SMART New Year’s Resolutions

By Kari Richie, Springmoor Health and Fitness Director

Kari Richie

New Year’s resolutions are a fabulous concept. A New Year gives us the chance to “start over” with a fresh outlook on life. Many people set the goal to be healthy, lose weight or eat better. Those goals come with good intentions, but are rarely accomplished. The problem? Most resolutions involve inspiration but no preparation. No matter how big or small your goal—whether it’s losing five or 50 pounds, walking a mile or running your first marathon—creating change requires planning and S.M.A.RT goal setting.

Follow these guidelines to set a SMART goal for 2015:

Christmas at Springmoor

It’s that time of the year again! Here at Springmoor, we are ready for the holidays and all of the festivities that come with them. Both the residents and staff go all out in decorating our campus with trees, wreaths, lights and more.

The Monday following Thanksgiving, we make a huge effort to get all the Christmas decorating underway. The staff works on decorating common areas and offices, while residents decorate their apartments, doors, and other areas. It’s a joint effort that creates a beautiful scene for the season.

Why Springmoor? The Neighborhood Feel

Find yourself walking along the many paths that weave between the tidy homes and beneath the towering evergreens on Springmoor’s 42-acre campus in Northwest Raleigh, North Carolina, and you’d have trouble convincing yourself that you’re at the center of a continuing care retirement community. With friendly neighbors, gorgeous grounds and helpful staff, it’s no wonder Springmoor residents have no trouble calling our inviting community home.

Neighborly Welcoming

Like moving to any new neighborhood, those who move to Springmoor often worry about meeting new people and making new friends, but their fears are immediately quashed when they discover Springmoor’s Southern hospitality. Residents are very welcoming to newcomers, going out of their way to meet their new neighbors and include them in their lives. They enjoy going to dinner regularly with large groups and out to nearby events and their favorite restaurants. Around the holidays, residents come together to help decorate trees and get everyone in the holiday spirit.

December Landscape Department Blog: Holiday Plants

By Thom Morgan, Springmoor landscape manager

Thom Morgan

Are you scratching your head, trying to figure out what gifts to give your friends and family for the holidays? You want to give them something that will brighten their spirits, and that might brighten their home—right? Carefully-selected plants can do wonders for the spirit and the landscape (inside and out). Consider shopping at your local nursery this holiday season. You just might end up walking out with a few festive treasures for yourself.

Before you get started, here’s the rundown on the most popular holiday selections:

Springmoor Wellness Blog: Thanksgiving Tips

Stuffed: Fill Your Holidays with Activity to Curb Unwanted Weight Gain

By Kari Richie, Springmoor Health and Fitness Director

Kari Richie

The holiday season can be a time of celebration with family and friends, but it can also be a time of stress and weight gain. Avoid the anxiety and pounds this year by focusing on a healthy balance of food, activity and fun. By implementing a few simple mantras and trying a few simple moves, you can make sure you’re prepared to start off 2015 the right way:

1. Be realistic. Don’t try to lose weight during the holidays; try to maintain your weight instead.
2. Put exercise on your calendar. A moderate and daily increase in exercise can help partially offset increased holiday eating. Make exercise fun by including family and friends. Grab a relative after the holiday dinner and take a brisk 10- to 15-minute walk together, or start a new tradition by holding a competition to see who can do the most jumping jacks in one minute. Going shopping on Black Friday? Park farther away from the mall and take the stairs instead of the escalator. Is watching football part of your tradition? Do squats on commercial breaks, or, better yet, toss around the ball with family outside.
3. Don’t skip meals. Before leaving for a party, eat a light snack to curb your appetite like a few raw vegetables or a piece of fruit. You will be less tempted to over-indulge.
4. Look at all the buffet options before filling your plate. Though the temptation is there, you don’t have to eat every item you see. Stick with your favorites and skip the rest. Try to include some fruit and vegetables for a balanced plate.
5. Don’t eat until you are stuffed. It’s not a holiday requirement. You can still savor your favorite holiday treats in small portions. Instead of immediately taking your plate back to the buffet for seconds, talk with your family and friends first; this gives you time to digest your first serving and determine whether or not you are actually full.
6. Be careful with beverages. Alcohol reduces inhibitions, but can induce overeating; both alcoholic and non-alcoholic holiday beverages are typically full of calories and sugar.
7. Don’t let one “bad” or “heavy” meal ruin all of your holiday eating. It takes 500 calories per day (or 3,500 calories per week) above your normal consumption to gain one pound. It is impossible to gain weight from one piece of pie!
8. Take your focus off of food. This may seem harder than it sounds. Instead of focusing on what’s for dinner (and dessert), spend time with family and friends by playing games, making a holiday wreath, or volunteering in the community. 

