For years, some of us have fantasized about the possibility of swapping homes with residents of other Kendals on a short term basis. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, we would ask, if we could stay for a time close to New York, in Chicago, near Philadelphia, near Dartmouth or Oberlin or the Western Mass schools, or at other Kendals.
Seems like our murmurings, and surely those of others, have borne fruit. Look at the front inside cover of the new Kendal Annual Report, distributed in mailboxes today, and this appears:
KENDAL LAUNCHES NEW SWAP PROGRAM FOR RESIDENTS
Residents of Kendal communities in eight states are being invited this fall to see live demonstrations of the online Kendal Swap Program for Residents. This new benefit, exclusively for those living in Kendal System communities, allows residents of one Kendal community to temporarily exchange residences with residents living in another Kendal community.
Much like a bulletin board where people may be looking for,
or posting, properties for rent, this program will allow Kendal residents to identify and find one another to arrange temporary swaps of living arrangements for a mutually agreed upon time. A Web-based portal will provide Kendal residents with a secure login, allowing them to search for an “Available Swap,” and/or post an “Available Swap.”
Once the rollout of this new program is completed in October, participants will have the opportunity to arrange temporary swaps of living accommodations with residents of any other Kendal community and with members of Kendal at Home.
Sounds wonderful, and, perhaps most importantly, it will provide an opportunity to build links and friendships between the residents of all our communities. To be honest, I think the hardest thing about making the decision to come here was the sense that this would be “the last move.” Now not so much, at least for short term changes. Congratulations to all the Kendal and community mangers and staff who worked on this. It can not have been easy to get the legalities and finances worked out.
p.s. If you want to start planning or dreaming about your swap, here is the map/links of all the Kendal locations. This surely is “transforming the experience of ageing.”