A native of Baltimore, Estelle found the perfect retirement community in her beloved hometown.

Except for a brief stay in Philadelphia, Estelle has spent her entire life in Baltimore. She completed her education in the Baltimore Public School System. Upon graduation, Estelle entered Sinai School of Nursing.

After becoming a Registered Nurse, Estelle wanted to enlist in the armed forces. However, there was a height requirement — a minimum of 5 feet; Estelle was 4’ 11”. She recalls “puffing up” her hair so that she would appear taller when she went in for her test, but it didn’t work. Estelle’s career went in a different direction.

Estelle worked for four years in the operating room at South Baltimore General Hospital, which is now known as Harbor Hospital. During this time, she continued her education, completing a certification course at Johns Hopkins University for Operating Room Technicians.

One of Estelle’s superiors took note of her skills and work ethic and suggested that she undertake additional studies to become an anesthetist. It was rare for a woman to enter this field, but Estelle did not shy away from the challenge. Soon after, she packed up and headed to Philadelphia for an 8-month program of study to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). When Estelle came home, she returned to South Baltimore General, where her successful career spanned four decades.

As a CRNA, Estelle was considered a child specialist; she had a special gift for helping children overcome their fears of medical procedures. As her young patients were being wheeled away from their parents, they were often screaming and crying. “I would walk beside them and once they were away from their parents, I would look at them and say, “Okay, you don’t have to cry anymore, I am not your parent,’” she recalled. Surprisingly, the children would stop crying and settle down.

During her career, Estelle met and married her husband, who was a salesman. The couple had a daughter, Nancy, who followed in her mother’s footsteps. Nancy graduated with her nursing degree from the Villa Julie College, now Stevenson University, and is currently a nurse researcher at the University of Maryland.

Since her retirement, Estelle enjoys spending time with her friends at Springwell playing dominoes, Bingo and word games. She is very close to her daughter, and they both enjoy taking in cultural events. Estelle’s advice to young people just venturing out into the working world is to take the time to find something you really like. “If you enjoy what you are doing, you won’t mind getting up and going into work each day,” she said.

By Clark Kendall

As Lewis Schiff and Russ Allen Prince chronicle in The Middle-Class Millionaire: The Rise of the New Rich and How They are Changing America, during the past 20 years, a portion of America’s middle class has been pulling away from their neighbors by amassing significant wealth.

Through disciplined saving, shrewd investing or timely inheritance – or a combination of these – an increasing number of individuals and families throughout the Washington, D.C., metro area have accumulated $1,000,000 or more in investable assets. This includes doctors, attorneys and even thrifty schoolteachers who have $1 million to $2 million in net worth.

Most of these Middle Class Millionaires are making $150,000 to $300,000 a year. Many are 50 to 70 years of age.

You might be one of them. If so, it is safe to say that you are aiming to have a balance during your retirement years that enables you to continue enjoying a multi-faceted life. Whether or not you consider yourself a millionaire, your finances are significant and require informed decisions to preserve, strengthen and grow what you have worked so hard to achieve.

For Middle-Class Millionaires, today’s market is bursting with different investment opportunities and management styles, as well as a copious amount of retirement and estate planning tools and techniques. Sorting through the options to discern the best choices for your situation can be overwhelming.

If you are a Middle Class Millionaire, here are some important things to know about retirement planning.

Retiring for the Long Haul

If you are part of the generation born between 1946 and 1964 – the “Baby Boom” generation – then increased longevity is by far the most significant new retirement reality you have to deal with.

In our grandparent’s generation, life expectancy was in the 70s. Now, for a married couple age 65, there is a 50 percent chance that one of you will live past your 90^th birthday. This stretches your time horizon for thinking about when to retire.

With increasing longevity, you not only need to save for retirement but also be prepared to save in retirement for the decades ahead. This will involve more than budgeting and frugality. You will need to invest with growth and tax efficiency in mind, year after year, because the purchasing power of your million dollar portfolio may have to last for 25 years or more.

In developing a retirement investment strategy, you need to break things down into short-, intermediate- and long-term segments. In the short term, one to three years out, you need highly secure investments with predictable return on principal. Short-term investment products that are highly secure with predictable returns include money market funds, CDs and U.S. Treasury bills.

The intermediate investment term is four to 10 years. In this segment, you are looking for higher yield by focusing on high-quality corporate bonds backed by companies such as IBM, Procter & Gamble and AT&T.

While planning for ten years and beyond, your number one challenge is maintaining long term purchasing power. Investment products that are appropriate for this segment are common stock, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs, which are traded much like stock).

