Video showing scenes of The Terraces of Phoenix, a HumanGood Life Plan Community

Marti

Life Is a Moving Experience

If you’re in search of Marti, you’re likely to find her lifting weights in an exercise class. Or doing the “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and the “West Coast Shuffle” in a line dancing lesson.

Marti does everything she can to take care of herself. And life at The Terraces provides her with plenty of healthy living options — from fitness classes to massage therapists — all under one roof.

“You feel so good,” she says. “It makes a world of difference!”

In addition to caring for her body, The Terraces has been good for her soul. As a caregiver to her husband, she has received support from both the staff and the entire community. That experience has been far different than the one she had caring for her first husband before she moved to The Terraces. He was living with dementia, and she had to depend on the help of friends as his health deteriorated.

Just as the community supports her, Marti is always there for them. She gives Communion to people who can’t make it to church, delivers food to people’s doors and pops in to check on fellow residents.

Even when she’s working out, she finds ways to help others, regularly guiding a visually impaired resident through exercise classes.

“We were all put on this earth to help each other,” she says.

Diana and Joe

More Than We’ve Laughed in Years

“We gave up our big house, but we’ve gotten so much more,” says Diana when asked about her and her husband, Joe’s, move to The Terraces of Phoenix. And it’s that sentiment that resonates every day.

Diana and Joe had a spacious five-bedroom house where they raised their three children. But what they didn’t have was the social life they wanted.

“We had a dresser drawer full of theater tickets we never used because it seemed like too much trouble,” Diana says.

Three years after moving in, they share that their lives have been transformed in every way. Their days now are filled with activity – entertainment, exercise and dinner dates. They now have season tickets to two theaters, plus convenient transportation provided by The Terraces.

“We meet with different people almost every night,” Diana says. “We always run into someone to talk to. And I’ve laughed here more than I’ve laughed in years.”

In addition to their packed calendar of recreational programs, Diana sits on the community’s foundation committee and dining committee where, in addition to connecting with new people, she feels she is making an impact.

The move has also provided the services Joe, who has Parkinson’s, needs, including physical therapy, a personal trainer and prescription delivery. There’s also support from others in the community.

“The Terraces has brought so much to our lives,” Diana says. “It’s exactly what we needed.”

Bob

Doing Good and Feeling Great

When you walk into Bob’s apartment, you’re greeted by a room full of teddy bears. Bob, the leader of the sunshine committee, has more than 25 of the stuffed bears ready to brighten the lives of people in need.

The bears exemplify the spirit of Bob, a man who lives a life of service. He gives of himself in ways both big and small. “I’m sensitive to the needs of others,” he says. “That’s a part of who I am.”

He has driven hundreds of miles around the state to deliver truckloads of food for St. Vincent De Paul, often with his children by his side. He has pounded nails in the hot Arizona sun to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.

Closer to home, Bob is the first person to call with your honey-do list, whether it be to fix a microwave or open a jar. 

“My door is always half-open,” he says. “I’m referred to as ‘The Guy Next Door.’ Whenever anyone needs help, I respond.”

Bob is a hard man to keep up with — literally.

He recently won second place in a half-mile walking race for The Terraces of Phoenix team in a competition against other Life Plan Communities. You might find him rallying balls on the tennis court, hiking the trails around Flagstaff or swimming in the community’s pool.

Bob also channels his boundless energy into The Terraces. He’s a member of the foundation committee and heads up the scholarship committee, a group that raises money from residents to give scholarships to staff members who want to go to school. He also resurrected the men’s breakfast club to create fellowship among the community’s men.

He’s especially passionate about the sunshine committee, which he heads in close cooperation with Chaplain Epps, the committee’s founder. With a teddy bear in hand, he cherishes the experience of time with people needing care. “It’s a way to bring joy to others,” he says.

Mary

Following Her Own Rhythms

Every Tuesday at The Terraces, you can hear the clicking sounds of Mary’s tap students. Shortly after moving to the community, the lifelong dancer started a class for residents and team members.

When she’s not tapping, Mary might be practicing photography. She has captured beautiful images on her travels — from French cathedrals to flamenco dancers in Spain — and some have been exhibited in shows. Mary also is teaching herself how to paint with watercolors.

Before moving back to her native Arizona, she parried and riposted with some of the nation’s best fencers. She went to the national championship several years in a row.

These days, she is delighted by all of the wonderful options available to her at The Terraces.

“There are so many classes here and so much to do,” Mary says.

She moved to The Terraces on April 15. That couldn’t be more appropriate for a woman who spent 33 years working for the Internal Revenue Service.

Now, she’s very much at home in her apartment at The Terraces — and so are her cats. “They are as comfortable here as I am!” she says. “I love everything about living here.”