Never thought of that

As I waited at a grannie client's "senior lifestyle residence" for her to join me for breakfast, someone I'd never met came over & struck up a conversation.  She & others were curious why my client was living there when there is a church-sponsored retirement community in the center of our hometown.  

Hmmm.... Never occurred to me any of her friends there might wonder about that. 

My answer could have underscored that our hometown facility is strictly residential - my client would be responsible for almost all her meals, for cleaning the apartment, for taking her meds - whereas where she lives offers all that, and much more. While I gave a passing mention of that, it wasn't my focus.

The heart of my answer embraced all my client has from being where she is at this moment in her life.  

Although she isn't with long-time friends, she's delighted with her new ones.  She loves hearing their life stories & world views (many of which are vastly different from her own).  She thoroughly enjoys the weekly current events group & Bible study class & many wonderful programs that engage and/or entertain.  

Most of all, she savors being part of lively meal-time discussions.  

Saturday night supper has become special fun.  John & I join her in the facility's spacious dining room, sharing a table with & getting to know her friends.  And she glories in heading out afterward for a night cap.  (One of these days at least one of her friends will accept our invitation to join us!)

Whether it's returning home after her Saturday night cap or after any of our outings, she always wants to take the front entrance rather than the back, even though it is it's three or four times longer to her door.  Small wonder - unless it is very late, there's at least a few friends to whom we give a merry wave & smile; we often come across several hanging out in the comfy chairs that dot the spacious hallways, who draw us into whatever gab is going on.  However tired she might be from a long evening out, I can feel her drawing energy from them.

Why is she there, instead of a hometown residence 

where she'd be with people she's known for all or most of her life?  

In a nutshell, because her loving husband thoroughly researched all their options & saw in it the best place for his beloved.  The one thing he did not foresee was being hospitalized - in the facility's excellent medical center - before they could move in.  What a blessing that when her family did get her tucked into an apartment, he was not far.  It was tragic he passed not long after, but what a comfort for him to know she was in a place that provided  extensive services & support, as well as shelter.

My thanks to her friend for asking WHY my grannie client lives there, rather than somewhere else.  It's such a good match, hadn't really thought about it.  

Smiling, thinking how pleased her husband would be that his choice has worked out so well for his missing-him-yet-happy Own True Love.