79 Northridge Story

NORTHRIDGE

Northridge identifies itself as an independent living facility for retired seniors and welcomes people over the age of sixty. Northridge is part of the Hawthorn Corporation in Seattle that maintains some seventy identical buildings around the USA and Canada, most of which are located along the coasts and in areas where many retirees are already living on their own.

Northridge Independent Retirement Center photo by Rick Bein, July 31, 2022 

Woods between Northridge and White River. Summer and winter scenes in the back of the building. Photos by Rick Bein, 2022.

The people who come to live here are frequently brought here by their children, who feel their elderly parents are disabled and would be better served in a facility that offers many conveniences. Often, the elder is faced with a health condition that limits their ability to live alone yet can manage if many of the day-to-day chores are done for them. Most have been relocated from distant places to be close to their children who live nearby. Scores of residents have not chosen Northridge, and feel they were forced to move here and have resigned themselves to the conditions beyond their control. Conditions often occur when a spouse passes, or when an accident occurs in the elders’ home. Some hold resentments about being relocated before they feel it necessary.

Northridge provides a multitude of benefits, mostly a community of people with similar conditions, but also safety, room cleaning, a theater, a chapel, an exercise gym, cable TV, places for gaming activities, garden plots, a bus service for nearby appointments, and meeting rooms. Optional at cost, is a hair salon and a physical therapy service. All these elements fill voids and meet special needs. There are many adamant card players.

Games and Garden plots, Photos by Rick Bein, July 2022. Northridge rooms are self-contained with their own bathrooms, refrigerators, and kitchenettes. Meals are served in a common dining hall at set times. Activities in communal areas keep people busy.

Meals are social encounters that support the congenial atmosphere of the community. Much of the life is centered around the meals which often last one and a half hours. These are quite popular as many people come early and stay late, extending beyond the hour and a half. There is joking and laughter. Storytelling becomes an art. Some individuals spend up to 6 hours a day sitting in the dining room. Groupings of people develop among the more active and extroverted. Some are content to remain quietly self-contained and keep to themselves. The many personalities generate many scenarios where some people are very congenial, and others disagree. Opinions abound about each other and also about how Northridge might be doing some things better. Groups solidify around the activities like “wi bowling,” bingo, horse racing, and a variety of card games. On rare occasions conflicts occur and those involved refrain from speaking to each other.

The Menus are determined by the Hawthorn headquarters in Seattle and the three meals for the day are listed on cards placed on tables. The menus are adorned with  attractive adjectives that may or not be fulfilled. It seems that Hawthorn has an English professor who focuses on developing attractive descriptions that adorn the most ordinary of meals. The cook must match the offerings as best as possible. A daily refrigerated truck brings the food, although not necessarily matching the menu. The mid-day meal (dinner) is the main offering with an option. Supper is frequently a soup and sandwich. Meals are served by the regular staff during the working hours and by local high school students in the evenings and on weekends. Serving begins for those seated at the tables adjacent to the kitchen on even numbered days, and on odd numbered days those seated at the far end of the room are served first,

Quality of food is sometimes a big complaint. Resident meetings with the local chef attempt to resolve the issues. The meetings can be rather noisy, but our chef listens politely and tries his best. It is hard to please a lot of old people who are set in their ways.

The success of Northridge can be attributed to the social aspect of the meal arrangements, not to take away from the popular private living conditions. Photo by Rick Bein, August 2022.     

Many of the residents are disabled in some way that limits their participation. Walking aids are common, ranging from canes, walkers, and electric wheelchairs. Various levels of dementia occur, and memory loss is common. To many, Northridge is a step up from assisted living, nursing homes and eventually many are forced to move when their need for more care becomes greater. Some of these needy people are supported by their spouse who cares for them at Northridge. There are those that hire someone to help. Ambulances arrive on a regular basis to take those who cannot get up after falling to the hospital. Usually they are returned after a short consultation with a doctor. Northridge is a halfway house for many who know they will eventually be needing the help provided by assisted living facilities.   Others enjoy the convenience of not having to maintain a home, freeing them to pursue other activities beyond the confines of the center.

