| State’s oldest retirement community strives to raise $1 million
BALTIMORE - Pickersgill Retirement Community is well on its way to meeting its fundraising goal of $1 million. During a celebration of the nonprofit's 205th anniversary Wednesday, Ann Brooke, co-chairman of the fundraising campaign, said more than $700,000 has come in already, including $250,000 from Joe and Kathy Willard. Their gift will be used to pay for a new auditorium that will be named in their honor. “Elder care is not always the first thing that comes to people's minds when they think of philanthropy," said Pickergill board member Faye Tully. “This will change in the next 10 to 15 years as the baby boomers age." The $1 million campaign will help offset $23 million in renovations and expansions that are already under way at the Towson retirement community.
WWII veteran inspires with effort to overcome loss of sight
Eighty-three-year-old Western Maryland native Charles Johnson entered World War II in 1942 at the age of 19 and served in Italy. He was a demolitions expert in the war and his duties included loading bombs and ammunition on the planes which flew their dangerous missions into Germany and helped turn the tide of the war. He returned home to Western Maryland when his tour of duty was complete and started a family. Charles worked at the Kelley-Springfield tire company in Cumberland for 41 years and for most of the last 14-years Lived at the Kensington Algonquin, a local assisted living facility. On the morning of May 1, 2006, Charles awoke to find his world had completely changed; he was totally blind. Charles' doctors indicated that his complete loss of vision was probably due to an embolism and offered him no hope of recovery.
Should I have a living will?
Many people believe they can exercise better control over their own destiny by filling out a living will (also called an advance directive.) They may have concerns about becoming caught in a tangle of tubes, wires and technology as they are dying, unable to break free and extricate themselves. They hope that by signing on the dotted line, they may be able to breathe their last easily and peacefully.
At first glance, an advance directive may appear to address many of our end-of-life concerns, and hence, can seem like a good idea. However, it often tends to serve as a rather blunt instrument when it comes to handling complex and nuanced end-of-life situations. Moreover, living wills are sometimes used to buttress or justify some of the morally problematic decisions being made in health care settings today.
Retirement center doubling
The Holly Creek Retirement Community in Centennial will break ground next week on a $78 million expansion that will more than double the number of units it has. The project, at 5500 E. Peakview Ave., also will include an expanded town center and outdoor gardens when it is completed in July 2008. Holly Creek's first phase, completed in June 2005, included 114 apartments, which are full. "We have just had great demand and decided to build a little more and add a health care component so we can have a full continuum of retirement living," said Kelly James, marketing director for Holly Creek. Holly Creek started taking reservations for the expansion a year ago. Now, it's 83 percent sold out. The expansion includes 18 1,600- square-foot luxury apartments with two bedrooms and two bathrooms; 66 independent living apartments; 28 assisted living and 24 skilled nursing units; and 12 apartments in the community's memory-support area for residents with Alzheimer's or dementia.
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