Retired business owner finds Grand Living hits perfect note
May 16, 2018
This piece is presented by Grand Living at Lake Lorraine.
Darrell Schultz was used to being able to take care of things.
For 40 years, he owned Westmoor Music, a career that followed his military service and began with a part-time job selling pianos.
At home, though, his late wife, Pat, began struggling with her memory.
âAnd I took care of her, and it was fine. It was no problem for me,â he said. âBut even though you donât want to admit it, things progress and not for the better.â
He became increasingly concerned what would happen to his wife if something were to happen to him.
He knew needed to do something.
After hearing about Grand Living, Sioux Fallsâ brand-new senior living community at Lake Lorraine, he made a phone call.
âAnd I got this fantastic person on the other end of the line. And she told me about the community and said, ‘You should come out and look at it.’ â
He and his daughter did. They told the Grand Living staff about Pat, and they toured Luminations, Grand Livingsâ community created specificallyfor people living with dementia.
âAnd we went home,â Darrell said. âAnd somehow between the time I got home and bedtime, I just knew it was time to come now.â
And then he made an unexpected decision.
âPat wasnât coming alone. I was coming with her.â
So Pat moved into Luminations, and Darrell moved into an apartment at Grand Living. Before, his wife used to ask that he sit with her all day at home, which could be difficult as he managed cooking and cleaning.
âHere, she had great gals who sat with her and would talk and things like that. I could tell she was happy,â he said. âAnd I would go down and be with her at noon and for a couple hours and then again in the evening. I could sit with her and give her my full attention, and she was happy, and our time together was really quality.â
He even fine-tuned his piano-playing skills again, playing while Pat sang along at Luminations and attracting other residents from the memory care community.
âIf you have memory problems, music is so good,â he said. âPat forgot many things but could always remember the words to âYou Are My Sunshine.â â
Music is an integral part of the Grand Living experience, and one that fits him perfectly. He has brought the grand piano from his apartment down to one of the main dining rooms to play for the community multiple times and is teaching a young staff member.
âThey have terrific instruments, which all came from the store I used to own,â he said, laughing.
He encourages other families whose loved ones need memory care to look at Luminations, which just opened Lavender Lane, a neighborhood solely for women. At Luminations, care revolves around entering a residentâs world, providing a safe and secure experience that creates moments of joy for them and their families.
Pat, who passed away late last year, couldnât have found a better fit, he said.
âThe situation is different for everybody but just look at a place like this and come out and see whatâs available. Maybe the time isnât right now. Maybe itâll be in a year or two, but if you know itâs here, itâs very comforting.â
As for Darrell, he acknowledges he probably doesnât need to be living at Grand Living now that Pat no longer needs care. But thereâs no way heâs moving.
âWhatâs not to like? I like everything here. Itâs a great place. They let you do what you want. I never went out to dinner for years, and now I go out to dinner every night, and I donât even have to leave â there are so many options right here at Grand Living,â he said. âIâve made so many friends here; I wouldnât want to leave them for the world.â