Tag Archives: Retirement Communities
Words of Wisdom
“It’s not ‘the older you get, the sicker you get,’ but ‘the older you get the healthier you’ve been,’ The advantage of living to 100 is not so much how you are at 100, but how you got there.”
Thomas Perls, MD, MPH, FACP
Founding Director, New England Centenarian Study
10 Things to Enjoy on the Sherwood Oaks Campus
10 Things to Enjoy on the Sherwood Oaks Campus
1. The feeling of safety and security knowing that this retirement community PA, Sherwood Oaks, is a gated community with 24-hour security.
2. Relaxing and enjoying the natural beauty as you stroll along any of the many scenic walking trails on campus.
3. Fishing with your grandchildren at the lake at this retirement community PA.
4. Hosting family and friends for a picnic at the Summer House.
5. Having guests for an extended stay on campus at the Oak Lodge.
6. Walking through the Trillium garden, the largest and most varied collection of native Trillium anywhere in the area.
7. Enjoying the rock garden and native meadow as you stroll through the North Woods.
8. Planting and tending to your own vegetable or flower garden in the raised beds at this retirement community PA, Sherwood Oaks.
9. The peace of mind knowing that your future is secure and care is close by when needed.
10. Sharing dinner with friends wile overlooking the lake at this beautiful retirement community PA, Sherwood Oaks.
A Message to Adult Children (And the Parents They Love)
We hear you. You are concerned about your parents. They are elderly, and you feel that they need extra help but they see things differently. You worry daily. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed, guilty or sad. You just want your parents safe and happy, and are unsure of what to do.
Here are some thoughts to consider.
1. Recognize that your parents are highly accomplished people. Consider how they’ve succeeded in life. Whether their accomplishments are related to work, military, social or personal, we need to respect and admire their capabilities. So, any discussion about their lives and future needs to be based in respect. You cannot “place” your parents anywhere, including a retirement community. You may, however, be able to help them decide to do this on their own.
2. Realize from your own life that independence and control are basic human needs. Your parents have the need for independence and control even as they age.
3. Conversations with Mother and Dad are more productive if you place your own feelings (worry, sadness, guilt), on the back burner. These are your problems, not theirs.
4. Ask for your parents’ permission to discuss their future in a logical, non-threatening manner.
5. Appeal to their willingness to plan for the future. They may not accept change right now, but may agree to make a move at a future date, such as a new year, after a holiday, or a birthday milestone. Or, they may consider a move in the future if other strategies fail. Other strategies may include a home safety assessment by an occupational therapist, or hiring home-based care.
If you would like to speak with someone about this retirement community PA, give us a call at 800 642-2217.
10 Ways We Help You Move and Save Money!
Moving to a retirement community pa, Sherwood Oaks can feel overwhelming unless you realize how much help is waiting in the wings. Here are 10 things we provide to help you move to this retirement community pa, and you save money, too.
1. Director of Residential Services assists you in choosing finishes for your home at Sherwood Oaks. Click here to ask her a question.
2. “Preferred Realtor Program” with Howard Hanna and Prudential Preferred Realty helps sell your home quickly and move to this retirement community pa.
3. You receive a 10% rebate on your realtor commission when using our program.
4. We give you a four month “timeline calendar” to give you step-by-step moving guidance. Click here to have one mailed to you.
5. You get five free hours from a professional moving organizer. Click here to learn more
6. You are invited to a “Lunch & Learn” program at this retirement community pa. Sherwood Oaks, on January 24th and 30th where a panel of experts will explain you how prepare your home for a spring sale.
7. Our staff comes the day after your move to remove empty boxes and trash.
8. Our resident Welcome Committee greets you with lunch and dinner invitations. Click here to view our video
9. Free home-delivery of your evening meal on moving day.
10. Moving Organizer, Paul Regan, unpacks, assembles and makes your bed
before he leaves your new home – ahhh.
