army as the director of Planned Giving in New England. When the time came to retire, the couple agreed that moving to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) would happily be their last move.
“We loved the CCRC model for one important reason—we didn’t want to be a burden to our children as we aged,” Jean recalls. “I remember the challenges I faced when my parents got older and I didn’t want my family to deal with the same situation.” Living in Massachusetts at the time, Jean’s husband was also several years older, so moving to a continuing care community was the ideal choice.
When her husband passed away, Jean decided the time was right to move closer to her two children. Her son lives in northern New Jersey and has a summer home on the Shore, and her daughter lives in Tennessee. Social and active in several hobbies and clubs, Jean was specifically looking for another CCRC. “I am more of an East Coast person than a Southerner, so my son researched the top-rated CCRCs in New Jersey for us to tour during a whirlwind visit, which I don’t recommend,” she recalls.
JEAN’S TOP 5 CCRC CRITERIA
Anyone searching for a new home in a retirement community has their own unique wants and needs. Jean’s ‘need list’ included:
- A safe, amenity-rich senior community that didn’t break her budget.
- Two bedrooms to provide a separate home office.
- Walk-in closet to house her love of fashion.
- Private garage for her car and seasonal storage.
- Less than a one-hour drive to her son’s Essex County, NJ home.
JEAN LIKED MORE THAN ONE SENIOR COMMUNITY SHE VISITED, BUT FOUND APPLEWOOD TO PROVIDE THE BEST VALUE COMPARED TO THE OTHER COMMUNITIES. NOT ONLY DID HER APARTMENT CHOICE MEET ALL OF HER WISH LIST NEEDS, IT OFFERED MORE STORAGE THAN ANY OF THE OTHER HOMES SHE TOURED.
RECOMMENDING SENIOR RELOCATION MOVERS
While Jean was experienced at project managing a move, she hired a moving service specializing in senior living relocations. Before Jean’s arrival, the firm managed all the packing, moving and unpacking in her new apartment.
“My move from Massachusetts to New Jersey was a breeze, thanks to these movers,” Jean recalls. “It was so wonderful opening the door to my new home at Applewood and seeing all my things unpacked and perfectly arranged as if I had lived there for years.”
LIVING AN ENGAGED LIFE AT APPLEWOOD
Today, Jean has a core group of good friends with whom she regularly dines and socializes. She attends frequent on-site cultural events and resident parties that often feature live entertainment. Recognized as one of Applewood’s ageless residents, Jean also attends the Lifelong Learning lectures that address topics from science, art and technology to current events, health and history. Using Applewood’s private transportation also makes taking day trips to area restaurants, museums and entertainment venues easier than driving herself.