{"id":2450286,"date":"2019-10-24T08:00:11","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T14:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=314872"},"modified":"2019-10-24T08:00:11","modified_gmt":"2019-10-24T14:00:11","slug":"seniors-at-whitcomb-terrace-thrive-when-liberated-from-the-burdens-of-running-a-household","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/seniors-at-whitcomb-terrace-thrive-when-liberated-from-the-burdens-of-running-a-household\/","title":{"rendered":"Seniors at Whitcomb Terrace thrive when liberated from the burdens of running a household"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: Sponsored content brought to you by Aspen Valley Hospital<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n
Positive energy permeates through Whitcomb Terrace, where residents encourage each other to attend art shows, go for walks outside, head to the theater or any other activity that piques their interests.<\/em><\/strong>
Courtesy Photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Older
\nadults often assume that moving into a senior living community equates to a
\nloss of independence, but the paradox is this environment often delivers more
\nindependence for seniors compared to what they had while maintaining their own
\nresidence.<\/p>\n

In Aspen,
\nsenior living at Whitcomb Terrace feels more like a retreat where residents and
\nstaff truly enjoy each other\u2019s company and have access to countless educational
\nand cultural experiences in the community, all while living purposeful and
\nactive lives. The not-for-profit community, owned by Aspen Valley Hospital, has
\njust 15 total residences, providing a family-like atmosphere that feels warm
\nand welcoming for residents yet offers privacy and autonomy for those who want
\nit.<\/p>\n

Whitcomb
\nTerrace Director Maggie Gerardi has worked at the community for 18 years. In
\nthat time, they have typically had limited space for new residents, which is
\nwhy she said Whitcomb\u2019s current openings present an exciting opportunity for
\nfolks \u201cto claim a rare spot at Aspen\u2019s premiere place to age well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\u201cIt\u2019s understandable to want to stay in your home for as long as you can possibly make that work. However, we\u2019ve observed there are benefits derived from giving the responsibilities of daily life over to a qualified and loving staff. Quality of life is naturally enhanced by social interaction, activity stimulation, and the relaxation that comes with having your daily needs met.\u201d \u2014 Meredith Daniel, activities coordinator at Whitcomb Terrace<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

The
\nWhitcomb Terrace staff is focused on helping residents thrive by remaining
\nactive in the community. Most staff members have been at Whitcomb for 10 to 25
\nyears, providing residents with the comfort of seeing familiar faces every day and
\nproviding them with personal, trusted care.<\/p>\n

Enhanced quality of life<\/strong><\/p>\n

As
\nseniors age, living at home is often something that remains important. They\u2019re
\nsurrounded by memories, but keeping up with various chores and daily tasks can
\nbecome increasingly difficult.<\/p>\n

Gerardi
\nsaid many seniors feel that if they can manage on their own, why should they
\nstop living at home? But that is precisely the time when seniors and their
\nloved ones should start considering a senior living community \u2014 long before
\nthey think they \u201cneed\u201d it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo
\noften people move in, and love it so much that they wish they had made the
\ntransition years before. People don\u2019t realize the negative impact loneliness
\nand isolation have on one\u2019s quality of life,\u201d she said. \u201cIf people move in
\nbefore they think they\u2019re fully ready, they\u2019ll end up thriving more than they
\nwere at home, and maintain that level of health longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those
\nwho want to maintain their privacy can absolutely do so, and thrive at
\nWhitcomb, too. Not all residents want to participate in all of the activities
\nor programs and that\u2019s OK. They can maintain their personal freedom while also
\ntaking advantage of the services and amenities provided at Whitcomb Terrace,
\nGerardi said.<\/p>\n

