Part IV – Continuing the Soul Searching with Risks & Values - Warwick Woodlands a Moravian Manor Community located in Lancaster County, PA

Part IV – Continuing the Soul Searching with Risks & Values

Hello! And welcome back to this self-discovery journey of finding out what you really want for your retirement lifestyle. This is the fourth installment in our series, “Reinventing Your Lifestyle – A Formula for Success.”

In our first article, we unveiled the tested and proven formula that will help you quickly sort out the options and focus on the issues when making this decision: Risks & Values + Health + Finances = Your Best Option. Our second and third article highlighted the first eight Risks & Values questions you should ask yourself to begin your soul searching. Since this is a collective process, if you missed these earlier articles, we encourage you start from the beginning and work your way back here to article number four. Doing all your homework will help ensure that you don’t waste time and energy or get confused or frustrated compared to just jumping into the middle of the process. In the end, your best option will naturally reveal itself.

Risks & Values Part III
Let’s continue the discussion and soul searching now with the next set of Risks & Values questions.

9. Who is your support system?
If there was a major crisis in your life, if the bottom fell out and you couldn’t handle the situation, if you were seriously ill …who is your support system? Who would you call? Who would be there to support you, care for you, be an advocate for you or handle your affairs? Some people don’t even want to think about these questions. They prefer to deny that anything that serious will ever happen to them. It may happen to others, but certainly it won’t happen to them! Well, sometimes…life comes at you fast! It is seldom what you plan for, rarely what you expect, and often beyond what you ever dreamed might happen.

When Ken had a serious stroke, Mary kept saying, “It just happened so fast. I can’t believe it!” Actually, Ken’s health had been failing for years. He smoked nearly his entire life; he had been falling and having circulation problems. Even though their three children were not surprised to hear of the stroke, it certainly wasn’t what something Ken and Mary had expected or planned. Overnight the support system and family dynamics took at 180-degree shift. Suddenly their daughter was helping them navigate the health care system, planning relocation closer to her, finding a new doctor, and so on.

Making these changes in the midst of a crisis is difficult at best, so look carefully at this question. Being geographically close to that support system will have more value and priority in your life with each passing year. Doing it sooner rather than later is usually a wise choice. Make sure you know who your support system is and trust it will be there for you no matter what, willing and able to take on the challenges that are part of your journey.

10. Do you have safety concerns?
Little things have a way of creeping in over time. Do you have to climb stairs to get to the bedrooms or bathrooms? Is the driveway on a slope that may be dangerous to navigate in winter weather? Are you carrying laundry baskets up and down the basement stairs? Do you still climb a ladder to store things in the attic?

Roy and Edith lived on a beautiful acreage where they had gardened for years, raised their family and put a lot of creativity into their lovely home. They felt they could manage just fine. One afternoon Roy was storing things in the attic space above their garage and fell straight backwards off the ladder. It took an entire year to recuperate from that fall. Only then did they both have the strength and mental energy to sell their home and move into a more “user friendly” setting…one without stairs and was maintenance-free.

The goal is to make a change before the accident happens, so carefully reflect on safety concerns that you currently have or may become greater concerns in the future.

11. If left alone, can you maintain your current lifestyle?
For married couples, these are often deep and meaningful conversations. If your spouse refuses to discuss making a move and you are concerned, be proactive on your own. The first step is to empower yourself with knowledge and understanding. Give some thought to the “what ifs” that life may present. Are you physically and financially able to maintain your current lifestyle by yourself? Would you even want to? Your answers may change over time, but start where you are now and explore your thoughts and feelings.

12. How important is it for you to socialize and connect with people?

With the long winter months ahead of us, how do you feel about potentially being housebound for a few days at a time if bad weather hits? Do you find you no longer care to drive after dark? Like many things in life, changes creep in so slowly they are hardly noticeable. Having an awareness of these possible feelings will feed into your value of maintaining or changing your lifestyle.

We’ve now completed twelve of the Risk & Values questions you need to ask yourself. The next article will feature the last round of Risk & Values questions and then our focus will turn to the next part of the tested and proven formula: Health. Check back often for additional articles coming soon to learn more about Your Formula for Success!

Don’t Want to Wait for the Next Articles?
If you’re ready to learn more now, a residency counselor at Warwick Woodlands is available to answer any questions you have. Unique to Warwick Woodlands, our goal is to educate mature adults on their choices and teach them about the formula for success through complimentary educational sessions. We also have a free booklet entitled, “Your Formula for Success: A Practical Guide for Making Your Senior Housing Decision,” written by senior living expert Randalynn Kaye.

Dine & Discover Events
The Dine and Discover events continue to be offered each month at the Warwick Woodlands Sales Center. For upcoming dates or additional information, including the free booklet, please call us at
717-625-6000.

Warwick Woodlands, a Moravian Manor community, will be built on 72-acres of a former landscape nursery within walking distance of downtown Lititz’s pubs, park, and shops. Based on a traditional neighborhood design—a newer trend in senior living and the first of its kind in the Lancaster area, the community will cater to individual’s age 58+ who want to plan ahead for the unforeseen while embracing a vital, active lifestyle now. It’s designed specifically to bring together people, businesses and the energy of small town living.

This article was submitted by Nicole Michael, Corporate Director of Sales & Marketing at Moravian Manor, Inc. For more information call 717-625-6000.

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