Kendal at Oberlin Blog

When it comes to family well-being, Kendal resident Linda Bell has worn three hats during her adult life. With a Ph.D. in psychology, Linda is a family researcher and therapist. She’s also a wife to David (53 years) and mother to two sons and one daughter.

Kendal at Oberlin needs them. The city of Oberlin and surrounding Lorain County communities need them. 

In this season of giving thanks, the retirement community and other nonprofits are filled with gratitude for Kendal residents who exemplify Quaker values year-round by sharing their energy and knowledge with others.

Given their sheer numbers, Baby Boomers have made a mark on just about everything on our country’s landscape, from education and employment to social reform and travel, since they landed in 1946. It’s no surprise that as they retire – an estimated 10,000 daily – that these men and women are redefining issues critical to aging.  

As we grow older, our piles of stuff grow larger. We have books and mementos from our early years, camping gear, toys and travel treasures from our middle years, and photographs, clothes, furniture, hobbies, and family heirlooms we have collected throughout the years.

Single men and women approach retirement with many of the same issues as couples, and one of the biggest ones is where to live. Do you stay in your current home and neighborhood, or downsize and move to a smaller place in a warmer climate? Buy a condo or rent an apartment? Or move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC)?

With book clubs, monthly newsletter articles, a memory enhancement course and dementia awareness training, Kendal at Oberlin residents and staff have been “re-imagining dementia” for some time, which helps explain why they were invited to present at the Dementia Action Alliance’s “Re-Imagining Dementia” conference in Atlanta this summer. 

Mary and Tom Van Nortwick have been collecting Japanese woodblock prints since they met in the late 1980s. The couple, 80 prints in tow, arrived at Kendal two years ago, just as the Kendal Collects exhibit was going down.

From its start, Kendal at Oberlin has been a welcoming community for older adults of all races, cultures and sexual orientations. But last year, as the life plan community celebrated its 25th anniversary, a group of gay, lesbian and transgender residents decided to form a group to support each other and educate the larger community.

Artistic expression abounds at Kendal at Oberlin.

The life plan community has three distinct art galleries always filled with eclectic exhibits (including the current Kendal Collects exhibit). Hallways and other public areas are decorated with 600 pieces donated by residents, an art studio for residents to paint and pursue other artistic endeavors, and a calendar packed with art lectures and classes.

Ask your local church, food bank, arts organization or other favorite non-profit the value of their volunteers and you’re likely to hear a variety of superlative words that express a similar sentiment: Volunteers are essential to its mission.