Photos:
Residents gather for four-course dinners every evening in the main dining room;
The Waltonwood pool is available for a swim whenever swim classes are not in session;
Residents relax and enjoy a glass of wine on the patio;
The Players Club is a popular site for card games or a pickup game of pool.
Independent Living Communities take the word “Living” seriously
The options for retirement for Baby Boomers and beyond bear no resemblance to the options your parents knew. Whereas, retirement used to be the slowing down period of a successful life, today it has become the opportunity many have waited for to really begin an unencumbered lifestyle.
And the retirement communities of today have stepped forward to address this new demand. Mind, body and spirit are reinvigorated by the lifestyle offered in many of today’s communities. Following is a look at what some of the local Independent Living Communities are offering their residents.
Waltonwood Cary Parkway
The dining room, the heart of most Independent Living communities today, is where members and friends come together to break bread and celebrate the gift of living. But entering the dining room at Waltonwood, you quickly notice something is different.
It might be the see-through fireplace that opens onto an outdoor terrace or possibly the elegance of the dining room itself. Then you realize, it’s the dance floor, the centerpiece of the room, a dead giveaway that the residents at Waltonwood Cary Parkway enjoy the good life.
The dance floor was created for the likes of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, but Activities Director Christina Buchanan has expanded the repertoire considerably like when the Glenn Miller Orchestra played there and, more recently the NC Symphony Ensemble. It’s where Henry Mason and the 19 members of the NC Revelers rehearsed some foot-stomping music for a Big Band concert. Buchanan seldom hesitates to call the grand room into service on a moment’s notice for a wide succession of great entertainment for residents’ pleasure.
The main dining room is where residents gather for four-course dinners every evening, continental breakfast every morning and Brunch on Sundays. However, Waltonwood offers a full array of activities for residents beyond the entertainment and the exceptional food service. A complete Fitness Center is run for the benefit of the residents by full-time Fitness Coordinator Yazmin Taylor. Yazmin directs water aerobics, Zumba Gold classes, one-on-one fitness training, and swimming classes. (The inviting Waltonwood pool is maintained at a constant 84 degrees so residents can enjoy “free swim” whenever they choose.)
The Swedish (HUR) strength-training equipment uses air pressure instead of weights for a smooth and safe workout. Residents may work out on the sit-down elliptical machines or enroll in regular classes for everything from arthritis exercises to Wii Bowling competitions. Following a strenuous session, many schedule a visit with the massage therapist who is on-site two days a week.
There are gatherings, planned and impromptu, every day at Waltonwood. The Players Club off the main lobby is site of card games or a pickup game of pool in the classic billiards room. The café across from the Players Club offers snacks or you may order a meal from its luncheon menu.
Thursday afternoons offer special music ranging from a pianist on the baby grand piano, a singer, a guitarist or a DJ who plays the music at residents’ request.
Christina Buchanan maintains a full schedule of art classes in the Creative Hands Room where residents are encouraged to explore their creativity. There are always trips in the planning like a Sinatra Concert downtown or a day trip to White Deer Park. For local excursions, Waltonwood runs a shuttle which is also available Tuesdays and Thursdays, upon request, for visits to doctors’ offices. Sunday mornings the shuttle stays especially busy transporting residents to and from church services.
Waltonwood has many alcoves where residents can read a book or meet friends in the garden room or around ponds in the charming courtyard. Evenings can be spent in the Movie Theatre which offers oversized lounge chairs for viewing the latest movie in total comfort.
Accommodations at Waltonwood include 12 cottages (1,500 square feet) with one-car garages, two-bedrooms and two baths to interior apartments which range from 1000 square feet for one-bedroom units to 1400 square feet for two-bedroom units.
Housekeeping provides the apartments with weekly linen service and with a full cleaning every two weeks. (These services, as well as the meal plan, are optional for the residents living in the cottages.)
In spite of Waltonwood’s many activities, most residents still like to travel to visit family and friends or to experience a foreign clime. But often the greatest pleasure is returning to Waltonwood where the motto is “relax, mingle, celebrate….” and its residents certainly do.