Much of what you’ve heard about retirement is a myth, which is why we asked three active couples — Robert and Cynthia, Melissa and Laura, and Phil and Ruth — to share the real scoop on retirement life at Beatitudes Campus.
Think you’ll miss your things, you’re too young, or not ready to move, and senior living is too expensive? Think again! These amplified seniors will debunk the three biggest misconceptions about senior living communities and perhaps inspire you to become the superhero of your own retirement story.
Myth #1: I’ll miss my stuff if I move from my house to senior living.
“We put much of our stuff into storage. After five years of paying for storage and only going into that storage once to find a video cable, we donated most of it to the campus thrift store, where all the proceeds benefit residents and our community. We gave the rest to our new friends and placed some around campus.”
— Robert
“Most people move into senior living and find they have brought too much stuff. To me, it’s a relief to have fewer things to deal with. I don’t have as many responsibilities and headaches here.”
— Cynthia
“We had accumulated over 30 years of stuff, so we wanted a patio home with more space and a garage, which we wouldn’t get in an apartment. Downsizing was challenging, especially since we moved during COVID-19 when the community thrift store wasn’t accepting donations. We moved in on a Friday, and by Saturday, we were told there would be a lockdown at noon, which was unexpected since we still had two carloads at our house. Our patio home wasn’t ready, so we had to move into an apartment temporarily and put most of our belongings in storage.
Although it was stressful, moving during that time was the best decision — we would have been so isolated in our old home. We also realized later we should have brought more of our gardening tools since we got so involved in the community garden here. Luckily, there’s a full wood shop onsite, so we can borrow tools whenever we need them!”
— Melissa and Laura
“You can bring your most important ‘stuff’ with you. And you’ll be doing your children a big favor by letting them choose things meaningful to them and getting rid of the rest.”
— Phil and Ruth
Myth #2: I’m too young and not ready to move into a senior living community.
“I was 62 when we came to Beatitudes (Campus), making us some of the youngest residents. Now, five years later, I’m more active and involved than I ever was in my own house. Back then, I hardly knew my neighbors, but here, I know lots of people. I’ve also started playing music again after a 15-year break, and I even get to teach classes through the Beatitudes Center for Lifelong Learners. I have never regretted moving here for a moment.”
— Robert
“We moved in on the younger side for senior living, and I’m so glad we did. Moving is hard work, and getting involved in the community takes energy. But it’s the best way to feel integrated. I’m happier, healthier and more social here than ever.”
— Cynthia
“We first visited Beatitudes (Campus) about 10 years ago while searching for senior living options for my parents, and that’s when we saw the first patio homes being built. We don’t have kids, and we knew we needed to make a plan for ourselves. We ended up moving here sooner than expected because we saw a great opportunity to move into the second phase of patio homes and join a neighborhood of other new residents. When we visited, the welcoming vibe on campus and the friendliness of everyone made us think, ‘Yeah, this is where we want to be.’
Some people think moving to a retirement community means the end, but we’ve made so many new friends and are more social now than we’ve ever been. It’s so easy to meet people, and everyone truly cares for each other. We’re constantly in awe of the people here — lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, world travelers. You don’t realize how many interesting people there are until you’ve settled in.”
— Melissa and Laura
“It’s best to move while you’re still physically able. Moving is never easy, so it’s important to do it while you have the choice. By moving while you’re in good health, you can take part in the many activities offered and make the campus a place where you truly live and become part of the community. Here, you don’t have to worry about isolation, which can significantly impact the health of older adults.”
— Phil and Ruth
Myth #3: I can’t afford senior living.
“When you add up the costs of housekeeping, yard work, home maintenance, electric, gas, cable and phone, it costs us about $500 more per month to live here. But everything is included, and all the work is taken care of. The community provides most of our transportation for free, so we gave up our car and now use Uber and campus transportation.”
— Robert
“When you consider everything included in our fee, it really is a bargain. We don’t have to pay extra for anything — cable, phone, utilities, maintenance or transportation. Plus, I really appreciate the full-time security we have here.”