We can all enjoy the holidays without ruining our waistlines by planning for activity and incorporating healthy recipes into our holiday meals. Don't restrict your favorite holiday foods; just restrict the portion size. In the long run, your mind and body will thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Springmoor Residents Express the Benefits of Not Owning a Home Anymore

Curtis and Barbara Freeze

Baby, it’s cold outside! When you’re a homeowner, colder temperatures can make a mounting list of home maintenance chores that much more difficult to tackle for aging adults: shoveling snow, sealing cracks, clearing dead branches and disposing of piles of leaves—all can take a toll on your back, hands and ticker. At Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community, residents don’t have to lift a finger in winter! Crews clear the sidewalks (and cars) of debris, leaves and snow and make all of the repairs! You won’t find Springmoor residents bundled up outside, trying to navigate and clear slick walkways. They’re all indoors, sipping hot cocoa, sitting by the fire, visiting with new friends and enjoying winter from the comfort of their homes or common areas at our beautiful Raleigh, North Carolina, community.

Springmoor Residents Curtis and Barbara Freeze moved to the community in April from Kannapolis, North Carolina, and are enjoying the perks of maintenance-free living immensely. They both are thankful for “the beautiful grounds to enjoy everyday, and the benefit of not having to keep it up.” Both of them grew up on dairy farms, so they know how hard it can be to get up in the mornings in cold weather and work outside.

Springmoor’s Promise of Life Care

Current residents give a variety of answers when asked why they chose Springmoor – from the food, to the gorgeous grounds, to the friendly and caring staff. However, one of the biggest reasons people move to Springmoor is our promise of life care for all of our residents. Once you move here, we promise to see to your health needs and care throughout all stages of life. Whether you live in independent living, supportive living, or in our health center, Springmoor will always be your home. As a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), Springmoor allows you and your loved ones peace of mind, knowing your health needs will be taken care of. 

November Landscape Department Blog: Holiday Lighting

Thom Morgan

How to Make Holiday Lights Liven up any Landscape

After the pumpkins have been thrown on the mulch pile and the Thanksgiving turkey is almost ready, it’s time to hang those holiday lights. Festive lighting can make a great accent to any well-designed landscape.

Choosing the Lights
LED lights last a lot longer than incandescent lights, and they last longer, and are more cost-efficient. LED lights also come in a variety of styles such as chains, snowfall, icicle and those that flash.

Making Connections
Please waterproof: Make sure that all of your connections are off the ground, and waterproofed by using silicone or petroleum jelly. I wrap grocery store bags around the two connecting cords for further protection and to ensure the connection is protected from the elements.

Springmoor Resident and Retired Magazine Editor Publishes First Crime Novel

Anyone who thinks life starts to decline once you move into a retirement community has obviously never met Don McKinney, a Springmoor resident who has recently published his first crime novel. His book, “Murder of a Modern Woman,” is a 26-year project that he was able to complete after moving into Springmoor in 2009.

