Making New Friends at Any Age

Redstone Highlands Senior Living Communities is well known for its staff attention to residents, the upkeep of its buildings and grounds, its wellness initiatives for residents and employees, and even its playful and creative innovation in providing residents with healthy, quality and delicious meals. However, one thing that we don’t hear about often is the relationships that grow between residents. Consider this one example of a budding relationship on one of our campuses:

It was a regular day for Greensburg campus resident Kay Altman. She was making her way to dinner when she noticed something out of the ordinary. A man was standing outside one of her neighboring apartments where a door was ajar. The community is close-knit, so Kay wondered who this man was. He greeted her and introduced her to his mother, Davida Leshock, a new resident

Davida and her son were planning on attending a Fourth of July celebration and invited Kay that introduction spurred something special between these two ladies, a friendship.

Since then Kay and Davida have used their friendship to explore something they are both passionate about, exercise and wellness. They’ve taken it upon themselves to try out as many of the wellness programs Redstone provides as they can. One of their favorites is Silver Sneakers, an exercise program developed for residents to participate in while using chairs. Kay was wary about a sitting-down exercise at first but has concluded that it gets the job done.

They also like to participate in the wellness programs at the on-site fitness center. Since they began their friendship in July, they have tried each of the aerobic machines in the center.

When their schedule permits, you’ll find the two ladies exploring other activities on campus as well. They make it a point to enjoy meals together when they can.

Kay moved to Redstone Highlands eight years ago after her husband passed away. She says she’s always really enjoyed living there, but since her friendship with Davida began, she’s had the opportunity to explore and enjoy so much more of what Redstone has to offer.

The benefits of friendship are often overlooked, however, researchers of the Nurses’ Health Study from Harvard Medical School concluded that not having close friends is as detrimental to your health as smoking or obesity. Redstone recognizes friendship as a great wellness tactic and provides many social events and occasions to help foster the friendships for both residents and employees.

The story of Kay and Davida represents the relationships that Redstone values and loves to share. Redstone strives to provide residents with the utmost living experience throughout all the years of their lives. It’s Redstone’s goal to encourage all residents to enjoy as many of the amenities of its communities as possible. Having a friend to share those amenities makes the experience that much richer.