So how do we make ethical choices and decisions – especially when we are in a business where often times, there is no clear right and wrong?

We need to be intentional. We know that a decision is more ethical if we go through an ethical decision making process. Perhaps the first step in that process is what Michael Josephson suggests in his article below, a thoughtful pause.

Michael Josephson is founder and president of the Josephson Institute of Ethics.

— Lauren Moulton-Beaudry, director of Ethics and Education for Front Porch

Good Decisions Start With Stop
http://whatwillmatter.com/2012/07/commentary-785-4-good-decisions-start-with-stop/

10 Things to Discuss With Your Doctor to Promote Aging with Dignity and Independence

Providing the amenities, services, staff and community to live life your way is at the heart of who we are at Front Porch. Part of our job in making sure you live life your way is providing you with the information you need to live healthy and well. The following is an article from the Scan Foundation about the things you should be discussing with your doctor to ensure you live a happy, healthy retirement. 10 Things to Discuss With Your Doctor to Promote Aging with Dignity and Independence”

Relax By Turning Up the Heat With Glass Blowing

I’m not big on talking about myself. As the senior vice president of sales and marketing, I’m enthusiastic about the work being done and the relationships being forged every day at each of our Front Porch Retirement Communities, but I’d rather let those accomplishments speak for themselves. After all, if I’ve done my job right, you’ll never know I was there.

During my career at Front Porch I have met many residents who have both continued their passions or found new ones after moving into one of our communities. But for me, in my personal life, no matter how passionate I am about a particular interest or pursuit, I’d rather tell you about where to find it or how you can get involved than go on about my latest accomplishment or how much I’ve improved. After all, "actions speak louder than words," as they say.

In keeping with that mantra, there’s a passion of mine that I’d like to share with you; glassblowing. It’s an ancient art form, first developed around the middle of the last century BC. Put simply, the craft is based around the idea of super-heating small "blobs" of glass, then pushing (or "blowing") small amounts of air into the soft, white-hot material while mixing in various other pieces of colored glass in order to create specific patterns or shapes. Imaginative glass blowing artists can create a wide range of products, including vases, drinking cups, bowls, plates, and (my personal favorite) paperweights.

Paperweights are a great way for the novice glassblower to get started in the field, given their small size and flexible design (after all, not everyone wants the same old round hunk of glass). The smaller size makes them easier to handle during the course of one four-hour studio session, and the open-ended aspect of playing with various colors and glass-working techniques means that I get a different end result every time. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I like blowing glass. Like as with many art forms, no two objects are exactly the same. Each piece has its own unique facets, colors and shapes with the only limitation being the artists’ imagination. Perhaps that’s why I like working at Front Porch so much … each of our communities is unique. Each has its own personality and flavor, where all can appreciate and celebrate the “art of the individual.”

For those interested in getting started in the field, or just want to learn more about the art, I’d encourage you to explore some of the many glass working studios around Southern California or contact your local community college or adult education classes.

Practice, of course, makes perfect, but it’s this flexibility inherent to the art form that gives me the opportunity to unwind during each visit to the studio. After all, glass blowing for me is about relaxing, not a way of life.

— Joan Woodworth

Time Well Spent

Some of my fondest memories with my parents when I was a child include volunteering. Together we did things like fill grocery bags at the local food bank for needy families, spend a weekend sprucing up the church we attended, or paint a house for a family that soon would move in. Whatever the activity was, we did it together and it taught me a valuable lesson in how good it feels to give.

As time went by and into my adult years, I found myself running out of time to volunteer. I was just too busy with this and that and before I knew it I became a working mom with hardly a second to spend on myself. Recently I’ve rediscovered the joys of volunteering again through my work as communications manager with Front Porch and through the eyes of my own daughter.

It started a couple of years ago when my husband asked me what I wanted for Valentine’s Day. With a tight budget and not a lot of time to plan something elaborate, I felt I didn’t really ‘need’ anything. I asked him if there was an opportunity to volunteer at Walnut Village Rehabilitation and Care Center where he works and spend some time with the residents, some of whom I knew probably didn’t have family nearby to share the day with. That year with gifts graciously supplied by the California Lutheran Homes Auxiliary, we headed out to share the love with the care center residents.