Don McKinney 

McKinney has a background in writing. He worked in magazine editing for 21 years, and was an editor of a men’s magazine before moving on to work for the prestigious McCall’s Magazine for 17 years. He also taught at the University of South Carolina and has written pieces for Reader’s Digest. During the early stages of his career he started work on this novel, but work and life forced it to take a back seat. It was only after he retired and moved to Springmoor that he was able to continue his work on it.

Life is a Marathon

What does it take to be able to run a marathon? Some may think it’s purely a physical feat, but I

learned it is much more than that. On Oct. 19, I ran my first marathon. It took four months of training and after five hours and 35 minutes, I crossed the finish line with tears in my eyes.

Kari Richie

   As I was running and enjoying the scenery of Detroit, Michigan, I had plenty of time to think. Many aspects of the race and training made me think of what we go through in our everyday lives.

    Physical challenge: Running is most definitely a physical challenge of endurance. We must train our body over time and it will improve. We are constantly faced with physical challenges throughout our lives including arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, depression and more. Each day we must face the challenge and choose to “train.” This could involve taking a 15-minute walk, going to physical therapy, taking an exercise class or making social connections each day. This mindset is especially helpful for seniors to embrace; the mantra “age is just a number” is often held by people who challenge themselves to do great things and ignore how many candles adorn their birthday cakes.

Springmoor Floorplan Feature: Two Bedroom Villa

If you are thinking that Springmoor is the right place for you, it’s now time to figure out what floorplan would work best for you. We offer multiple floorplans for prospective residents to choose from. This allows them to find the new home that will fit them perfectly. One of our popular choices is the two-bedroom villa.

 

Springmoor's Amenities

    When trying to decide on a retirement community, it is important to not only look at the living spaces but the amenities offered. Here at Springmoor, we offer many opportunities for seniors to keep their minds and bodies active. From our new Wellness Center to our library, there is something here for everyone.

     We have many recreation areas and craft rooms for residents to enjoy. An indoor swimming pool, putting green, private chapel, bank branch, hair salon, pharmacy services, library, convenience store, multi-purpose space for entertainment and social events, as well as parlors for relaxation and companionship. Springmoor residents also have golfing privileges at Wildwood Green, which is less than 10 minutes away.

October Springmoor Blog from the Landscape Department

Thom Morgan

Going Gray

As we get older, some of us consider the color gray a bad thing, but in the landscape Gray is Great!

Gray goes well with any color, so you can’t go wrong using it in any color scheme. If used with the warm colored plants, gray plants seem to make the red, orange, and yellow plants really pop. If used with cool colors such as green, blue, and purple gray adds to the softer, more relaxing color scheme.

Springmoor Celebrates Active Aging Week

Active Aging Week at Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community this week was filled with plenty of activities for residents—from exercise classes, learning opportunities, games and the annual Springmoor Health & Wellness Fair. 

Active Aging Week, which was created by the International Council on Active Aging[PV1] ® (ICAA), is an annual, weeklong health observance every September designed to celebrate people ages 50 and older who are active members of society, as well as to encourage the senior population to focus on wellness.

Springmoor residents embraced Active Aging Week with gusto, as they always do! The community hosted plenty of activities at The Pathways Wellness Center that kept everyone busy and focused on their wellbeing. The Health and Fitness staff hosted several “Brain, Body, Balance” sessions, which were my favorite events of the week because residents had so much fun! Every instructor and every class at Springmoor provides a fun, supportive environment for all fitness levels. 

Resident Profile: C.P. Minnick

Active Lifestyles at Springmoor 

Springmoor strives to provide a community that promotes and encourages healthy lifestyles. From the food we serve in the dining rooms to the brand new wellness center we opened this year, we provide numerous opportunities for our residents to take advantage of. One of these residents is Carlton “C.P.” Minnick who describes living at Springmoor as “like living in a 5-star resort.”

