Don Miffitt and his wife, Marcy, moved to Edgewood about seven months ago. They knew they wanted to move to a Life Plan Community (also known as a CCRC) because they saw how difficult life became for Don’s parents when his mother had to travel back and forth from her home to see his father in a nursing home. Neither Don nor Marcy wanted that for their future. What they wanted was to stay together for the rest of their lives, ideally not too far from their children and grandchildren in the Shrewsbury/Northborough/Clinton area.
Don and Marcy also wanted an engaging social life. “Our friends were all scattering,” said Don. “We saw that in our own neighborhood with people passing or moving away to places like this.” As they visited various communities on their list, Don was struck by the warmth and friendliness at Edgewood.
“People were more friendly here than we found in other places. Now that we’re here, it’s even better than we thought,” says Don. “We have all these wonderful people here from different backgrounds. We get to talk about all kinds of things at dinner. I’m always surprised how good the meals are. It’s one of the major pleasures here.”
Before Don and Marcy moved to Edgewood, several residents told them how the staff take care of everything. “Being in independent living, we don’t need a lot of help,” says Don, “but when we do, it’s there when we need it. From the staff who pick up the trash to the executive director, everyone knows our names and is always ready to help.”
As independent living residents, Don and Marcy have more time to do the things they enjoy. They both love the outdoors and try to walk three miles each day. Don also enjoys exploring the nature trails that connect to the Edgewood campus on his mountain bike. He switched to an e-bike a few years ago and that helps him climb the hills.
Photography is another passion of Don’s. As he and Marcy traveled to national parks and wilderness areas, he found himself drawn to photographing landscapes and wildlife. “We both enjoy getting a good picture of something,” he says.
The pair make a good team with Marcy acting as spotter. “One time in Florida we saw an owl fly by but I couldn’t see where it landed. Then Marcy whispered, ‘Look up to your left.’ And it was literally on top of me. It stayed there so I was able to get the photos.”
One of Don’s current photography projects is taking photos of the centenarians at Edgewood for the quarterly magazine. “These people are incredible,” he says. “I met a woman who was celebrating her 104th birthday and she was very ‘with it’.” Another centenarian Don photographed didn’t even use a walker. “She’s walking around talking to everybody. Marcy and I often think, if that’s what Edgewood does for people, that’s what we want.”
Take a look at some of Don’s wildlife photos.
