By Kathy Kappler
There are many benefits of working with our great seniors. I would have to say one of greatest benefit is the wonderful people we meet. I have the privilege of assisting a very special gentleman. This Gentleman is 97 and while he doesn’t admit it he is certainly a local celebrity. For the sake of privacy I will call him Mr. W. As soon as I met him I knew there was something very special about him. He had lost his wife of 60 plus years just this past year and wanted to look at assisted living communities. He was thoroughly enjoying his home but knew that the best thing for him would be to have a place to move to in the future. He also has a little dog that he wants to stay with him. So I set up some communities that seemed to meet most of his needs and concerns. We spent a lot of time looking at each community. This gentleman is the ultra-gentleman! Every room we went in he made sure the ladies went in first-and that included the elevators. It is my normal style to stay back and let my client always go first but Mr. W wouldn’t allow it. He proves his amazing manners every time we meet.
Mr. W was quite concerned about needing help with deciding what to bring and what to leave or sell. I offered to set him up with a business that does just that. He thought that was a great idea and they met a couple weeks later.
As time went on he finally narrowed it down to two communities and we returned to look at them. He ended up choosing the very first one we went to and he is very happy with his choice, even though he is on a wait list as they are full. This is fine with him and he is not quite ready to make the move.
I visited his home again and we measured his rooms and compared it to the floor plan he liked. We adjusted his choice of floor plan to match the space in his home that is most important to him.
I mentioned this gentleman being a local celebrity. He was a teacher and coached almost every sport –mostly at a local High School. Everywhere we went someone knew him or knew of him. In one community he visited with a resident that had moved in and when they united there were tears of joy and genuine respect. The resident had also coached and said he became the man he is because of M. W., he called him his mentor. The young and old know his name. We ran into many people that had a son or someone that this gentleman had coached. I mentioned his name to a friend one day and he said “he is famous around here”. His home office is full of articles and awards and he has been honored many times.
I could go on and on because Mr. W is one of a kind. He is a humble gentleman with a great smile and sense of humor. It truly is a privilege to be able to assist this gentleman. We are staying in touch and will do so until he moves and for many years after his move as he has added something special to my life. Meeting people like M. W.-such a great benefit of being an Advisor for Concierge Care Advisors.