At 87 years old, C.P. has lived here for five years and has seen a great improvement in his overall health since his move. Before coming here, he was pre-diabetic and took numerous medications for his health. Soon after his move-in, he had our wellness center staff do an evaluation of him and they set him up on a program of daily exercise suited just for his needs. This is something he described as “simply unbelievable.” These daily workouts include working on the machines, going for a brisk 2-mile walk, and swimming in our salt-water lap pool.

Springmoor Management Profile: Executive Director, Fred Conner

"Leaders lead from the front."


Here at Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community, our management take that quote to heart and strive to do anything they can to make our residents feel happy in their new homes and community.

One of these leaders is Fred Conner, the Executive Director of Springmoor. A native of Rockingham, North Carolina, Fred has worked at our community for seven and a half years and loves being able to help seniors transition into their new homes.

September Springmoor Blog from the Landscape Department

Thom Morgan

Storing Seeds for Future Use

September is unkind to vegetables. By now, your 90-day tomatoes are a withered mess, and the 120-day tomatoes have a few green tomatoes that are struggling to turn red. Eggplants are producing fruit which is one tenth the size of fruit a month ago. Face it, it’s fall, and if you haven’t switched over to fall crops by now, your garden is a pitiful mess.

One thing you can do before you pull up all the stakes and dead vines is collect the seeds.

Springmoor Residents Take On the Ironman Triathlon Challenge

When you hear the word “Ironman,” your mind may pull up an exhausted but excited young man or woman crossing the finish line after spending an entire day participating in an intense triathlon. You probably don’t imagine seniors taking part, but they do!

Does Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community have Ironman Triathlon athletes? Yes! Two of our residents, Mr. Bob McGaffin and Mrs. Harriet Ross, recently finished the Ironman Challenge!

The One Bedroom Deluxe: Is it the Right Floor Plan for You?

Are you trying to figure out which floor plan is the best option for you? Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community offers a variety of floor plan options to meet a variety of needs. One popular option is the One Bedroom Deluxe, which features a spacious living room and dining area, a full-sized kitchen, a full bath, and a bedroom complete with a walk-in closet!

In addition to the interior space, the One Bedroom Deluxe apartments in the North Village feature an inviting porch just off the living room, perfect for a morning cup of coffee, or reading in the evening:

Furry Friends and Four–Legged Family Members at Springmoor

“Animals are such agreeable friends. They ask no questions, they pass no judgment.” – George Elliot

Here at Springmoor, we strive to make your new house or apartment feel like home. That’s why we welcome residents to bring their pets along with them. With lots of room to walk and play, the Springmoor campus is a great place for dogs and cats to enjoy and explore along with their owners. In fact, some residents know the pet’s names before the owners!

How to Successfully Move into a Retirement Community

Are you or your loved ones planning to move into a retirement community? If so, it is important to be as organized as possible to make the move go smoothly!

Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community created this list to help you make sure the move to your new home goes off without a hitch.

Before Your Move

When you decide to move to a retirement community, you are faced with an important decision: what to keep and what to give away. It is important to note that usually your move will be to a smaller home or apartment, so not all of your possessions will fit.

Many retirement communities have furnished homes and apartments for residents, so if you are moving, you may not need to worry about a lot of your bigger furniture. Try to measure your furniture to see what will fit within the floor plan.

How to Harvest Rainwater

Thom Morgan

By Thom Morgan, Springmoor Landscape Manager

Although the North Carolina Piedmont is not currently in a drought, many of us remember 2007, when large portions of Falls Lake, our primary water source, dried up and the City of Raleigh issued mandatory watering restrictions.

Things to Consider

Cost will be a big consideration when building a rainwater storage system. Summer is mainly when we need to water our vegetables and ornamental plants. Gardens in the Raleigh area should receive about 60 gallons of water a week per 100 square feet.

