Purposeful living can make all the difference in how we focus, react, and dream after retirement. When we choose to live purposefully, we’re also choosing to live fully and enjoy each day fully. Purposeful living can be an abstract subject, though, and many people don’t know how to put into words how they would live purposefully.
At Episcopal Retirement Services’ Deupree House in Cincinnati’s Hyde Park neighborhood, residents don’t have to worry about home maintenance or other stressors. Instead, they can focus on doing the things they’ve always loved and can devote more time to their passions. Meet three of our residents and see how they embrace the idea of purposeful living in their daily lives at this premier retirement community.
Meet Virginia Cox
Virginia gives back to her community by serving as a Deupree House Alternate Representative Board Member. She also volunteered at Deupree House’s sister community, Marjorie P. Lee, for five years.
“I’m on the Marjorie P. Lee Auxiliary Board,” she explains. “Through that experience, I learned about the many dedicated volunteers who commit to the mission of ERS. If I can be part of the ERS mission to make lives better, I want to do so.”
Virginia volunteered at Marjorie P. Lee during times when other volunteers typically weren’t available such as in the evenings or during meals and would escort residents to concerts and other events. “It was a win-win because I was able to help the residents while also hearing lots of wonderful music and speakers. I also really got to know the residents and the staff,” she says. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia stayed engaged by playing the piano, doing jigsaw puzzles, and having long conversations over the phone with family and friends.
Virginia notes just how many valuable relationships and social interactions the Deupree House community has given her. For example, she recently attended an event made up of Deupree House residents who had written books, ranging from serious publications to memoirs. Residents were then invited to talk with their neighbors about each other’s writing and their own lives.
Meet Kay Hauer
Kay Hauer is a resident volunteer in the support office. At Deupree House, Kay has returned to an activity she loved when she was ten years old: jump roping!
Kay also enjoys keeping her mind just as active, as she’s a frequent visitor at the library. With the library open 24-hours a day, she sometimes heads there in the middle of the night if she can’t sleep. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kay learned how to use Zoom so she could stay engaged and active.
Meet Michael Porte
Michael enjoys staying active, engaged, and living purposefully. Forty years ago, he and his wife learned Tai Chi while in China, and he’s enjoyed it ever since. Rather than let go of that passion, he has continued to practice and even became a Tai Chi teacher for a while.
According to Michael, Tai Chi helps improve your mindful- ness so you can live in the present, something he strives to do. He is an active member of a writing group at Deupree House and enjoys keeping up and sharing his passion for writing.
After meeting three of the Deupree House residents, you can see how living purposefully and staying engaged after retirement can make a difference in your outlook and joy. When you join a retirement community, you can free up your time to focus on the activities you truly enjoy. You might even have time to re- kindle your love of old pastimes, as Kay did with jump roping. No matter what you choose to do, staying engaged will help you continue to live purposefully after retirement.
If you would like to hear more stories about how ERS residents live purposefully, subscribe to the ERS Linkage Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or SoundCloud.
Episcopal Retirement Services’ Deupree House retirement community is located in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Cincinnati. To schedule a tour visit deupreehouse.com
The Deupree House senior living community is currently moving in new residents. For more information call Gini Tarr at 513.561.4200, or email gtarr@erslife.org.