Getting the Best Investment Advice

Middle Class Millionaires like you need an investment advisor who understands that you have unique questions weighing heavily on your mind and are looking for targeted advice. Your investment advisor should be able to guide you through sound financial strategies that will help you sleep at night, knowing your concerns are being addressed and your interests are being guarded.

One of the best ways to ensure that your investment advisor has your best interests at heart is to choose a fee-only advisor. Fee-only advisors do not receive commissions or compensation of any kind for the products they recommend. They have no allegiance to or conflicts with other financial services organizations for trading or product selection. As a fiduciary, a fee-only advisor’s interests are directly aligned with yours.

These days, especially with all the angst related to the “fiscal cliff,” it’s hard not to be focused on the short-term when it comes to financial planning. But if you are a Middle Class Millionaire nearing retirement age, it will pay to have a long-term strategy and plan in place. If you are constantly worried about short-term market swings, retirement will be less than enjoyable. But if you have a balanced approach that protects the purchasing power of your portfolio, retirement can be a breeze.

Clark Kendall, founder of Kendall Capital Management in Rockville, Maryland, has more than 20 years of experience in investment management and wealth management strategies. He is one of a select few professionals in the world who has earned the triple designations of Chartered Financial Analyst, Chartered Financial Planner and Accredited Estate Planner. Kendall focuses on providing independent financial direction to Middle-Class Millionaires in and around Montgomery County, Maryland.

The board game Monopoly has been in the news lately with the announcement by game maker Hasbro Inc. that it plans to retire the iron game token and replace it with a cat token.

Readers are probably wondering what this has to do with the headline of this story, What to Expect from a Financial Planner.  Actually, the game of Monopoly is a good analogy for financial planning.  First and foremost, a good financial planner can be expected to know the rules of the financial planning “game” and be able to move his or her clients around the financial planning “board” efficiently and effectively to help them reach their retirement goals.

Specific expectations for a financial planner boil down to three primary areas.  First, clients should expect the financial planner to start by making a thorough assessment of their household financial situation.  Individuals and couples have differing financial needs and priorities that the financial planner will keep in mind while making this assessment.

The financial assessment looks at characteristics of the assets owned by the client, everything from real estate to stocks, bonds, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).  Digging deeper, the financial planner will assess the taxable or non-taxable nature of investment accounts along with the cost basis (i.e., original cost) of real estate and stocks.  The assessment will also determine if assets are in a qualified retirement account such as an IRA or Roth IRA, 401(k) or 403(b) plan or, for federal employees, a Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) account.  Finally, the financial planner’s assessment will look to see how much, if any, pension income is coming from a previous employer.

Second, clients should expect a financial planner to help them determine what they want to accomplish in the future.  For retirees, those accomplishments can vary dramatically.

Helping retirees gain an understanding of their retirement dreams and goals is the initial challenge.  Then, the financial planner has to guide retirees in strategizing if they have enough money to meet those goals and realize those dreams. Do their dreams include buying a sailboat, playing golf, sitting on the beach, traveling the world or doing volunteer work – or a combination?  What are the potential downfalls of the assets they have in place, and what changes, if any, should they make?  The financial planner must be prepared to help clients honestly map out pros and cons of alternative investment strategies to help them meet their retirement goals.

Third, clients should expect a financial planner to monitor their financial plan moving forward.  To have a proper financial plan, not only do we need to have clearly defined goals and objectives but we also need to monitor the markets.  Over the past decade, we have seen interests rates come down dramatically. Tax changes, as we saw so vividly in connection with the fiscal cliff resolution, are another reality that must be dealt with.  The financial planner must be up to speed on all of the macro forces that could affect the client’s financial plan.

As the financial planner monitors the retiree’s financial plan, he or she must also take into account personal and family factors affecting the individual, especially health concerns.  What if one spouse has cancer, or Alzheimer’s disease?  Not only will health issues alter cash flow needs, but they will also limit the time horizon for retirement.  Financial needs of children and grandchildren, and how the retiree intends to deal with them, may also affect the retiree’s financial plan.

In the final analysis, it comes down to experience – we should expect that our financial planner will have the know-how to help us put our financial house in order so that we can retire comfortably.  Also, by working with a fee-only advisor – a professional who does not profit from particular investment products – the client can expect that the financial planner will have his or her best interests at heart.

When all is said and done, no two financial plans are exactly the same.  No two people get to retirement the same way.  No two people are living in retirement the same way.  Everybody has different retirement philosophies.  Plugging numbers into a computer spreadsheet and spitting out a one-size-fits-all solution is not what we should expect from our financial planner.  We need to have the expectation that our financial planner will listen to our wants and needs, and build a personalized plan based on the realities at hand.

