“They provide us with the amount of support we need. Not so much to be overwhelming. Just the right amount and at the right time.”
Len and Marilyn Freedman are recognized everywhere they go. “Well, we like to be social,” said Len. “We talk to everyone — the staff, the aides, our Assisted Living neighbors. Everyone knows us here, and that’s a great feeling. It’s nice to know that people care about our wellbeing.”
“But that’s the way they treat every resident at Lions Gate,” said Marilyn. “This is just the friendliest place. I don’t see well, and the staff knows that. They will go out of their way to let me know about different activities that they think I would be interested in just in case I didn’t see it on the Activities Calendar. That is so thoughtful. I’m glad our daughter encouraged us to move to Assisted Living. They give us just the right amount of support here. Not too much that we feel like someone is hovering. Just enough to help us when we need it.”
Assisted Living residents traditionally have their own individual apartments, but Len and Marilyn wanted a shared apartment. “I’m 97 years old and have a little trouble hearing,” said Len. “Marilyn is 94 years old and is legally blind. We have our routines and know what works best for us together. Lions Gate set aside two apartments for us that were side-by-side and broke through the shared wall to connect them.”
“It’s a great space for us,” said Marilyn. “Each apartment has a bedroom, bathroom, and living room. We took that second living room and turned it into more of an office and took that second bedroom and turned it into our TV room. We have room for a 72” flatscreen TV on the wall. Everyone says they want to come to our apartment to watch the Super Bowl!”
Assisted Living offers a full calendar of activities for the community. “We have all the time in the world, now that we live here,” said Len. “They cook us three meals a day. They clean our apartment. They do our laundry. That leaves all our time for fun. They have entertainment here every afternoon.”
“My daughter is so relieved that she doesn’t worry about my safety anymore,” said Marilyn. “Len and I both wear a call button, so if we ever need help, whether it’s in the apartment or outside on the grounds, assistance is always nearby. That’s very reassuring. We were doing OK living on our own for so many years, but Len had a few falls that made us rethink our situation. Now we’re where we should be, because here our physical limitations don’t limit our enjoyment of life. It’s great that our family is now part of the Lions Gate family.”
