Why Dwight and Shirley Burrill Love Living at Siena Lakes

When Dwight and Shirley Burrill began exploring their senior living options, they were looking for a retirement community that offers a range of activities, friendly neighbors, on-site health care, and financial peace of mind.

Siena Lakes, an Erickson Senior Living community in Naples, Fla., checked all their boxes.

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Recently, the Tribune spoke with the Burrills to learn more about their move to Siena Lakes and how they knew it was the right choice for them.

Tribune: What attracted you to Siena Lakes?

Dwight: We love the amenities and activities.

One of the biggest reasons was the on-site health care. We like that it's right on campus, and [because Siena Lakes is] fee-for-service, you only pay for what you need. We have long-term care insurance. If we were at a retirement community that makes you pay for continuing care, even if you never use it, we would have been paying for it twice.

Tribune: How has your maintenance-free home impacted your life?

Dwight: I always loved climbing up on a ladder and cleaning the gutters. I really miss having to do that…I'm just joking! I'm glad I don't have to do anything like that anymore. We just make one call to the General Services team--they even come and change the light bulbs. It's really helpful.

Shirley: If something breaks and they can't fix it, they'll replace it. For example, when our garbage disposal switch didn't work, and they couldn't fix it, they just put in a new one. So, it's very easy.

Tribune: What do you think about the predictable monthly bills?

Dwight: That's also really helpful. We've gone down from writing about ten checks a month to just a couple, and our payment to Siena Lakes is automatically taken out of our bank account. So, if we're not here, we don't even have to worry about it.

Tribune: What are some ways you've gotten involved on campus?

Shirley: Many residents here are really accomplished and talented. We've gone to several musical presentations and art shows by both residents and staff. Dwight gave a talk recently, and people talked about it so much that he was asked to do it again.

Dwight: It was about how Siena Lakes is connected to King Charles II of England--we knew there was some connection. It was fun tracking it down, and I learned a lot doing the research.

Tribune: Are there any other on-campus activities you enjoy?

Shirley: I love to play bridge. I do water aerobics, and I ride my bike 40 miles a week. We both do a lot of walking.

Dwight: I walk across the campus several times a week. It's just so refreshing and uplifting to walk through the beautifully landscaped courtyards and then sit down and commune with nature for a while. I really enjoy that.

Tribune: How has living here impacted your social life?

Shirley: There are so many opportunities to get together with others. I think that being with all these other people is extremely healthy and helps you live longer. If you lived alone in a house, you could isolate yourself. We interact with others all the time.

Dwight: Being involved with other people has made our life better, without question.

Tribune: Do you like having on-site health care?

Shirley: It's wonderful! The first time we met with Dr. Morris, he spent more than an hour with us. Never, in all my life, has a doctor been willing to spend all that time talking about everything from your health issues to your life [in general]. He and the nurse practitioner are fantastic.

Dwight: If we have an emergency, we can just pull the emergency cord [in our residence], and security staff--who are trained in emergency response--will be here in under two minutes. That's excellent.

Shirley: It's also nice to know that, if we need it, there's assisted living right on the same campus.

Tribune: Are you glad you made the move to Siena Lakes?

Shirley: For sure. We feel it every day. This is just where we want to be at this point in our lives. We made the right decision. There's so much to do here, and we've already made friends through the activities and by going to dinner with them.

It's everything we could ask for. Siena Lakes is fantastic!

To learn more about the ways you can explore senior living, request more information today.

By Michele Wojciechowski