— Cynthia
“We took advantage of a rate lock special offered after we had moved in. By paying a little extra upfront, our monthly fee stays the same for as long as we live here. The monthly fees here are actually less than what we were paying to maintain our house, where things could always go wrong — from the roof to the AC. Plus, all those little expenses like the electric bill, water bill and pool maintenance really add up.”
— Melissa and Laura
“There are many residence options and price points for senior living at Beatitudes, whether you prefer to rent or buy in. Most include maintenance costs, food, transportation and other expenses in the overall cost, making it easier to manage your budget.”
— Phil and Ruth
Now that these amplified residents have busted myths about retirement and cracked the code on what life’s like at Beatitudes Campus, we hope you’re inspired to plan for retirement early and start living brightly and boldly — today! To learn more, contact us or join us at an event.
Featured image: pics five / Shutterstock
The holiday season is upon us, bringing a sense of togetherness, warmth and the joy of sharing delicious meals with loved ones. As we gather around the table, it’s important to remember the significant role that cooking plays, particularly when it comes to older adults.
Cooking for seniors, or even better, seniors cooking, is more than just preparing a meal; it’s a way to nourish the body and soul and encourages older adults to maintain their independence, engage their minds and stay active. Cooking also helps create meaningful holiday memories and fosters intergenerational connections.
In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits of cooking for seniors, why it’s essential and how it can enhance the holiday season. We’ll also share — thanks to three Beatitudes Campus residents — family recipes for cranberry relish, Mexican meatball soup and potato pancakes.
The Importance of Seniors Cooking
Cooking for seniors is more than just a culinary task; it’s an opportunity for creativity, engagement and empowerment. As we age, maintaining a sense of independence and purpose is essential. Cooking provides seniors with a meaningful and enjoyable activity that can boost their overall well-being.
When seniors take the reins in the kitchen, they exercise cognitive functions, from memory to problem-solving, which can help prevent cognitive decline. Following and learning recipes, making choices about ingredients, and mastering new cooking techniques are all mentally stimulating activities that contribute to a healthier brain.
Cooking for seniors is also an excellent way to maintain dexterity and mobility. Chopping, stirring and navigating the kitchen requires physical effort that can help keep joints and muscles active. It’s a form of gentle exercise that benefits overall mobility.
Nourishing Body and Soul
Beyond the joy of creating holiday memories, seniors cooking can have a direct impact on their nutrition and health. Homemade meals are often healthier and more tailored to individual dietary needs than prepackaged or restaurant-prepared food. Seniors can choose ingredients that suit their specific health requirements, making it easier to manage conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or dietary restrictions.
The act of cooking also promotes mindfulness. Preparing a meal involves being present in the moment, focusing on the task at hand and enjoying the sensory experience of cooking. This mindful approach to meals can enhance the enjoyment of food and promote healthier eating habits.
Benefits of Cooking for Seniors in Their Home
Cooking for seniors in their home has its own unique set of advantages. It allows seniors to feel a strong connection to their living space, fostering a sense of comfort and security. Being in familiar surroundings makes the cooking process less stressful and more enjoyable.
With seniors cooking at home, they’re free to choose what they prepare and how they do it. This sense of control is empowering and can boost self-esteem. It’s an opportunity to experiment with new recipes, revisit old family favorites or even create their own signature dishes.
Creating Holiday Memories Through Cooking
The holiday season is a perfect time to highlight the benefits of cooking and to cherish the memories it creates. Cooking for seniors or cooking with seniors can be an intergenerational bonding experience. It’s a way for families to come together, learn from one another and create lasting memories.
Quality time: The process of cooking can be a relaxing experience. It’s a time to catch up, share stories and enjoy each other’s company while preparing a meal. The conversations and laughter in the kitchen are often as memorable as the dishes themselves.
Traditional dishes: The holiday season is all about tradition, and cooking for seniors often involves making dishes that are beloved during this time of year. Whether it’s baking holiday cookies or roasting a turkey, these rituals create a sense of continuity and comfort. Tip: If you need holiday recipe inspiration, there are plenty of ideas on The Food Network, Delish and The Pioneer Woman.