Health Success Stories

Kari Richie

By Kari Richie, Springmoor Health and Fitness Director

What does it mean to have a health success story? The health and fitness industry often relates success to weight loss. One of my objectives as the Health & Fitness Director is to help the residents and staff members at Springmoor understand they can have health successes no matter their age or what physical obstacle may be in their way. One definition of success is “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” Nowhere in the definition of success does it mention perfection or accomplishing everything at once. Someone can be living with a chronic disease such as diabetes or heart disease and celebrate health success stories when they accomplish a goal like managing blood sugar or cholesterol.

Summer Activities in the Triangle

Summertime in Raleigh is a great time to get out and explore all that this area has to offer. With a variety of activities to choose from, there’s certainly something to please anyone’s interests. Here at Springmoor, we encourage residents to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather. Not sure what to do? No problem! We’ve highlighted things to do in the Raleigh area.

Springmoor Is Taking a Sweet Bite out of the Summer Heat

S'mores are not the only reason to visit Springmoor.

Starting this past Tuesday and running for the following two, Springmoor is hosting an event purely for your favorite summer treat….S’mores!

           

During these events, prospective residents get a feel for all that Springmoor has to offer at our event by seeing our new Pathways Wellness Center. This includes our salt-water lap pool, movie theater, exercise room, bistro, sauna, hospitality bar, and more. They will also see our Valley Dining Room, where the delicious treats will be served.

Visiting an Arboretum or Botanical Garden

Thom Morgan

By Thom Morgan, Springmoor Landscape Manager

If you are planning to travel this summer and have an interest in horticulture, you might want to go online and get a list of botanical gardens and arboretums along your route.

In Raleigh, we are fortunate to have the J.C. Raulston Arboretum, which is located on Beryl Road, just west of the NC State campus. It is managed by the Horticultural Sciences Department at NC State, and serves as a model for what an arboretum or botanical garden should do:  provide access and information about the widest possible variety of plants to the public.

H2O is the Way to Go!

Kari Richie

By Kari Richie, Springmoor Health and Fitness Director

This summer the Springmoor Health and Fitness department is teaming up with the dietitians from Sodexo, Springmoor’s food service provider, to encourage exercise and hydration! We will kick off our first Springmoor Triathlon Challenge and encourage healthy hydration at the Pathways Pool Party on Friday, July 11. Residents can enjoy a dip in the pool, a friendly game of water volleyball, and refreshments, delivered poolside!

Pathways Wellness focuses on prevention, which is why we are focusing on preventing dehydration this summer. Dehydration can be a serious problem for older adults and leads to confusion and illness. 

Springmoor Welcomes Stop Hunger Now Back to Campus to Package an Additional 40,000 Meals

Springmoor residents, staff, and Stop Hunger Now
representatives package meals.

Springmoor residents and staff have come together to reach their goal of providing more than 40,000 additional meals to children around the world in under developed counties. Volunteers came out Friday, June 6 to help bag, measure, weigh, and box meals for Stop Hunger Now.  

Stop Hunger Now is an international hunger relief agency that strives to provide meals to children in orphanages, schools, and crisis-burdened areas around the world. Founded in 1998, it has mobilized more than 450,000 volunteers to send more than 145,000,000 meals to 65 countries. Working with these programs helps enhance lives by giving beneficiaries the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty through education, skills, development, and health care while also receiving much needed nutrition. Stop Hunger Now started their meal-packaging events in 2005.

Father’s Day at Springmoor!

This Sunday is Father’s Day! Before you pick out a card, buy another tie, and head out to eat the exact same brunch as last year with your family, be sure to check out all of the great local events happening for Father’s Day weekend.

Zone Pushing

Thom Morgan

By Thom Morgan, Springmoor Landscape Manager

On the US Plant Hardiness Zone Map, I am in zone 7b so plants that are hardy in zones 9 and above need special attention if I want to keep them.

Why do I go through the trouble?  I like collecting plants no one else has, and I enjoy the challenge of pushing my zone.

