Violet, Age 97, At Chartwell since 2009
When posed with the question,How would you describe your life at your retirement residence?,Violet exclaims, “It’s anything but boring!” Having lived at her Chartwell residence for almost nine years now, she can certainly attest to what the lifestyle in a retirement community looks and feels like.
丈夫去世后，维奥莱特独自在一套公寓里生活了近三年。“那是我生命中最孤独的几年。我发现自己经常感到害怕，”她说。在与其中一个儿子的谈话之后，她决定做点什么。“我告诉他我不想再一个人呆着了。”虽然她的两个儿子都提出让维奥莱特搬去和他们一起住，但她还是决定不搬。“他们和他们的妻子都有全职工作——我大部分时间还是一个人度过，我想要更多的社交生活。”在决定探索退休生活后，维奥莱特的儿子们去查特维尔进行了一次私人旅行，他们马上想到他们找到了一个她会高兴地称之为家的地方。
“It was the funniest thing, I felt at home right off the bat,” Violet tells, considering herself lucky to have transitioned into the lifestyle so seamlessly. “I think I was more than ready for the change. It helped that the staff and residents were very welcoming and friendly. When I laid my head on my pillow that night, it was the first time in a while I had slept through the night without feeling afraid. It was the best feeling.”
With the peace of mind that someone was always there if she needed them, Violet was quick to take advantage of all the convenient services at her residence, including the dining experience and all the entertainment on offer. “I’d spent so many years of my life as a wife, a mother and working a full-time job,” Violet reminisces. “When I moved in, I no longer had any worries or obligations. I’m not lonesome or bored—I feel free.”
So since moving in, how does Violet spend her days?
Mornings
“I like a good sleep-in in the morning,” Violet chuckles. “But some of my friends sleep in even longer than I do, so I don’t feel so bad.” After waking at a leisurely time, Violet gets ready and goes down to the residence’s bistro, where she pours herself a cup of tea and picks up a muffin—one of the many snacks available to individuals who prefer a more casual breakfast outside the dining room. “There are always people down there, so we end up chatting together for a while.”
After a light breakfast, Violet—who admits she is very active at her residence and chooses to participate in almost everything—joins her first activity of the day. “There’s usually some kind of intellectual activity in the morning. I like the jumbo crosswords.”
Afternoons
午餐时间去餐厅吃饭也是维奥莉特向往的事情，这不仅仅是因为她喜欢那里的食物。她笑着说:“我每天和同样的女士们坐在一起吃午饭，我们喜欢一起叙旧。”“我们现在甚至认识彼此的家人了!”
Following a hearty lunch, Violet usually elects to take an afternoon nap—but she insists if there’s anything going on at the residence that her Lifestyle and Program Manager give her a call and wake her up! “I don’t like to miss anything,” she admits. “Especially not Bingo, it’s my favourite because the winner gets chocolate bars and I can’t get enough of my chocolate!” Other preferred activities include crafts, painting, baking, weekly exercise classes, current events meetings and religious services. “I also look forward to Happy Hour on Fridays; there’s musical entertainment, and sometimes my son will join me for a beer,” Violet adds. “I stick to Coca-Cola though. I know what I like.”
Evenings
Before dinner, Violet indulges in another daily routine she cherishes—a cookie and hot chocolate back in the bistro. “Did I mention I love my chocolate?” she teases. “I’m always looking for a reason to chat with everybody. Sometimes we do ice creams socials or staff have the popcorn machine going.”
维奥莉特喜欢在晚餐时间有人在家里弹钢琴，她觉得这很放松。在一顿可能包括第二份巧克力布丁的美味晚餐后，她结束了忙碌的一天，前往她的套房，在睡觉前放松一下，看看电视。
Though Violet admits she sticks to a pretty typical routine each day, she sometimes goes out for a bite to eat with family, and loves to be outdoors during the summer months. “We do the occasional barbecue and campfire out back. It’s so lush in our neighbourhood,” she says. “We have a gentleman here who goes for a walk around the block every day to keep fit. He’s over 100!”
After sharing the details of a typical day in her life at Chartwell, Violet concludes by saying, “This is the home I wish I’d had a long time ago. I’d recommend it to anybody. With nothing to worry about and no responsibilities, I’m just enjoyingmenow.”