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The Birches at Saugerties

Seniors’ New Year’s Eve Ball

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

Kingston, December 31, 2011:

Thanks to the generosity of community supporters, Kingston NY area seniors danced the night away waiting for the 2012 ball to drop. The annual New Year’s Eve event was held at The Hillside Manor, a leading fine dining and events facility. Host Denni Demosthenes managed to get all guests to the table despite the many attendees who arrived up to an hour early! Over 350 seniors attended and enjoyed a full dinner and dessert, dancing to both live and DJ’d music, a champagne toast and, of course, New Year’s hats and noisemakers. The music makers mixed it up with the predictable old favorites and many contemporary hits that got everyone on the floor rocking.

For the third year, the main sponsors were Birchez Associates, the Bruderhof, and the Demonthenes family which owns The Hillside Manor. Other local purveyors also helped out. For example, Adams Fair Acres Farms donated beautifully prepared (and delicious) cookie platters for each table, Deisings Bakery provided the dinner rolls.

The smiles of the seniors were evident at the festively set tables in both the full rear ballroom and the restaurants front function room. Not to be outdone by the decor, many of the ladies were “dressed to the nines.” As one quipped, “Where else am I going to get the opportunity to get so dressed up. I love it!” Join the festivities via video (only a minute and a half in length) in which Birchez principals Steve and Judy Aaron welcome one and all.

Several political leaders stopped by to lend their support, most notably Congressman Maurice Hinchey who greeted many by name. Outgoing legislator Walter Frey and encumbent councilman Jimmy Bruno traveled from Saugerties. Majority Leader for the Kingston Common Council Tom Hoffay was in early attendance. Newly elected Alderperson Deb Brown, 9th ward Kingston, shared her thoughts on the video.

Seniors who attended and who would like to comment on the evening can contact us at birchezassociates@gmail.com. We’d love to share your thoughts as we enter 2012!

Holiday Party Has Seniors Rocking to the Beat

Monday, December 19th, 2011

Holidays can be lonely for seniors living on their own. But at the Birchez Associates communities, you’ll find many ways to celebrate the holidays. In addition to cosponsoring the Kingston area senior New Year’s Eve party (to watch video, click here), Birchez owners Steve and Judy Aaron also hosted a holiday party for all their senior residents and staff.

At The Hillside Manor, a popular dining and events destination in Kingston, Birchez took over . A decorated Christmas tree welcomed guests in the foyer, with holiday decoration throughout. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres started the event in the front ballroom. Then festivities moved to the full back ballroom (complete with its own Christmas tree and Menorah) for dinner and dancing.

Congressman Maurice Hinchey pictured with Birches at Chambers Resident June Diamond (left) and Hostess Judy Aaron

Special guests included Congressman Maurice Hinchey who spun at least one senior on the dancefloor. County Treasurer Eliott Auerbach and his lovely wife Judy, County Clerk Nina Postupak, County Legislators Peter Loughran, Hector Rodriguez and Walter Frey, as well as Town of Esopus Council members Kyle Barnett, Gloria VanVliet and Donna McAuley also joined the party.

The band leader of “Outside the Box” thought he was doing the right thing when he mentioned a 92 year old resident was on the dance floor, only to have other dancers raise their hands to say “I’m in my nineties too!” From the salad course through desert, the dance floor was in motion. Whether a classic melody or a cover of a contemporary song from Lady GaGa or Adele, guests were up and dancing. Chambers Court Resident and Centenarian Bill McDonough didn’t dance but had a front row table to watch others do so.

Host Steve Aaron (right) greets Centennarian Bill McDonough as Chambers Court Resident Dorothea Schwenk looks on.

Pointsetta centerpieces obtained through the local Boys & Girls Club were given to those residents who found a lucky penny underneath their place setting. In addition to peach melba for desert, plates of cookies from local Deising’s Bakery provided some extra energy for seniors to keep the dance floor full.

And for residents who no longer drive, A.N.N. Transportation provided a handicapped bus and van to get everyone to the event. After four hours of partying, there was even some grumbling when the announcement was made that the bus and van were ready for loading to take residents home. “Already?” some were heard to exclaim!

