The Lion’s 50th wedding anniversary in 2018 was a milestone event for more than one reason. It recognized their many decades of good times spent together and, sadly, it was also the start of them having to live apart. “We had moved out of the house we’d lived in for 23 years and into an apartment,” Donald Lion said. “After several years, I realized that our two-bedroom apartment was just not equipped for someone in her condition. Phyllis needed better 24-hour care than I could provide her by myself, even with an at-home caregiver coming in to help.”

Donald, whose career before he retired was in construction, always liked fixing things. Figuring out how to fix his wife’s situation was an entirely new type of challenge. He tackled it by starting his search for a memory care community by contacting A Place for Mom®. Presidential Place was one of several senior living options the site suggested. “My son and I went to look at quite a few area communities before choosing Presidential Place. It wasn’t only a matter of convenience,” he said, “although being only 12 miles away from my apartment was a plus. It also appeared to be a nice, clean and caring facility,” he added, “a sharp contrast from others I saw locally. I was also pleasantly surprised when, not long after she moved in, they renovated and redecorated the whole place. That was also a plus.”

Because of COVID-19, some things at Presidential Place have changed during the almost two years since Phyllis moved into the memory care community. Still, Donald feels he and his son made the right choice. “I’m quite glad she’s there. I like the staff I deal with and I know they are taking good care of her. I speak often with the Director of Memory Care. When I ask her how Phyllis is managing, she tells me that she’s fine and ‘pleasantly confused.’ That mind set, along with the attentive care she gets, helps her be content with her life and her surroundings.”