By Kelly A. Shue
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

“We can’t wait to be free from cutting the grass, yard work, and caring for a large house,” says Tom Ferguson, who will move to Ashby Ponds next month.

“But even more important is the psychological freedom my wife Julia and I will enjoy. We know that no matter what happens to our health, we will both be cared for. That is a huge burden lifted off our shoulders.”

Man on a mission
When Mr. Ferguson first visited Greenspring, Ashby Ponds’ sister community in Springfield, Va., he was a man on a mission. At the time he was the chair of INOVA’s Commonwealth Family Care Center and living in the same single family home in Centreville, Va. he had purchased in 1971. He, along with others concerned with long-term care issues in Northern Virginia, was looking at the Erickson lifestyle as an alternative to aging at home.

“Numerous times in my position as chairman I saw the problems that arise when people choose to age in their own home. The reality is that many people just don’t have a plan in case something happens.”

Don’t wait—plan now
“During my visit I learned that when you sign up for the priority list you are saying that the Erickson lifestyle is for you. It’s a plan for the next 20 to 30 years. People shouldn’t wait too long to plan their senior years. Today, most people are in good health and wait until something happens before they start to make plans. That puts you in a position of pressure, something you don’t want. It’s important to make decisions in good health when you can handle the complexities of moving.”

His wife says once they decided the Erickson lifestyle was for them, they made many trips to Greenspring. “On each visit we asked community members what they liked about living there. More often than anything else we heard, ‘I wish I had moved when I was younger,’” she says.

You’ve got friends
Eager to move to Ashby Ponds, the Fergusons look forward to new friendships and associations.