Yes, it is true. We are moving to Collington, a continuing care retirement community (or a “CCRC,”  also called a “Life Plan” community), located in Prince Georges County, about ten miles away. For the last nine and a half years we have been living in the Kennedy-Warren, a huge, iconic, nine-story art deco apartment building overlooking the National Zoo and only a few blocks from our single family home on Macomb Street where we lived for over 45 years. We loved our Cleveland Park house and neighborhood, and we have loved living in the K-W where we have made many friends and have enjoyed a spacious apartment with spectacular views of the city (when the leaves are off the trees). We have been fortunate and are truly grateful. Given the troubled state of the world and our country, as the saying goes, we are the lucky ones.

So why move? Several people have asked me this question including some who are close to my age living in the K-W, which itself falls into the category of a “naturally occurring retirement community” (a “NORC.”) There is a delightful blend of young families, singles of all ages, and a whole bunch of old codgers living here, which makes for a vibrant community. I participate in an informal  group of 15-20 men, who gather every Wednesday to discuss the topics of the day. I would guess that at my ripe old age of soon-to-be 83 (on April fool’s day), I am not much above the median age. Most have had interesting, fulfilling careers, and there is not a single Trump supporter among us.

So why move? Even though I was the one who had a career in the retirement housing field, the impetus for moving now–and also for the move from our single family house–is Embry. In both instances in her calm but decisive way, she proclaimed, “Joe, it is time.”

But what does that mean? For our Macomb Street house, it meant getting away from climbing steep stairs, not having to tend a garden or maintain a house many decades older than us. For the K-W it means not having to prepare dinners (my job, by the way. I am a “Blue Apron” cook.) and more important, putting in place the health care support system that we suspect at least one of us–and probably both of us–may need at some point. We both are in good health for our age now, but the last time I checked we Homo sapiens have a beginning and an end to our lives on the planet Earth. My life expectancy when I was born was around 76 so I have already beaten the odds. However, even when adjusted for gender, class, race and income, I and everyone else my age who is still breathing is walking on thin ice. Something is going to do us in, and in many cases, the checking out process will be challenging and messy–not only for us but also for our children and grandchildren and those who love us. I have lost two “best friends,” my younger brother, Embry’s older brother, and at least a dozen other friends my age. 

Occasionally I scan through the obituaries in The Washington Post, and the ones drafted by the funeral homes often say the same thing: “So and so, surrounded by a loving family, died peacefully on….” Really? I don’t think so. Think about your own experience with your aging parents and grandparents or other loved ones. In the case of Embry’s mother and my father, being part of a continuing care retirement community made a positive difference for them and for us. In other words, making this decision is a gift to your children as well as to yourself.

But it is not just about the checking out process. It is also about squeezing the last drops out of the lemon. Well managed retirement communities, which have in place a full continuum of care are, for the most part, joyful places where old folks continue to live productive and fulfilling lives. I should know. Providing consulting assistance to these communities all over the country for over 25 years, I visited hundreds of these communities. I am a true believer. It is a difficult decision to move to a retirement community for most people for a variety of reasons, but most who do move to well managed CCRCs are glad they did, and so are their children. It is ironic that it was Embry that took the lead, not me, but I was an easy sell.

And why Collington? In 1981 I decided to go out on my own as a housing development consultant. The first assignment that I had after starting Howell Associates was to complete a market and financial feasibility study for a 125-acre property for a new seniors community to be called Collington. Over the years I provided occasional additional consulting assistance to Collington and in the early 2000s I served on Collington’s board for six years as treasurer. So, the short answer is I know the property and have a special place in my heart for it.

But that is not the only reason. What has always stood out about Collington are the residents that the community has attracted. They tend to be well educated, progressive, politically and civilly engaged, and for a retirement community, more diverse  than in most CCRCs. Part of this had to do with the initial planning. The community of almost 350 independent living units and 100 health care units has both cottages and apartments, which are clustered so that the larger, more expensive homes are located close to smaller, less expensive and more affordable ones diminishing social class or income barriers. Collington also made a big effort in the early years to reach out to the minority population and that effort has continued despite the anti DEI backlash across the country. Two other things impressed me when I was doing some consulting work for Collington in the early 2000s. The first was the large library run by residents where several shelves are reserved for books written by Collington residents. The second was a map with push pins showing the countries where residents had lived for a minimum of several months. At first glance the entire world map appeared to be covered with push pins. Over the years Collington has attracted a lot of retired military and especially retired State Department people along with people who love to travel. There are several other important reasons. The first is that since the early 2000s Collington has been a Kendal affiliate. Kendal represents the gold standard for not-for-profit CCRCs and coincidently was the model that I cited when recommending a development program for Collington in 1981. The Quaker values of Kendal are a good fit for the values of Collington’s residents and management, and the affiliation has enabled Collington to broaden its marketing efforts to people who are moving to Washington to be closer to their adult children and grandchildren and are looking for a Kendal community. Other reasons are that the residents are friendly and welcoming, and that the community is more affordable than most of the newer retirement communities. And the final reason is the exceptional marketing staff who alerted us initially to a terrific cottage becoming available soon and how they have supported us during the long move-in process.   

But how is it going to work out? What is life really like living in a CCRC? Will we be surprised or disappointed? That will be the story to follow–interspersed, of course, with other topics of interest like how Trump is destroying our country and other existential issues of the day– so stay tuned.

On March 26 the move happens.