Sarah

While living alone in her long-time Rosemont home, Sarah would raise the front window blinds every morning to let neighbors know she was fine. So, when her brother convinced Sarah to look at other living options, caring neighbors remained a priority. This criteria was also the deciding factor in Sarah choosing to call Shannondell home. Even before her new home was ready, Sarah would come to swim and use the fitness center, and in the process, early friendships helped to convince Sarah that she had made the right decision. Now, she’s a cheerleader for her neighbors at Shannondell; raising spirits instead of blinds

Q:
I hear you looked at a lot of communities before choosing Shannondell.

Sarah:
My brother took me to seven or eight communities. You go to some of these places and everything is “cold” and nobody speaks to you. I walked in the front doors here (at Shannondell) and instantly felt comfortable and everybody was so friendly.

Q:
Do you still think you made the right choice?

Sarah:
As much as I loved it, if I had stayed put, I’d be doing the same thing I had always done with the same six or seven friends. Here, I’m still able to maintain my old friendships, but I’ve made so many new friends; I probably know 80 people by their first name and I’m doing things I never thought I’d be doing.

Q:
Such as….

Sarah:
Like working with model trains. I had been here maybe a couple of weeks and was chatting with somebody at Happy Hour when they said they needed help planting scenery in the model train room. So, I said okay. Now, I’m the librarian for the model train room. I catalog donated books and other items and help with the Train Room Open Houses.

Q:
I hear the Train Room is a big hit with grandkids.

Sarah:
We have five Open Houses between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. The kids have a great time. The grandmothers and grandfathers have a great time. It’s a fun job.

Q:
You also have another job during billiards’ tournaments, right?

Sarah:
(laughing) I’m the “unofficial” billiards cheerleader, I guess. When my friends win their game, I stand up and shake my pom-pom and give them a “thumbs-up.”They laugh. Others laugh.

Q:
No cheers, though. Maybe you should work on that (smiling).

Sarah:
You’ll have to recruit more cheerleaders for me. There might be a space problem, too. The billiard tournaments are pretty crowded.

Q:
Let’s move to the pool and fitness center.

Sarah:
It’s great exercise, but it’s also a very social activity, like most things here. We “gab” while we water walk. I also take a stretch class and ride the stationary bike probably three times a week. I had never exercised before I moved to Shannondell. Now, I’m perfectly healthy in my eighties.

Q:
That’s inspiring.

Sarah:
It really is inspiring to live here. I tell my friends in the Main Line who still live in their big old houses that they’re nuts. They’re missing so much.

Q:
I think I see another job for the cheerleading team.

Sarah:
Oh dear. We’ll need new pom-poms.

Read other interviews with Shannondell residents by clicking on the names below:

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