There is a large amount of gossip going on and labels are attached to different residents, usually behind their backs. The following are some of these nick names:

Sports historian                 Trivial Pursuer                      Secret admirer

Garden Mistress                               the owl                               Laugher

Morning Crooner                      Elf on the shelf                   Hot oatmeal

Horn Trumpeter                            Who took my walker?         Heddy

BBB home runner                      Shrinking violet.                 Toothpick

What is Trump?                              Dancing Pixie                       Food expert

Delivery boy                                   Bingo Blaster                         Ahah

Where is my cane?                       Tablespoon                 Harse Racer

Candy man                                      Dandelion head                    Healer

Loudmouth                                 Bag lady       Smiley                  Roamer

Heartbreaker                                  Traffic jammer                       Card shark

Chauffeur                                 Master gardener                       Polyglot

Always In “Trouble”         Knitting Lady                         Storyteller

Honey Lady                                 Front row in Heaven                Tenor

Knows everybody’s business                              Please look at me!

Fast-hall walker         OK, Honey       Hand and footer           Buda

Late for Supper                         Bowls you over                      Bossy Lady

Never late for supper                     Marybeth saved the world!

Wee B strike queen                         Pretty Pin-up Lady          Listener

Gray haired Little old lady             Please see me!

Deaf as a door nail                          Snot rag Man             Gossip queen

Funny money king                          That is my chair!             Sweet sage

For most Northridgers, the elevator plays an important part in their lives. They learned not to be in a hurry. Probably a good thing. I am sure that the hectic pace we had in our previous years was not particularly good for us. The elevators in the Northridge take that another step. The wait for the elevator after pushing the button, does test the patience. The blue light goes off letting us know it will be another twenty seconds before it opens. Then, suddenly after opening it decides to close, ready or not.

Wait! Let me in! My arm gets caught as I try to stop it! Fortunately, Mr. Elevator, forgives me for being late and opens back up. A repeat performance challenges the next person who conquers her trepidation and ventures through that unpredictable doorway. Finally, some brave hero holds their arm across the opening until the rest of the crowd gets on. Another option is available where you can fumble around with the extra buttons on the inside hoping to delay the departure. If luck prevails, the door will stay open as long as the finger keeps pressing.

If you are by yourself in wheelchair or a walker, you must play cat and mouse with the door bumping you a few times before you get in. “Hurry up, hurry up!”   It really gets complicated when everyone’s equipment becomes jammed inside. I would think that every now and then, the motorized chairs, banging into each other need to be taken to a body shop to pound out the dents.   Photo by Rick Bein, 2022.

When the door closes, there is another twenty seconds wait before it decides which direction to go and gradually moves to the next floor. At that floor there is another twenty second wait to open and you are almost free. On the way out, you must be prepared to play cat and mouse again with the unpredictable closing door.

Two sets of managers for Northridge are hired by the Hawthorn Corporation. These married couples alternate days, taking charge and overseeing the business of the day. The couple on duty is available 24 hours. They have an active presence at all the meals and pick up the serving activities when staffs members are shorthanded. Hawthorn rotates the managers between the eighty different facilities around the country. At Northridge, the managers rarely remain over a few months.

When discontent by the residents with managers occurs, moving managers to another facility seems to be a common solution. Managers are not easy to train and with labor shortages, they would like to keep them. Whenever a set of managers reaches a great report with the residents, that popularity does not seem to matter to Hawthorn, and they are reassigned to a different facility somewhere else in the country.

A regional manager who oversees several mid-west Hawthorn retirement communities, rules with a heavy hand. He appears periodically creating an element of fear and concern among the staff. The copacetic environment is disturbed as the residents pick up on the discord. Several very creative staff members leave following some of his visits. It seems that Hawthorn, as reflected by the regional manager, has no regard for local traditions and culture. The Indiana culture is one of homespun loving relationships where the whole community including the staff, are part of the communal family and when a staff member suddenly leaves it is very upsetting. Some residents relate to this as a prison environment when there is no closure with their friends.

