For many seniors, there comes a point in time where living at home, doing chores and preparing your own meals becomes tiring. In addition to the upkeep of daily activities, health concerns frequently prompt older adults to move into a senior living community, where they can enjoy a more carefree lifestyle with assistance from health professionals in a secure environment.

The Preserve, a senior living community in Fort Myers, is home to seniors of all different backgrounds and journeys. The way that residents discover the community varies, oftentimes from word of mouth or research. Regardless of how they discover it, though, residents find themselves forming genuine relationships, feeling pure happiness and enjoying their time in the community.

In Bebe Osborn’s case, she discovered the community when her husband was referred to The Preserve for rehabilitation services. While he received care, Osborn and her daughter, Debra Kaiser, started planning their move to the community. One year later, she calls The Preserve her extended family.

In good hands

While her father was at The Preserve, Kaiser noticed how kind and welcoming the staff had been, which encouraged her to move her parents to the community full time. The Preserve offers several care levels, including assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation services, so Bebe Osborn was able to move into assisted living, while her husband moved into memory care. As the daily needs of residents evolve over time, they sometimes need to move to a different level of care. This soon was the case for Kaiser’s father.

“Jennifer, the director of nursing, was on top of it,” said Kaiser. “When she first noticed a decline in his condition, she spoke to management and was working on preparing him for a future transition to skilled nursing.”

After Kaiser’s father relocated to skilled nursing, the memory care team continued to visit and check on him. Osborn receives the same devoted attention; if she’s ever feeling unwell, staff will visit her apartment with easy-to-stomach meals, like soup and crackers.

A personal touch

As a boutique-style senior living community, The Preserve offers a level of intimacy that is unique to smaller communities – nobody gets lost in the shuffle, and each staff member forms a relationship with each resident.

While she’s fondly referred to as Miss Bebe, she is never called “Mrs. Osborn.” First names are the preferred method of referral at The Preserve for both residents and staff members, showing trust, love and care between the residents and the community staff. Kaiser and Osborn attribute this to the size of the community.

Care at The Preserve goes beyond the scope of health care. When Osborn and her late husband were nearing their 75th wedding anniversary, staff planned an anniversary celebration for the couple, complete with a rose petal-filled room, a candlelit ceremony and a private dinner. Kaiser collaborated with the staff to plan the event and customized a wedding veil for Bebe and a tuxedo printed t-shirt for her husband.

Diverse activities

Socialization is important for seniors, as it positively impacts not only their cognitive health, but also their physical and emotional well-being. According to the Mather Institute, nearly 70% of seniors reported that their social wellness improved after moving into senior living, and this is due to the constant opportunities for socialization that are offered to senior living residents.

One thing Osborn enjoys about The Preserve is the diverse activity offerings, from belly-dancing and fitness classes to happy hour and games. Osborn, and many other residents, attend all forms of entertainment that are offered, including live performances right in the community. She’s one of the reigning champions in Wii Sports bowling matches at The Preserve, likely due to her past membership of several bowling leagues.

“No matter what your interests are, there’s always a class or people to do an activity with,” said Kaiser.

Senior living is an optimal opportunity for seniors to discover an even larger support system, while receiving high-quality, necessary care. Through the devoted attention and care they receive, Osborn and other assisted living residents have grown to consider The Preserve as their extended family.