Top 10 Little Known Facts about this Retirement Community PA, Sherwood Oaks
While we were preparing for our 30th anniversary we came across several interesting facts. Condensed into a “top 10” format, here they are:
1. Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community PA was founded by four women.
2. The 4-acre lake on campus was previously a privately-owned pay fishing lake.
3. When it was built, Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community PA had 260 patio homes. We’ve had as few as 242 patio homes (the number was reduced due to building larger homes from smaller ones), and recently we built an apartment building and new patio homes for a total of 274.
4. The concept of covered walkways without steps came from Kendall at Longwood in Kennet Square, PA.
5. The blue and white hex sign located at the entrance to the Community Center was originally affixed to a barn on the campus.
6. In 1978 Cranberry Township had no zoning regulations for retirement communities, so officials had to write new zoning provisions in order to approve our construction for this retirement community pa.
7. In the early years, quilters met each Wednesday in the Sewing Room. As perhaps a sign of the times, the Sewing Room has been replaced with the Computer Center.
8. A beautiful grandfather clock, located in the Community Center, was donated by an early resident.
9. One year before opening, seven model patio homes were built where the Gatehouse is today. The model homes were subsequently moved onto the campus and have been lived in ever since.
10. In its early years the Cranberry Twp. annual community Halloween parade was held on our campus. Trick-or-treaters would walk up the road to the Community Center entrance where residents would be waiting with treats.
If you’d like more information about this retirement community pa, Sherwood Oaks, please call 800 642-2217 to schedule a tour or email cookca@sherwood-oaks.com
Meet John and Ruth Becker
Names: John and Ruth Becker
Occupations: Retired church musician and former campus pastor in Pittsburgh
Residence: The Cedar (two bedroom/two bath)
Ruth writes that when their children came to check out this retirement community pa, Sherwood Oaks, their son remarked, “I feel like I’m taking my parents to college!” It’s not exactly college, however Sherwood Oaks’ 84-acre campus impressed John and Ruth sufficiently that in 2008 they left their home in the Shadyside/Oakland area of Pittsburgh and moved in.
“We were still up and running,” writes Ruth, “but had seen friends have decisions made for them.” Wanting to be in control of their own decision-making, John and Ruth chose a retirement community in pa that has health care on site.
Asked to provide advice to other retirees, Ruth writes, “Do it while you can still make new friends. There are some very interesting people here at this retirement community pa.”
Changing the Way You Think About Retirement Communities in PA
Question: How does Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community turn “I’m Not Ready Yet” into “I wish I’d come here sooner?” Here are ten important benefits that we have found change people’s way of thinking about retirement communities in PA:
1. Sherwood Oaks has a health care program that focuses on prevention, and includes a Fitness Center with a full-time personal trainer, yoga, tai chi and exercise classes, as well as aquatic, strength and balance training.
2. We have opportunities to stay active, including badminton, bocce court, fitness center and exercise room, billiard room, horseshoe pit, croquet, indoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi, shuffle board, putting green and walking paths.
3. In-home urgent and emergency care is provided around the clock by a registered nurse at this retirement community pa.
4. Fully licensed Personal Care and Nursing Care accommodations are located on-site.
5. There are contract choices that fit most budgets, including our new rental program.
6. The campus has two beautiful lakes to enjoy.
7. There’s a great library with over 7,000 books.
8. There are eleven different styles of patio homes.
9. There are no real estate taxes to pay.
10. You have an income tax deduction that is only available to residents of Lifecare communities including this retirement community pa.
Want to learn more? Call (800) 642-2217 to learn how to change your thinking about retirement communities in pa.
Simplify Your Life at this Retirement Community in PA
Sometimes life can be more joyful if we prune away the habits and worries that bog us down and are a drag on our energy level. Let’s review some activities of life that may not bring as much enjoyment as in years past.
Based upon our research at Sherwood Oaks, a retirement community in PA, retirees overwhelmingly prefer taking day trips over cleaning their house. Similarly, they prefer Sunday Brunch with children and grandchildren to cooking meals. And, they almost always choose swimming or shooting pool over clearing snow and cutting grass. Imagine that!
