Fresh Start Reluctant Viola Wenrick Gives Assisted Living A Try

Viola Wenrick, 95, lived comfortably in her home in Spokane until the day she got up to change the channel on her television, fell over and broke her collar bone. The first stop was the hospital. The next was a nursing home, where she stayed while her bone healed.

The thought of Viola living alone worried her son, Glen Allen, and his wife, Norma. So they toured independent living and assisted living facilities. At first, Viola disliked her life in a nursing home and resisted the idea that she would live anywhere but her own home. But then she made friends and only reluctantly agreed to explore other options.

“I’ve been my own boss for so long,” she says. “But since my fall…well, I guess I’m not anymore.”

Finally, Viola, her son and daughter-in-law decided on Maplewood Gardens, in part because it is close to Norma and Glen. Viola was somewhat familiar with the place because she had visited friends there. And she liked the looks of an available room there, drawn to its many windows.

Viola agreed to try Maplewood Gardens for a month. For now, her Spokane home waits for her should she decide to move back. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 Color Photos

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Story and photos by Torsten Kjellstrand