Food as a love language: Sharing a meal prepared with love is one of the most profound ways to express care and affection. It’s a way to show older adults they are cherished and valued, fostering emotional connections and boosting their overall sense of well-being.
Passing down family recipes: Many families have cherished recipes passed down through generations. Cooking these dishes allows older adults to share their culinary wisdom and family history. And, teaching younger generations these recipes ensures they are preserved for the future.
Beatitudes Bonding in the Kitchen
This holiday season at Beatitudes Campus, residents are rolling up their sleeves, donning aprons and whipping up delicious dishes. And they’re doing more than just savoring the flavors; they’re honoring traditions by sharing their family recipes for cranberry relish, Mexican meatball soup and potato pancakes.
Grandma’s Fresh Cranberry Relish
Submitted by resident Cynthia Cielle
Ingredients:
One bag fresh, whole cranberries (about 4 cups)
One large navel orange (peeled and deseeded)
½ cup granulated sugar
Method:
- Pulse ingredients in a food processor until chopped small, but not minced. A blender also works if divided in small batches.
- Pour into bowl and refrigerate overnight
Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup)
Submitted by resident Adela Serrano
“I remember how wonderful the house smelled when my mother was cooking. She liked to cook albondigas soup with cornbread during the cold months. Our extended family always wanted to come over when they knew she was making it. She didn’t measure the ingredients; she liked to taste as she cooked. I now realize what an excellent cook my mom was, as I have had the opportunity to taste other people’s cooking.”
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds sirloin ground beef
1 ½ cups white rice
1 clove garlic (minced)
½ large white onion (diced)
½ cup cilantro (chopped)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 small can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 quarts of water
Method:
- Add garlic, onion, cilantro, black pepper and salt to ground beef and knead well.
- Form mixture into 2-inch meatballs and gently drop into boiling water.
- Heat cooking oil in pan and lightly brown the rice.
- Add rice to boiling water with meatballs.
- Add tomato sauce.
- Cover and simmer until meatballs and rice are cooked (about 30 minutes).
Potato Pancakes (Latkes)
Submitted by resident Phil Adelman
“Chanukah is an eight-day Jewish holiday with the menorah lit each day, commemorating the Maccabee victory and restoration of the Temple. It has become the traditional Jewish gift-giving holiday because of its occurrence close to Christmas and television advertising. At Beatitudes, we acknowledge Chanukah and have a Menorah displayed in each living area of the campus. The traditional foods for the holiday are jelly-filled donuts and potato latkes (pancakes). This is the recipe my family uses. If you don’t want to follow the recipe but want to taste a traditional latke, Trader Joe’s sells them in the frozen food section.”
Ingredients:
4 large raw potatoes (unpeeled but well-scrubbed)
2 teaspoons dried minced onion or ½ small onion
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons flour or matzah meal
Vegetable oil for frying
Method:
- Grate 4 large raw potatoes using a fine grating disc. Squeeze out excess water and transfer to a bowl.
- Mix in 2 teaspoons dried minced onion (or ½ small onion), 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon baking powder and 2 tablespoons flour or matzah meal.
- Heat vegetable oil in a deep large skillet. For each latke, drop about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the skillet.
- Fry over medium heat until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
- Stir the batter before frying each new batch. Recipe makes about 15 pancakes. Add more oil to the pan as necessary.
- Dig in while they’re warm! For sweet or savory pairings, enjoy them with applesauce, honey, jam, sour cream, smoked salmon, chives or fresh herbs.
Explore dining options at Beatitudes Campus to discover how we come together to enjoy great food and create wonderful memories, not only during the holiday season but throughout the year.
Featured Image: NDAB Creativity / Shutterstock
The decision to move to a senior living community is a bold step – one full of uncertainty and excitement. Deciding which community to choose makes that step even more significant. We’d like to walk alongside you in this journey and happily amplify residents’ voices as they share all they love about life at Beatitudes Campus.
