For many in Iola, the word “Cedarbrook” is a buzz word for the golf course, but to some seniors, it’s a fresh start. RUBY COOK moved to Iola in 1973 from Kansas City with her children. She said when the schools were integrated in Kansas City, her children were to be split among three different schools. That, and the fact that she wanted to move to a quieter community, prompted her move to Iola. JIM SMITH has seen a lot in his 89 years. CLOSE SAID the Cedarbrook community has become more than a career to her, and more than just a living space for the residents that live there.
“A lot of people don’t know about us,” Property Manager Linda Close said, while she walked along a sidewalk lining the neighborhood’s street.
Currently 24 homes and holdings are in the addition. Cedarbrook, north of Iola on Cottonwood Street, primarily is for senior citizens who meet strict income guidelines. The maximum gross annual income cannot exceed $23,220 for one person, or $26,520 for two. Close said 20 percent of her homes may be used for people younger than 55, under the new income guidelines.
The remaining homes in the area are River Valley Homes, which provide low-income housing for people of any age.
Most Cedarbrook houses are around 1,000 square feet, have emergency alarm assistance and storm shelters built into storage rooms. Close said Cedarbrook Estates provides a valuable resource, especially for those of lower means.
“They all look after each other, we’ve become a family,” she said. “You can tell I love this job.”
Two residents of the Cedarbrook Estates gave The Register the opportunity to get an inside glimpse of what their lives are like in their homes, and what sort of situation led them to take their residency there.
There are 70 locations like Cedarbrook scattered across the country, owned by Mid America Management. Most of the properties are in Missouri. Four are in Kansas.
“It seemed so nice and quiet here,” Cook said. “I’ve never regretted it.”
Her home is decorated with photos of her family, ornate pictures and an extensive spoon collection. A red heart balloon remains afloat in the kitchen from Valentine’s Day. The phone rang from one of her neighbors, and she politely said she would return the call.
After moving to Iola, she worked for Central Publishing, then as a nurse with Allen County Hospital. In 1992, Cook fell on the ice and “tore up her knee,” forcing her to quit her job and start living on Social Security. She moved to the Iola Townhouse from her home on First Street.
“I have less money to live on,” she said. “I felt like I was closed in; it only had one window in the bedroom.”
Cook said she dealt with depression when she was injured, taking checks from Social Security. When she heard about the Cedarbrook addition, she decided to check it out.
“I fell in love with them (the townhouses) when I saw them,” she said.
Now 84, Cook said she feels like she has a new “lease on life,” with friends in the Cedarbrook community.
“It just seemed like home,” she said, then laughed. “I have sons that I get to see more often because they play golf.”
“I’ve done just about everything,” he said.
He was recovering from a cold Tuesday afternoon, while he lounged in his recliner and watched the day-time news in his living room.
Probably most well-known in the community for operating a barber shop for 46 years, Smith has gotten to know a good portion of Allen County.
He worked as a mess cook in the Navy from 1944 to 1946, and served his first tour on a ship in the Philippines. Cooking was something he picked up quickly, and he still enjoys cooking in his home — he showed off some brownies he had made.
Another skill, probably more importantly, was cutting hair. Smith said he gave his fellow sailors haircuts for $1 on the ship and “got pretty good at it.”
After the war, he married his wife, Helen, of 69 years. She passed away in 2012. They moved from their farm, south of LaHarpe, and into Windsor Place together. But, when Helen’s health took a turn for the worse, he took on full caretaking responsibilities.
“She kept going downhill, so I said I was going to take care of her myself,” he said. “We got along real good.”
He moved to Cedarbrook recently after his sons told him about the facility. Smith said he is still adjusting to living on his own, but he makes due with what he has, playing cards at the senior center and cooking meals for the gatherings at Cedarbrook’s community center.
“Everything’s been OK since,” he said.
The residents take care of each other more than anything, she said, and there is always something going on in its community center — birthdays, holidays and even Super Bowl parties.
She said if the community members knew the resources they had at their fingertips, there wouldn’t be any trouble filling the remaining homes and the new ones coming in — which should be finished by November 2014.
A NEW ‘LEASE’ ON LIFE – Seniors find respite in little-known resource
