One of Sandy’s favorite memories growing up in Minneapolis, Minn. was seeing Roosevelt when he campaigned in her hometown and St. Paul in the 1930s.  “He was in an open car with his wife and we just thought it was so exciting,” she said.

After graduating high school, she worked for the Dayton Company for over two years, a job she was thankful to have as Americans were overcoming the Depression.  When WWII started, however, she enlisted in the Navy at age 20 with the help of her father and left her hometown for boot camp.

“Here I was this little girl getting out of Minnesota for the first time and I was in New York City,” Sandy said with a smile.  Through the Navy, she was able to attend college in Millersville, Ga. and was eventually assigned to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station where she handled payroll for all of the sailors and seamen. 

There, she met Donald, an accountant who was also in the Navy.  They married in her hometown and had two daughters.  Over the years, he worked for the Internal Revenue Service and later started his own business. Sandy enjoyed working for him while the couple frequently made trips to their house in Ocean City, NJ.

It was almost overnight that Sandy said she noticed a change in Donald.  “One time he got lost driving somewhere he’d been hundreds of times,” she said.  In addition to showing signs of dementia, he had experienced falling incidents, for which he had to receive minor surgery. 

When Donald passed away, Sandy stayed at their home for a year and half before deciding to make a transition.  With the help of her daughters who visited often, she found The Maples of Towson, an assisted living community that could offer her a maintenance-free lifestyle and a more active environment. 

“Fortunately, even in this bad market, our house sold right away,” said Sandy.  “When I arrived here, it was so much better than being alone in a big house.”

It was especially important for Sandy to meet other people, since at the age of 88, she said she is now either too far away from her friends or has outlived most of them.  With a smaller size of 70 to 80 residents at The Maples, she has found it that much easier getting to know her peers.

“Some of them are absolutely fascinating. We have someone here that was captured in WWII and was a prisoner in one of Hitler’s concentration camps,” she said.  “We’re all from different parts of the Union and have somehow come to The Maples.”

As she enjoys interacting with her fellow residents, she also takes advantage of seeing her family, who will come and stay with her, or take her to Ocean City for a few days. The opportunity to venture off-campus is something she especially appreciates, since the community’s convenient location to Towson Plaza and the library was among the perks that appealed to Sandy and her family.

When she is not venturing out to the local restaurants and shops, Sandy, who enjoys sewing and playing the piano, has the flexibility of being as active at The Maples as she chooses.  “I have so much to do writing letters, but I’m getting into the activities more and I’ve watched a few performances,” she said.   

Most importantly, she can participate in the variety of stimulating activities knowing she has access to a full range of care options.  At The Maples, the team of care providers works closely with residents, families and health care professionals to develop personalized service plans based on an individual’s needs, desires and abilities.  Residents can also receive assistance with activities of daily living or take advantage of other onsite medical services such as diagnostic services and physical therapies.

In addition to comprehensive care, Sandy enjoys numerous amenities which include three daily meals, housekeeping, laundry services and a state-of-the-art emergency call system.  She can also be seen utilizing the beauty shop or reading in the small library where people have contributed various books. 

“You don’t have to cook or clean, and after cooking so long, I don’t miss it at all,” she said.  “I’ve heard about other people not as happy with how the staff takes care of them in other retirement homes; I’m very satisfied here.”

From seeing a future president to her service in the Navy, there is no question Sandy has led an eventful life.  Among those experiences she can look back fondly on is her decision to take the next step and look into a new housing option.  While this is a transition others often find difficult, Sandy can say that with the supportive and stimulating environment she has found at The Maples, life continues to be fascinating.

“So far, I’m very happy,” she said. 

Over the years, the Wyatt-Browns traveled a great deal teaching at different institutions. After beginning their careers at Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colo., they later went to University of Colorado in Boulder and spent 17 years at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Oh. They eventually transferred to the University of Florida, where they taught for 21 years. In addition, the couple also spent part of their careers in Princeton, University of Wisconsin, University of Richmond and William & Mary. Anne and Bertram also had a daughter, who now lives in St. Paul, Minn., along with two grandchildren.

