George Gordon’s journey to Presidential Place started several years ago when the 85-year-old realized his wife Maria was developing dementia. He knew that the time was coming when he would no longer be able to give her the care she would need without help. “That’s when I started to look around for options. I called A Place for Mom® and they told me about three places not that far from where we lived,” he said. “When I called Presidential Place, they immediately told me that if I was interested in moving there, they could have a driver pick me and my wife up to come over and take a tour. We liked the people and the community, and decided it was the right place.”

The move into our one-bedroom apartment, and new life, went smoothly. “I brought over as much furniture as I could from our house so Maria would feel more at home. It was a bit of an adjustment for her, but with her things and all the care we get here, she soon settled down and was happy.” Part of that happiness, George said, came from their participation in all the daily activities. “The staff would come in around 7:00 am and take care of getting Maria ready for the day,” he said. “Then we would leave the apartment and not come back until 6:30 pm. There was always something going on — bingo, arts and crafts, spending time on the patio, then lunch, more activities and all of a sudden, boom! It was time for supper!”

When George’s wife passed away, he decided to stay at Presidential Place. “I like not having to worry about keeping my medications straight — taking the right ones at the right times. They do that for me,” he said. “And I don’t have to deal with getting groceries or fixing meals. The staff do their best to give us a good menu three times a day, plus snacks. When I was still living at home, Maria and I were only having two meals a day. Three is better!”

He added that since he eats three meals a day, he’s making sure he goes to the morning exercise class every day so he won’t gain too much weight. In addition to exercising, George continues to take part in all the other activities, partly because of the company. “I’m about the only man here. The ladies and I tease each other and try to make each other laugh. It’s a lot of fun, and keeps us busy.”