Wes and Joanne Eckert moved to Emerald Heights this July after two years of researching the options for their next phase in retirement.
Q. What was the spark that caused you to begin thinking about your options?
Wes, "I guess actually my education began when I served on the board of Presbyterian Retirement Communities of the Northwest," recalls Wes. "I began to look at the offerings of retirement communities and the factors important to that decision."
"We attended a workshop about retirement put on by the City of Bellevue. It started us thinking seriously about what we would do with retirement, and we started thinking about the downsizing task. Having lived in Bellevue for so many years we knew we wanted to stay on the Eastside. We looked at the Fountains at Pacific Regent and TimberRidge as well as Emerald Heights. We knew we wanted a continuing care retirement community with full life care services."
Q. What made Emerald Heights your final choice?
"We liked the country club feel and the informal (relaxed) dress of residents in the dining room," says Wes. "As we walked around campus, we were impressed that each person we encountered was a happy resident who obviously was enjoying their life here. Folks were so friendly and welcoming."
Joanne adds, "The thing about this age group is that there is no need to impress others. Past titles and accomplishments aren't the topic of conversation. I like that folks here are interested in who you are as a person."
Q. What do you think of the recent construction projects and expansion plans?
"We are impressed not only with the new facilities but with the board's smart business planning to invest in upgrading and building for the future to keep the community's vibrance going forward," says Wes. "The fact that Emerald Heights has maintained such a healthy balance sheet over its 20 years with plenty of reserves for future care of residents was pretty impressive."
Q. As a resident now, how do you feel about the move?
"There are so many things we are enjoying now that we are here," says Joanne. "We really enjoy the young kids who serve in the dining room. They are pleasant, efficient and responsive to our requests."
"We recently took a vacation and loved being relieved from the usual preparations to leave our home," she adds. "Here we just locked the door and left. It was great to step into a spanking clean apartment when we returned; the maid had been in for our usual cleaning and left it spotless!"
Wes concludes, "Once I made up my mind to move, I just wanted to get moved-in."