March is the time to get your home ready to sell. This active retirement community in PA, offers helpful suggestions and a helping hand to clear out closets, attics and basements. Let us help you sort through the things in your life that no longer bring you happiness or contentment. Once you make room in your life for more joy, you’ll wonder why you took so long.
If you’d like to see how Sherwood Oaks residents are enjoying their simplified retirement in PA, check out Sherwood Voices and the rest of our website, then Contact Sherry Cook at (800) 642-2217 to learn the details about how Sherwood Oaks can help you get organized for a move.
Thriving in Retirement
We all have heard about the benefits of “preventive medicine.”
You eat healthfully, exercise, and visit your doctor when you
should. Do you know that some people view their decision to
move to a PA retirement community as preventive medicine?
They are making hard decisions now that will make their condition easier
and less stressful in the future.
Residents thrive at Sherwood Oaks. The entire lifecare program is
designed to keep residents healthy and independent for as long as possible.
In addition to the health screenings and fitness opportunities, Sherwood Oaks
offers educational classes, day trips and a wealth of convenient services and
amenities on site.
Best of all, Sherwood Oaks is affordable. If you haven’t
already received our Cost Comparison Calculator, call Sherry or
Phyllis today and request a copy. When you add up all the benefits,
you will see for yourself that Sherwood Oaks is a wise investment in
your preventive medicine.
To receive a copy of the Cost Comparison Calculator, or to
schedule a visit to the campus, call Sherry or Phyllis at
(800) 642-2217.
Be sure to check your calendar for Wednesday, February 15
or Thursday February 23 at 11 a.m. and come to a Lunch and Learn
where you will hear our Fitness Director talk about the benefits
of fitness in seniors and how he will design a personal fitness plan
for each resident! Please RSVP to (800) 642-2217 to reserve your
place.
Are Retirement Communities Financially Stable?
It is important for seniors to ask careful questions as they consider which retirement community is best suited to their needs. Some recent newspaper stories have asked if retirement communities in PA are financially stable. Sherwood Oaks willingly answers inquiries about our financial stability as a retirement community-PA facility. We believe that Sherwood Oaks is among the financially strongest retirement communities in the region because:
- The Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community has successfully operated for 28 years. We are proud of the good reputation that we’ve established, especially in the North Hills and Cranberry Township areas.
- The Sherwood Oaks audited 2009 financial statements show positive net assets of $5.5 million. Audited statements for FY 2010 will be released soon, and they are expected to show strong operating income, positive investment returns, and continued investment in capital assets.
- Resident satisfaction at Sherwood Oaks, as measured by an outside consulting firm, shows that residents have rated Sherwood Oaks as exceeding national benchmark scores for many years.
- The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center UPMC is our parent company and one of the most financially sound organizations in the region.
- Sherwood Oaks is one of the few retirement communities PA has that is fully accredited by the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission, www.carf.org. We have achieved this mark of distinction and maintained it since1993.
Experts have commented that retirement communities in PA requiring an entrance fee present a risk, “perhaps a little risk, but still a risk.” Although this is true with any endeavor, we would point out that not living at Sherwood Oaks presents a risk, too. We believe that the enjoyment of the amenities, physical security, and the knowledge that unlimited continuing care is guaranteed at Sherwood Oaks far outweighs the small risk.
Please contact our marketing office at 1-800-642-2217 if you have questions about Sherwood Oaks. We are happy to provide any information you may need about all aspects of our retirement community and the many entrance options available at Sherwood Oaks.
It is important for seniors to ask careful questions as they consider which retirement community is best suited to their needs. Some recent newspaper stories have asked if retirement communities in PA are financially stable. Sherwood Oaks willingly answers inquiries about our financial stability as a retirement community-PA facility. We believe that Sherwood Oaks is among the financially strongest retirement communities in the region because: