Linda Thurston recently moved 1,300 miles from the place she lived and worked for the past 25 years. But she couldn’t feel more at home. Welcome to life at The Overlook.

After visiting one of her sons and grandchildren in Charlton during Thanksgiving last year, “Grandma Linda” knew she wanted to move to Central Massachusetts. Then after viewing three senior living communities in the area, she knew she wanted to move into The Overlook.

The two biggest factors in her decision were the friendliness of The Overlook community and the amount of living space she’d being enjoying—both inside her home and outside. She also liked how active the community is and the quality of the fitness center. “Moving here is the smartest thing I’ve ever done,” she says.

Of course, making such a big move, especially by herself, wasn’t without its challenges. She had a lifetime of furniture to keep or discard. And after much deliberation, she decided to auction off her furniture and start fresh in her new home. Using her floor plan as a guide, she chose only the most essential and emotionally meaningful items to bring with her.

Linda was also a little anxious about moving to a place where she knew no one. Those worries quickly faded away. “It felt like I was moving in with family,” she says. Linda also has enjoyed being a part of her grandchildren’s lives—going to the Memorial Day Parade in Charlton to hear her granddaughter recite a poem and attending soccer games on the weekends.

The California native says she has felt so warmly received at The Overlook that she did something she never imagined she would do. “I attended the Resident Council and brought a topic to their attention, which is something I definitely would not have done in the past.”

Now that she’s settled in, she enjoys going to the movies, attending her quilting class and she’s eager for her new pool class to start.

Henry “Hank” Rand had been alone long enough.

After his beloved wife died in 2006, “I spent a lot of time looking at the four walls,” he recalls. And he knew the time had come to move into The Overlook. Ironically, he had put down a deposit at The Overlook years earlier, when “I couldn’t handle my wife’s illness alone anymore.” But she rallied and they put it off.

With the passage of time after her death, Hank found himself in a place where he sought companionship. He also wanted interesting things to do. And he needed to be in a place where he could “go 100 miles an hour, all the time.” He found it all at The Overlook.

“The Overlook was a salvation for me. It kept me from losing it. It kept me stable,” he says. It also introduced him to neighbors that quickly became friends. “The people are great here. The ladies all dress up beautifully. It’s nice that people still want to be respected and look good, even though you’re 85 years old.”
Overall, he says, “The Overlook is a community that is unmatched by any other that I know of. It is the complete package. It’s got anything and everything you want to do or get involved with.”

For Hank, that’s regular card games (Bridge and Cribbage) in the Solarium. It’s also frequent visits to The Overlook’s gym, where he takes advantage of the treadmill, stationary bike and free weights. And it’s treating long-time friends to the gourmet meals served at Acacia.

Hank also plays golf twice a week at nearby Heritage and is involved in fundraising for the YMCA in Greater Worcester. As a 33rd Degree, 4th Generation Mason, he also serves on the Board of Governors for the Masonic Learning Center for children with dyslexia at the Masonic Temple in Worcester, MA, providing one-on-one assistance for children with dyslexia. “As long as I make somebody else happy,” he says, “I’m happy.”

Later, as he relishes the spectacular sunrise he views every morning over the nearby mountains, that same sentiment comes up again. “I’m happy here,” he says.

Everyone follows their own path to retirement living. Some people decide quickly, put down their deposit, and in no time are in their new home. Some deliberate for many years. While others spend a few years considering their options before making their choice.

Then there’s Bill and Doris Brown.

During their first visit to The Overlook in 2004, they knew right away they wanted to call it home…eventually. They had decided not to move until Bill turned 80. So six years after their initial visit they finally put down their deposit. Then three years after that, they moved into their cottage. Bill was 78.

As it turns out, the cottage they coveted from the start was available before Bill turned 80 and they feared losing it. But despite moving in two years earlier than planned, they’ve never looked back.

Bill now serves on the Resident Council and spends a lot of time on The Overlook’s tennis courts. Doris is involved with the Book Club, Movie Committee, Walking Club and as a volunteer in The Overlook’s on-site convenience store.

But the thing they like best about The Overlook is the people. “The people are wonderful here. They have wonderful histories. It’s a very supportive and loving situation,” Doris says, with Bill adding, “Almost every night we’re having dinner with a different couple.”

The Browns are quite active (still playing golf at least once a week), and they take advantage of the many fitness options at The Overlook. They go to the gym every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, plus stretch and balance classes in between. Bill also maintains a flower and vegetable garden in The Overlook’s community garden.

They’re especially happy they chose a cottage, which features a finished basement large enough to host their large brood of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren (25 at last count) with space left over for storage and fitness equipment.

Like so many CCRC residents, Bill and Doris, love “everything being in one spot. So as things change—if we need rehab or nursing care—there’s not a lot of moving around.”