New Neighbors

Jill Kruckenberg of Warrenville, Illinois has not lived in the same town as her parents, Judy and Ron Barker, since she's been an adult. Her parents moved eight times over the course of her father's career, living in Illinois, Ohio, two locations in Kentucky, Colorado, New York and, most recently, Tennessee. Just about a year ago, the couple moved to Monarch Landing of Naperville, roughly four minutes from Jill's home, and she couldn't be happier.

Ron and Judy moved to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2004 when he retired from his career at Emerson Electric Company. Seven years later, when Ron was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, the couple decided to start investigating retirement communities. "He's really doing well, but we knew that there is likely to come a time when we'd need a different living arrangement," said Judy. "We had a large home in a lovely neighborhood but it was getting hard to take care of."

"We came to the conclusion that you don't want to wait on these decisions until you're in dire straits. Our decision-making timetable was right on target," said Ron.

The Barkers visited Monarch Landing twice before they decided to make the community their new home. "The community is so beautiful and the people were so friendly and gracious," said Judy.

Furthermore, she said, "There were so many activities. If you look at the calendar, there are more things offered than you could possibly ever do. And lots of things that interest us."

Once the move was made, Judy said, "I jumped right in." Both she and Ron joined the Monarch singers. "Fairly quickly then, I became the pianist. I play for most of the interfaith services and the choir and I'm also in the bell choir," Judy said.

Ron also enjoys hanging out with the Train Club, which maintains an extraordinary model train set in a designated room.

"One thing I've wanted to try for a long, long time was some kind of painting or drawing class. I've started attending art classes here and I am so loving it. I was painting until 1 a.m. last night," said Judy.

"Monarch Landing allows the opportunity to dabble…to put your toe in different things and see how it feels. And it's all right here," said Jill.

Judy said it's been easy to make new friends. "The residents genuinely care for each other. Everyone is very much a family," said Judy.

The entire family has been pleasantly surprised…in fact completely wowed by Monarch Landing's fine dining. "The food is special," said Ron. "It's excellent."

Jill agreed. "When my parents stayed for a guest weekend here, I crashed it to see what the food was like. I have gone on record as saying that the dining room will rival any restaurant in Naperville. It's really that good," she said.

A feature of enormous importance to the family has been the presence of Monarch Landing's on-site medical center, with full-time dedicated physicians.

Having moved from Tennessee, Judy and Ron were without local personal physicians. "Dr. Lynn (Rennecker) is wonderful. We like her so much," said Judy. "She's been fantastic. With her being here, everything is so convenient and she's able to make referrals to specialists, set up physical therapy for us, develop an exercise regime and more."

The fact that Monarch Landing offers a complete continuum of care was imperative to the family. The Springs of Monarch Landing offers assisted living memory support, rehabilitation, respite and skilled nursing. "We were not interested in my dad ever living in a typical nursing home, or being in a situation where his dignity is diminished. The Springs is absolutely beautiful. My dad deserves this. He's doing great, but there may be a day when he isn't," said Jill.

"If Ron's needs change and he eventually moves to The Springs, I'll still be with him every day," said Judy. "The whole family can still live close together."

The Barkers gave up a much beloved home to move to their apartment at Monarch Landing. "This was a huge 'ask' of my parents. It was the best step but a huge 'ask' and I wanted to make their new apartment perfect," said Jill. The professionals at Monarch Landing were extremely accommodating in helping Jill, who has a contractor background, custom design her parents' two bedroom apartment. The result is by all accounts, beautiful.

"The truth of the matter is that I don't think we could have made a higher quality decision than we did in moving here," said Ron.

"There's freedom in living here. My parents don't have to worry about anything…taxes, home maintenance, the lawn…anything," said Jill. "I sleep well, knowing that my parents are four minutes away. It feels good."

Caption copy: Ron and Judy Barker and their daughter Jill Kruckenberg enjoy their customized kitchen at Monarch Landing in Naperville, Illinois.

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, 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.