Best Friends Make the Transition to Assisted Living Sweeter
Rita Morse, right, and Grace Fierro
Rita Morse and Grace Fierro moved to Carillon Assisted Living of North Raleigh just a few months apart, and haven’t been apart much since. On the day she moved in last January, Grace says she gravitated to Rita almost immediately. Rita’s calm and steady countenance was just the anchor that bubbly, outgoing Grace needed during the transition from living on her own to an assisted living community.
“Thirty years I lived on my own, and even though I knew that it wasn’t practical for me to live on my own anymore, it was hard to think about moving,” says Grace. “Rita understood. It was like, without ever saying a word, she knew exactly how I was feeling.”
The women soon realized how much they had in common. Both were widowed young, and both spent a considerable portion of their lives in New York City. But in truth, what really brought these two together was their attitude on life and aging. The women, each in their own right, are role models for successful aging. They continue to set challenges for themselves, enjoy learning new things, and never, ever refer to themselves as ‘old.’
“I am still my own inquisitive self,” says Rita. “Sometimes I’ll think, ‘when I’m old I’ll do so-and-so.’ And then I realize…”
“Well, there’s old and then there’s old,” Grace cuts in. “We’re one but not the other.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Rita smiles at her friend. “You’re absolutely right.”
Posted in Assisted Living, Resources, Sage Stories on March 21, 2014