Yoga at Springmoor

By Kari Richie, Springmoor Health and Fitness Director

Kari Richie

Yoga has been part of the Pathways fitness schedule for years. The residents that participate are very faithful because of the benefits they experience. The word “yoga” can be intimidating for new participants because it’s often believed that it’s a religion. The goal of our yoga instructors and the Pathways fitness program is to help people understand that yoga is not a religion, but a practical aid to assist our residents in their wellness journey.

Village Bistro

Springmoor residents enjoy the Village Bistro.

With the new Pathways Wellness Center up and running, Springmoor residents have a new dining option to enjoy, the Village Bistro. Much like the Garden Café, which opened almost four years ago, the Village Bistro offers fast casual food and extended dining hours. It may be easy to just call the Village Bistro South Village’s equivalent of North Village’s Garden Café, and while they both offer a lot of the same menu items, it’s worth the stop in to the Bistro to check out firsthand what sets it apart.  

How to Choose the Right Springmoor Residence

The thought of moving from a home you’ve lived in for decades and settling in a new residence can be an overwhelming thought. With more than a dozen floor plans to choose from at Springmoor, there truly is something for everyone, but it may be hard to figure out where to start. Here are a few tips to get you thinking about how to choose a residence that suits you best:

Inheriting Independence: Springmoor Mothers Share Wisdom Behind Their—and Their Mothers’—Choice to Move to the Community

A sense of independence and adaptability: It’s a trait Dora Beal believes she inherited from her mother, and one she believes her daughters have inherited from her. It’s also the trait that led Dora’s mother to decide to move into Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community in the 1980s while she was still active, and what led Dora to move into Springmoor just one year ago.

“The wonderful thing about mother is that she was always adaptable. She saved me a lot of grief and worry, and made the decision herself to move here,” Dora said.

Springmoor Floral Focal Points: You Know You're a Gardener If ...

By Thom Morgan, Springmoor Landscape Manager

You Know You’re a Gardener If:

Thom Morgan

• You have stored enough garden hoses in your garage that they could wrap ten times around the Earth’s equator (and they don’t all connect, or they all leak).
• You leave so many plants in your yard unplanted that people knock on your door, asking if the plants are for sale.
• Your children claim abandonment issues because you’ve spent more time in the garden than with them.
• You have every tool and gardening gizmo known to mankind, and some are still in their packaging.
• To you, there is no “Rain Day” or “Day Off” from gardening.
• Your car has sheets of plastic, or cardboard, all over the seats to place recently purchased plants upon.
• Your kids can’t ride with you to the nursery because there will be no room in the car for them—and the plants.
• You’re always the first one on your street to mow the lawn each spring.
• Your neighbors always knock on your door to borrow gardening tools.
• You have lights on your lawn tractor so you can mow your lawn at night (because you were too busy planting and pulling weeds when the sun was out).
• You are still mowing your lawn when there is a tornado warning, and you’ve been told to take cover.
• You’ve given your lawn tractor a name like “Old Sal” or “Betsy”.
• You don’t step on worms; you throw them into the compost pile.
• Strangers show up on your beautiful front lawn with golf clubs
  
  If any of the above applies to you, don’t worry: you are not alone. Americans spend $40 billion each year on gardening, and the average home owner spends 150 hours in their garden each year. 

Springmoor Offers New Fitness Schedule, Emphasizing Strength and Balance

Kari Richie

By Kari Richie, Springmoor Health and Fitness Director

The Pathways Wellness Center is open and the staff is running full steam ahead to provide new programming for the Springmoor community. The current fitness schedule offers 25 classes a week with a variety of options: aquatics, yoga, Tai Chi, balance, strength and cardio! With the beautiful, new state-of-the art facility, we can now expand our schedule to 35 classes a week!

Easter Sunday Dining Options Abound in Raleigh!

