Last year on January 12, Denise Adsett and her late husband were the first seniors to move into The Cardinal at North Hills, a senior living community located in the thriving and vibrant North Hills area in Raleigh. Originally from England, the couple came to America in 1978 when Denise’s husband’s job relocated the family to Pennsylvania. From there, they moved another seven times between New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and North Carolina, totaling 14 moves all together, seven of which occurred in the UK. As they reached retirement age, they moved to Raleigh to be closer to family. Though her husband has passed, Adsett is happy with their decision to retire in North Carolina and enjoys her life at The Cardinal at North Hills. She recently enjoyed celebrating the one-year anniversary of the senior living community she now calls home.
“Moving into The Cardinal was the best decision I made in my entire life,” said Adsett. “During the final years of my husband’s life we wanted to be closer to our daughter who lived in Chapel Hill, and we knew it would need to be a continuing care retirement community to provide the lifestyle and care we needed. The stress of being his caretaker, trying to care for myself and also attend to the yard and house maintenance was proving to be too much for me. We made the move to Raleigh from College Station in Texas, a drastic change. We researched our options and ultimately decided on The Cardinal because it was a rental agreement, not a buy-in like the other communities. We were very fortunate to be the very first residents to move in, as prior to the actual move in date, Sarah Britten and Donna McCaskill scheduled numerous social and educational events so that we could get acquainted with our future neighbors. When we moved in, we all felt like family, and it didn’t take long for us to feel that way about the associates as well. Shortly after moving in my husband suffered a stroke, and after I was alerted I rushed up to the hospital to wait for him. A server from the dining services team at The Cardinal came with me during her time off and sat with me for two hours so I would not be alone. I was touched by her thoughtfulness.”
Since that occasion, the associates have continued to prove themselves by going above and beyond. Adsett is living with Ménière's disease, which is a disorder of the inner ear that causes severe dizziness (vertigo), ringing in the ears (tinnitus), hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness or congestion in the ear. Attacks of dizziness may come on suddenly or after a short period of tinnitus or muffled hearing. One day, Adsett suffered one of these attacks and called associates at The Cardinal to get assistance with calling an ambulance. When she returned home, one of the customer service team members filled Adsett’s prescription after she got off work, then she and another team member went to visit Adsett in her apartment for a couple of hours. The next day, they visited again and brought her an edible arrangement with fresh fruits.
“I am constantly amazed by their willingness to accommodate us and serve us in the most caring way,” said Adsett. “My husband passed a mere six weeks after moving into The Cardinal, and I received many visits from supportive neighbors and team members. Another gentlemen, our pastry chef, takes great pride and joy in his work. Whenever we order desserts, he decorates the plate with a lovely presentation and brings it out himself so he can visit with whomever ordered the delicacy. We are always learning something new about our associates, things that make us appreciate them even more than we already do.”
“When we hear about experiences like this, it warms our hearts,” said Susan Drury-Rohner, wellness director for The Cardinal at North Hills. “We enjoyed celebrating our first year together as a community and hearing more stories like Denise’s. The one-year anniversary celebration was held on Wednesday, January 24. There ceremony included remarks from the community’s executive director, Tom Ford. We want to thank everyone who has been a part of making this past year what it was and we have put together a special time capsule to commemorate our first year. The selected items are a direct result of suggestions from our residents which were made during a resident social held earlier this month. The event concluded with a champagne toast and cake.”
“The Cardinal at North Hills is home to many wonderful residents, and an amazing team of individuals helps to keep this community running as smoothly as it does,” said Ford. “I am fortunate to have a team of employees who truly have the best interests of our residents in mind and are willing and happy to go above and beyond to meet their individualized needs. The future of The Cardinal at North Hills is bright, and we have much to celebrate and much more to be thankful for this year and in the future.”