Still Swingin'
"I've never seen anything like it. It was so amazing," said Lorraine St. Onge, a resident of Monarch Landing in Naperville. The 89-year old was the first recipient of the My Monarch Moment Award from The Springs at Monarch Landing. The honor is a wish granted to the hardest workers in rehabilitation at the healthcare center. Because of Lorraine's dedicated efforts resulting in her amazing recuperation, Lorraine was taken to Topgolf in Naperville, to try out her post-accident swing. "It was a lot of fun," she reported.
A native of the Chicago area, Lorraine had moved to Mississippi 35 years ago and was happy to consider that home. When she had a serious accident early this year, her daughter, who lives in Warrenville, encouraged her to return closer to family for recuperation. "I was at The Springs for about two months," said Lorraine. "I liked it very much. I liked the therapy and all the therapists. They were so helpful. I liked the staff a lot. And I had a large, lovely room."
When her rehabilitation was complete, her family convinced her to stay in the area rather than returning to Mississippi. "I looked at other retirement communities, and my son-in-law laid out the pros and cons. The Springs was actually the pro, and the other places were the cons," she said.
Lorraine is staying in a guest apartment at Monarch Landing while her own new apartment is being renovated with hard wood floors and other customization. "I'll have a large, two-bedroom patio apartment," she said.
Lorraine said that her trip to Topgolf was a lot of fun. "They told me they were taking me golfing, and I thought I'd dreamed that," she said. "Three of the physical therapists came with me and we all took turns hitting the ball a few times. We all enjoyed it a lot! They knew I'd been a golfer when I was in Mississippi." Now that she's living just across the street from the golf/entertainment venue, Lorriane said she's likely to return with her grandchildren when they visit.
Lorraine is taking her time settling into Monarch Landing. After she's moved into her own new apartment when the remodeling is completed, she said she knows she'll be busy swimming, using the fitness center, and participating in different activities. "There's a lot that appeals to me," she said. "This will be a good fit. I know that it will. The guest apartment is lovely, but once I get my own apartment, it's going to be wonderful," she said.
Monarch Landing is a Life Plan Community located on a scenic campus in Naperville, Illinois-named "one of America's best places to live and retire" by Modern Maturity, and "the best city for early retirement" by Kiplinger. Monarch Landing offers independent living, promoting a vibrant life style for active seniors. The Springs at Monarch Landing offers assisted living memory support, enriched living, respite, rehabilitation and skilled nursing services, thus providing complete continuing care for seniors. Monarch Landing is owned by Senior Care Development and managed by Life Care Services. For additional information visit www.WelcomeToMonarchLanding.com or www.TheSpringsatMonarchLanding.com.