It is a sunny afternoon at a popular independent living community for the elderly, Carolina Bay at Autumn Hall in Wilmington, North Carolina. The outside provides a sprawling facade with a well landscaped courtyard that leads to the main entrance of the community. Seniors stay active by golfing on the lush, green fields surrounding the community, swimming in the clear blue indoor pool, and participating in relaxing yoga sessions with friends. They roam freely around their clean and safe neighborhood with other seniors and take pleasure in the simple life. A couple staff members describe their experiences working at this particular retirement community, including both challenges and joys they face on a daily basis. The staff goes into detail about the knowledge that can be learned from the elderly and how their interactions with the tenants have shaped who they are. Additionally, a select few residents explain why they chose to live in a community in the first place and interact with like them.. Their individual stories all represent the diverse backgrounds they come from and the various roads that have led them to this particular living community. One by one they discuss further in depth their backgrounds and history. They discuss growing into the person they are now and the journey that brought them to want to live here. They take us through a typical day in this community and the aspects they do and do not enjoy. They also demonstrate typical activities they engage in, including playing intensely focused games of bridge, making ceramics and painting in crafts class, and going on group field trips to orchestra concerts in the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Kenan Auditorium, unwinding to the sounds of piano and violins. These individuals represent how they choose to live in communities like Carolina Bay at Autumn Hall and how they enjoy their days and life surrounded by similarly aged people.
In an old, dark brick home in historic downtown Wilmington with vibrant-colored potted plants assembled on the outdoor patio and both framed art and family photos lining the walls within the home, an elderly couple sits down in their comfy leather chairs and discusses their life. They talk about everything from how they met, what they did for a living before retiring, and how they currently spend their time, as well as explaining why they chose not to move into a retirement community. They elaborate on how they have several friends in retirement communities and others who choose to live independently. They discuss in their mind the pros and cons of both situations and why they are extremely happy living independently for now. They talk about their family and how the decision they made to stay in their home is one that they are happy with. They enjoy being able to see their children and grandchildren often, from regular visits to special occasions. On a clear night, the couple ventures out into the heart of downtown for cocktails and appetizers at their favorite restaurant. As they walk down the street, college kids and middle-aged people crowd the narrow streets. The sounds of car horns and blasting music from nightclubs flood the air. The couple walks hand-in-hand, smiling, as they take in the nightlife scene. They like having the freedom to interact with people of all ages and go to various different events on a regular basis, constantly expanding their knowledge and adapting to the changing culture of the area. As they sit at the table they elaborate more about their life at home. The couple ends with a warm goodbye as they return home. The couple enters their home and the door closes.
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