Front Porch partner CLH has had a long and loving history of social ministry with the care center and we helped continue that mission by distributing gifts the CLH Auxiliary regularly gives to the care center residents. With each gift, a free hug or a mere touch of the hand, a greeting and a smile came with it. My daughter was five then. She was shy, reserved, and very soft spoken. But she soon realized that with every gift she handed out, a very grateful and sometimes emotional person was at the receiving end. Her confidence grew as we passed each room.

Weeks passed since that first visit and through the years, sometimes out of the blue, she would ask, “When are we visiting the grandmas and the grandpas again?” We did every chance we could. And now it has become my own family’s tradition to visit the care center during a holiday. Sometimes we bring friends, including other Front Porch colleagues and their children, to share the fun and satisfaction of bringing cheer, smiles, and free hugs to anyone that wished for one, or two, or more.

As a mom, I’m glad to have rediscovered volunteering through Front Porch and enjoy spending that time with my own family as I did with my parents. Now our daughter has her own ideas about how to cheer residents and how to get others involved and we encourage it. I look forward to her sharing the joy of volunteering with her own family someday.

— Jen Dixon

A Sense of Community

Having recently moved from Southern California to Northern California, I know that there are a number of questions and concerns people have about moving to a new place. For me, my biggest concern was finding a sense of community or a feeling of “belonging” for my family in our new location (we have a little one and live in a single-family home). Most of our friends still live in Southern California, and I can tell you, finding that sense of community has meant everything to us, especially since we live in a single-family residence. For us, that has meant working hard at meeting new people, trying to attend city/community activities, exploring the area. Forming new friendships.

If you’re a prospective retirement community resident, I’m sure you have some of those same issues and concerns. You want to feel like you belong. That’s why at our Front Porch communities we have resident life and activities directors, as well as other staff and your fellow residents, to help you feel immediately “at home” in your new home. We know that you want a true sense of community, and that’s what we strive to provide. When you’re at one of our communities, you truly feel like you are amongst friends. But my job here is not really to just tell you how great our communities are, I want to bring to your attention some of the things you may want to think about before making a decision to move into any retirement community.

Here is a short list of questions you and perhaps your loved ones may wish to consider before deciding how and where you want to enjoy your retirement:

• Are you really living your best life?
• How can I have more control of my life?
• What do you look forward to each day?
• Do you have concern for your spouse?
• Are you having fun or are you burdened with challenges of home upkeep?
• Do you spend quality time with your friends?
• Do you have opportunities to meet new people who share your interests?
• How easy is it for you to get around?
• How do you get your errands done? Is that working? What happens if there are changes?
• Do you drive at night worry free?
• What happens if your health needs change?
• Do you have access to emergency care should something happen?
• How dependent are you on other people?
• Do you feel safe?
• Are you confident your neighborhood will always be safe?
• What would happen if you fell or had an accident at home?
• Do you have an emergency response service?
• Is your home well designed to meet your future care needs?
• Who provides care or help when you need it?

I hope this list helps you in your decision making process.

Cheers and Prost!

-Rob Klose

A Culinary Trip to New Orleans

Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you that what I love most is food, travel and good bottle of wine: I imagine I’m not unique in that sentiment. And there is no greater place to enjoy such activities than the city of New Orleans. In my opinion it may very well be the greatest restaurant city we have in the United States. I’m certain I’m not unique in that opinion.

For those retired and living at or near England Oaks (Front Porch's adult living retirement community in Alexandria, Louisiana) a trip to New Orleans would make a great day/overnight trip. For those living further away, a culinary trip to New Orleans is something everyone should undertake.

It’s often said in New Orleans that while eating one meal, people will be talking about where they are going to be eating their next two. In other words, food and restaurants are on everyone’s mind when in The Big Easy.