For additional pictures, see Holiday Party album on Facebook

Doing 90

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

November 29, 2011: The Report 90+ in the United States: 2006-2008 was issued this month by the American Consumer Survey (ACS), which is sponsored by the US Census Bureau. The ACS gathers data for the Census Bureau on an annual basis; this data is utilized by communities in allocating investments and services. Unfortunately, crunching the data and reformatting it into readable, intelligible reports takes time. Hence the appearance of three-year lag; in reality the 2010 census is cited in some instances.

Significant in the findings is that 90+ is the new 85+. Many demographic reports analyze age groupings such as 55 to 64, 65 to 74, and then 85+. This assumes a commonality in the group and/or smaller numbers that may not be reliable statistically. Yet the reality shown in this report is that there are some sharp distinctions, even in the five year segment breakdowns of 85 to 89, 90 to 94, and 95+. Certainly as our seniors of today age healthier than their predecessors this will morph expectations for these segments.

This segment is growing both in size and proportion of the older population. Between 1980 and 2010, the people aged 90 and over almost tripled to 1.9 million. Projections are that the 90+ segment will more than quadruple by 2050, in comparison to a doubling of the population 65 to 89.

New York currently ranks third (after California and Florida) in the sheer number of 90+ residents, but it’s not even in the top ten when comparing the percentage of 90+ versus the 65+ populations by state.

The report details racial and educational statistics, and considering the report covers those born in 1918, this is an educated group. Perhaps not a surprise that women aged 90+ outnumber 90+ men nearly 3 to 1.

The economic numbers are certainly of interest in the affordable housing field:

Social Security represents almost half of total personal income for the 90+ (47.9%)
The poverty rate for the 90+ is higher than that for those aged 65-89
16.5% of women and 9.6% of men aged 90 and older were in poverty 2006-2008

When one considers this in the perspective that many baby boomers are ill prepared for retirement, and certainly for living some 20 years longer than expected, the economic forecast for this segment is of concern. Further compounding this is that the report addresses the 2006-2008 period, during which the source of 29.8% of 90+ income was ”other” (which would include directly held investments), and 18.3% came from retirement accounts. Given the financial upheaval from the end of that period to the present would indicate that the 2011-2012 period would mean the 90+ segment might well be relying on Social Security for more than half of their income.

Difficulty doing errands alone and mobility-related limitations are the two most common types of disability for the 90+ (disability in this context is defined as a substantial limitation in a major life activity). Appropriate transportation modalities, proximity of services and handicapped accessibility will be key features of senior housing to come.

Aging in place will play an important role for the 90+ segment. While the percent of people with disabilities increases sharply with aging (see below), the nature of the disability(ies) may determine whether the individual needs an institutionalized setting or not. Certainly advances in senior housing facilities and services offer alternatives to more expensive nursing homes or even alternative level of care facilities.

Ages 85-89 80.4% report one or more disabilities
Ages 90-94 82.7%
Ages 95+ 91.2

To see the full American Community Survey Report, 90+ in the United States: 2006-2008, authored by Wan He and Mark N. Munchrath, click here.

- K.J. McIntyre

Spring Expo shows off Birchez Associates

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

This year’s Lions’ Club Expo at the Hudson Valley Mall featured a new participant: Birchez Associates. Shown to the left with our booth are Teri Sola, Property Management Compliance, and Cheryl Meehan, Property Manager at both The Birches at Esopus and The Birches at Saugerties. Throughout the two day event we were also represented by Judy Fitzpatrick, Senior Property Manager, Paul Watzka, Director of Community Affairs, and K.J. McIntyre, Director of Marketing.

Last but certainly not least, the one and only Alice Tipp, Senior Advocate for The Birches Communities, held court for several hours on Sunday. After her 30 years in the legislature and over five years with us, Alice is known far and wide. One couple who stopped by, married for over 50 years seemed to take almost more pride in their voting record for Alice from the beginning of her career in public service.

One unexpected treat for the staff was the number of residents who stopped by, frequently showing off photos or stopping to point out parts of the videos being shown to their friends and family. We hope that many of our visitors will in fact submit applications so that we might add them to the wait lists. Sooner you are on the list, the sooner a spot might open with your name on it! If you didn’t make it to the mall, stop by one of our communities (call first to assure a tour and application will be ready for you). Just click on the communities tab or one of the community photos on the home page for contact information.

