Home Sweet Home

“We didn’t even know that we were looking for someplace that felt homey until we walked in and got that gut feeling. We both just felt at ease,” said Katy Phillips, a resident of Eastcastle Place senior living community on Milwaukee’s Eastside. Some places that Katy and her husband Jim looked at, she said, felt like the residents were “living in a hotel. There was a feeling of it being anonymous and impersonal. It was the impression we got, that they were less personal than we would have liked. We walked into Eastcastle and looked at each other and just relaxed.”

The couple moved to Eastcastle Place six years ago. “It’s maintained the warm and homey feel ever since,” Katy said. After Jim passed away, she decided she’d prefer a smaller apartment from the two-bedroom unit that they’d shared. “Within a couple of months of that, I moved into a one-bedroom apartment home, and I love it,” she said.

Katy said that there’s opportunity to be as busy and involved as she’d like. “I’m sometimes alone, but it’s by my own choice,” she said. “I’m comfortable having time alone, but I’m never lonely. I’ve made really good friends.”

“One of my neighbors commented that she feels younger now than she did when she first moved in. We are learning new things all the time. There are always opportunities to do things. It’s wonderful to be able to open our horizons,” Katy said.

For instance, “I love singing, but before I moved here, it was difficult for me to get in the car at night and drive to rehearse with our church choir. Eastcastle Place has our own choir; we rehearse each week; we perform two concerts each year, and we have great fun!” Katy said.

She, and fellow resident Harriet Herrick, created and have been running a popular creative writing program at Eastcastle Place. The group meets bi-monthly. Katy said that people who never considered themselves to be writers before are finding that they, in fact, have talent and ability.

Katy herself is an award-winning poet. “I’ve won the Irish Fest Poetry contest two years in a row, and I’m the queen of honorable mention,” she quipped. “It’s not so much about the awards; it’s more exciting to me to be published where I don’t expect it, and to know that people are reading my poems. That’s the award.” Her poetry has appeared many times in magazines and books, and she’s published more than a half dozen of her own poetry books.

Professionally, Katy was formerly a teacher, originally in the Milwaukee Public School System, then as the religious education coordinator at St. Josephs Parish in Waukesha. Eventually, she started visiting retirement communities with a program highlighting folk and fairytales. She especially liked sharing stories in which an older woman was the heroine. During this time, she also conducted workshops on the cycle of a woman’s life for continuing education initiatives.

“My grandchildren can see me feeling good about being the age I am and being able to do things with them. They’re learning about getting older too and seeing that they can still be a part of things, can still be enthused about things, and can still learn,” Katy said.

Katy commented about seniors who say that they don’t want to move out of their homes into a retirement community because they don’t want to lose their independence. She believes that concept to be a fallacy. “Sometimes, people hold on to what they used to have. But the truth is, the only way they can do that is by relying on a lot of people to help them. They may feel independent, but it’s an illusion,” she said. “Here I am living at Eastcastle Place with a group of people, and I am so independent,” Katy added that she and her friends come and go as they please, take advantage of the boutiques, bookstores and theaters near Eastcastle Place, shop and travel whenever they want to and don’t have to call their kids to take them anywhere. “I am so lucky to be here and very content,” she said.

EASTCASTLE PLACE

Eastcastle Place is a Life Plan Community located on Milwaukee’s vibrant East Side. Eastcastle Place offers independent living, promoting an active and engaging lifestyle for seniors. The Health Center at Eastcastle Place offers assisted living, memory support, rehabilitation and skilled nursing services, thus providing complete continuing care for seniors. Eastcastle Place is managed by Life Care Services®. For additional information call 414-219-1398 or visit www.EastcastlePlace.com.