Giving a list of one’s favorite restaurants in New Orleans is an interesting task. Everyone (and I mean everyone) who has ever visited New Orleans has their list and their opinions. In other words, it’s a restaurant city filled with favorites on top of favorites. There is no consensus, only culinary debate when it comes to New Orleans. After numerous trips to New Orleans, my list has been an exercise in evolution. Each time I go a revision to the list is made. Among those making my list would have to be:

• Cochon - for its rabbit and dumplings
• Domilise - for its po’boys
• Brigtsens - for just about everything, but mostly its sauces
• Mr. B’s - for its bbq shrimp and their quintessential gumbo
• Restaurant August - for its refined take on Creole cuisine
• Bayona - for its veal sweetbreads, its rabbit entrée, and a perfect courtyard
• Butcher - for its pork belly sandwich
• Arnaud - for its foie gras stuffed quail
• Galatoire’s - for its history
• Commander’s Palace - for its brunch

Most of these places are well known to seasoned travellers of New Orleans and many are familiar names to even the first time traveller (as they each have a strong reputation and great reviews precede them). But tops on my list would have to be a little known neighborhood restaurant called Clancy’s.

Far from the madding crowd of the French quarter and tucked in a fairly quiet Uptown area (near Audubon Park), Clancy’s offers a warm and inviting environment and a taste of what quintessential Creole cooking is all about. Items such as their soft-shelled crab entrée (which is first smoked, then fried, then topped with lump crab meat and served with a German potato salad) truly exemplify what is great and unique about New Orleans cooking. Couple that with a couple bottles of Abita beer and you have the recipe for a great time.

The saying in New Orleans is laissez les bon temps rouler. Let the good times roll. In a certain way, it’s not that different than Front Porch’s philosophy, “Live life your way.” Enjoy and embrace life. Maybe take time for a trip to New Orleans, and when you return, email and tell me about it. Or maybe just email me and tell me what your favorite restaurant city is, or simply what your favorite dish at your community is. By the time you read this, I will have just returned from my yearly NOLA trip, so maybe I’ll have something new to add to the list. In any case, I’d love to hear more about what you like.

Live life your way, et Laissez les bon temps rouler!

— Rob Klose

Retirement Communities Have Long Storied Pasts (Part Two of Two)

In part one of this blog, I talked about my love of history and the interesting discoveries I made about Front Porch communities when I became communications director seven years ago. I talked about our oldest retirement community Fredericka Manor and its association with the inventor of the roller bearing Henry Timken. I talked about Wesley Palms and its connection with famed horticulturist Kate Sessions. I also talked about Kingsley Manor, one of Hollywood’s first retirement communities and how it was built before the town was known for its soundstages and back lots.

For part two, I’ll continue the journey and talk about a retirement community that was at one time the playground for Hollywood’s elite, made famous by some very special water.

Although Carlsbad By The Sea celebrates 12 years as a luxury state-of-the-art retirement community, it has a long history of not only serving seniors but also for being a world class destination for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and military families.

The Carlsbad-California Mineral Springs Hotel opened in the late 1880s. Back then, according to a newspaper article in the San Diego Union, the resort offered hot and cold mineral and fresh water baths. The four-story hotel, with 85 guest rooms, boasted full furnishings “with all modern conveniences,” reported the San Diego Union in 1890.

Guests were charged $2 per day with special rates for families. A hotel brochure informed guests: “The Carlsbad waters come forth from the bosom of nature. Already many arise and call the American Carlsbad blessed.”

Visitors from across the country made their way to Carlsbad lured by the community’s charm. Celebrities like Greta Garbo and the Barrymore family made frequent visits in the 1930s when a second hotel offered Swedish massage.

The hotel suffered tough times during the Depression but saw a boon during World War II when the hotel was filled to capacity with families of military officers who were stationed at nearby Camp Pendleton.

In 1956, Lutheran Services bought the hotel and transformed it into a retirement community which offered residents the same resort-like services. In 1964, California Lutheran Homes acquired the property. By the early 1990s, CLH decided to raise the old buildings and begin anew. Taking its cues from the luxury hotel it once was, the new Carlsbad By The Sea which opened in 1999 replicates the unique mission style architecture of the original structure.

Let’s move from California to Louisiana and Florida for some history about Cecil Pines and England Oaks. These two adult living communities have a unique history. Unique, because they were the first retirement communities in the history of the US to be housed on former military bases.