K.J. McIntyre, Director of Marketing, Birchez Associates, kjmcintyre@birchez.com

When Medication Leads to the ER

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Maybe it was having one of our residents checked out at the ER today that tweaked my interest when I saw a posting picked up by msnbc.com – Health. As reported by My Health News Daily, older Americans face a greater risk of harmful reactions to medications than younger individuals, a new study suggests. The study, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), found adults ages 50 and older comprised 51.5 percent of all emergency department visits in 2008 that were due to reactions to medications. That’s about 1.1 million visits. And of those visits, about 61 percent were made by people aged 65 or older, and 60.9 percent were made by women.

Older people may be more likely to react badly to their medications because of physiological changes that occur with age, or because they’re taking multiple medications, the researchers said. These reactions may pose an increasing public health challenge as the number of older Americans continues to grow in decades to come.

“Individuals taking medications need to take personal responsibility, and not assume that just because the medications are legally prescribed that they are without risk,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “People should monitor how they feel when on medication, ask their doctor about what signs to look out for, and not hesitate to contact a doctor if they feel the medication is having adverse effects on their health.”

Birchez Editor’s Note: I’d go one step further. Ask your doc for a review of medications when a new med is prescribed. Sometimes the prescribing physician is only looking at the top page or so of the chart and may not be aware of other meds that may interfere with or magnify the effects of the new med. Also, keeping all your prescriptions at one pharmacy may catch some harmful drug interactions and reactions BEFORE they happen.

Most of the emergency visits involved reactions to just one medication. Reactions to pain relievers accounted for the largest share of these visits (24.3 percent). Other cases involved cardiovascular system medications, metabolic disorder treatments and psychotherapeutic drugs. Nearly 33 percent of emergency room visits by older adults resulted in hospitalizations for further treatment, the study showed.

The study was based on data from SAMHSA’s 2008 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). DAWN is a public health surveillance system that monitors drug-related hospital emergency department visits reported throughout the nation.

Pass it on: Older Americans make up the majority of those who visit the emergency room for adverse reactions to medication.

Article passed along by K.J. McIntyre, Director of Marketing, Birchez Associates.

Making sure home health aides are helping

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

Senior Housing News reports that while home and community based service delivery is a critical component for the future of senior care, a new study finds that paid caregivers may not be up to the task. One more reason to work with licensed home health care agencies. Check into the training and screening that the agency provides. Our Senior Advocate, Alice Tipp, as well as Director of Community Affairs Paul Watzka can assist in providing information on local agencies, as can the property managers at The Birches senior communities. Here is info cited in the article:

A new study, titled “Inadequate Health Literacy among Paid Caregivers of Seniors”, by Northwestern University finds that more than one-third of caregivers had difficulty reading and understanding health-related information and directions. Sixty percent made errors when sorting medications into pillboxes. The study, which will be published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, surveyed non-family caregivers in the Chicago area and assesses their health literacy levels and caregiving tasks. The study is serving as a basis to work on establishing employment screening tasks as one of the long-term goals of the study.

“We found that nearly 86 percent of the caregivers perform health-related tasks,” said Lee Lindquist, MD, assistant professor of geriatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and lead author of the study. “Most of the caregivers are women, about 50 years old. Many are foreign born or have a limited education. The jobs typically pay just under $9 per hour, but nearly one-third of the caregivers earn less than minimum wage.”

– K.J. McIntyre, Director of Marketing, Birchez Associates LLC

Redefining Affordable

Monday, November 15th, 2010

Kingston, 11-10 by Kim Plummer

Over the past few years there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of affordable housing developments being built throughout New York State. For aging boomers seeking affordable housing, the key is to start looking early, do your homework, and reach out to local agencies, sources say.

Ken Harris, senior policy analyst for New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (NYAHSA) says the decline in this sort of housing can be attributed to increased costs and zoning issues. “A lot of housing that needs to go through zoning changes is finding opposition from neighbors in many cases,” Harris says. “It’s a recent trend that’s difficult.” . . .

When looking for affordable senior housing, one should keep in mind that affordable housing can still be very competitive with market-rate housing as far as amenities go. A lot of people believe the more you pay, the more services you get, but that’s not always the case, Harris says.

Housing is unique; amenities, transportation services, and communities vary quite a bit, even in the realm of affordable housing units. Harris suggests people do their homework when searching for affordable housing; one element he finds particularly important to seniors is an onsite service coordinator.

“The service coordinator is sort of like a linchpin between the resident and services in the community,” Harris says. “They can help the resident find resources in the community – everything from Medicare, Medicaid, help with information, and supportive health services.”

