Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/432137
SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 LIVE IT UP! 9 When we reach the point in our lives where the kids are grown, our jobs are retired, and we want to simplify or get a little help with our daily lives, often the hardest thing to do is give up the big family house. "Once people realize they're only living in a couple of rooms, it's easier to see the benefit in downsizing to independent senior living," says Cathi Burnham, community relations and marketing manager for Dominican Oaks "gracious retirement living" in Santa Cruz. "With independent senior retirement living, it's a whole new start. We serve seniors who are still active but may be lonely or tired of caring for their home, cooking, going grocery shopping or paying bills. It's like being on a cruise ship. We do the cooking, cleaning, entertaining, we take them places and are here for emergencies. This frees them up to pursue their passions." Seniors who need help with the daily tasks of living, due to dementia or another infirmity, seek assisted living facilities where they will receive assistance with bathing, dressing and eating but do not require the intensive medical care of nursing facilities. "With independent living," says Lori Welch Bettencourt, public relations and activities director for Valley Heights Senior Rental Community in Watsonville, "residents can safely live in their own space while enjoying social interaction or the security of knowing we're there for them. Some people are just tired of cooking." from page 8