Clark Kendall, founder of Kendall Capital Management in Rockville, Maryland, has more than 30 years of experience in investment management and wealth management strategies.  He is one of a select few professionals in the world who has earned the triple designations of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified  Financial Planner (CFP) and Accredited Estate Planner(AEP).  Kendall focuses on providing independent financial direction to Middle-Class Millionaires in and around the greater Washington DC area.

It’s a well-documented fact that patients who have the opportunity to participate in rehabilitation after an injury or illness show improved functional outcomes over those who do not.  Rehabilitation, in the appropriate setting, provides the maximum potential for recovery. The higher level of care provided in an acute rehabilitation hospital allows for improved outcomes and leads to discharge in a shorter amount of time.

Rehabilitation Hospitals offer a full continuum of rehabilitative programs and services for individuals who have suffered a major accident or illness, including trauma, stroke, head injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, arthritis, chronic pain, and neuromuscular and pulmonary diseases. A team of highly skilled physicians, therapists, Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurses (CRRN®) and support staff provides a more intense regimen, greater therapy time, and increased availability of pharmacy and laboratory services compared to other levels of rehabilitative care.

Each Rehabilitation Hospital is led by a medical director who supervises the hospital’s multi-disciplinary team to provide a coordinated program of care including goal setting, treatment plans, family education and discharge planning. Careful physician supervision ensures that all patients’ rehabilitation programs are compatible with and appropriate for their medical condition.

“We are team oriented and hands on in our approach to rehabilitation,” said Shaik Samdani, M.D., Medical Director at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Northern Virginia. “At our hospital, an independent private practice physician sees a patient frequently and rarely less than four or five times a week. Physicians also lead weekly meetings to discuss each patient’s progress toward meeting rehabilitation goals.”

Patients at Rehabilitation Hospitals benefit from fully equipped therapy gyms housing the latest in rehabilitative technology. These innovative technologies help patients walk again, regain use of their arms or hands, swallow more efficiently, improve communication, and regain concentration and balance. Specifically, the AutoAmbulator®, created by and exclusive to HealthSouth, improves a patient’s ability to ambulate. This sophisticated treadmill device uses the therapeutic concept of body weight-supported ambulation and robotics to help patients with gait disorders.

Demonstrating Results

For each patient admitted, Rehabilitation Hospitals use Functional Independence Measure, or FIM®, instruments to measure a patient’s functional ability in 18 separate areas. A collective FIM® score is obtained upon hospital admission and discharge.  In addition to tracking and reporting the two scores for each patient, the scores are rated against each other, measuring the success of the hospital’s services to improve functional abilities such as mobility, activities of daily living, bladder and bowel control, and cognition.

“Our goal is for our patients to become as independent as possible,” said HealthSouth’s Director of Therapy Jason Waibel. “We use specific measurement tools to make sure we are properly assessing and targeting goals to help patients reach their fullest potential.”

Don McPherson, 80, taking to the slopes in March 2013 at Whitetail Ski Resort. (Photograph by Tim Hugus)

In his late 50s, McPherson met a man skiing in the Rockies who was 80 years old. He recalled, “I thought, ‘I want to be able to ski when I’m 80,’ so I set that goal for myself.”  McPherson has reached that goal, and has no plans to stop skiing anytime soon.

In 1973, Dr. McPherson was working at a nuclear research lab in Ontario when he was invited to take a position as a nuclear reactor safety engineer with the Atomic Energy Commission – parent of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. His work with the Commission took him to all of the nuclear laboratories throughout the U.S. and to all the nuclear power countries of the world. In 2012, McPherson moved with his wife, Silvia, to Ashby Ponds retirement community from Falls Church, Va., where he had lived since 1975. Ashby Ponds is managed by Erickson Living and situated on a scenic 132-acre campus in Ashburn, Va.

McPherson might be considered somewhat of an athletic Renaissance man. As a child, he spent summers swimming in Lake Simcoe and caddying while at his grandfather’s cottage. In high school, McPherson was on the swimming, diving, gymnastics, and football teams. During his college days at the University of Toronto, McPherson was on the diving team and took pilot training with the Canadian Air Force.

Today, McPherson continues to stay healthy by visiting the Ashby Ponds fitness center two or three times per week, bicycling on the W&OD trail that passes nearby, and skiing during the winter months. ”Being outside in nature, especially in the mountains, is fabulous,” said McPherson. “I love seeing the views, and there’s a healthy aspect about it that simply leaves me feeling good.”

