Andy and Christine* had always called Newton home.
They had built their life there, raised their family there, and developed friendships that lasted for decades. When neighbors moved to Park Centre, WesleyLife’s community for healthy living in Newton, Andy and Christine watched with interest.
They stayed in touch with those neighbors, who reported that they loved the community and valued the friendships, activities, and freedom they enjoyed there.
“They just seemed so happy,” Christine says. “Every time we ran into them, they told us about something they had done or someone they had met. We started thinking, ‘Maybe we should look into this, too.’”
When Andy and Christine both turned 70, they decided they didn’t want to wait for a health concern to determine where or how they would live.
They moved to an independent living residence at Park Centre while they were still young, healthy, and able to enjoy the experience together.
“We didn’t want to wait until we had to move,” Christine says. “We wanted to do it while it was still our decision and while we could really enjoy being here. We downsized, had a garage sale, donated a bunch of stuff, and then the house sold within 24 hours. It was incredibly freeing and we were so excited to start this new life.”
For five years, Andy and Christine greatly enjoyed the home and community they had chosen. They developed friendships, established new routines, and became part of daily life at Park Centre.
Then, without warning in the wee hours of a Saturday, Andy woke Christine to let her know he was having chest pain. Emergency assistance arrived quickly, and it was determined Andy was having a heart attack.
A series of health setbacks
Until the attack, neither Andy nor Christine had been aware of Andy’s cardiac disease, or the extent to which it already had affected his health. Shortly after Andy’s arrival in the emergency room, doctors determined he needed surgery. An ambulance took him to a medical center in nearby Des Moines.
The next day, Andy underwent quadruple bypass surgery. The procedure appeared successful, and after spending several days in the hospital, he returned to Park Centre to continue his recovery.
Andy began physical therapy at Park Centre and initially made encouraging progress. He enjoyed the sessions and felt himself becoming stronger.
“Having therapy right here made such a difference,” Andy says. “I could see the progress I was making, and I felt like I was getting back to myself.”
Then, another setback: After dinner one night, Andy complained of a headache. Christine noticed his face looked different and his speech sounded strange. Following another frantic trip to the hospital, another life-altering diagnosis: Andy had suffered a stroke.
He was hospitalized for a month before returning to Park Centre. Although he regained some strength in physical therapy, follow-up appointments with his medical team were sobering. His condition was not improving as quickly as his doctors had hoped.
Notably, Andy’s cardiologist remained concerned about his heart function. Eventually, she determined that Andy no longer was strong enough to continue cardiac rehabilitation, and further testing showed that Andy in fact was experiencing congestive heart failure.
Christine and Andy tried to adjust to their new reality, but it became increasingly clear that Andy needed more support than Christine could safely provide in their independent living residence.
With the help of their adult daughter, the couple made the difficult decision for Andy to move to 24/7 healthcare at Park Centre.
“We kept hoping he would get stronger and be able to come back home,” Christine says. “But finally, we had to be honest about what he needed. I couldn’t give him that level of care by myself, and we were both frightened.”
A new routine, and new challenges
Although Christine missed having Andy with her in their residence, she was grateful she could simply take a short walk to another part of the campus to spend time with him. Each day, she spent hours with him in the health center. They talked when Andy felt up to it, shared meals, or simply sat quietly together.
“Most days, I would just go over and sit with him,” Christine says. “I’d read, play games on my phone, talk to the caregivers, take walks to get my steps in … I didn’t love the way we were living, but I was content. After all, Andy was still with me. I had almost lost him twice.”
Life continued that way for several months; Andy didn’t grow stronger, but his condition didn’t worsen. Then one day, the couple’s son-in-law, an accountant who helped manage the couple’s finances, asked to speak with Christine. The news he shared was unexpected: The cost of Andy’s care was drawing down the savings the couple had spent years building. Their nest egg was being depleted far more quickly than Christine had realized.
In a panic, Christine wondered aloud whether she would have to leave Park Centre. Her son-in-law says that was likely, and that she was welcome in the home he shared with Andy and Christine’s daughter and their two teenagers.
“I was scared,” Christine says. “I love my family, but I wanted to continue to live on my own. I also didn’t want to be far from Andy. I thought, ‘What am I going to do? Am I going to have to leave?’”
A sliver of hope
The next day, though, the couple’s daughter provided Christine with a shred of hope, reminding Christine of something she had nearly forgotten: Before Andy had suffered his heart attack, he and Christine had donated to the Park Centre Good Samaritan Fund, which supports the WesleyLife Promise.
Made possible through charitable gifts to the Good Samaritan and Good Shepherd funds at WesleyLife communities, the Promise helps ensure that residents who deplete their financial resources through no fault of their own will not be asked to leave the community they call home or experience a reduction in care simply because they can no longer afford the full cost.
Although WesleyLife applies other available payment sources to the cost of care, the generosity of donors to the Good Samaritan Fund helps cover the remaining gap.
“I vaguely remembered giving to it, but I never once thought we would be the ones who needed it,” Christine says. “At the time, we were just glad we could help someone else.”
Thinking the solution sounded too good to be true, a tentative Christine met with Park Centre’s office manager, who explained the process and helped her apply for assistance.
A couple of weeks later, Christine received the news she had scarcely allowed herself to hope for: Support from the Good Samaritan Fund would allow her to remain at Park Centre.
“I just cried,” Christine says. “I had been so worried, and suddenly I knew I could stay. I could still be close to Andy. It felt like someone had taken this enormous weight off my shoulders.”
Andy could continue receiving the care he needed in the health center. Christine could remain in her residence nearby. She would not have to move away from her husband or choose between her own financial security and his care.
Together and supported
Andy and Christine had made their move to Park Centre thoughtfully. They had planned, managed their resources carefully, and chosen independent living while they were still healthy enough to enjoy it.
But no plan could have anticipated the series of health crises Andy would face or the financial impact of the care he eventually needed.
Because of the WesleyLife Promise, one thing did not have to change: Andy and Christine could remain at Park Centre, together and supported. The WesleyLife Promise exists because generations of donors have chosen to invest in the belief that no resident should lose access to care, community, or dignity because of circumstances beyond their control. Gifts to the Good Samaritan Fund help make stories like Andy and Christine's possible every day.
Since WesleyLife’s earliest days, that commitment has been central to the organization’s mission. Through the generosity of donors, older adults facing financial uncertainty can continue receiving the care, connection, and sense of belonging they need, without leaving the community they call home.
“You never think you’ll be the person who needs help,” Christine says. “We were careful. We planned. But things happened that we never could have expected. I’m just so grateful we can both stay here.”
Be a lifeline for couples like Christine and Andy. Make your impact today!
*Names and identifying information have been changed.