Karen Bennard lived in Oxford, CT, for many years, and always loved New England. “My mom got remarried after my father passed and she and her husband got tired of cold winters so they moved to Florida 23 years ago,” said Brooke Anderson, her daughter. “Her husband soon passed, so she was living independently by herself for 20 years. She was afraid to fly, so I would go visit her in Florida once a year. That meant our relationship was mostly over the phone for the past two decades, and I missed the signs of memory loss. My mom stopped driving and became very reclusive. My sister and I noticed concerning changes such as neglect of self-care and a lack of upkeep of her home and finances. I flew to Florida to assess the situation, and within 11 days I moved her into a nearby memory care community. With my sister’s help, I started to get all of my mother’s affairs in order. I trusted the memory care community to care for her while I managed her finances and the sale of her home from Connecticut. It did not work out that way. The community was terrible at communicating. I knew I had to move my mother closer to me in Connecticut. I started my search with Pomperaug Woods. It is located just 20 minutes from my home, and my best friend had a great experience with her mother living there.”

Brooke took a tour of the Memory Care neighborhood in Pomperaug Woods, and that made all the difference. “As soon as I walked through the doors at Pomperaug Woods, I felt Zen,” said Brooke. “It is so calm, quiet, and peaceful. And best of all, it feels like a home. Other memory care communities feel very institutional. The Pomperaug Woods staff is so friendly, and the residents are all genuinely happy. As I looked at residents’ rooms decorated with family photos, I could picture my mom there. I knew moving her 1,000 miles to Connecticut was going to be challenging. Fortunately, when we arrived, they had her room all set up. My mom just looked around in awe and said, ‘I never imagined I could live in a place like this. It’s beautiful.’ Then she climbed into bed with a big smile on her face. I have never felt so relieved. I finally slept through the night because I knew I had made the best decision choosing Pomperaug Woods.”