In early March, McPherson made a trip to Whitetail Ski Resort in Pa., which is 76 miles from Ashby Ponds. There, he met a man who was keeping a blog about his experiences skiing for 60 days around the world for his 60th birthday. After having learned about McPherson’s determination to ski at 80, he named him his “man of the day.”

For McPherson, eighty is nothing more than a number. “I’ve always been considered ‘too young’ for the positions that I’ve held,” said McPherson. “I guess now I’m reaping the benefits!”

During his remarkable career, Frank E. Braxton, Sr., has held positions ranging from shoemaker to political appointee.
He learned several trades, pursued a few different careers and discovered a couple of passions. Frank E. Braxton, Sr.’s, lengthy resume includes positions ranging from his early work as a shoemaker to his many political appointments.

While Frank’s job titles are impressive, they don’t reveal his incredible work ethic. His lifelong commitment to service is best reflected by the wide array of awards that adorn the walls of his apartment at Atrium Village.

Atrium Village is a Senior Lifestyle Community in Owings Mills, Md., offering independent living, assisted living and memory care. Frank made the move to Atrium’s assisted living community after a series of illnesses left him hospitalized.

During his remarkable career, Frank E. Braxton, Sr., has held positions ranging from shoemaker to political appointee.

Unsatisfied with the care he had been receiving and looking for answers, his family decided to have Frank transferred to Johns Hopkins Hospital. His mysterious symptoms, including uncontrollable shaking, began to clear up in just a few days.After a brief stay in rehabilitation, Frank moved to Atrium Village and quickly became an active member of the community.For Frank, who recently celebrated his 98th birthday, getting involved has always come naturally. A native Washingtonian, he pursued many different opportunities before delving into local politics. Shortly after graduating from Armstrong Technical School in Washington, D.C., Frank became a shoemaker.

“I found out that I wasn’t a good shoemaker pretty quickly when I started working in one of those fast shoe shops,” he recalled.

After discovering that shoemaking was not his calling, Frank struggled to get another position. “Jobs were hard to find back in the 30s,” he said. “Those of us who actually lived in D.C. had very little chance of getting a good government job.”

Determined to make his own way, Frank began shining shoes at a barbershop that served an elite clientele. “One of the lawyers who came there ended up giving me a letter of recommendation to work at the post office,” Frank remembered. “Because of his letter, I got a job. It was 66 cents an hour, but that was a good job.”

After this crucial recommendation, Frank’s career really took off. He eventually got an appointment at the Government Printing Office. However, shortly after starting his new job, Frank was drafted and joined the U.S. Army. Following a brief but distinguished military career, he returned to the States and was called back to the U.S. Postal Service.
A postal worker by day, Frank also became a watchmaker. “I did anything I could to make an honest living, and I made watches for about 15 years,” he said.

During his remarkable career, Frank E. Braxton, Sr., has held positions ranging from shoemaker to political appointee.

During his tenure at the Postal Service, Frank became involved in The National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees Union. He served as the Vice President of the local chapter and later became the Financial Secretary of the chapter. His involvement with the union continued even after his retirement. “Our local president became the national union president,” Frank recalled. “By this time, I had retired, but he appointed me to serve as chair of the retirees division.”Even while working full time, Frank amassed a significant amount of experience in local politics. Through the years, he held both elected and appointed positions in the D.C. government. He is most proud of his service on the First District Citizens’ Advisory Council. The Council was responsible for advising the commander of the D.C. Police Force about the services the community wanted and needed.“While I was on that Council, we earned the confidence of the neighborhood and also of the police officers,” explained Frank. “We were able to achieve amazing reductions in crime.”

Frank’s many political positions also included an election to the Democratic State Committee and an appointment to the Civilian Complaint Review Board, among others. The Board investigated alleged abuse of power by police officers and made recommendations for punishment.

While he is immensely proud of his work in the community, Frank readily admits that it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of his wife, Geneva. Frank and Geneva met on a streetcar in D.C. Frank had a girlfriend when they first met, but he knew that something was different about this young woman. “She just struck a nerve,” he recalled fondly. “There was something there that I just really liked.”

The couple married and had two children, Frank, Jr., and Yvonne. While Frank pursued his personal and political ambitions, Geneva provided stability for the family. “I was able to do so much because I always had the backing of my wife. I think now of the many nights that she was left alone while I was out doing something for someone else. She always supported me,” he said.After Geneva passed away nearly 20 years ago, Frank continued to live alone in their home. Last year, he started to have some health issues, including episodes of uncontrollable shaking. Frank was leaving his doctor’s office after a follow-up visit when he collapsed. It was this episode that led to his eventual transfer to Johns Hopkins Hospital. While Frank was recovering, his grandson found Atrium Village, and the family has never looked back.

