Fred Tesch understands how important it is to have a support plan in place to address future “what ifs”. “My wife battled ALS for two years,” said Fred. “After she passed, I lived by myself for six years and it got lonely. My wife and I didn’t have any children together and I am an only child without any extended family, so I knew I needed to move to a community that would offer me socialization as well as support. I was diagnosed with the neurological syndrome Essential Tremor when I was in my 50’s.

The full continuum of care found in a CCRC community was exactly what I was looking for. I took my time and toured a lot of different senior living communities. Pomperaug Woods was the best fit for me for so many reasons. First, it felt like home. It’s very warm and inviting. Second, I liked the location. I was a professor at Western Connecticut State University for 40 years, and I had friends and colleagues in the Danbury area that I wanted to continue to socialize with. And third, I liked the staff and residents at Pomperaug Woods. When you take the time to get to know the residents here, you realize that each of them has a fascinating life story to share. And the staff are always so kind and helpful— everyone here knows my name. That’s impressive. I really felt like Pomperaug Woods checked off all the boxes for me.”

Fred Tesch is 80 years young and makes the most of his days at Pomperaug Woods. “I’m up at 7am every day, and I meet the Continental Breakfast Club (CBC) at 8am,” said Fred. “The CBC is a group of about 6-8 of us that pick up our breakfasts and chat together every morning. I’m also Vice President of the Resident Council, so there are monthly meetings I go to. By far, my favorite activity is the weekly Happy Hour. It’s great to see everyone come together and enjoy each other’s company. I think it’s the community-wide gatherings that I look forward to the most. The Cabaret nights are fun — plenty of music and jokes. The Christmas Tree Lighting was terrific — it was a great way to kick off the holiday season. I just enjoy the camaraderie of it all.”

Fred laughed when asked how living at Pomperaug Woods has changed his life for the better. “I can give you two examples,” said Fred. “First, in the fall I tend to hibernate on weekends so that I can watch football to my heart’s content. Living at Pomperaug Woods, I just call down to the dining room, and have them deliver my dinner right to my door. I don’t even miss the commercials! And second, I’m also a very big reader. I finished a book at 11pm one night, and I was wishing I had another book to start. Then it dawned on me that our community library is very well-stocked and it/s open 24/7. I just walked downstairs, browsed the selection, and was back in my apartment with a new book in a matter of minutes. Now that is changing my life for the better!”