A Place to Turn When Retirement Came as a Surprise
"I loved every minute of my life working in the office, but I knew I could no longer go on that way, and this is a great way to retire. It's a very simple life, but it's something I enjoy."
At age 82, Leona Buman was too busy working to consider retiring. Then change came along suddenly.
"I took a bad fall and had a fractured wrist and a fractured pelvis," she explains. Leona was admitted to the Elm Crest skilled nursing facility and spent about six weeks at the health center, receiving physical and occupational therapy.
Then it was time to think about heading back to her old life.
For years, Leona took care of the books at a farm equipment distribution business run from her home on the family farm outside of Harlan, Iowa.
"I began to realize I would not be able to go back to work," she recalls, "and I knew I'd be alone at home with nothing to do, no work to do."
Leona and her children discussed the situation, and her children checked out independent living options at Elm Crest. "I was very satisfied with their report, and we just sort of took it from there," Leona says.
In 2003, Leona purchased a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment at Elm Crest. "It's a very nice place, just a gorgeous apartment."
Leona says she enjoys the everyday social connections that naturally occur between friends and neighbors living at Elm Crest. "Residents have our own little social gatherings." Leona says. "We'll go out to see movies and, once a month, go out to a restaurant as a group and have dinner together." Leona also attends exercise classes at Elm Crest twice a week.
Today, Leona's life is different than the one she enjoyed before retiring, but different in good ways.
"At home, I was pretty much alone," Leona explains, "but living here, we just meet all the time and have such good times! I think we get energy from each other."
"I loved every minute of my life working in the office," Leona adds, "but I knew I could no longer go on that way, and this is a great way to retire. It's a very simple life, but it's something I enjoy."
Information contained herein was accurate at the time of posting. The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in any examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results. California residents: Annuities are subject to regulation by the State of California. Payments under such agreements, however, are not protected or otherwise guaranteed by any government agency or the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association. Oklahoma residents: A charitable gift annuity is not regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and is not protected by a guaranty association affiliated with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. South Dakota residents: Charitable gift annuities are not regulated by and are not under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Division of Insurance.