“I would recommend this community to anyone because of the care we receive,” said Frank. “At home, I would miss taking my medicine or run out of medicine. Since I’ve been here, I don’t have to worry about that.”

Frank also enjoys having three delicious meals prepared for him every day. Perhaps, most importantly, he loves the genuine interactions between staff and residents. “The personnel here are very attentive to all of us,” he said. “You often see them hugging the residents and giving them attention, and the residents return the affection.”

In addition to great amenities and personal relationships, Atrium Village offers a variety of spacious apartment styles, including floor plans that residents can personalize with favorite furnishings and cherished possessions. Residents also enjoy events and programs, scheduled transportation to doctors’ appointments and local shopping.

Since moving to Atrium Village, Frank has quickly adjusted and made friends. He has become an integral part of his new community and continues to give back in any way he can.

Pointing to the diverse plaques acknowledging his service as a politician and a community volunteer, Frank notes, “All the awards you see here are for things I did because I wanted to. I never wanted to be paid for the things I did. If I couldn’t do it out of the goodness of my heart, I didn’t want to do it.” Whether he was serving his customers, his constituents or his community, Frank’s commitment to service never wavered, and he always delivered his help with a smile. That, it turns out, is the key to an award-winning life.

Gil and Barbara Stein know this simple fact well. Recently, the couple gave their children an incredible gift and quickly discovered the joy of giving. After carefully reviewing the nearby options, the Steins signed a contract on a new villa in Waverly Heights, a lifecare community in Gladwyne, Pa. Waverly Heights is a Main Line community located a mere 10 miles northwest of Philadelphia, Pa.

“We decided moving here would be a gift to our children, since they would never have to worry about taking care of their parents,” Barbara explained. “Since moving, we’ve discovered that it was really a gift for ourselves.”

While the Steins originally planned to move to Waverly Heights in 2012, they decided to relocate a year earlier based on the sage advice of current residents. “All the residents uniformly recommended that we come early and enjoy the lifestyle,” Barbara recalled.

Now that the transition is over, the couple enthusiastically seconds this advice. “To our peers who are on the fence, I would say, based on my own experience, it is better to move here five years early than one day late,” Gil said. “I couldn’t agree more,” Barbara added. “We are enjoying the wonderful lifestyle we have here, and we know that the care here is excellent if and when we need it.”

An alumna of Vassar College, Barbara married Gil on her graduation day. The couple eventually settled in Gladwyne, where they raised two sons and a daughter. While Barbara was a full-time wife and mother, she always made time to give back to her community.

For more than 40 years, Barbara worked on the Vassar Show House Scholarship program. The group partnered with interior designers and landscapers to redecorate estate homes and gardens for public tours. “It was a wonderful experience, and we all became very close friends,” Barbara said. “During our time together, we raised almost four million dollars for scholarships.”

As part of another unique partnership, Barbara became a founding board member of the first hospice program in the Philadelphia area. “Hospice really is a remarkable program,” she said, recalling as one of her most memorable experiences her direct volunteer work with a young family.

A native of Philadelphia and an avid sports fan, Gil’s career path has reflected his many passions. An Army Veteran who served during WW II, Gil graduated from Temple University and Boston University Law School. His varied and prestigious work history has included high-ranking positions in Philadelphia city government and positions as a law firm partner, a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, and president and CEO of the National Hockey League (NHL) – just to name a few.

While he found all his various careers rewarding, his work with the NHL married his passion for law with his love for sports. “Whatever I was doing was my favorite at the time, but being involved with the NHL was probably the thing I most identified with,” Gil said.

While he was never a hockey player himself, Gil has always been a huge fan and getting the opportunity to serve as the president of the NHL was an enormous honor. Gil loved working with the players and coaches and advancing the game. After retiring, he wrote the book POWER PLAYS—An Inside Look at the Big Business of the National Hockey League.

As for their lifestyle today, the Steins are enjoying a mix of new and old interests with lots of new friends. Barbara, a self-proclaimed “professional volunteer,” is still pursuing her passion for giving back. She has joined Waverly’s marketing, special events and movie committees. She also participates in the daily physical activity options, ranging from aquatics to line dancing.

Gil continues to work part-time as an adjunct professor of sports law at Villanova University Law School. He is also using his newfound free time to pursue volunteer activities. In fact, he recently became the editor of the Waverly Heights monthly magazine, Waverly Window. He also participates in Waverly’s putting competition and is a member of the traveling putting team.

