50+ Lifestyles

Love Doesn’t Stop at the Door

By Mary Huebbe
Marketing Director
Ridgecrest Village

This story comes from a resident who has lived with us at Ridgecrest Village since 2002. He wanted to anonymously share their story, in hopes that others won’t wait too long. He continually tells people how blessed he is to be able to continue his romance with his wife of 60 years.

My wife and I were living comfortably in our condo unit, enjoying life in our retirement years. At age 71 there didn’t seem to be a reason to change, until we watched three neighbor couples that were our age, wait too long to make a decision, they had to go through a separation because one spouse had to move into a nursing home which was several miles away from their home. The other spouse began a routine of driving to the nursing home twice a day, as long as the weather permitted. Seeing what these couples were going through made my wife and I think. This wasn’t what retirement was supposed to be. We thought about it and decided to move into a retirement community that started with Independent Living and had all the other levels of care (Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing and Full Nursing Care) all together in one community. We wouldn’t need to drive anywhere.  It wouldn’t matter if there was a major snow storm, we could still see each other as often as we wanted to, if the time came when we would have to live at different levels of care.

The day came twelve years later when one required the nursing home. I used to think that was a bad thing, but I have learned what a wonderful place we have here at Ridgecrest in our Crest building. It was a very easy transition of moving a few items over for her, and I could still be with her as much as I wanted. The only separation was a door and corridor between us,. She is so nearby that love can continue, with daily visits, sharing times, and quiet times. We go to different activities together here in the village and continue to share our lives together. We are not the only couple blessed in this way; eight or more others benefit by this closeness. Instead of being two miles apart, there is only a door and a corridor.  Our Love doesn’t stop at the door, our home is still together, and we will never have to live apart.

These words always stick in my head when I am giving people tours. I have never worked at a facility that has been able to give so much joy to both spouses and their family.  Give me a call and come see what we are talking about.  Love flows freely here at the Village.

Mary Huebbe is the marketing director for Ridgecrest Village in Davenport, Iowa. For more information about Ridgecrest Village, contact Mary at (563) 391-3430 or BMorrison@RidgecrestVillage.org.