By Kathleen Loescher

Springmoor Public Relations, Media and Relocation Coordinator

If you’re looking for somewhere to get together with friends and family on Easter Sunday, brunch is your best bet! Several area restaurants will be serving special menus for the holiday, giving you plenty of ways to indulge.

Charity Sisters: Springmoor Siblings Bond Over Food, Community Service

Sisters Elsie Eads (left) and Elizabeth Crawford
work together to share food and love with neighbors,
local charities.

Always very close, sisters Elizabeth Crawford and Elsie Eads love that Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community in Raleigh, N.C., allows them to live down the hall from one another and to combine their love of baking and volunteering.

Crawford enjoys baking and often bakes desserts for her friends at Springmoor; Eads likes helping others and giving back to the community, and spends her day working with several different, local programs geared at helping those in need.

The two decided to combine efforts: Crawford bakes desserts and meals and Eads travels to deliver the goods to different groups both on the Springmoor campus and in the local community.

Springmoor Floral Focal Points: Plant a Row of Veggies for Charity

By Thom Morgan, Springmoor Landscape Manager

Thom Morgan

Springmoor Donates Spare Veggies to Food Bank

It was January 2009, and I was thinking about what Springmoor residents and staff could do in the way of a community outreach project when I heard of the Plant a Row program in which a lot of local organizations were participating. It seemed like a great fit for our community: Springmoor had a half-acre of land that we set aside in March 2000, and we had 24 resident gardeners who were very adept at growing fresh vegetables.

Plant a Row, by the way, encourages gardeners to plot one extra row of their vegetable garden and donate the resulting produce to their local food bank. I asked Springmoor Executive Director Fred Conner to see if we could participate and he thought it was a good idea; at the same time, another staff member approached him to see if Springmoor could participate in Stop Hunger Now, which is another community outreach program that helps malnourished residents of impoverished countries. Springmoor ended up taking part in both programs, and just finished packing more than 40,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now.

Springmoor's Pathways Wellness Center Grand Opening Draws Crowd

The new salt-water lap pool

After months of preparation and anticipation, Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community in Raleigh, N.C., held the grand opening of the state-of-the-art Pathways Wellness Center on March 25 with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception.

More than 100 people who attended the event were treated to the sight of a variety of new services offered for residents and their guests, including a 25-meter salt water lap pool, new Keiser fitness equipment in an expanded fitness room, hot tub, sauna, movie theater, beauty salon, bistro, massage therapy rooms, movement room for fitness and wellness classes, and gaming tables.

Springmoor is Excited to Kick Off Increased Wellness Offerings Next Week!

By Kari Richie, Springmoor Health and Fitness Director

Kari Richie

Who’s ready to expand their wellness horizons? Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community has certainly expanded its wellness offerings—and, as the community’s health and fitness director, I couldn’t be more excited!

At the Wellness Center grand opening on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., I’ll be helping with exercise machine demos and guests will be able to tour the new wellness rooms; get blood pressure, blood glucose and bone density screenings; enjoy a mini-massage and mini manicure, and much more!

Springmoor Springs into Wellness, Shares Simple Salsa Recipe to Start the Season Right

By Kathleen Loescher, Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community move-in coordinator

New exercise equipment is being arranged, the pool is being filled, and in a little less than two weeks, Springmoor’s Pathways Wellness Center will be open to residents and their guests! And it couldn't be happening at a better time. With summer (hopefully) around the corner, many of us are not only thinking about exercise, we are watching our diets, too.

What to Look for When Buying Trees and Shrubs

Thom Morgan

By Thom Morgan
Springmoor Landscape Manager

If you have ever bought a used car, you know that there are a few things you need to check before you purchase it. When buying landscape plants, you should approach it like you would when shopping for a used car. Landscape plants have been previously handled: someone planted it before selling it to the nursery, and the nursery is in business to sell the plant to you. 

Here are some tips to kick the tires, so to speak, when buying a tree or shrub:

Springmoor Gears Up for Pathways Wellness Center Grand Opening on March 25!