Despite their many moves, it was never a question for the couple as to where they would spend their future. They left Florida to return home to Baltimore, where they had their sights set on eventually moving to Roland Park Place based on its convenient location and the positive experiences of Anne’s parents there.

Although Anne was initially hesitant about the physical aspects of the move, health issues and the difficulty of navigating and maintaining their three-level house had prompted the couple to seriously think about the transition to maintain their busy lifestyle.

“Baltimore is home for me; my family is here,” said Anne. “The reason we ended up at Roland Park Place is my parents lived here and I had no intention of going to the county. As far as I was concerned it was the city or forget it, and it had to be the neighborhood.”

Having several friends and relatives needing care in a variety of elder care settings over the years had made the couple see the value of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC). They appreciated the fact that they would be able to remain connected to their friends on the campus even if their health needs were to change.

Anne also liked the improvements she had seen at Roland Park Place since her parents were living there. Among those big differences was a list of resources compiled by the staff to help ease the transition and a complimentary floor plan design consultation for future residents.

To further ensure a stress-free move, Anne and Bertram decided to hire a firm that could provide senior move management services. They selected Senior Transitions, Inc., an organization owned and operated by Charna Kinneberg. Senior Transitions, Inc. is a well established company. Charna is one of the founding members of the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM).

With so many decisions to make about what to take, the couple really appreciated a software program that Senior Transitions, Inc. used that mapped out their new floor plan with their existing furniture and possessions. According to Charna, the program allows clients to immediately see their plans and what will or will not work in their new space.

“You could really see what it was going to look like,” said Anne.

Charna then provided her guidance to assist the couple in sorting through their belongings and getting rid of or donating different pieces of furniture.

“I coach my clients to focus on what we want to keep, not what they are getting rid of. It really helps with the decision making process,” she said.

Understanding just how important their tremendous book collection and academic libraries were to the Wyatt-Browns, Charna made certain to identify appropriate space for as many bookcases as possible. The couple was pleasantly surprised at how many bookcases could actually fit. Also realizing that Anne and Bertram needed space for their own computers, she incorporated a desk for each of them in the design.

“My goal is to keep as many of the most treasured items as possible while maintaining a safe environment,” said Charna.

Although Anne is often questioned how she could give up so many pieces of furniture, she said, “A lot of our furniture was handed down to us, and to be able to give it to people who want it and who will someday give it to somebody else I think is wonderful.”

For the official moving day, Senior Transitions, Inc. brought in a crew to manage and facilitate the move. “They were very efficient and fun to be around,” said Bertram. “They made it a pleasure . . . they were just great.”

Anne continued, “They had terrific ideas for pictures, and once they put the pictures up, it made it ours and just transformed the place. They are really gifted in figuring out where to put things and I am in awe of their skill.”

With the move behind them, the Wyatt-Browns are eager to get involved with programs at their new home as they continue the activities they are most passionate about.

One of these lifelong pursuits for the couple is writing. While Anne is an author as well as the co-editor of a gerontological-style journal, Bertram has written twelve books and is a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins. “I go to seminars sometimes and get revved up about that,” he said.

Music is another passion they have shared. Anne, who started in the Glee Club at Bryn Mawr when she was 14, had dreamed of attending Radcliffe College and joining its Chorale Society after hearing them in concert. Not only did she accomplish this goal, but she also became the group’s manager and has since continued to sing in different chorales and churches.

“Everywhere we have gone, I have sung in a group,” she said. “We had 10 moves, and every time, we would join a church and join the choir.” That carries through today as the couple sings in the choir at the Cathedral of the Incarnation which is right down the street from their home.

Most importantly, Anne and Bertram have enjoyed getting to know the individuals at the community. They have been very impressed with how outgoing the staff and residents are and are pleased that there are other “academics” living at Roland Park Place.

“The facilities are great and we plan to make good use of them, but it’s the kindness of people that really makes a difference,” said Anne.

As they meet new individuals, however, they will never forget the people who played a pivotal role in helping them get settled into their new home. No matter their daily pursuits, the Wyatt-Browns know they have beautiful and comfortable surroundings to return to thanks to Senior Transitions, Inc.

“They were terrific, we have nothing but praise for Charna and her group,” said Bertram.