Currently, The Birches at Chambers in Ulster and the Birches at Esopus in Ulster Park are two ADA-compliant, affordable housing facilities resembling market-rate housing. Amenities in the average rental price of about $750 per month include fitness trainers in the onsite fitness studio, a movie theater, community rooms, a library, fully equipped computer labs with Internet access, and craft rooms. Additionally, The Birches at Chambers is anticipating LEED Platinum certification and has been certified as a NYUSERDA Energy $mart Building. “It’s not what people expect to see for affordable housing,” says K.J. McIntyre, director of marketing for Birchez Associates, LLC.

Most recently, Birchez Associates has received initial funding from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York to build affordable senior housing onto the Elant campus, a nursing home in Fishkill. This will be another ADA-compliant facility. “With the service of Elant close at hand, we can offer additional home health and nursing care as needed, while our residents continue to live in their homes, as opposed to the nursing home environment,” McIntyre says.

Birchez Associates also owns and manages two additional affordable senior housing communities. Chambers Court, completed in 2004, provides cottage-style one- and two-bedroom apartments adjacent to The Birches at Chambers in Ulster. The Birches at Saugerties is another affordable senior community completed in 2006 with 60 garden-style apartments. . . .

Seniors who need assistance finding affordable housing can contact their local Office for the Aging, where they can be provided with additional consultation about affordable housing as well as Active Adult Communities that specially reserve units for affordable housing.

Photo: The Birches at Esopus

Excerpted from the full article, Affordable Housing Trends: Redefining Affordable, in the Boomer’s Guide to Living 2010 published by Schein Media (Kingston, NY)

The publication is currently available by clicking here.

Hinchey Hosts Medicare Educational Forum

Monday, October 18th, 2010

Kingston, October 18, 2010: Congressman Maurice Hinchey (NY 22nd) lead a panel of experts to discuss Social Security, Medicare, the new Health Care Plan and proposed legislation before an audience of seniors at The Birches at Chambers. The site, an affordable senior housing community completed this year by Birchez Associates, drew readily from its residents and those of the adjoining Chambers Court and Seven Greens complexes. Some residents from other Birchez communities also came for the forum.

The Congressman addressed concerns over seniors affected by the donut – having to pay full price for medications before supplemental coverage kicked in. He said close to 8,000 of his constituents fell into this category. Hinchey continues to work on legislations that he has proposed which he hopes to see passed after election to further help seniors both those trapped in the donut and on issues related to COLA (cost of living adjustment) — or lack thereof — as seniors see a second year without any increase. For a summary of Hinchey’s support in standing up for Seniors, click here.

Hinchey, who has served in the Congress since 1993, brings a historical perspective to many of the issues discussed. He spoke of proposals in the past to privatize Social Security. “Had we done that, can you imagine what would have happened to Social Security during the stock market of recent years?”

Speakers brought the message home to seniors. Kathy Dunphy, director from National Government Services (the contractor that handles all Medicare issues) spoke about the new benefits that Medicare enrollees would gain from the new health care bill

Dunphy also warned that healthy, working seniors often wait too long to enroll in Medicare. Then when they need it they may have to wait months without coverage. Ways of simplifying enrollment through internet signup were stressed, although with the local Social Security office nearby (809 Grant Avenue, Lake Katrine, NY 12449), visiting the office is also an option. Especially after hearing from Ed Sarkies, a Field Representative from SSA in Lake Katrine. Sarkies has been with SSA since 1966 when Medicare started.

Sarkies provided practical information for the assembled seniors: when to sign up for Medicare, the Medicare Prescription Drug plan and the Extra Help feature for lower income people.

Ronnie Hauser from National Government Services and MaryJo DeForest of the Ulster County Office for the Aging were also on hand to help seniors with specific questions after the forum. Several attendees kept the forum participants “after school” for one-on-one sessions to answer individual questions.

For video coverage of the forum from YNN.com, click here

In the picture to the left, Congressman Hinchey listens to concerns over Veteran Benefits and how senior Vets are affected as expressed by Joe Vanacore, a World War II vet.

Pictured above right, Congressman Hinchey at the podium with a partial shot of the Community Room at The Birches at Chambers.

Sharp Hinchey Aide Foils Medicare Scam

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

Carmel Wilson, who works as an aide to Rep. Maurice Hinchey in his Middletwon office, was one of the first people to notice the proliferation of Medicare recipients complaining of procedures they said they never received, in places they had never been.

