Blog
Our Insights, Opinions and Observations on Timely Topics in the Senior Living Space
January 13, 2020
Question: What makes you feel strong and confident? Answer: “My determination. I’m just determined I’m not going to give in to every ache and pain. It’s an important state of mind, I believe.” – Al Bedford, resident Friendship Village Assisted Living and Memory Care #WeAreFriendshipVillage #seniorliving #retirementcommunities #assistedliving #memorycare #independentliving
January 12, 2020
Question: If there’s just one thing you’ve had a strong interest in over the years, what would it be? Answer: “Other than family, I’ve had a lot of hobbies over the years from painting, to working with my hands, through wood working. But above all else, I’ve always been a big reader. I didn’t really like school that much; It was too organized for me and I never went beyond high school, so I’ve educated myself by reading and that’s a never-ending process. I’ve read thousands of books in my […]
January 11, 2020
Question: “What’s something you’re good at?” Answer: “I used to be an activities consultant (in nursing homes) and I just loved being around older people and people my own age. I like to communicate, talk and laugh. It’s what I’m good at.” – Sharon Wansong, resident Friendship Village Sunset Hills #WeAreFriendshipVillage #seniorliving #retirementcommunity #assistedliving #memorycare #retirement
January 10, 2020
Question: “What made you decide you wanted to have a career in mathematics?” Answer: Initially, I actually wanted to go into forestry because of my background in the Boy Scouts – not mathematics. But I took a mandatory math course my first semester of college and I loved it so much, I decided to change my degree to mathematics. I went home for Christmas and told my parents, ‘I don’t want to go into forestry anymore. I really like math and I want to go into math and become a […]
January 9, 2020
Question: If you could take a trip for one day in the area, what would you do? Answer: “On an ideal day, I’d like to go gamble at the Ameristar Casino. I play the penny machines and play a dime at a time. One time I won $90. In the past, you pulled the handle and got the money, not like today where you get the piece of paper. It would make a lot of noise and everybody would turn around. It would all come out in pennies. And when […]
January 8, 2020
Question: What do you think is the root of your passion for physical activity? Answer: “I’ve always been one that believed in exercise. Probably at the root of it is because my mother and father did not exercise. My father died quite early at 69 and my mother lived a long life, but she had two strokes and a lot of physical illnesses. So, for me it’s always been, ‘What am I going to do for myself to make sure I’m a little more fit,’ and initially that was running, […]
January 7, 2020
Question: What is your biggest takeaway from the travel you’ve done when you look back on all the trips? Answer: “I have always enjoyed travelling. One of the first trips I took with my wife Anita was to Greece and it was great. We flew into Istanbul and drove along the coast to Turkey where we boarded this really cool yacht to sail through the Greek islands. The people couldn’t have been nicer, even though we shared completely different cultures. Honestly, that was mostly our experience everywhere we went. I […]
January 6, 2020
Question: What was your favorite thing to do when you were younger? Answer: “I played ball (baseball). I pitched in high school and we won the city (St. Louis) and state tournaments in 1958. I was a left-handed pitcher. I tore up my shoulder because I needed a strikeout pitch and I read a book by Carl Hubbell and learned how to throw a screwball. I have arthritis because I tore up the ligaments in my shoulder throwing that screwball, but I didn’t tell the coach because then he wouldn’t […]
January 5, 2020
Question: You said you love art and travel, will you tell me a bit about that? Answer: “We traveled the world. We’ve traveled all over North America and I even published a few books. I wrote How to Run Away from Home After 50 and Tales from the Road: Adventures from Mid-Life Runaways, and Friendship Village is going to carry them in the library here. My husband and I have been traveling for 25 years. We met after we both lost our first spouse at a singles dance 30 years […]
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