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‘Music of Our Times’ and Finding Love at Woodside Terrace By Julie McCoy, contributing writer Love is in the air at Woodside Terrace. Kathleen “Kay” Knauf-Lavoie and Joe Lavoie both moved into the Redwood City retirement community a couple of years ago. They met one another in the dining room and soon discovered they had a lot of common interests. For example, both love to travel and to dance. They began to take dance classes together. It wasn’t long before they fell in love, and last August, they got married. Two weeks afterward, they held a reception at Woodside Terrace to which all residents were invited. This Valentine’s Day will no doubt be special for the newlyweds as they celebrate their first Valentine’s Day as a married couple. It’s not every day that two people find true love and tie the knot while living in a retirement community. Knauf-Lavoie and Lavoie’s relationship is evidence that love can come at any age, at any time and in unlikely places. “It’s been very nice,” Knauf-Lavoie said. “We hadn’t been expecting this.” Added Lavoie, “It surprised the both of us.” This is the second marriage for both Knauf- Lavoie, 82, and Lavoie, who turns 92 in March. Knauf-Lavoie had been married for 48 years when her husband died, and Lavoie had been married “60 years and one week” when his wife died. Based on their previous long-lasting marriages, this one should go well, too. Knauf-Lavoie came to Woodside Terrace after living alone in a big house in Bakersfield for a number of years. She was tired of being lonely, she explained. Additionally, she was tired of the heat and poor air quality in Bakersfield, she said. Knauf-Lavoie, who has a son in Redwood City, decided to sell her home and come to Woodside Terrace. “When the opportunity came, I moved fast,” she said. “My house sold fast.” Lavoie, on the other hand, was living with his daughter in Modesto and simply wanted to be independent. “I just wanted to be on my own,” he said. He had previously lived in San Bruno for 55 years and San Carlos for three years. Independent and assisted living So what’s it like at the retirement community that Knauf-Lavoie, Lavoie and many other seniors call home? Situated between highways 101 and 280 and just minutes away from Redwood City’s civic center and shopping and restaurants, Woodside Terrace, at 485 Woodside Road, provides both independent and assisted living to seniors, according to Connie Haworth, executive director protem. Of the four buildings on campus, three provide independent living and one provides assisted living. Those in independent living live primarily on their own but receive help with such things as housekeeping and maintenance-related issues in their apartments. “They don’t even have to change a light bulb,” Haworth said. Meanwhile, those in assisted living are dealing with chronic health conditions. Some have
emphysema while others are diabetic or have heart problems such as congestive heart failure, Haworth said. They often are put into assisted living because they are not eating well or need help taking their medication. They receive assistance with such things as bathing, getting dressed and taking medicine. There are 24-hour nurses on staff in the assisted living building. One big difference between independent living and assisted living is that those in independent living often come by choice, of their own free will, and they often want to give up the trouble of having their own house, whereas those in assisted living are often there because their families believe it is best for them and it provides their families with peace of mind, Haworth pointed out. Woodside Terrace has the capacity to house 180 seniors in independent living and 88 seniors in assisted living and is currently at 97 percent capacity, according to Haworth. Most residents at Woodside Terrace are in their 80s, with the average age being 85. Many residents are in their 90s and there are even some who are 100 and older. Enriching seniors’ lives Woodside Terrace’s mission statement is: “Enriching the lives of those we serve with compassion, respect, excellence and integrity.” It has been in Redwood City for 24 years and has always been in its current location, according to Haworth. Operated by one of the largest providers of senior housing The community is operated by Brentwood, Tenn.– based Brookdale Senior Living, a for-profit, publicly traded company that is one of the biggest providers of senior housing, according to Haworth. She pointed out that Woodside has access to a lot of resources because it is owned by Brookdale. Innovative Senior Care program Woodside implements Brookdale’s Innovative Senior Care program, a proactive wellness and therapy service that helps residents retain or enhance their independence. ISC is designed to improve certain physical conditions before they can become problematic. By increasing a resident’s strengths now, the impact of future complications can be limited or avoided entirely. ISC professionals are able to provide rehabilitation care, education and wellness programs, physical and occupational therapy, and a host of support services. Each resident receives a regular assessment and a “Personal Pathway to Better Health.” Optimum Life philosophy Additionally, Woodside Terrace follows Brookdale’s Optimum Life philosophy, which emphasizes residents living well through six dimensions. Those six dimensions involve making sure their lives are purposeful and taking care of their emotional, physical, social, spiritual and intellectual needs. A wealth of amenities, activities for residents There is a plethora of amenities and activities for residents to enjoy at Woodside Terrace. The community has a heated indoor pool in which they can do water exercises. “A lot of them go to the pool exercise class,” Haworth said. “That’s socialization plus exercise.” There also is a whirlpool. In January, Woodside Terrace began offering residents the opportunity to participate in tai chi after hearing from them it was something they would like to do. There also are libraries on campus with hardback and paperback books. Other activities include bingo, crossword puzzles, movies, chair yoga, Wii games, writers groups, dance lessons and Spanish classes. Additionally, residents can do volunteer work and use the Internet, Haworth said, noting that Internet usage among the elderly is higher than you would think. “They email the grandkids,” she said. Woodside has a large bus, a van and a town car that can take residents off campus, so there are all kinds of ways for them to get around, whether it’s to see a movie, go shopping or eat at a local restaurant. Food taken seriously Food is taken very seriously at Woodside Terrace, Haworth stressed. There is an executive chef on staff and seniors receive healthy entrees as an option. “The dining experience is important to seniors,” Haworth said. “It’s something they do three times a day.” Woodside Terrace takes a “fresh approach” to food and uses very few canned goods, Haworth said. There are separate dining areas for those in independent living and those in assisted living. Staff well-trained The 120 people on staff at Woodside Terrace receive extensive training that covers the community’s and Brookdale’s mission and vision. They also receive one to two weeks of on-the-job training, depending on the department in which they are working. The most important qualities for staff are attitude and willingness to learn, Haworth stressed, noting that it is more important than the amount of experience someone has working with seniors. “You can train them to work with seniors,” she said. “You can’t train them to care.” Seniors give $50,000 to hourly staff At the end of every year, seniors at Woodside Terrace pool money together and give it to the hourly staff as a holiday bonus, Haworth said. At the end of 2011, seniors gave a total of $50,000 to hourly staff and personally presented each of them with checks. Each staff member received an average of nearly $495, Haworth said. “There were a lot of staff members in tears when they got those checks,” Haworth said. “They felt like they were being thanked.” (continues on next page) “We hadn’t been expecting this.” Added Lavoie, “It surprised the both of us.” The Spectrum 15
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