The pioneering idea to create retirement communities from former officer military housing on these two bases was the brainchild of Front Porch partner, California Lutheran Homes and Community Services. It was originally known as Alexandria Army Air Base when it opened on October 21, 1942 in Alexandria, Louisiana. On June 23, 1955, it was renamed England Air Force Base in honor of Lt. Col. John Brooke England, commander of the 389th Fighter Bomber Squadron, who died in a F-86 crash while in France.

In 1992, England Air Force Base was officially closed and California Lutheran Homes and Community Services, leased the land in 1996 and began an exciting renovation of the former officer housing and landscape, resulting in England Oaks Adult Living Community. One hundred-year-old oak and almond trees still provide shade to residents.

Cecil Pines has a similar story. Commissioned in June, 1941 as Cecil Naval Air Field, activity at the base ramped up later that year following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. And in the early 1960s, it was RF-8 Crusaders from VFP-62 out of Cecil Field that detected the presence of missiles and monitored the Soviet buildup during the Cuban Missile Crisis. But after almost 50 years of service, California Lutheran Homes and Community Services once again leased the land and in 2000 opened Cecil Pines Adult Living Community which still houses military families, many of whom were stationed and lived at the base.

Moving back to California, the city of Claremont is the home to seven world class institutions of higher learning known collectively as the Claremont Colleges. The city is also home to Claremont Manor Retirement Community. How are the two connected? Well, Russell K. Spitzer, the founder of Spitzer College, was the cousin of Lee Spitzer, a prominent Claremont citrus rancher who donated the 10-acre site on which Claremont Manor Retirement Community now stands. In fact, with dedication ceremonies planned for April 30, 1949, it was Pitzer who took matters into his own hands when he realized just days before dedication ceremonies the community was “surrounded by black dirt, blacker mud and some orange trees.” With a sledge and a team of ranch horses Spitzer, by the Saturday afternoon of the dedication, had smoothed a road from Harrison Avenue south to the front entrance of the Manor.

With glorious flower arrangements from local Claremont businesses adorning the third-floor hall, Claremont Manor was officially born. During the remainder of 1949, the original “Lords and Ladies of the Manor” lived without the amenities of sidewalks and contended with, as one resident put it, “dust when dry and mud when wet.” But the residents numbered 177 by the end of that year, and according to one account, “kept arriving as fast as their rooms were ready. Each new improvement was greeted with joy.”

My final look back at the history of Front Porch communities is my personal favorite … the story of a retirement community located on one of the most picturesque locations on the California coastline – Casa de Mañana in La Jolla.

Casa de Mañana first opened not as a retirement community but as Hotel Casa de Mañana in 1924. The hotel was the dream of Mrs. Isabel Morrison Hopkins. On one sunny La Jolla day while visiting her mother nearby, the Colorado native stood high above the cliffs overlooking the Pacific and envisioned an elegant, luxurious hotel harmoniously situated on the edge of the sea. What Mrs. Hopkins would soon create was much more than a hotel - she created a legend. On July 4, 1924, Hotel Casa de Mañana had its grand opening and the 'House of Tomorrow' began an incredible legacy that continues today.

On that day, the new electric railroad line inaugurated its route between San Diego and La Jolla and the first street lights were installed on Prospect Avenue – two “historic” events that coincided with Casa’s grand opening. Overlooking the sea with picturesque arches, tiled roofs and authentic Spanish architecture (features that still remain today), Casa de Mañana quickly became the social hub of La Jolla.

Social events at Casa ran the gamut from weddings to banquets to civic and social club luncheons to concerts, poetry readings by noted artists and musicians of the day. A headline from La Jolla Light of February 17, 1925 announced: “Casa de Mañana Ball Room Scene of Pretty Valentine Party” and went on to report that Miss Jane Kaftenbach, “the first Valentine of the pageant, was exquisite with her shy, girlish expression and modest demeanor.” Accommodations were exquisite and the cuisine world-class.

And if you talk to some of its retirement community residents today, many remember attending proms and other social events at the hotel. How about that for living history?

In 1953, Hopkins sold the hotel and soon after Casa de Mañana had a second grand opening as a luxurious retirement community with 108 charter members in residence.
So there you have it, a little Front Porch community history. If you would like to learn more about the history of these and other Front Porch communities, you can connect to all of the communities through frontporch.net. Enjoy!

— Mike Martinez