“I feel so comfortable here. This is like living at home with a lot of people,” noted Crescent resident Jerry Ryan. “I like the atmosphere and how everything is wide open. There are so many opportunities to do what we want to do. Everyone on staff from Diane Doneghy, the executive director of the whole campus, to Chef Tim Ruehs, to Activity Director (or the one we call the ‘entertainment boss’) Rebekah Borten, goes out of his or her way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. This is not an occasional happening. It’s how they are every day and I have lived here since last March.”
Ryan said he never planned to leave his home overlooking Olander Park even after his wife had passed away eight years ago. However, once he stopped driving early last year he realized, as much as he loved his home, he needed to be around people. He had followed the construction progress of The Crescent while visiting his sister-in-law, an Oakleaf Village resident. “I was fortunate to be familiar with every senior independent and assisted living facility in the area and felt this was the right fit for me,” Ryan recalled.
Before his retirement, Ryan traveled to every local facility many times, bringing durable medical equipment to his customers. “Other facilities have much to offer, as well, but I knew immediately that this is the place for me. I wanted to live in the same building with other people to make it convenient to meet and talk rather than living in a separate building by myself,” Ryan said.
“The food is amazing. There is a ‘grab ’n go’ option and often I pick up some fruit, which I enjoy while I am streaming morning mass rather than going to the dining room for breakfast. There is a heavy-duty exercise room and another for those like me who are up to a less strenuous workout. There is even a golf simulator so I am able to enjoy ‘playing’ a round now and then.”
In addition, Ryan pointed out the weekly trivia games where people gather and have fun being together and the weekly happy hours in the living room before dinner which he enjoys even though he prefers sipping on a glass of soda with a lime garnish. He also likes playing euchre at least three times a week.
Ryan cites a daily roster of adult enrichment opportunities available along with yoga instruction, visits from the mobile library, many off-campus adventures to places such as Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Symphony Orchestra concerts, and seasonal hockey and baseball games.
“There are regular meetings where residents talk about what they would like to do and we work to make that happen,” Doneghy offered. “For example, we are taking a group of residents to see the St. Ursula musical ‘Phantom of the Opera’ at the Valentine Theatre at the end of January.”
Borton added that residents also visit the Metroparks, enjoy Jazz in the Garden at Toledo Botanical Gardens, and other outdoor musical events in the summer.
“The staff really makes an effort to plan things to make us all happy,” Ryan added. “Everyone who lives here really seems to love it.”
Rita Rennels, who has lived at The Crescent for just three months, agreed with Ryan. “This has been a great place to live and I am so happy to have a balcony outside of my apartment. I also love to spend an afternoon reading a book on the heated patio,” she said. “And I truly enjoy taking the walking path around the Oakleaf campus, which I do several times a week.”
The Crescent is an all-inclusive community designed for active seniors and includes contemporary, self-contained apartments, chef-prepared meals, daily activities, pampering services, and beautiful common areas. A Wallick facility, The Crescent is located at 4230 Holland-Sylvania Ave. adjacent to Oak Leaf Village and The Grove.