Showing posts with label Senior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Senior. Show all posts

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Low Income Senior Apartment, <br>not so great...

not so great..." readability="114">

by Pam
(Mt. Clemens, MI)

The balcony crumbling

The balcony crumbling

The rebar rust

The rebar rust

More balcony crumbling at joint

More balcony crumbling at joint

Bathroom vent

Bathroom vent

The balcony crumbling The rebar rust More balcony crumbling at joint Bathroom vent

Okay, so I found what I thought would be a great little place for quite a while.

Actually the apartment is cute at first viewing, one bedroom, living room/dining area combined. Really too small for living room and dining area but nice for LR. Small kitchen, but great for one person.

However the appliances leave something to be desired, the stove is a Caloric and 16 years old, parts broken, all scratched up on dial panel, timer and clock not working and they can't fix it, frig is just as old as stove. It has a huge balcony, goes end-to-end of the apartment. That is great!

Bathroom is good sized for a one-bedroom place. Shower, tub, the usual stuff in bathroom.

Things I noticed I did not care for: The sink/vanity has no drawers, or cupboard below it, so you have to get a shelf or small table for the bathroom. The carpeting, although it was new when I moved in, is indoor/outdoor carpet not pretty, but well-padded due to floors being cement. The walls between the apartments are concrete, so it is somewhat soundproof. Huge gap under the entry door to the apartment. All closet doors are metal, all the shelves in the closets are metal, and some are rusted at the hinges. There is a huge doorwall to the balcony, and one large window in the bedroom. They were not easy to open or close, so they told me just use some WD40 on them? Huh? I thought that was their job.

There is a small vent in the bathroom, that is so caked with stuff, dirt etc., that you cannot see the inside of it.

During a severe storm a few weeks ago, the ceiling in the living room leaked so badly I had to cover my computer with plastic, it leaked from the seam at the doorwall ceiling, and in the bedroom, it leaked from the middle of the room at the seam to the floor, and all over my bookshelf and books. The bedroom window tracks were clogged, because the water poured in under the windows to the floor.

Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. So, I reported it to the management team, and they sent the maintenance person to my apartment. She showed up with the cleaning lady, and they actually had the audacity to stand in my apartment and tell me that it leaked from the wind shears directions. That the force was so strong it caused leaks?? Huh? Concrete does not leak, or at least it is not supposed to.

So, I go out to the balcony, and the concrete is compromised, it is crumbling, and chunks missing, and rust stains down the sides of the white walls. Rust stains are from the re-bar rusting. Something is seriously wrong here. My move-in inspection was the whole front of the list and the entire back of it.

So far, to date (9/05/2010) they have only fixed one thing, I fixed two myself.

I could go on and on, but why? The reason I am writing this, so if you are looking for a place to live, look closely, check the ceilings, the doors, everything! You will be living there, if you are not happy with it or even a little bit hesitant, don't sign anything, keep looking. I wish I had!

So, in closing would I pick this place again, no. I would certainly look closer at the apartment before I said I wanted it, like for leak spots on ceilings, rust, etc. So, I am currently applying for residence at three other places I have seen, so by the time my year here is up I can move out.

The name, I am sorry to say is Park Place Towers in Mount Clemens. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate it a low 1. On top of all of that, I have only been here 1 month!!

Wendy's Two Cents: Pam, Believe it or not, that is the same low income senior apartment that my father lived in, we loved that place! I wrote about it (but didn't name it) on my website here!

It sounds like it's falling into disrepair, he had no leaks, though I do remember the balcony was crumbling a little bit.

Dad died in December 2005, so its been five years since I've been there... I'm kinda not surprised as so many organizations just don't have the money to do things like they did a few years ago. It's a tough economy out there,....

You might try the Macomb County Senior Citizens Dept. Call to see if they can help, or scroll down the page and click on Senior Housing for a huge list of senior low income apartments!

Best Wishes!


View the original article here

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Senior Volunteers - Do you volunteer?

Senior Volunteers are a great asset to any community.

We can fill in the gaps for both public government and private employers. We are welcomed into the work place to help with the load... plus it helps us, the seniors, too!

Volunteer -- For Yourself!

Most retirees won't find happiness sitting at home... unless you are busy with a hobby or a busy lifestyle. We long for the day when we have all the time in the world for our own retirement activities... but suddenly you have so much time, loads of free time.

What will you do during your previous working hours... even if you were a 9-5 office worker, what will you do with 40 free hours, week after week? If you worked longer hours as many do, your work might be your Life! What will you do in retirement?

You have lived a life of working -- in the home, for your employer, for yourself. You can't simply retire to the rocking chair -- even if you aren't physically active, we must keep the brain working... even crossword puzzles, reading books, or computer fun will help.

Most people need more -- some level of responsibility, some type of structure to retired life. You actually need a reason to get up in the morning!

WHY do you want to keep busy? Everything you do is an adventure in Life! You'll find new friendships, maintain your self-esteem, find creativity in your life, develop new skills (never stop learning), and just generally find fun and contribute towards your well-being while helping others too!

Well, if you are sitting in the house, bored to death, why not get out and meet some new people? By volunteering, you get both physical activity moving about (instead of becoming a couch potato) and you also get mental activity to keep you thinking correctly. It's simply a Win - Win for You and the Employer!

Here are some Volunteer Quotes
from important folks who know
the wisdom of volunteering.
Ruthie volunteered at the local community college theater after she retired. She loved it. She answered calls, took reservations, sold tickets -- and she got to see the shows for free. Worked out perfectly for her.. what fun! Guess what? Before I knew it, Ruthie was working full time for the college... she volunteered, did her job well, and they offered her a full time job. I remembered how thrilled she was.. collecting her pension and now a second salary as a younger retiree! AND the employer got to see what a great employee she was, first hand, before she was even hired! IT was a win-win or both employee and employer!

I might volunteer at some point, give back to my community... but for now, I have retired to the internet!

Check out what some visitors have shared about their Volunteer Experiences!

Chuck delivers Meals on Wheels, helping other seniors.

Danny spends time volunteering to Feed the Homeless, community help is always needed.

Ruthie found a great opportunity at the Philadelphia Film Festival.

Bob appreciated art so his idea was volunteering at an Art Museum.

Read more below the Volunteer form!

If you have previously volunteered, please share your experience to give other retirees both ideas on where they might consider volunteering and how you liked that position (or not!)

Do you have an experience to share with others to put "volunteering" into perspective?


View the original article here