Here, the residents are the fuel for our extraordinary community. They seize opportunities with enthusiasm, unafraid to color their days with passion and purpose.
Here’s what residents have to say about Living Brightly and Aging Boldly at Beatitudes Campus!
“Since living here, I have found myself and I feel needed. I’m fulfilled because I can give and share. It’s opened up a whole new life for me.” – Donna Henry
“You can thrive and be as happy and be as busy as you would like to be. It’s a social place where the people are friendly and there’s an abundance of options.” – Marilyn Meili
“The Creative Corner is here for all of us who are creative. There are beads, yarn, felt and paint — everything for anybody and free for residents to use. I feel so grateful to be here.” – Donna Ellis
“It’s welcoming, it’s comfortable, and it’s home.” – Bob Morgan
“Living here allows me to teach, which is my passion. There’s also a lifelong learners program, so I’m always taking courses I’m interested in. It’s a very caring community, and it welcomes all faiths.” – Phil Adelman
See the residents’ bold personalities and bright spirits!
Featured Videos: 3 Words – Beatitudes Campus, Why Beatitudes – Beatitudes Campus, Thrive – Beatitudes Campus
Hear from the extraordinary residents at Beatitudes Campus!
Jim, Beatitudes resident for 12 years:
Joannie, Beatitudes resident for 13 years:
Jim, Beatitudes resident for 10 years:
Lesla, Beatitudes resident for 1 year:
For an energizing experience in our inclusive community, join us for any (or all!) of our upcoming events or complete the form below to request a private tour.
The feeling of safety at Beatitudes Campus is almost palpable. If you glance around Beatitudes Campus, you’ll notice residents going about their day — from gardening or walking their dogs to chatting on a bench with friends or counting steps with their pedometers. When the temperature turns cooler in the evening, you’ll find an especially bustling atmosphere.
While so many of us might take this for granted, Robert Andrews doesn’t. Before moving to Beatitudes Campus, Robert always enjoyed the exercise and fresh air that came with walking his dog. He did so daily without giving it a thought until one day when it all changed.
“An event near our previous neighborhood made us feel unsafe, so I started carrying a baseball bat while walking our dog,” he said. “It was a terrible feeling.”
Safety at Beatitudes Campus And in the Surrounding Community
When Robert and his wife, Cynthia, began to explore the idea of moving to a senior living community, the couple prioritized a safe, secure neighborhood that would provide the freedom to enjoy life without worry. They found it at Beatitudes Campus and the surrounding 19NORTH neighborhood.
Ensuring the North Phoenix neighborhood is a safe, welcoming, walkable community for all is the goal of the 19NORTH Community Alliance, a grassroots effort that brings together community leaders, city officials, businesses, schools, faith-based groups and other non-profit organizations. The alliance focuses on the 19NORTH neighborhood between Montebello and Dunlap Avenues, from 15th Avenue to 23rd Avenue.
Beatitudes Campus’ location on Glendale Avenue is in the middle of the 19NORTH neighborhood, offering residents and staff the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of living and working in an active, involved, multi-generational community.
For greater peace of mind, Beatitudes Campus takes the commitment to a safe, walkable community even further. Here, you’ll find 27 acres of interconnected walking paths and roads, green space, gardening areas and dog parks all within our gated neighborhood that’s manned with 24-hour security. You can freely enjoy exercise, fresh air, and visiting with neighbors and staff knowing help is nearby if it’s ever needed.
For Robert and Cynthia, like so many others, it makes all the difference. Today, you’ll find Robert walking around Beatitudes Campus for exercise, greeting neighbors and staff along the way.
“Beatitudes Campus is an oasis in the city. Because it’s safe, we feel comfortable doing what we love,” said Robert. “I love to walk. Now, I can do it as much as I like without having to carry a baseball bat.”
To meet more residents like Robert and Cynthia, visit our video gallery. They offer a delightful and candid insider’s view of campus life.
To take a tour of Beatitudes Campus, call (602) 833-1358 or contact us through our online form below.