“The thing I like best about living here is that you can continue to live the life you were living before, or if you want to get involved, there are myriad activities available,” Gil said. “We’ve always had a nice social life,” Barbara added. “The difference is now it is all right here—right outside our door.”

In fact, the Steins knew almost immediately that they would be most comfortable at Waverly Heights. When considering a life care community, they looked at nearly all of the local options, but always felt at home at Waverly.

“Beauty is terribly important to me; I love green space, and this community is just outstanding in that area,” Barbara said. Gil concurred, “We were very attracted to the natural beauty and lovely living accommodations, and once we came here, we found the activities were just wonderful as well.”

The activities and the people have made what is undoubtedly a picturesque location a true home for the Steins. “The biggest thing we have here is a sense of community,” Barbara said. “The residents and staff are there for each other, and it is just a really warm environment.”

Having found that sense of community that is missing in so much of adult life, the Steins have never looked back. “So many people tell us that they are not ready to move, but I’m not really sure what that means,” Barbara said. As a trained social worker with a Master’s in Social Services from Bryn Mawr College, Barbara saw firsthand the importance of planning for one’s later years. She had been an advocate of lifecare communities long before considering their own move; however, she could have never dreamt how much moving would enrich their quality of life.

From pursuing beloved activities to hosting new friends, the Steins are fully enjoying everything that Waverly Heights has to offer. When they were researching life care communities, they thought they were giving a gift to their children. When they moved, they realized that the gift was really for them—and that it just keeps giving. Today, the Steins are thrilled to be literally living in the present.

“This is really a village; it’s not just a name,” said Bill Jadney, who made the move to Twining Village in March with his wife, Elaine. “The community is not big, but it is not tiny; you just wouldn’t believe how nice it is to live in a genuine village.”

June Clothier, who just moved to the community in May, concurred, “I love the relaxed atmosphere here, and the people are very friendly. There is a real sense of community.”

For the Jadneys, their first taste of life in a strong community came just a few months after they moved in, when Bill fell and broke his ankle. “The first thing we said was thank goodness we moved here,” recalled Elaine. “I was so impressed that the following day our executive director, Philip Hickey, greeted me by name and asked about my husband.”

Since day one, June has enjoyed the community’s amenities, and she continues to get involved in new activities. “I truly love no longer having to cook my dinner, and the food is great,” she said. “I also workout in the gym three days a week, and I’m looking forward to helping in the new library.”

Like good neighbors in any nice community, the staff and residents of Twining Village are constantly working to make their community better. “The staff is so incredible,” Elaine said. “From the maintenance folks to Jerry Gallagher and Kylie Emery in Marketing, everyone was so helpful with our transition.” Not surprisingly, Twining Village’s dedicated staff is juggling several improvement projects in various stages of completion.

A beautiful new dining room was recently completed, as were enclosed and climate-controlled walkways between the multiple buildings on campus. “Regardless of the weather − rain, snow or cold − we can walk inside from our apartment to the dining room or the wellness center or the auditorium,” said Bill.  However, the Jadneys often walk outside to enjoy the wooded campus featuring mature trees and garden courtyards.

There is also construction underway that will completely renovate the reception area. “If the new reception area is anything like the new dining area, it is going to be amazing,” Elaine said. “I loved the community before, and it just keeps getting nicer.”

Of course, even with all the new improvements, the one amenity that continues to captivate new and old residents alike is the intimacy of the Village. “This is really where everyone knows your name,” Elaine said. “I have been to other retirement communities that felt like hotels.” June added, “The people here are wonderful, and if you want to participate, there is always something to get involved in.”

At Twining Village, every improvement and each resident helps to nurture the dynamic spirit that makes the community a true village. As each new resident discovers, it does, in fact, take a village to create a rewarding retirement.

For more information about Twining Village, visit http://www.diakon.org/twiningvillage

Following this passion led naturally to many other interests. Whether crafting a vase for one of her favorite Ikebana flower arrangements, experimenting with glazes or teaching others how to throw a pot, Sylvia is doing what she loves to do.

While teaching pottery in the Pine Run Craft Barn, Sylvia Roman came to know Pine Run and the people who live there. A full service retirement community owned and operated by Doylestown Hospital, Pine Run is popular among active and artistic seniors. Drawing inspiration from a location well known for harboring creative types, Sylvia’s ceramics classes came alive with resident artists, designers and adventurous others taking full advantage of the new instruction and energy.

