✨✨General Discussions

Our community started a group for mild cognitive decline folks a few months ago. I am going to pass this along.

I started a Breast Cancer Support Group in 2024 with the same purpose. We quickly expanded it to all cancer types because friends said, "what about me, I have cancer, etc. Although I am recovered, we have group members who live with chronic cancer conditions. We have both men and women attending. Our group is the place to do our "organ recitals" rather than over the dining table. We try as St. Benedict said, "..to listen with the ear of your heart."

Ann MacKay

Charlestown, Catonsville, MD

12-Step, OWLS, and, in fact, the entire concept of life plan communities foster broad networks of friendship and support. Brad and I are Quakers and deep listening is something we aspire to grow better at.

Richmond Shreve

NaCCRA Board Member & VP

Forum Moderator

Thanks for sharing this, Richmond.

This essay and group experience is so lovely. It sounds like exactly the kind of thing I would love to be a part of as I get ready to move to my CCRC. And I love the name!

As a member of a 12-Step Recovery Fellowship for decades, that kind of sharing and listening model is what one experinces in 12-Step meetings. The depth of personal growth and interpersonal connection that can happen in this kind of setting and with these norms can be profound, and I think is what many of us want as we move to new living situations.

Wendy Holm

One of the most powerful ideas behind OWLS is also one of the simplest: being present and listening. Brad Sheeks, a fellow writer (A Minnesota Childhood), contributed the attached essay on his experience in founding OWLS at Pennswood Village. Brad’s candor gives the idea particular force. His willingness to speak openly reminds us that sometimes what a person most needs is not advice or reassurance, but the freedom to say what is on their mind and know that another person is truly listening.

Not every difficult circumstance can be fixed, and not every concern needs an answer. Committed, friendly listening can create an unexpected bond. Over time, the simple experience of being heard can grow into companionship—for both people. Listening without responding verbally is not passive. It can be a genuine gift of attention, respect, and human connection, especially when we are facing circumstances none of us can change.

Could an OWLS-type program take root in your community? What would it take to recruit residents willing to offer that gift to one another?

Richmond Shreve

NaCCRA Board Member & VP

Forum Moderator