Safety, security, socializing.
Those are the big three appeals of independent living apartments in senior complexes, said Veronica Alcutt, campus executive director at Fieldstone Rolling Bay. Also, the idea that living in such a place will ease concerns for loved ones, added Marshall Nelson, who moved to Fieldstone about 18 months ago—and has embraced living there.
Fieldstone has one wing with a mix of assisted and independent living as well as a separate, secure wing for memory care. Early this spring, there were 21 assisted living and 15 independent living residences at Fieldstone, Alcutt said. Most people already had previously lived on Bainbridge or had family here, she said. We have a lot of people who already know each other.
Bainbridge Senior Living also offers all three types of residences and has added more independent living apartments in recent months in response to increased demand, said Carrie Chavez, community relations director. This spring, Wyatt House was about 25 percent independent living while Madrona House was 20 percent independent, she said. Another complex, Winslow Manor, is all independent living apartments. People sometimes move in and out of being classified as assisted living, depending on how much help they require; but they can stay in the same apartment regardless, she noted.
We’re trying to meet the needs of that population,” Chavez said. “I’ve been hearing a lot from people who feel isolated and lonely in their homes. They also have begun to feel overwhelmed with taking care of daily tasks involved with living in a house.
COVID created extreme isolation, she noted, and now people are craving more of a community.
Chavez said part of her job is to help people with downsizing. “It’s extremely difficult to do—what to bring, what to store, how to sell your house. I can make recommendations on what to bring and how to place it in the new space.”
Janet Martic takes new residents at Fieldstone under her wing. She’s the volunteer resident ambassador and has a badge to prove it. She also is part of the team that arranges fresh flowers throughout the complex. As she motors from place to place in her wheelchair, people wave and call out her name, and she returns their greetings.
It’s given me purpose,” Martic said. “Knowing everyone’s name is important.
Previously, Martic lived for 10 years near Winslow Way and liked that spot. “The location here is gorgeous, but it’s distant from shops,” she said. “However, the [Fieldstone] bus loads my wheelchair, and off I go to T&C.”
She enjoys exercising in the gym, doing her laundry in the nearby utility room, working puzzles, singing karaoke and knitting in the sunshine.
Martic came from California to Bainbridge after her husband died. Her son and daughter live on the island. At first, she worried that a senior living complex might feel “institutional.”
But then groups form,” she said. “You sit at a table together, and it’s pleasant.
She’s also met people who live in the neighborhood that surrounds the Fieldstone property. “They seem to like having us here,” Martic said.
Ray Chambers said he’s found a sense of community at Madison House.
He moved from the Washington, D.C., area to Bainbridge to be near his daughter’s family. At first, he lived in a rental property but after he fell a year ago “and tore my leg apart, I temporarily moved to assisted living at Wyatt House.”
But when his current, sunny apartment became available, he moved. He was drawn to the ever-changing view of the marina and Eagle Harbor from his living room windows.
I don’t cook, so it’s nice to not worry about that,” said Chambers, who described his living situation as a combination of independent and assisted living; he needs help with some tasks, such as showering.
He said he doesn’t miss living in a house. “You have to adapt and say, ‘This is it,’” Chambers said. “You need to acknowledge where you are and enjoy the best lifestyle you can. It’s all about the pursuit of happiness."
He advised people who are unsure to try a senior apartment on a temporary basis.
That was how Nelson started. “The kids found this place,” he said, after a heart attack sent him to the hospital. He had been caring at home for his wife, who had dementia. She was moved into the memory care wing at Fieldstone; she died last year.
I realized that we couldn’t go back to our house,” Nelson said. “A lot of things I had been doing there, I could come here and not worry about it. I really liked this place, and I finally bit the bullet and said I’m going to stay.
His doctor advised daily walks. Nelson said he enjoys traversing nearby streets and a park with Puget Sound and Seattle as the backdrop.
Maree Zawoysky, a longtime Bainbridge resident who had lived in Poulsbo in recent years, moved into a unit at Wyatt House about a year ago. She and her daughter, who lives on Bainbridge, looked at the various island options, and Zawoysky decided that Wyatt House was the best fit.
“It was obvious that it was time to make a decision,” Zawoysky said. “One of my goals was not to go kicking and screaming.”
A few residents grouse about the meals from time to time, she said. “But the food is just fine—and I didn’t have to cook it. For me, it’s a very positive thing not to be planning meals, shopping for food and cooking.”
Zawoysky said another plus is that she feels safe at Wyatt House. She participates in organized activities, such as bingo and card games, and she enjoys movement classes.
“Making friends at this time of life is difficult,” Zawoysky said. “You must be intentional about it.”
Nelson also enjoys some activities, especially playing trivia with friends. He’s also part of a group that reads poetry aloud and shares slide shows. “I’ve done three travelogues,” he said.
Although his apartment has a full kitchen, Nelson said he eats most meals in the dining hall. “I might start out as the only person in the room, but then more people come and we start pushing tables together.”
Nelson said he’s surprised how comfortable he is at Fieldstone. “No matter how young you feel, it’s never too soon to start looking into what’s available,” he said. “You may surprise yourself and find you are ready to make the move. That’s what happened to me.”
