Eddy Retirement Living - Northeast Health

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You’ve got a friend: deep, loving relationships thrive at Eddy Retirement Living “Even rarer than love itself,” said a French poet, “is friendship.” And if you accept the findings in a number of recent surveys, he’s right. Genuine friendship, many Americans complain, is getting harder than ever to find. Despite all the communications wonders of our time – despite all the cell-phoning, text-messaging, e-mailing and seemingly constant chatter of our digitally connected lives – more and more people say they have fewer and fewer trusted confidants. Except here. “ I’ve been around a long time,” said Richard Staffield, “and I’ve never had more good friends than right now, right here at The Glen. ” Deep, abiding, nourishing friendships – the kind that poets write about – are to be found in abundance at our Eddy Retirement Living communities. Ask anyone. “Honestly … if I started to make a list of all my friends here at Beechwood,” said Martha (Marty) Moore, “I’d never be able to finish it.” “Maybe the dearest one of all is my friend Alice Sunukjian, who lives across the hall. Every morning she lets me steal her newspaper and read it,” Marty laughed. “I never expected to have so many close friends,” said Louise Marshall of Beverwyck. “All the people here are wonderful. If anyone ever has a problem, everybody rallies around. No one is alone.” What’s the secret? Why, in a world that many say is getting lonelier each day, do we find such an oasis of friendship, camaraderie … even the hint of new romance … in our Eddy communities? While our residents are gaining friends, an important new study, “Social Isolation in America,” reports that average Americans seem to be losing them. Over the last 20 years, a typical person’s number of “core confidants” has fallen to only two. And little more than half of all respondents said a “non-kin” person was part of their “inner circle.” It’s a discouraging trend – and the complete opposite of what we experience here at The Eddy. So … again … how can we explain it? Maybe the secret is that our residents don’t even bother to try. They are simply themselves: comfortable with their lives, their lifestyles and their life decisions (including the choice for Eddy Retirement Living). “ Some say it’s the worry-free environment of our Eddy communities ... or the fun-loving people ... even the warm Eddy staff (who clearly love their jobs). ” “Friendship is the norm here, not the exception,” said another resident. “I don’t know how they brought so many fine people into one location, but everyone here is first class,” said Ed Delaporte of The Glen at Hiland Meadows. “Three years ago … on the day I moved in … it wasn’t half an hour before Al Quinn, from one of the cottages, walked over and said ‘hey, welcome to The Glen,” said Ed. “Then, half an hour later, here comes Steve Lewis from down the street … saying ‘welcome to The Glen.’ A few minutes later, I met Harvey Dearstyne from next door. It was like that all day. I met Charlie Baker … so many others.” 2
All have become good friends. They play cards together, dine together (with their wives), shoot pool … play golf. And as men will do, they often tease each other good naturedly. “The thing I like so much about Ed,” said his pal, Dick Staffield, “is that if he ever beats me at cards or pool, he always feels sorry for me.” “ It’s funny. I didn’t think I’d ever come here ... but now I wonder what took me so long,” said Ruth Smith. ” At our Beechwood community, Ruth Smith said her “moving in” day (at age 86) was “like a class reunion.” “I discovered that I knew some of the ‘girls’ who were living here. Marjorie Groom, Thelma Riggs, Ann Dorfner … were all good friends back in high school,” she recalled. “And since then, I’ve made so many new friends … more than I could count.” Was that a real “date” date? At our Beverwyck community, Louise Marshall recalls the day her friend and fellow resident Bob Patton called … and asked her to a ballet at Saratoga. She laughs, “I remember that for the first two-thirds of the call, I thought Bob was just trying to give away an extra ticket he had. But then I realized he was asking me to go with him!” The two had a wonderful time, and have been friends ever since. Among many other interests, they share a passion for the arts and frequently go to New York City where Bob’s son is principal timpanist for the Metropolitan Opera orchestra. “Louise is not at all like my wife was,” said Bob, “and I don’t think I’m very much like her late husband. But we have so many similar tastes,” he said, “ours is just a natural, very special friendship.” These days, you’ll find Bob and Louise at Carnegie Hall or Tanglewood or just enjoying a quiet meal together at a local restaurant. Like all of our friends, they found something at The Eddy that’s truly precious. “I feel lucky,” said Louise. “Not just lucky to have met Bob, but lucky to be at The Eddy. This environment is a catalyst for so many great friendships like ours.” 3
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Eddy Retirement Living - Northeast Health

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