The Admiral at the Lake Blog

“I don’t want to sit through a sales spiel.”

“I don’t want to be asked a bunch of questions.”  

“I really don’t have the time.”

“I don’t know if I can afford it.”   

“Film as dream, film as music. No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.”

― Ingmar Bergman

The Chicago International Film Festival, October 12-26, strives to be everything to all people...well, people who love film. The festival offers

“Chicago is an October sort of city even in spring.”

― Nelson Algren, Chicago: City on the Make

Chicago natives know October offers activities galore indoors and out. Join residents of The Admiral at the Lake as we participate in events near the neighborhoods of Andersonville, Edgewater, and in the north end of Chicago.

For many of us, the term, “lifelong learning”, is unfamiliar, but the concept first gained popularity in the 1970s, when France developed University of the Third Age courses for seniors. The term, “lifelong learners”, was first used in 1993.

Senior retirement communities have discovered something that many programs for younger people have forgotten: Life enrichment is important.

A truly effective life enrichment program focuses on all aspects of wellness—physical, mental, social, spiritual, and occupational. Many programs include several aspects of life enrichment. For example, a lecture series may be educational (mental) and social.

One of the most frequent questions we receive here at The Admiral at the Lake is: What is a life plan community?

Simply put, a life plan community, also called a  continuing care retirement community (CCRC), offers a continuum of care through independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing services.

Another term you'll hear is "Lifecare community." That's a type of life plan community or CCRC that offers "a full continuum of care and involves a life care agreement that guarantees a fixed/predictable monthly service fee,” according to Troy Cannaday, who has more than 2 decades of experience in the senior living industry.

What do you think of when you think of your parent living in a senior retirement community?

Most people don’t envision healthy, active seniors working toward a better tomorrow, college courses, workouts at the gym, sculpture classes, or nutritious fresh cuisine.

"She is novelty; for she is never the Chicago you saw when you passed through the last time."

—Mark Twain

Granted, Twain (Samuel Clemens) visited the town during the late 19th century when it was being built and rebuilt (after the Great Chicago Fire) as the nation’s Midwest hub, but Chicago continues to change to meet the demands of today and tomorrow.

The kids are back to school, but that doesn’t mean Chicagoans aren’t going to enjoy the good weather before the winds of autumn begin. Join residents of The Admiral at the Lake in events happening around the neighborhoods of Andersonville, Edgewater, and in the north end of Chicago.

We often hear that “staying active” is the best way to preserve good health, but to what extent is that true? How does nature versus nurture factor in? While regular exercise may help us build muscle and improve strength and balance, what will it do to keep our minds intact? Experts warn there is little, if any, empirical evidence that brain exercises and other extraneous efforts do more than improve short-term memory. Let’s take a closer look at how the brain changes as we age, and how learning can help preserve mental acuity.