In 2023 a very successful set of managers have managed to stay and have created a great report with the community.

As you might imagine that there are many opinions among a group of elders, and some are critical about how Northridge is managed. Calls to the Hawthorn central office in Tacoma, Washington, are made to stage complaints.   Occasional complaints are phoned in to Hawthorn and, one Northridge building manager was a frequent target. He was suddenly fired.

The staff is made up of a full-time kitchen crew, meal servers who also take charge of the cleaning rooms, and a creative and enthusiastic activity coordinator who contributes to the positive moral of the community. It is the staff that maintains the long-term continuity of the Northridge community contributing connections with all the residents, particularly the activity coordinator who generates a large family atmosphere supervising many of the group activities. Another full-time person is in charge with meeting the public and arranges tours for prospective residents. A hair stylist and a physical therapy unit are available at cost.

Three meals are offered every day, breakfast dinner and supper, there are few if any hungry people, servings brought to the table are more than adequate. Many grew up in typical American families where children are taught to “clean their plate.” Those people have a difficult time with weight gain. In fact, about 60% of the residents are overweight. When the servers bring individual plates of food to the table, they seem to think that there is no choice but to eat it all. Some have learned to ask for a half serving when their food order is taken.

A guest room for $90 a night is available when reserved in advance and are free for residents visiting from other Hawthorn facilities  in other cities.

Local high school students are employed part time to serve meals on evenings and weekends when the regular 40-hour week work staff are not available. Besides providing the youth a little spending money, it offers a rare opportunity to mix with and appreciate elders on a regular basis. This adds a refreshing element to the meals when first names are exchanged. The students are quite adept at learning the first names of the residents, the reverse, a bit more challenging. Hawthorn should be recognized for this creative approach that mixes the generations.

Northridge recognizes residents who have served in the United States military with the Wall of Honor. Photo by Rick Bein 2023.

With all of the busy work required in the home eliminated, the Northridge resident has an abundance of time to engage in hobbies, pastimes, organized programs, watching old movies from the library, and completing unfinished projects. Residents at Northridge are engaging in artwork, like sewing, weaving, knitting, and crocheting.  Some are engaged in writing, memoirs, stories, and books. Those that can, drive their cars to nearby events. For those who do not drive, Northridge has a bus that will take people to events and appointments.

The grounds of Northridge are managed by an outside contractor that maintains a attractive exterior.

Pictures above depict the retention pond to reduce flooding downstream. Storm water running from the roof and parking lot is collected here. Cattails dominated in 2021. After round up application in 2023, it was baron. Natural regrowth covered the pond in 2024.

Our flower Garden behind Northridge, 2024.    Palliated Woodpecker on our balcony, 2024

Photos by Rick Bein

Despite a few discords, the Hawthorn model is an excellent arrangement for supporting mobile retired people. Northridge is always at near capacity. It is rather like to a college dormitory, except the seniors do not graduate in May!

Another option from across the world, is the African tribal solution. Here elders never leave the home where they grew up. They are incorporated into the family, participating in all the activities, cooking, wild plant harvesting, healing, farming, teaching, baby-sitting, and artisan activities. The elder’s experience and wisdom are considered valuable and there is no thought of sending grandfather off to some place to die. On the other hand, fewer people live to become elders and to have an elder in the family compound is considered a privilege. Those who become elders are held in highest esteem.

There is no such thing as a social security check. A woman seeks to have as many children as she can hoping that some of them will live long enough to support her in old age. First, she must find a good man who is fertile and settle with him. Marriage for love Is unheard of, and arranged marriages serve a purpose. Choosing a harem where the man already has children with other women is an attractive option as that increases her chances of getting pregnant.

Polygamous family from Darfur build a house:  Kenyan woman harvests food. Photos by Rick Bein 1977 and 2008.

For the man, multiple wives provide a labor force for sharing household chores, but to contribute with economic activities such as farming or fishing. In the attached photo, polygamous family joins together in constructing a house.