Just as there are many ways to live at Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge (WCBR), there are many paths to get here.

Like all of our residents, John and Eleanor Vance have their own story about what brought them to WCBR. For them, their kids played a big role in the decision. And John and Eleanor are grateful for that.

Looking for just the right place

The Vances were already retired, living in Richmond after John had spent 30 years working for Merck, the pharmaceutical company. Their two daughters, themselves in their 50s now, “had a clandestine meeting,” as John puts it. They talked about various options for making sure their parents had the right living situation. They thought, for instance, about having caregivers come into the house. But that presented logistical problems.

Eventually, they went to their parents, and John remembers that essentially they said, “Mom, Dad, you have got to decide where you are going to be when the train pulls into the station for the last time.”

And then, they helped their parents find just the right place for them.

There were a lot of reasons they decided on WCBR.

The biggest selling points

For one thing, they had pleasant memories of Charlottesville. They had met during their student days at the University of Virginia. Also, they had good friends who were already at WCBR – friends who really liked being here. “That was a motivating factor,” John recalls.

“What sold us was the staff here,” says Eleanor. WCBR “had a very warm and friendly feel,” and much of that was because of the staff they encountered here, where “everyone was glad to see you.”

“They were at our demand,” John says. And they had good answers for all the questions that come up when you’re looking at moving to a new place. “You’re trying to figure out, where does the couch go? They gave us schematics. They were there at every turn. All the questions you ask.”

There were a lot of factors, such as the fact that everything they might need someday, for example, medical care, were right here.

But now after three years, John says they didn’t fully realize how special the staff was at WCBR until they’d been here awhile. The Vances have been especially impressed by the extraordinary care they and other residents have received during the coronavirus crisis. Everything is taken care of: “We have our meals delivered to us now – delivered to our apartment every day.”

Their daughters don’t have to worry

The Vances’ daughters live nearby – that was another selling point – and visit frequently. In fact, a granddaughter is in town, at medical school. But with their parents at WCBR, the daughters also know they “don’t have to worry about checking on us,” says John.

“I tell you, it’s the best decision we ever made,” he says.

Eleanor concurs. “There’s something we like to joke about: This place is like living on a cruise ship that doesn’t leave the port.” In other words, it’s ideal.

If you’d like to learn whether WCBR is the right place for you, call us at 434-972-2620 to start a conversation. Our marketing team can answer all your questions, and help you make your own best decision ever.