Photo credit: STEVE BORLAND/Times Herald-Record

By Stephen Sacco

Times Herald-Record 10/15/2010

MIDDLETOWN — Right made might in the three-year hunt to get to the bottom of who was responsible for absurdly suspicious Medicare charges that began to appear on medical statements of people in the Hudson Valley in 2007.
A modest public servant and Orange County mother of two played a huge role in bringing down what the FBI says is an international crime organization that bilked Medicare out of millions with bogus claims.
Carmel Wilson, a longtime aide to Rep. Maurice Hinchey who works in his Middletwon office, was one of the first people to notice the proliferation of Medicare recipients coming into her office with charges for procedures they said they never received in places they had never been – like California or Arizona.
118 sham clinics
On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney General unsealed two indictments, charging 44 alleged members and associates of an Armenian-American crime organization with Medicare fraud.
Wilson provided information used against 40 of the defendants, according to officials in Hinchey’s office. The mobsters worked out of New York City and Los Angeles, but many of the identities used for the claims likely were obtained from a 2005 data breach at Orange Regional Medical Center, authorities said. Hospital spokesman Rob Lee said the hospital has reached out to law enforcement officials to help them determine if the breach occurred within the hospital or at another site.
The FBI said Armenian mobsters billed more than $163 million in false claims to Medicare, making this the largest, single Medicare fraud case in history. Medicare paid out over $35 million in U.S. taxpayer money to at least 118 sham clinics in 25 states, according to the indictment.
Wilson is a shy, sweet woman with short red hair who roots for the Mets. She says she loves her job as a liaison between ordinary folks and the federal government because she can help so many people. Before working for Hinchey she worked for former Rep. Ben Gilman.
She’s an unlikely candidate for striking a blow against what the FBI says is a Mafia-like organization complete with a Tony Soprano-like boss, called a vor, which is roughly the equivalent of a Mafia godfather, who once threatened to “disembowel” a man who owed him money and to kill an associate who failed to show him proper respect.
Wilson goes to FBI
Wilson, nevertheless, relentlessly documented each suspicious billing incident. Then she would send out letters with the support of her boss to both the Medicaid fraud division and the Medicare billing contractor.
Since states usually contract their Medicare billing out to other states — New York’s billing is done in Minnesota, for instance — there was a fair amount of red tape involved.
When Wilson didn’t see enough movement to resolve the issue, she contacted the FBI.
Warren Smith of Middletown says he estimates about $50,000 was billed under his name in fraudulent claims. At first, he tried to report the fraud to Medicare himself. “Have you ever called Medicare?” Smith asked. “You wait forever.”
Medicare asked Smith to contact the provider to see if it was a clerical error. It was pretty hard to contact nonexistent clinics, he said.
Frustrated he turned to Wilson. Subsequently, he was involved in the FBI investigation. “I was glad to learn about the indictments,” Smith, 76, said. “(Wilson) is awesome.”

The next phase for Birchez Associates

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Aaron’s Birchez Associates opens fifth affordable housing facility in Ulster

Kingston Times, July 15, 2010 By Carrie Jones Ross Pictured Below Right: Library/Game Room at The Birches at Chambers

The enigma stealing sleep from the burgeoning legion of baby boomers – “Where can I afford to live when I retire? Will it be safe? Will it be clean? Will I be lonely?” – just got a little easier to figure out.

Dignitaries from the county and state joined other people of influence and three full tents of perspiring seniors during last Thursday’s oppressive heat wave to cut the ribbon commemorating some 75 seniors (62 and older) moving into the fully sustainable and LEED-certified 66 newly-constructed, 600+ square-foot apartments at Birches at Chambers on Maple Lane in the Town of Ulster. Chambers is fifth in a line of desperately-needed affordable housing projects in Ulster County built by developer Steve Aaron; his previous projects include Chambers Court, Birches at Esopus, Birches at Saugerties and Birchwood Village. The $16 million complex will be the first platinum-rated LEED-certified project of its kind in Ulster County.

