Diana Norcross is an accomplished mental healthcare administrator who enjoyed the solitude and privacy of living in her home with her beloved animals. When she retired, she had no plans to move.

“I retired when I was 70 and was living a wonderful and happy life in my home, with my pets. I was delighted to be able to do whatever I wanted with my time. I soon joined the YMCA, where I exercised and swam several times a week and took Tai Chi classes at the Jewish Community Center. I was very active in my church, and I joined the signing choir, which was like learning a new language.

When Diana was 76, she needed emergency surgery. After, she was hospitalized multiple times due to post-surgery complications. Since she lived alone, her doctors felt it was safer to transition her to Loretto’s Restorative Care Unit (RCU), where they provided 24/7 monitoring and medical care.

Diana lived in the RCU for over two months, and as they planned for her discharge back home, a social worker expressed concern about her living alone.

“She wanted to make sure I was safe in case anything happened. When she asked if I had considered living in a senior living community like The Nottingham, I told her I had thought about it but wasn’t sure it was for me. As I said, I was happy living in my home.”

While in rehab, she reports that she was bored one Sunday afternoon and decided to take a look at the application for The Nottingham. It seemed easy enough to complete, which is what she did, even though she had no intention of moving there.

After completing the application, Diana began receiving regular phone calls from Marcy White, Director of Marketing and Sales at The Nottingham.

“I received a call from Marcy who said, ‘I know you’re not ready to move yet, but let’s keep in touch in case something changes.’” Diana said she would then hear from Marcy regularly, who wanted to make sure she was OK. “It was never a sales call. Marcy would call to say hello, and once, after hearing I was in the hospital, she asked if I needed anything. Through those calls, she and I began a nice friendship, and it was then that I decided to tour The Nottingham.”

Over several months, Marcy arranged for Diana to see available apartments. Diana was still not well and in a wheelchair, so Marcy arranged transportation and set up lunches with residents so Diana could visit and learn more about what it was like to live there. After seeing a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment that would work well for Diana and her two cats, she decided to move to The Nottingham.

“The only problem was, I couldn’t move myself, and I had an entire house to downsize where I had lived for 30 years. Marcy connected me with Caring Transitions, which helped me downsize and move.”

Diana moved to The Nottingham when she was 76, right before the COVID pandemic. At first, she kept her car, thinking she would need it to stay active, but soon discovered she didn’t need it anymore thanks to both Nottingham’s transportation services and the daily activities available to residents.

“One day, I woke up in the middle of winter, and it was a blizzard outside, and the governor had issued a state of emergency, so the roads and businesses were closed. I thought, if I still lived alone at home, what would I have done if I needed something or someone? I then put on my bathing suit, walked down the hall, and got into the 92-degree pool. I looked out the window where all the snow was falling and said to myself, ‘This is the best life I could imagine for myself at this stage of my life. I don’t have to drive anywhere, and I’m in a warm, soothing pool. This is fantastic!’ For me, it’s a wonderful contrast between before and after: what my life in this community is like versus what it was before. That moment reminded me that I was in the right place.”

Diana is an active member of The Nottingham community, participating in activities and outings, and she served as president of the Resident Forum and chair of one of its standing committees. Diana enjoyed both of these opportunities to serve her new community.

Diana is glad she moved to The Nottingham and is thankful for the community she has found here. While she never imagined herself living in a senior living community, she likes that she can have the best of both worlds: live an independent, active lifestyle with others in the community, while also seeking refuge and solitude in her private apartment.

“Living here, I have role models everywhere of how to get old graciously and a staff who understands the issues and concerns of this population. People here are getting older gracefully and staying active, and it’s just a blessing to live in a place where everybody is dealing with many of the same problems and to also have my own space when I want to be alone. It’s really the best of both worlds, and I’m thankful for it. And I thank Marcy, for helping me get here.”