This is part of a series of sponsored stories by ZB’s Kerre Woodham in which she examines life in Metlifecare villages through the eyes of residents – how they came to be there, what shaped their choice of village and their life in residence. Today: Kerre meets Glenda, whose move to a village has given her and her husband more time, stronger connections, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Glenda saw the future, made a plan – and found her best life.
It was facing her own mortality that was the catalyst for Glenda Tan and her husband to sell up their beautiful family home in West Auckland and move into Metlifecare Pinesong.
“When I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” says Glenda, “I thought well, we could stay where we were, but what could my situation look like in another five years? We have children – I wanted to take the worry out of their hands and come somewhere safe where everything would be fine for us.”
Along with the children, Glenda was also thinking of her husband when they made the choice to move to Metlifecare Pinesong. If the worst happened, she wanted to know he had a community around him.
“My husband and I have been together for more than 50 years. He’s shy and retiring and I’m kind of... not” Glenda says, breaking into laughter. “I thought that by him being established here when I’m no longer around, he’ll already have connections. He’ll have joined the men’s groups, he plays golf – he’d have company if I wasn’t around and again, it’s taking the burden of worrying off the children.”
It’s hard to imagine this gorgeous, vibrant woman not being around. And so far, she’s defied the odds. She personifies living in the now; grabbing every moment but not holding on too tightly to stuff that doesn’t matter.
“We used to have a big garden, but here I don’t need to be the one that put the plants or the trees in the ground to appreciate them,” Glenda explains. “I get the same amount of enjoyment of my surroundings as if I actually owned them.”
A lot of Glenda’s friends thought she’d gone into a retirement village too young. “They said ‘oh, you’ve jumped the gun! You went too early! It’s all old people in there!’ And I thought I don’t believe old age is a disease. The last time I looked you’re lucky if you GET old, right?”
Metlifecare Pinesong appealed because it was an established village in a part of Auckland that Glenda and her husband loved. They explored several villages, but Pinesong really stood out with its mature trees and lush bush surroundings, and private beach access where residents can go fishing.
“Who wouldn’t love it here?” Glenda asks rhetorically, gesturing to the expansive harbour views. Being in the village means there’s no building maintenance to worry about, no pool to clean, no trees to prune or garden to tend. That leaves the freedom to pursue their interests and Glenda has a rich and full life both inside and outside of the village.
“Monday’s really my only free day,” she says. “Tuesday I take an aquacise class here; Tuesday afternoon, I have choir. Wednesday and Thursday I’m a teacher aide at the intermediate school; Friday, I’m back in the pool and then it’s Happy Hour in the afternoon.” With all this going on, Glenda still finds time to help as an active member of the Social Committee.
Glenda has picked up watercolours as well. A watercolourist in the village has been tutoring Glenda in the art. “There’s a vault of knowledge and talent here that I wouldn’t have had a chance to access had I not been in this community,” Glenda explains. “And they’re so talented and so humble! It’s not until you go into their apartments and you look at a photo and you go ‘who’s that with the Queen...?’ and then out comes an interesting story. It’s fabulous.”
Glenda is a passionate supporter of the Pink Dragons, a dragon boat crew made up of breast cancer survivors, although she can no longer be on the boat herself. She was one of the stars of a documentary called The Pinkies are Back (well worth a watch if you haven’t seen it) and she will never turn down an invitation to speak about the importance of mammograms and early detection of breast cancer. This International Women’s Day, that’s exactly what she’ll be doing. That advocacy work is vitally important to Glenda, as is the time she spends as a teacher aide. Her face lights up when she talks of the children she works with.
“I absolutely love it. On Wednesday, I have a knitting and needlework group for the children who aren’t sporty or booky – it’s a place they can feel comfortable in and call their own. They learn to knit or crochet and then we give back to the community. We make little bunnies for the Starship NICU unit or the SPCA... it’s giving the children the gift of giving back, which is so important.”
Glenda’s advice to people who are wondering what the next stage of their life looks like is not to wait for a traumatic event to come to a retirement village – and not to leave it too long.
“What are you frightened of? It’s a privilege to grow old. This is my first time being old, so I hope I’m doing it right. I feel like I am.”
Having spent an afternoon in this vivacious, vibrant woman’s company, I concur. Glenda Tan is a woman who is doing getting old just right.
For more information visit metlifecare.co.nz