The Spirit of Independence at Nathalie Salmon House

Jul 7

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With the 4^th of July holiday on Friday, I chatted with a few shared-living residents of Nathalie Salmon House about the role of independence in their personal lives.

Exactly how important is independence to a person’s well-being and sense of self? “Very, very important,” says 76-year-old David Dancula. “It’s everything.”

David appreciates being able to do quite a lot on his own: washing and folding laundry, tying April 2014 (4) his own shoes—and now that it’s summertime, spending time at the beach. David uses a walker to circulate indoors and travel short distances when out-of-doors. Otherwise, he relies on his trusty motorized wheelchair for safe transport to the local currency exchange or to the new Jewel-Osco at Clark and Howard.

Does the supportive environment at Nathalie Salmon House help David to remain independent? His answer is a resounding “absolutely, 100 percent.” David relies on resident assistant Kathleen Daley to clean his bathroom once a week and help with “things here and there” that involve bending down or lifting. “Basically I live my life the way I want to,” he affirms. “It’s not ‘lights out at 11’ here. I really appreciate my freedom.”

Thom Taylor lives across the hall from David. When Thom relocated from a different room on the floor this spring, he packed and moved most of his own belongings. “It was quite a feat,” he says, “but it was important that I do as much as I could myself.” Like David, Thom associates independence with mobility. “Old age limits you,” he says. “I have a lot of pain in my back and legs, which makes it hard to move around, but I just keep going.” Lately, Thom has enjoyed spending time in the back yard with shared-living chef Brandon Melby and volunteer extraordinaire Beverly Maus as they work to beautify the grounds. “I wish I could do more planting and weeding,” says Thom, “but I can still help.”

Helping others is something that Thom’s floormate Donna Klocek tries to do every day. Donna’s kind and colorful nature were apparent from Day One. “Independence for me is about staying positive, making new friends and making myself useful,” she notes. Donna was recently named the shared-living “event coordinator,” an appointment that keeps her on her toes. “We’re having a party this Saturday, and then we have a ‘Beauty Day’ coming up,” she explains. For Beauty Day, we’ll give each other makeovers and manicures. “The guys can come too!” says Donna, laughing. Planning events for the shared-living community gives her something to look forward to. “It’s important to set goals for yourself,” she reflects. “My goal this summer is to fly a kite at the beach.” And beyond? “I hope to travel to Italy and Greece one day—that’s at the top of my ‘bucket list.’”