Imagine paying a fixed monthly rent between $596 and $721 for a one-bedroom apartment. What would you get? Well-lit, freshly-carpeted halls with security cameras? Laundry rooms furnished with handicapped-accessible, brand-new machines for the long-gone bargain price of $1 a wash on every floor? A secure computer room with four flat-screen panel monitors? A free gym filled with new machines and classes just an elevator ride away? A beautifully furnished library with games and a community room with a kitchen and French doors leading to a patio? Media room with kitchenette? Would you expect beautifully kept grounds with a full-time groundskeeper and state-of-the-art security? In all likelihood, no, but Aaron’s new project promises all those amenities.

The community was designed for those who earn less than 60 percent of the area median income (currently $29,480 for a single person). The shift to friendlier colloquialisms reflects our slowly evolving views on affordable housing. Aaron emphatically concurred with the opening ceremonies speech given by County Executive Mike Hein when he stated, “It’s not about bricks and mortar, it’s about people – dignified housing for people.”

Aaron explained that his company has been dedicated to answering seniors’ and working families’ mounting housing crisis and has “gotten a little smarter” with each project. “We didn’t start off wondering what to do to be LEED-compliant,” Aaron explained. “But we found that we were already doing all that anyway.”

Birches at Esopus and Saugerties got the ball rolling forward with Energy Star appliances and energy-efficient radiant floor heat. Aaron took the Birches at Chambers project all the way, by including even more things like 97 percent-efficient Swiss-made boilers to accommodate the smart-design European heating system and solar hot water heaters. There are also energy recovery units recycling air through HEPA filters also pouring into a series of cooling condensers for air conditioning, eliminating the potentially harmful bacteria that collect in vents and ducts and saving big money for residents on extra-tight incomes.

Birchez is also referred to as “phase two”, conjoining the 2005-built Chambers Court community, oriented for 55 and older active lifestyle seniors. Aaron broke ground for Birches at Chambers in February 2009 to build the facility for residents with mobility issues. A community dining hall is in the works, at which point Birches at Chambers may likely go in the direction of assisted living, he said. Each apartment does have a kitchen (equipped with Energy Star appliances), however, those residents who do not cook rely upon the Meals on Wheels program.

Elant Home Health Care has an office in Birches and holds twice-weekly wellness clinics. ”We meet with the families, and if they opt for services we link with their primary practioner and devise care plans,” Elant health coordinator Kelly Ketcham explained. The goal, Ketcham stressed, is, “to keep people in their home setting, prevent hospitalizations and nursing home placements.” She added, “I do this for my head and heart, because that’s what I would want done for me.”

Aaron, who sits in good company on the executive committee of the Ulster County Housing Consortium, has his eyes on the horizon line of several locations including Fishkill, New Paltz and Ellenville. Aaron recently also submitted a building proposal in the Town of Rosendale in response to their request for affordable senior housing.

A myriad of agencies came together to make the building possible, including Enterprise Community Investments who notably found investors to actually finance portions of the project during this tight-fisted economy. One such financier was the “Oracle of Omaha” – Warren Buffett, who according to Aaron, has been financing affordable housing for years.

It did not come together without some issues, though. Aaron, who supported and employed former Town of Ulster supervisor Nick Woerner, got into a dispute earlier this year over alleged safety issues at Chambers Phase II with the town board led by the man who beat Woerner, Supervisor James Quigley. The spat held up the project’s temporary certificate of occupancy, which held up some of the first residents’ moving-in dates. Charges and counter-charges flew between Aaron and Quigley, but the dispute was resolved on March 31, allowing residents to claim their apartments.

They love it here

A group of residents rested in the bright, crisp entrance room from the day’s oppressive heat during the ribbon-cutting and subsequent luncheon, talking excitedly in a group about their appreciation of the new facility. Resident Clara McGill said that she always enjoyed visiting Kingston as a place to shop and dine, but never before considered living there until Birches at Chambers was built. “I have rented most of my life, and I have never seen anything like this place. It’s incredible here. Sometimes I even feel guilty for having this place,” McGill said. Lifelong Kingston resident “Mary” agreed. “We have fallen into a gold mine here. It was a little rough in the beginning, but I don’t think we could ask for a better place to live. The amenities are incredible.”

The residents commented on how often they see Aaron and his wife Judy, and how easily they can communicate with the couple. They love the decor (for which Judy is responsible), the fitness studio, their apartments (“It’s beautiful!” they crooned), and asked the Kingston Times to put out a message of sincere thanks to everyone on their behalf; to the Aarons, groundskeepers, maintenance and security.

To discuss the article in Ulster Publishing’s forum, click here and scroll to the bottom of the article.