Nancy Stanley, a resident of CarDon & Associates’ senior living location in Pendleton, knows what its like to be a caregiver and make an impact on the community.
Nancy said, “I recently went to my grandson’s high school graduation, and about seven or eight people walked up to me and said, ‘You don’t know who I am, do you?’ It turned out that I used to babysit them! They had their own kids there, and it was great seeing them all grown up.”
For 30 years, Nancy ran a daycare out of her home, which was four miles south of Pendleton Heights High School. Since she lived out in the country, she didn’t think she’d get a lot of business, but “word got out,” and she went on to care for many children.
Part of the appeal of her daycare was the amount of space for the children to roam and play. Across her family’s seven acres of land were teeter totters, slides, swings, you name it. Nancy particularly enjoyed playing with kids on the basketball court.
“I’ve always been very active, so I made the most of it,” she said.
Of course, the daycare was also beneficial for her own six daughters, giving them plenty of friends to play with as they grew up.
Later in life, Nancy’s daughters grew concerned about her living alone. After taking the Roobrik survey on the CarDon website, her daughter Sharon felt like Fall Creek would be the perfect fit for her mother’s needs. It turns out she was right.
“The people here are fantastic,” Nancy said. “You couldn’t ask for better people.”
Nancy enjoys exercising with the physical therapists and playing bingo with fellow residents, but she tries not to stay too far away from her longtime companion, Marianne, an 18-year-old dachshund-pinscher mix.
After just four months at Fall Creek, Nancy and Marianne feel like they’re right where they belong.
“Everybody here is just so interested in you,” Nancy said. “They’re very thoughtful, considerate and friendly. It’s like being home with family.”
