If you are retired or nearing retirement, be careful you don’t become a PIP! I am not referring to Gladys Knight’s Pips on the Midnight Train to Georgia. Rather, PIP is an acronym for Previously Important People. In American culture, we place a great deal of emphasis on our work as our identity. It is understandable considering how much time we spend at work and the connection our work provides with other people. When meeting someone new, we usually ask “What do you do for a living?” What happens when the work is not there? This can create an identity…

Vicar’s Landing values its employees and the dedicated care they offer all of our members. For 35 years, the Boutique at Vicar’s Landing has been selling donated items at attractive prices to raise money for the employee scholarship fund. Totally organized and overseen by volunteers, the Boutique sales have helped many grateful employees continue their education and improve their lives. All funds raised from Boutique sales are distributed as scholarships and grants to employees who work in the Vicar’s Landing dining room, as health aides and other employees who support services that benefit our community. In addition, the housekeeping department…

At Vicar’s Landing, we’ve always been a premier retirement community, but now we are also a public school! The last few years have presented several challenges to industries across the board, most notably when it comes to staffing. Senior living is not immune and while investigating ways to overcome staffing challenges, we found an interesting opportunity. The St. Johns County School District supports a Life Work Transition program for students who have met all high school graduation requirements but have deferred their diplomas to “develop the skills required for successful employment, social skills, and independent living.” Life Work is part…

“Why does everything have to change?” “Why is change so hard?” “Why can’t things stay the same?” We have all heard these cries before, and we will often think the same thing. If you consider it, though, why do we think change is such a difficult thing? Only thirty years ago or so, I was thrilled to get a pager so that my friends could get in touch with me at any time. Now, I hold a computer in my hand that allows me to video conference in real time with anyone in the world. To get to that point…

All of us at Vicar’s Landing work to be as energy efficient as possible around our community. There are many ways that members can assist and we’ve compiled this list as a resource for you. ● Check your thermostat set-up: Try to keep your thermostat on AUTO. This means the fan will run only when required, resulting in more efficient, less costly cooling and heating and fewer air filter changes. ● Use only LED bulbs: We recommend switching to LED bulbs whenever possible since they use less energy and last longer than standard light bulbs. ● Watch your windows and…

The term “planned giving” was coined in 1969 by Robert F. Sharpe, Sr. a widely-respected consultant in the philanthropic sector. He wrote, “A donor usually considers a current gift to your institution as a cash outlay now. To make a deferred gift, a person decides to give at some future date, either a number of years from now or at death. A deferred gift is a present decision to make a future gift, evidenced by a legal contract. While the name ‘deferred giving’ is best known to professionals in the field, it is not a term that communicates very much…

What is Life Care? Life Care limits your exposure to the financial risks associated with transitional, health-related support services, and long-term care. While long-term care insurance policies may provide some coverage, many only cover a fraction of the daily costs. Most also have lifetime limits. By choosing a Life Care contract through Vicar’s Landing, you will limit those risks and ensure your assets will not become vulnerable to rising health care costs. How Exactly Does Life Care Work? Based on the apartment and contract type you choose, you will pay an up-front entry fee, then a monthly fee for your…

At Vicar’s Landing, helping our members stay safe at home and when they are out and about, is a very important role. All of us in Security and Transportation understand the part we play in maintaining quality of life for our members and peace of mind for their families. Staying active and mobile allows an individual to feel that age is not taking away their opportunities. At Vicar’s Landing, our members learn to leave the driving to us! There are many benefits to this arrangement. We step in when members are uncomfortable or unable to drive at night. We take…

Housekeeping plays a major role in the life of our community at Vicar’s Landing. Members and staff alike take great pride in the upkeep and beauty of our public and private spaces. That’s why it’s valuable to have housekeeping staff be well-known to the members and families that make up our community and on-hand at crucial transition times. Our housekeeping staff make it a point to meet and greet new members and their family on move-in day to establish a rapport and offer assistance. Within a few weeks, typically 2-3, housekeeping schedules a personal orientation with the individual member to…

As the Chief Development Officer for the Vicar’s Landing Foundation, I often get questions about the various ways of making charitable contributions. Today, I am going to discuss contributing directly from an individual retirement account (IRA). Under current regulations, most individuals 72 and older must take an annual required minimum distribution (RMD) from their IRA. This distribution is taxed (excluding any non-deductible contributions to the IRA). It’s possible to delay or minimize taxes on your RMD by donating all or some of your distribution to a qualified charity, such as the Vicar’s Landing Foundation. These are called qualified charitable distributions…