An accomplished potter, Sylvia is a juried member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Crafts. She has exhibited locally including in Philadelphia and has been featured in shows and galleries throughout Canada and the United States. She became known for her skill in the ancient primitive Japanese process of Raku, where the piece is grabbed from a blistering hot fire and smothered in sawdust and leaves, allowing the smoke to chemically alter the liquid glaze and adding a unique metallic luster.

“My husband Robin assisted me pulling the pieces from the flames and was relieved when I shifted my focus.” explained Sylvia, “He jokes about finally growing his singed eyebrows back.”

The couple met as young University students in Canada, Robin destined for pharmaceutical research and Sylvia for pottery. After living and traveling all over the world, they found Bucks County to be as beautiful as any place they had ever been.

Sylvia credits their happy marriage to having similar tastes but different approaches. “Robin has a Ph.D. and works with his brain; I have to jump in and learn by actually doing it,” she said.

“We went to France last year to attend cooking classes and had such a great experience; we are going to take a class in Italy next. Robin is a wonderful cook,” said Sylvia. “I like it too, and I know how to debone a turkey.”

To support these interests and more, a unique 1,300 square foot cottage with a vaulted ceiling and skylights is taking shape at Pine Run. The new cottage features a gourmet kitchen boasting all the bells and whistles, a media room and a potter’s personal studio. Ebony cabinetry will complement a large Chinese brush painting of bamboo and horses.

“We found the painting in our travels; the design sensibilities are wonderful, and I love horses,” explained Sylvia.

Relocating for a time to Great Britain for Robin’s job meant that Sylvia had to sell her kiln and equipment, trading it all in for jodhpurs and boots. She seized this new opportunity to ride around Surrey’s country estates. Most fun was participating in old-fashioned pub rides full of good fun that held the promise of comfort, camaraderie and a pint at the end of a long ride.

This same adventurous spirit now leads Sylvia to Pine Run Community in Doylestown. “I really love it here,” she said. “I can’t wait to be able to walk right out of my door and over to the Craft Barn.” She says she feels a complete sense of happiness in this creative environment, working in the muddy water of a slip bucket, using her donated potter’s wheel as a teaching tool. As part of this new adventure, Sylvia is excited to see others give rise to a curvy pot or vase to sell at the Fall Festival or to be wrapped and given as a treasured personal gift.

Foulkeways is the recent recipient of the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s newly created, 2012 Excellence in Health Care Compliance Award. The community is also the first Quaker CCRC in the country and was one of the first CCRCs in Pennsylvania when it opened in 1967.

Some of the students participating in the Foulkeways partnership are enrolled in Drexel’s Accelerated Career Entry (ACE) Program. This program is open to candidates who have already earned a degree in another field of study. Students in the ACE Program complete their curriculum requirements in one full calendar year. Students enrolled inDrexel’s traditional, four-year Bachelor of Nursing Program are also represented in this new, innovative partnership. The ACE students will graduate this September, while students in the traditional program will graduate in 2013.

“All Drexel nursing students are required to complete their clinical practicum in a variety of specialties: Medical/Surgical, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Gerontology, to name just a few,” notes Adjunct Clinical Professor, Maureen Hoban Kahn, MSN, RN, who serves as Drexel’s on-site program instructor. “The experiences at Foulkeways have influenced our students’ perceptions of working with the older population in a very positive way. They are being offered the opportunity to translate what they have learned in the classroom into a hands on experience, and are seeing what respect and genuine caring look like in a real life setting.”

Each student was assigned to a single resident’s care at the start of the 10-week program. Additional residents were added to the students’ rosters as the weeks progressed. Students were responsible for on-going assessments; wound care; medication distribution and monitoring; and even end-of-life issues, such as hospice, as circumstances arose. Students were also responsible for developing creative Resident Care Plans, which have included pet therapy; music appreciation; and a newfound understanding and respect for the vitality, diversity and wisdom of aging adults.

“Our partnership with Foulkeways has allowed our students to enhance their skills in biology, psychology, communication and leadership, all the theories they have been studying, while interacting with compassion and attention to an older population,” explains Hoban Kahn. “Students have created care plans that have provided personalized attention focused on the whole individual, not just the frailer version of themselves residents are currently presenting.”

“One of our students arranged for a retired physician living in Gwynedd House to conduct several lectures to the group on Pulmonary Medicine, his life-long specialty,” Hoban Kahn adds. “Other care plans have uncovered and reconnected residents with hobbies and passions such as poetry and music. Students have organized informal piano concerts and shared poetry readings, performed by the residents in their care, much to the delight of both the performers and the listeners. The students even convinced me to bring my therapy dog, Scruffy, to Gwynedd House, where residents graciously accepted his impromptu visits to their private rooms and sitting areas.”

