Full-Time Job With Weekends Off!
River Terrace Estates will accommodate any lifestyle you choose to live. Even if you’re working full-time? You bet! Just ask Ed Davis, Superintendent of Bluffton Utilities and Cottage Home resident. “My home at River Terrace Estates allows me the independence I want and the free time I need from my full-time job,” says Ed.
At the public utilities, Ed’s workday consists of management, problem-solving, meetings and planning ahead for concerns such as secondary winds from an active hurricane season and ice on the power lines brought on by winter.
No longer consumed with housekeeping, exterior maintenance and lawn care, Ed spends his weekends visiting and catching up with family — a daughter, three sons, nine grandchildren, one great grandchild, a brother and an uncle. And sometimes, Ed’s special hobby causes him to slip out early on a Friday afternoon for a late summer road trip.
Ed’s an ardent fan of Indiana’s agricultural steam engine shows, an interest that goes back to his days as a student at Purdue. And, since Ed has worked at several public utilities throughout Indiana, he knows the best shows— the Steam Engineers’ Show in Rushville, the New Haven Show and the Tri-State show in Portland — and tries to attend them all.
Ed Davis seems to have found the perfect place to accommodate — and complement — his busy lifestyle. River Terrace Estates.
Who said you had to retire to live here!?!
The Smith's Didn't Wait. Neither Should You.
Don and Mary Lou Smith make their own decisions. “Especially regarding retirement,” says Mary Lou. “We feel people wait too long to decide what to do — Don and I didn’t want a situation where our children had to decide where we’d live.” That’s why they chose River Terrace Estates, where they could still pursue favorite hobbies, travel and enjoy each day, without worrying about their home or feeling anxious about the future.
The Smiths have always been planners. Mary Lou, a talented musician, and Don, now retired from Bristol Myers, are both from Huntington. After they married, had four children and sent them off to high school, Mary Lou enrolled in Huntington University with her oldest son. “At one time, there were four of us studying at Huntington,” says Mary Lou. She went on to attain two master’s degrees, teach high school and eventually retired from Warsaw High School. Don’s planning is seen in his love of carpentry. As a master carpenter, he’s planned and built two family homes, and is currently helping River Terrace Estates establish a woodworking craft area with many of his own tools. He enjoys making smaller things like stools, magazine stands and euchre-themed ornaments for the community’s holiday tree at the Bluffton Creative Arts Center.
Both Don and Mary Lou love their new apartment and its convenient location, as the well as the readily available transportation service, and restaurant-style dining options at River Terrace Estates. “We retired in 1985 and enjoyed lots of golf near our home in South Padre Island, Texas,” says Don. “Our plan was to take a couple of years and determine our next step,” continues Mary Lou. “But once we visited and experienced the warm feeling of River Terrace Estates, we decided, ‘Why wait?’ You shouldn’t, either!”
Fred and Hazel: A Factual Account
Fred and Hazel, ages 79 and 76, lived in the home they’d owned for 45 years. Their assets were valued at $300,000, including their home valued at $130,000 and their $4,700 monthly income from Social Security, pensions and investments. In generally good health, Fred suffered from angina and Hazel dealt with diabetes and macular degeneration. Their two children and five grandchildren lived out of state.
Fred and Hazel considered selling their home which was requiring more costly maintenance every year, and moving to a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC). But they ultimately decided to risk not needing future health care and remain in their home, saying, “We’d rather leave all our money for the children.”
Their decision had tragic consequences. Shortly thereafter, Fred suffered a stroke, was hospitalized and then admitted to a nursing home. Medicare paid for hospitalization, but for only 21 days of nursing home care. Although Fred’s condition worsened, Hazel insisted on taking care of him at home. Three weeks later, Hazel re-admitted Fred to the nursing home, where he remained for the last four years of his life.
Fred’s nursing home bill, Hazel’s own medication expenses, plus monthly costs of living and household upkeep, took a toll on their assets, which were nearly depleted three years after Fred’s confinement. In addition, they were separated from each other and Hazel, with failing eyesight, depended upon friends to drive her on the 18-mile round trip to visit Fred. Trying to manage, their only choice was to sell their home, but that didn’t get a very good price because it was in dire need of repair. After Fred’s passing, Hazel entered a nursing home and, at her death a short time later, the family inherited the remaining small portion of the estate.
Fred and Hazel could have avoided this financial and emotional tragedy by moving to the CCRC while they were still relatively healthy. By selling their home early on at its appraised $130,000 value, they could have paid the entrance fee with $40,000 left over to invest, and used part of their monthly income to pay the monthly service fees, which included housing and on-site health care. Hazel would have been able to visit Fred any time by walking a short distance indoors from her apartment to his bedside. With a life of her own surrounded by friends, she could have avoided the long days and nights alone worrying about Fred. And, because their initial entrance fee at the CCRC was 70% refundable, their children would have inherited the bulk of their estate.
When Fred and Hazel decided against entering a CCRC, they were obviously thinking these catastrophic health and financial problems “happen only to the other fellow.” Are you like Fred and Hazel? We hope not. Take charge of your future — visit River Terrace Estates today and learn how we can help you protect yourself, your current assets and your family’s future.