Kendal at Oberlin Blog

The benefits of meditation, tai chi and other mindful activities are many and varied. According to Mayo Clinic:

“Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health.

I was a runner for about 30 years but as I neared my 60th birthday, an active puppy and arthritis aches turned me into a walker. For cardio, I went to the gym.

The other day I laced on my shoes (thankfully my HOKAs are good for running too) dug out my old running jacket and tights and headed outside. Turns out I’m not alone.

Washing hands properly and practicing social distancing – we probably have these and other prevention tools down pat so we don’t become infected with COVID-19. 

But tips to stay mentally healthy in the face of this pandemic – well maybe our toolbox needs more tools.

With holiday and end-of-year celebrations you might have missed the tax news out of Washington in late December. President Donald Trump signed the SECURE Act that made changes to how we save money for retirement and how we use money in retirement, mostly starting in 2020.

Jill Tvaroha, Kendal’s Wellness coordinator, provides residents with exercises and other tools to improve balance, maintain proper posture and prevent injuries.

Across town Jennifer Shults, a chiropractor and Oberlin College instructor, covers the same ground with college students in a class entitled “Body Re-Education and Functional Anatomy”

So Jill and Jennifer, who are friends, decided to team up.

As we think about moving to a new home to enjoy growing older, many of us let our stuff dictate the size of our house, condo or apartment.

Before you head down that road, stop and take a look at your stuff.

When it comes to deciding to move to a life plan community, older adults find that the best time to do so depends on their personal situation.

That said, because life plan or continuing care retirement communities (CCRC's) provide a wide range of housing options, social activities and services for current and future needs, many people find it makes sense to move sooner rather than later.

We all use calculators for simple tasks, such as balancing a checkbook or figuring out a restaurant tip.  But wouldn’t it be great to have a tool to help answer a major money question, such as “Can I afford to move to a life plan community like Kendal at Oberlin?”

Good news – now you can.

You’ve made the decision to move to a continuing care retirement community, a “CCRC,” but with 2,000 life plan communities in the United States how do you find one that is right for you now and in the future? 

Sure, location, cost and amenities are major factors to consider, but so is the financial stability of the life plan community.

Oberlin College students Mikaela de Lemos and Marika Mortimer-Lotke embarked on a 30-hour class project about the benefits of intergenerational learning. They visited Kendal at Oberlin’s Early Learning Center and interviewed both community residents and parents of the children. Here are their observations.