“This has been an amazing journey,” ACE student nurses Jeremy Schwartz and James Studzinski agree. Jeremy had already obtained a degree in Psychology and was working as a Health Insurance Administrator when he realized he “wanted to be on the other side of medicine to find more meaning in work.” He described his experience at Foulkeways as incredible. “The level of care and the genuine compassion and respect we see at Foulkeways has re-defined my standards for Geriatric caregivers. This experience has exceeded my expectations. “

James also decided to switch careers after earning a degree in Business. “The job market, the economy and a lack of advancement opportunities, all led to my entering the program,” he said. “Little did I realize that part of my training would involve learning how to operate a player piano. One of Foulkeways Gwynedd House residents, John Fernandez, has a player piano in his room, and I’ve become an expert at pumping the pedals on this wonderful antique. John has over a dozen rolls of music, dating back to the turn of the century, and his piano is in excellent working condition. When I open the door to his room, all his neighbors can enjoy the music flooding the hallways. It’s not easy pumping those pedals, but when I see the smile on Mr. Fernandez’s face, it’s worth every ounce of effort. Even John’s cat, Sweetie, seems to approve.”

A traditional, four-year nursing program student, Jeremy Buck was a firefighter and an EMT before he enrolled at Drexel. He says, “Caring for people is a part of my family’s legacy; my mother is a 911 Dispatcher, and my father is a firefighter.” Jeremy has taken to this opportunity for practical training at Foulkeways with zest and enthusiasm; his care plans are filled with deliberate opportunities to provide compassionate touch and hands-on encouragement to the seniors in his care. “The program with Foulkeways has given me a new appreciation of the power of the team approach utilized by the Foulkeways staff,” says Jeremy. “This experience has certainly broken any stereotypes I may have had about caring for an older population. This program is awesome.”

ACE student Ashley Brennan describes the program at Foulkeways as “unique and very different from what other practicums have been.” She adds, “This has been such a personal experience, not so much task oriented, but much more personalized. We have gotten to know the residents, and they have gotten to know us.”

“They want to teach us,” notes student Corie Halasz. “I thought I was here to teach them, and instead they are teaching us. One of my residents has a fossil collection dating back to 1930, and he proudly describes not only what they are, but where he found them.”

“It’s a happy place. I brought my mother to Foulkeways just to look around. I was so impressed and wanted her to see what a wonderful place this is,” explains Kasey Carr. “We were having lunch nearby, so I brought her over. She wouldn’t have believed what I was telling her otherwise!”

“I find that I am now giving support with integrity and respect. Foulkeways has taught us well,” interjects Caroline Wilkinson. “I have a degree in International Politics, and prior to joining the Drexel ACE program had worked in foreign countries including East Africa and Egypt. My plans include heading to Nigeria this December after I graduate, and I am better prepared thanks to this Quaker Connection.”

“This program has highlighted the positive aspects of working with the senior population,” points out Hoban Kahn. “Students involved in this partnership are celebrating the residents for their whole potential; who they are, who they were and who they can be. They made it a point to develop relationships with the residents, and the residents have risen to the challenge – teaching, appreciating, and enjoying the students every bit as much as the students are enjoying them.”

“I’d describe this program with Foulkeways as eye opening,” stresses Alanna Penecale. “Residents are cared for in homelike settings. We do things, just like we do at home. If the trash needs to go out, we take it out; there’s no waiting around for a maintenance worker to come on a different shift to get things done. Our residents have their own, personalized schedules and they continue to live by those schedules, rather than having to adjust to someone else’s ideas of when to get up, when to eat, and all the other daily decisions most of us make for ourselves. There’s a dignity in being able to maintain your normal way of doing things. The residents here can do that!”

Foulkeways Director of Health Services, Mary Knapp, MSN, GNP, NHA, FAAN, adds, “Gerontological nursing practices, especially in the nursing home setting, can often be viewed as a less desirable specialty. As a former Critical Care Nurse Specialist, I know first hand! However, using Gerontological nursing principles that can be applied within an interdisciplinary team setting, while working with older adults, is one of the most rewarding professional experiences a nurse can have. Foulkeways residents and staff want to share this experience with the students so they can bring it forward as they begin their nursing careers.”

Student Rachelle Mason sums up her experiences at Foulkeways and mirrors the sentiments of so many of the Drexel students when she says, “I’m obsessed with being here. I just can’t get enough of it.”