06-19-2024 Primetime - Flipbook - Page 16
16 A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, June 19, 2024
RETIREMENT
Your home on the shore
BayWoods of Annapolis
By Margit B. Weisgal, Contributing Writer
Jim
Harrington
P
icture this: You take your cup of coffee and your morning reading – paper Annapolis that surrounds it.”
or digital – to a dock that overlooks the a. Want to swim first thing? Go
ahead and dive off the dock. Or maybe you prefer to stay on your balcony
and appreciate the landscape. A light breeze sends ripples through the water as
it laps against the shore. Where are you? You’re home at BayWoods of Annapolis
(www.baywoodsofannapolis.com).
Beautifully situated in Annapolis, within
shouting distance of the U.S. Naval Academy,
its 14-acre campus is part of a natural wooded
area abutting the Bay. This for-profit continuing
care retirement community offers more than
most because it is a “resident owned and resident run co-operative community,” and they
take pride in everything that goes on there.
Jim Harrington, director of business development at BayWoods, extols the beauty of
the location, saying, “Here, there’s a calm,
relaxing atmosphere; residents sit outside and
watch the boats, just enjoying the landscape.
And although we don’t have a marina, residents who own boats keep them at the one
across the street. In any case, BayWoods truly
becomes their home, their neighborhood, providing all they need.”
Several aspects of living at BayWoods
stand out. The apartments are quite spacious,
much greater than most CCRCs. For instance,
the smallest unit available, one bedroom and
balcony, is a thousand square feet, almost
double what other communities offer, and the
monthly fee includes utilities (electricity, water,
heat, cable and Wi-Fi), weekly housekeeping,
30 meals a month, transportation and telephone. But wait … there’s more.
“All the meals are prepared in house,” says
Harrington, “so the quality of the food is the
equivalent of many fine dining restaurants.
Residents can purchase additional meals
beyond the ones that are part of their monthly
fee. They are welcome to suggest recipes such
as seasonable additions, and ideas for new
dishes to possibly include. We also have a very
low turnover in employees – some have been
here for over 20 years – which says a lot about
those who live here.”
Another advantage of being a co-op is
that members – its residents – benefit from
the increasing value of their apartments.
BayWoods will not add any additional housing
units. “We maintain the property,” Harrington
says, “by renovating and updating what we
have. Our community is now 20 years old,
bounded by water and residential housing, so
it will always be part of the neighborhood of
Residents have their own activity committee, though the staff often aids in facilitating events and implementing whatever the
committee creates. “Our activities are a little
different than what you find with other communities,” Harrington explains. “To give you
an idea: we have book clubs, an opera club,
and poker, bridge, Mah-jongg, and canasta
groups. Should you want, you can take yoga,
Tai Chi, Cardio & Strength plus water aerobics,
all with different levels based on your physical capabilities. On top of that, scholars from
St. John’s College in Annapolis, a liberal arts
school, provide lectures, helping keep those
who live here mentally fit. We also have virtual
lectures from Dartmouth College in Hanover,
New Hampshire.”
There are three indoor parking garages,
and, if you prefer, transportation that makes
errand runs and grocery runs. There are also
outings to various places in Annapolis and
beyond, like art gallery openings or trips to
museums including those in Washington, D.C.
On Sundays, there are church runs to houses
of worship in the area. Clergy of various
denominations also visit regularly. And, if you
are so inclined, you can join the BayWoods
Theatre Group.
If you want to go out on the water,
BayWoods works with Chesapeake Region
Accessible Boating, a.k.a. CRAB (https://
crabsailing.org/). It provides, “the therapeutic
benefits of sailing to people with disabilities,
recovering warriors, and youth from underserved communities.” So, if being on the water
is something you crave, CRAB can make it
happen.
“Our goal,” Harrington says, “is to help
our residents live long and healthy lives by
strengthening them emotionally, mentally and
physically. Should the time come when someone needs more than independent living, for
instance aid with the physical activities of
daily living (ADLs), we offer assisted living up
to level 3: help with more than one activity by
more than one caregiver. And should a resident
develop dementia, in June 2024 we will complete our new Montessori memory care unit
with housing for 27 residents.”
The goal of the Montessori program is
to support older adults and people living
with dementia and disability by creating a
prepared environment, filled with cues and
memory supports, that enables individuals to
care for themselves, others, and their community, according to https://montessori-ami.
org/about-montessori/montessori-dementiadisability-ageing.
Harrington summed up what BayWoods
sets out to accomplish. “We want our residents to be as independent as possible for as
long as possible. Part of doing that is providing a lifestyle akin to – or better than – what
they had before moving here, without worrying
about upkeep, and much more convenient.
Visit us and see for yourself.”
