For avid gardener Chris Dunlap, having a garden might seem like a key selling point for a retirement community, but for Chris, it’s just a nice bonus.
The real selling points for the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown resident? The people.
He and his wife, Becky, knew they wanted to move to a retirement community when they got older, and they specifically wanted it to be a continuing care retirement community. He also wanted it to be larger sized with a full range of amenities, older (signifying stability) and aesthetically pleasing. It being not-for-profit was important, too, as was a highly-rated on-campus health care facility.
Fortunately for Chris and Becky, Masonic Village checked all the boxes and more.
Becky liked the variety of restaurants and cafés available and the idea of not having to prepare meals, as well as the cleaning staff who visit every other week.
“After talking to people here, as well as in Hummelstown [their former home], no one ever had a bad thing to say about Masonic Village,” he said. “When you look at everything Masonic Village has to offer, it’s worth every penny.”
Beyond the solid reputation, high quality services and beautiful grounds, what sealed the deal for both of them was meeting the people who lived and worked there.
They signed up for the priority waiting list in their mid-60s with a five-year plan to move to Masonic Village, and they moved in right on time. Since moving 5 ½ years ago, they’ve settled into their cottage on Jackson Drive. Their cottage is one of the larger styles and provides enough space for both their son and daughter and their four grandchildren to visit.
“I think the staff is beyond wonderful,” Becky said. “They’re so attentive. We joke that everyone must take a ‘nice’ pill before coming to work. They’ll stop what they’re doing and listen to you.”
“The landscape, maintenance and restaurant staff are very helpful,” Chris said. “Their first response to a question is always a ‘yes,’ or at least ‘let’s see what we come up with.’”
Chris maintains the flowers and shrubs around his cottage, with some assistance from the landscape team, who have helped him transform his yard. He also has a garden plot within the resident gardens. Here, too, the landscape team provides assistance by tilling the plots and delivering woodchips and compost when requested. The maintenance team helps maintain the tools available for all gardeners to use.
Chris wasn’t a Mason when he moved to Masonic Village, but he joined after meeting neighbors who belonged to the fraternity and appreciating their good character.
They found plenty to keep them happy and busy around campus. In addition to gardening, Chris co-founded and coordinates the Hiking Club, which travels monthly to local destinations, mapping out routes in advance, so people know what terrain to expect and can choose between longer and shorter routes. Chris also provides tours around Masonic Village, sharing information about the trees, plants and flowers located throughout the property.
Becky enjoys quilting and is part of the Piece Markers Quilt Group. She also participates in the SilverSneakers® classes offered through the Baird Wellness Center. Together, they volunteer stocking the Village Shoppe, and they attend musical and cultural programs in the Deike Auditorium and elsewhere on campus.
Carefree Coordination
The best part of their new home at Masonic Village? Something it doesn’t offer: worries.
“I don’t worry about any of the maintenance, inside or out,” Chris said. “I don’t worry about any health scenarios either. If something happens to one of us, and we need to go to the Masonic Health Care Center, I know from experience that we’ll be well cared for.”
Chris knows firsthand the care in the Masonic Health Care Center is top notch. Just two weeks after he and Becky took a tour of the health care center, where they got to see the accommodations and therapy areas and meet some of the staff, Chris was hospitalized for a week in Lancaster General Health (LGH). He then transferred to the Transitional Care Unit (TCU) in the Masonic Health Care Center for rehabilitation.
“We were so impressed with the coordination of care between LGH and the TCU,” Chris said. “Becky and I had nothing to do. It was all handled behind the scenes. Even the insurance piece was taken care of. The TCU knew exactly the care I needed. The staff were absolutely delightful.”
Then, when Chris returned to his cottage, TCU staff coordinated medical supply deliveries and arranged for Masonic Village Home Care to visit.
“Even our daughter, who has a medical background with the Navy, when she came to visit, she could see the system worked,” Becky said.
Becky and Chris are also thankful for their neighbors.
“The community on campus is heartwarming,” Chris said. “When I was not well, they enveloped Becky and made sure she was okay. They drove her to the hospital to visit me. They even cared for my garden and picked weeds.”
Masonic Village has met all their expectations, and Chris can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to move to a continuing care retirement community.
“Don’t wait to move,” Chris said. “Make the move when you’re young enough to enjoy all Masonic Village has to offer. Come for the wonderful neighbors and interesting activities. If they don’t offer it, staff will be more than happy to look into getting it going.”
His other advice: If someone thinks there is even a 1% chance they might want to come, contact Masonic Village now to visit and put down the fully refundable deposit to join the waiting list.
While the rich Lancaster County soil helps his garden grow, Masonic Village, with its variety of amenities, high quality health care, friendly neighbors and helpful staff, nourishes his soul.
“It’s really a community,” he said.