Meredith
\nDaniel, activities coordinator at Whitcomb Terrace, said<\/p>\n

determining
\nwhen this transition is an appropriate choice for a family member or loved one,
\nor even for yourself, is understandably hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever,
\nwe\u2019ve observed there are benefits derived from giving the responsibilities of
\ndaily life over to a qualified and loving team,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cQuality of life
\nis naturally enhanced by social interaction, activity stimulation, and the
\nrelaxation that comes with having your daily needs met.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grateful relatives<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn
\n1960 mom came to ski bum in Aspen and worked for Drs. Whitcomb, Oden and
\nGould,\u201d says daughter Lisa Prior, who returned home to Aspen when it was time
\nfor her mother, Sharon, to relinquish some of the burdens of living
\nindependently. \u201c\u2018Dr. Whit\u2019 was our family doctor so it\u2019s really wonderful to feel
\nhis care living on in this way. Because Whitcomb Terrace is a small community,
\nmom knitted right in with the other residents. The quality of care is so
\npersonal, everyone there has different aging issues, and the incredible staff
\nare very responsive. There\u2019s really nothing like it. Having mom at Whitcomb has
\nerased the eldercare anxiety I\u2019ve been living with for a few years now. And the
\nicing on the cake is that my time with mom is not taken up with chores\u2014we hang
\nout or head out to experience all the things we love about the Roaring Fork
\nValley.\u201d<\/p>\n

A vibrant community<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n
Whitcomb Terrace is a not-for-profit senior living community owned by Aspen Valley Hospital with just 15 total residences, providing a family-like atmosphere where residents and staff truly enjoy each other\u2019s company and have access to countless educational and cultural experiences. <\/em><\/strong>
Courtesy Photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s
\nfitting that in a place as exciting as Aspen, that a senior living community
\nwould offer its residents so much in the way of activities, social engagement,
\nculture and great food. The positive energy permeates through the community,
\nwhere residents encourage each other to attend art shows, go for walks outside,
\nhead to the theater or to any other activity that piques their interests.<\/p>\n

\u201cResidents
\nget together daily to enjoy their shared interests, whether it\u2019s through art,
\npuzzles, bridge, Scrabble, movies, walking, music \u2014 they\u2019re often creating
\ntheir own experiences together,\u201d Gerardi said.<\/p>\n

With
\njust 15 residents at maximum capacity, it really does create a family
\natmosphere \u2014 staff included. Residents have their private apartments, and they
\nalso have the ability to go out as often as they like, participating in the
\nsame activities they did before moving in.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe
\nprovide a variety of opportunities for enrichment to encourage residents to
\nremain active,\u201d Gerardi said. \u201cResidents are also able to maintain privacy and
\nindependence, continuing to participate in their own activities and programs in
\nthe community. We have amazing meals and staff who cares for residents like
\nfamily. We also acknowledge some residents choose to keep the same routines and
\nindependence they had prior to moving in. We treat each resident as an
\nindividual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staff
\nmember Natalie Ward Trecker said the residents really appreciate living in a
\nplace that isn\u2019t full of strangers. They\u2019re able to form lasting friendships,
\nand because so many residents have lived in Aspen for a long time \u2014 or they
\nhave family here \u2014 they can also share their connection to this area with one
\nanother.<\/p>\n

Gerardi
\nseeks to inform the community of the rare openings at Whitcomb Terrace, where
\napartments have been recently renovated, and to acknowledge that the cost is
\nmore affordable than people might expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe
\nhave four apartment styles, ranging from small studios to large one-bedroom
\nunits, with rates from $3,500 to $6,000 per month,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd that price
\nis all-inclusive. It\u2019s one rate for all of the services we provide, including
\nmeals, salon services and so much more.\u201d Gerardi encourages potential residents
\nto consider taking advantage of this unusual opportunity while it\u2019s still
\navailable.<\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: Sponsored content brought to you by Aspen Valley Hospital Positive energy permeates through Whitcomb Terrace, where residents encourage each other to attend art shows, go for walks outside, head to the theater or any other activity that piques their interests.Courtesy Photo Older adults often assume that moving into a senior living community equates […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2450286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-19 12:03:27","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2450286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450286\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2450286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2450286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2450286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}