Kendal at Oberlin Blog

Flower arrangements throughout hallways and other public spaces. Healthy and creative cuisine in the dining rooms. Eclectic art in the three galleries. Entertainment – musical, theatrical, educational – in the auditorium. Daily fitness classes in the indoor pools and exercise rooms.  

Everyday, Kendal residents expect all of the above, and more. But a new year means new things at the 26-year-old community and its grounds, buildings and programs. Here are some of the highlights to come in 2020, starting with a topic of interest to people who are considering a move to Kendal.

Oberlin College alumni Bruce Harker and Anne Palmer spent nearly a decade deciding that Kendal at Oberlin was the best life plan community for them.

Holiday celebrations at Kendal at Oberlin are diverse, creative and lively, just like the people who live here. The celebrations reflect various cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds. And they feature activities for young and old, with ample opportunities to participate or sit in the audience.

Whether it’s online or hard copy, fiction or non-poetry or prose, contemporary or classic, magazine or journal, Kendal residents are readers. 

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.