When you’re considering a move to a new place, it can be helpful to know what the people who live there think and feel about their home and community, the neighbors and staff, as well as the atmosphere and amenities. We asked four residents to tell us about what Beatitudes Campus means to them. We were delighted to hear their answers.
Marc Adelman
When Marc Adelman lived across the street from Beatitudes Campus years ago, he didn’t know the community specialized in senior living. Today, he not only lives on campus, he’s involved with dozens of programs, committees, and activities.
Marc spearheaded a program to install a special audio system in the campus’ Everett Luther Life Center to help people hear the presentations and music better. As an ad hoc technology expert, he helps residents with their TVs, phones, and other devices.
“I moved here in 2015, and I’ve loved every minute of it,” said Marc, who also teaches mahjong and serves as a community ambassador. “I was very active before moving here. Beatitudes gives me the opportunity to stay active and involved.”
In June, Beatitudes Campus debuts its new Gaming Connection, a special calendar that tracks all of the game and puzzle meetups happening across campus–bridge, poker, dominoes, mahjong, board games, and more. It makes it easy for everyone to find a game and join in whenever they want. It’s a great way to meet new friends. Marc helped create the computerized tracking system for this new calendar.
“To me, Beatitudes Campus means safety, friendliness and connection with people,” he said. “Most of us wear name tags. On it, we get to add a word that best describes ourselves. I chose the word ‘involved.’”
Bill Chase
As an electrical design consultant, Bill Chase stays busy, dividing his time between his clients and life at Beatitudes Campus. Bill and his late wife lived just four miles from the community before moving to the community in 2016. Beatitudes provided the stability, ease, and optional in-home caregiving the couple needed.
“When we visited Beatitudes, the community was so lively and engaged. People had places to go, things to do. We liked that,” said Bill. “Plus, people here seemed more friendly.”
Today, Bill spends his free time participating in social groups and playing guitar on-campus several days a week. “There are a lot of choices. You can pick and choose what you want to do,” said Bill. “It’s like being back in college.”
In addition to an active social life, Bill has found friendship and support at Beatitudes Campus.
“It feels like a small town. People look out for each other,” said Bill. “Living at Beatitudes Campus makes me want to be a better person, just like my wife did.”
Carol and Wally Flinn
Married for 64 years, Carol and Wally Flinn moved to Beatitudes Campus in 2016, after deciding that keeping up a four-bedroom house was just too much work.
“We started educating ourselves on what was available. We looked at three other communities over two years,” said Carol. “We chose Beatitudes because we like the staff, the people, and the food. We feel safe here, especially at night.”
The Flinns enjoy a variety of activities on campus. Wally, who’s outgoing and gregarious, likes the fitness center, walking on campus, and playing darts and bocce ball. Carol is loyal to spending time with friends, playing bridge, using the campus library, and being a part of the Welcome Committee.
“For us, Beatitudes Campus means being more involved, more active, taking lifelong learning classes, belonging to groups, and meeting new people,” said Carol.
MaryLou Renfrow
When MaryLou Renfrow began needing help at home after a fall, she and her family didn’t choose a senior living community lightly. Before MaryLou moved to Beatitudes Campus, her son-in-law thoroughly vetted the community before giving his blessing.
“He checked out everything to make sure it was a good place,” said MaryLou, who lives in a ground floor apartment with a beautiful patio decorated just the way she likes it. “I just love it here. Everyone smiles, waves, and says hello. We’re like a big family.”
MaryLou takes advantage of Beatitudes Campus “Be at Home” services program to make everyday living a little easier. The program provides in-home care and personal support, such as help getting ready in the morning, transportation to the doctor, grocery shopping, medication reminders, and more.
“They even take great care of my cat, LouLou,” she said. “For me, Beatitudes Campus means feeling content and relaxed. It feels like my home. There are a lot of wonderful things that come with it.”
Are you or a loved one considering the transition to a retirement community? Schedule a tour of Beatitudes Campus by calling us at (602) 536-4732 or submitting a contact form!