First Aging Well Expo April 26

By: Debra Lawless

Topics: Aging

A layout of the “town square” at the new Wise Living facility in South Yarmouth. COURTESY ILLUSTRATION

Do you ever wonder how easy, safe or pleasurable it might be to live in the mid-Cape area as you get older? Do you have a friend or relative who is over 60?

Wise Living Retirement Reinvented is hosting its first-ever Aging Well Expo on Wednesday, April 26 in South Yarmouth, and you might find some answers there for yourself or for a loved one.

The expo offers “a little something for everybody,” organizer Claudine LeBlanc, director of sales and marketing for Wise Living, said in a telephone interview last week. The expo is about “living your best life as you age gracefully.”

The expo endeavors to answer questions such as “How can I get the most out of living on Cape Cod — the mid Cape? What programs and services exist for me?” LeBlanc says. The event will be “interactive, exciting, fun. For people who want to live their best life.”

At the expo will be nearly 40 vendors and exhibitors offering various products and services. They will represent a wide swath of groups including alternative healthcare, wellness, nutrition and home care; cultural, tour, hobby, food and travel groups; and legal and financial experts. A woman who runs a company called Enduring Elephant Memories in West Yarmouth will share what she can do to help people write their memoirs. Great Cape Herbs of Brewster will be present.

More traditional groups such as Cape Cod Hospital, a rehab facility, and a blood bank will also be represented.

Motivational speaker and influencer Jonathan Thompson of JT’s Chronicles will “get the crowd going,” while helping to emcee the event, LeBlanc says. “JT will be moving around, five minutes here, five minutes there. Circulating people through the building. He brings a lot of excitement to it.”

People can stop at each exhibitor’s booth and register to win prizes.

Indoor activities such as bocce and cornhole will be organized. Mah Jongg Cape Cod will teach the basics of the game that uses tiles and dice; Yoga Neighborhood will also organize an informal yoga session. Chair massage will be provided.

Getting hungry? Free bagels, smoothies and ice cream will be available.

It’s a unique event, not a traditional health event or health fair,” LeBlanc says. “As we age we can do so with lots of great services and options around us.” She adds that she arranged the event with the assistance of people in the local community.

While at the expo you can also tour the latest Wise Living “independent living community” for those age 60 and older. The former Cape Cod Irish Village hotel at 822 Route 28, South Yarmouth is currently being converted to a Wise Living community with 16,000 square feet of common living space. The majority of the building has already been renovated, LeBlanc says. The units will be ready for occupancy this summer.

Unlike the other six Wise properties in Chatham, Harwich, Orleans and Falmouth, these units are rental units. LeBlanc says they are priced at 30 to 40 percent under market prices and are “more attainable” than units you buy outright for $400,000 or more. Of the 120 units, all but 16 are 400-square-foot studios that start at $2,300 a month. The other 16 are 800-square-foot, one-bedroom units that start at $3,200 a month. Handicapped-accessible units are available in both studio and one-bedroom units. Utilities are included in the rent.

Amenities include 24-hour on-site security, on-site maintenance and a concierge service. Housekeeping and laundry services are available.

Common facilities in “the town square” include indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center with wellness programs, a theater, a library, meeting rooms and a garden patio. Dining plans are required and include options such as “restaurant-style” dining in the main dining room, dinner parties and gatherings in the private dining room, casual meals in the bistro or “grab and go” options.

“It’s almost like resort living without the country club prices,” LeBlanc says.

The property itself is adjacent to conservation land with walking trails. Also nearby is Swan Pond. One of the guiding principles of Wise Communities is that they are “a community within a community where anything you may want or need off-site is within easy reach.”

Wise Living’s Aging Well Expo will be held on April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wise Living, 822 Route 28, South Yarmouth. Preregistration is requested through WiseLiving.com/expo or by calling 508-760-4585. The event is free, but a small donation is requested for Habitat for Humanity. All proceeds will be given to Habitat.

A ribbon cutting event will be held on Thursday, April 13 at 11 a.m. at the Wise Living Yarmouth property. Also, a light lunch is served each Thursday to those who wish to hear a brief presentation about the community and to take a tour. For lunch reservations, call 508-760-4585.