By Kathleen Loescher

The exterior of the new Pathways Wellness Center

“Wellness used to be treadmills,” said Springmoor Chief Executive Officer David Ammons, and when Springmoor opened its doors in 1984, the community reflected that: the exercise rooms were small and were filled with stationary bikes and treadmills; the aquatics pool was simply for those who enjoyed water aerobics.

Today, Springmoor views wellness as “whole-person” wellness through the Pathways program that grew from the roots planted in the community’s development. Physical wellness is still a component, but emphasis is also placed on a person’s emotional, vocational, nutritional, social, environmental, spiritual, and even intellectual well-being—aspects that were all taken into consideration in Springmoor’s nearly complete Pathways Wellness Center. 

The community will celebrate the grand opening of the Pathways Wellness Center on March 25 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Cleaning House: Sisters and Springmoor Housekeepers Give 30 Years to Community

Sandra Harris and Barbara Venson

When sisters Sandra Harris and Barbara Venson began working as housekeepers at Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community 30 years ago there was little for them to clean.

The community, which celebrates its 30^th anniversary this year, was made up of only a few buildings at the time. The sisters’ first duties were pulling stickers off of brand-new refrigerators, and sweeping construction debris off sidewalks. A few people lived in apartments, but not many.

Now, there are 391 residences, and 24 housekeepers. The residents—the sisters agreed—are the reason they keep coming back to work at Springmoor year after year.

Springmoor Floral Focal Points: Sustainable Landscapes

By Thom Morgan

Springmoor Landscape Manager

Thom Morgan

Everyone loves fresh fruit and vegetables; I always look forward to eating the first beefsteak tomato of the summer, sliced over a piece of toast, with mayonnaise and bacon. That goes the same for that freshly-picked ear of sweet corn (boiled just long enough until it is tender, with melted butter, and a sprinkle of salt on it). Yes--I am longing for the summer.

Not everyone has enough land, full sun, access to water, or the time to spend on growing fruit trees, and vegetables, though. 

Here are some ways to get around these problems, and incorporate fresh fruits, and vegetables into any landscape:

Rightsizing Tips for Making the Move into Retirement Living

By Kathleen Loescher, Springmoor marketing and relocation coordinator

Your home holds a lifetime of memories and Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community knows that just the thought of sorting through piles of possessions to move to a retirement community can be overwhelming. Luckily, there are plenty of resources available to help make moving less of a daunting task and to help you “rightsize” to move into your new home. 

Julie Kopetsky, president of Your Next Move, has five helpful tips when it comes to clearing out a house for a move:

Springmoor Starts Work for Stop Hunger Now

By Stacey Axler, intern

Chaplain Phyllis Mayo with the 50,000 meal award

Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community is gearing up for Stop Hunger Now, a meal-packaging program that will aid international hunger-relief efforts.

Feb. 14 marks the third year that Springmoor residents will host a Stop Hunger Now event.

“This is the third year we hosted Stop Hunger Now on Valentine’s Day because it is Springmoor’s way to give our love back to the world,” Springmoor Chaplain Phyllis Mayo said.

Local Eats: Springmoor Residents Can Feast Mediterranean-style at Nearby Neomonde Baking Company

In the 1970s, the Saleh family (mother, Cecelia, and sons Sam, Joe, Mounir and DeGaulle) left war-torn Lebanon for a better life and the opportunities that the United States could provide. They searched around the Raleigh, N.C., area, but could find nothing resembling the bread they gathered around the table to eat at home. So, with a converted pizza oven, a rental space in a strip mall, help from an uncle, and a pita recipe that had been passed down through generations, Neomonde Baking Company was born.   

The Saleh family founded the Neomonde Baking Company

New Year, New Plants!

By Thom Morgan

Springmoor Landscape Manager

Here are a few new plants on the market that are sure to brighten your garden, and your year:

Windcliffslaty blue Lenton rose