COMMUNITY LIVING: “Princeton Windrows is a real community. We have all read about the disintegration of communities today. At Windrows, there are different committees on which residents serve. There is strong encouragement for residents to offer their views, and there is an enormous number of activities and events. The location and service are excellent.” Princeton Windrows residents Russell and Patricia Marks are shown by their collection of Pre-Columbian Peruvian pottery.

It’s about choices.

At Princeton Windrows, the independent retirement community for people 55 and older, residents have many options. Life-style, type of dwelling, meal choices, participation in activities, attending events, pets (Windrows is very pet-friendly) — it is all up to the residents. They have complete control of how they wish to live within a worry-free, easy-living setting.

No more snow shoveling, leaf-raking, house-painting, house cleaning, etc. Instead — more time to focus on what is important at this point in one’s life.

Located on 35 acres at 2000 Windrow Drive, four miles from downtown Princeton, and adjacent to Princeton Forrestal Village, Princeton Windrows offers 294 homes — apartment-style condominiums in Windrows Hall, 1-story villas, and 2-story townhomes, individually-owned by the resident.

Windrows Concept

“I have been working here two and a half years, and I believe in the Windrows concept,” says marketing director Mary Ann Bond. “I had worked in the senior living field before, and Windrows is different. It’s unique, a 55-plus hybrid, a full-service community. Many of the 55-plus retirement communities don’t have the range of services and activities we have. Also, you can truly age in place here.”

Princeton Windrows is not an assisted living facility or a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). As its name suggests, the latter offers a range of health care services depending on the resident’s needs. Also, at a CCRC, residents do not own their own homes.

At Princeton Windrows, residents own real property, which they can choose to upgrade or sell at any time.

Princeton Windrows health care services, while not the complete care offered at a CCRC, include a wide range of services. Doctors and medical professionals hold regular hours at the Wellness Center. A registered nurse is on-site seven days a week; an internist, physiatrist, and psychologist come weekly; and an audiologist and podiatrist also have appointments on-site. The registered nurse is available to visit residents in their homes, if needed.

The Wellness Center offers services, such as blood pressure monitoring treatments, injections, and lab work (with doctor’s prescription), medication delivery from local pharmacies, and emergency 24-hour call response.

Programs, such as tai chi, balance, water aerobics, yoga, and strong bones classes, are designed as preventative options. Fitness trainers and massage therapists are available, as are health care education and disease-prevention programs.

Priority Access

In addition, the site of the new University Medical Center at Princeton is located just two miles from Windrows.

Should a resident’s health needs change, options are available to stay in place, notes Ms. Bond. “You can stay here and bring in help, such as a home health aid, or even hospice, if needed. We also have priority access to other care facilities in the area, if someone needs additional support elsewhere. If someone broke a hip or had a knee replacement, for example.”

Walks of Life

Residents at Windrows come from all walks of life and from many professions. A number still continue to work as well.

Retirees include CEOs, members of NYC Opera, NYC Ballet Orchestra, and American Symphony Orchestra, master gardeners, engineers, former president of NYU, a Broadway and TV actress, economists, scientists, clergy, missionaries, stock brokers, and publishers, among many others.

Windrows and the wider community offer many opportunities for involvement and continued learning, points out Ms. Bond. “Many people audit classes at Princeton University, and go to concerts and lectures there. They attend plays at McCarter Theater in Princeton, and go to the many events offered by Windrows, including to New York, Philadelphia, to museums, plays, operas, etc.

Book Club

“There are an enormous number of activities,” notes Russell Marks, “and many of them have been started by the residents themselves.”

“For example,” adds Mrs. Patricia Marks, “a group of women got together and wanted to read books, so we started a book club. Others wanted to organize a drawing club.”

Other residents wanted to continue their outside activities, add the Marks. “There are 17 members of the Old Guard, also the Present Day Club, and Beden’s Brook Country Club, and Springdale. This is a community within a community.”

Mrs. Marks, a published author, with a Ph.D. from Princeton University, is working on a second book on Peruvian history, and serves on the Council of the Friends of Princeton University Library.

Open House

An annual Open House is held each January for prospective residents and this year it also included an opportunity to see displays of items residents have collected over the years. Among the collections were the vintage keys of Bill Barger, which he accumulated from all over the world; the Marks’ Latin American collection; a unique display of owls in fine porcelain and crystal; also, antique bottles; and rare glassware.

Ms. Bond adds that Windrows offers two-day “Try Out Stays” for people who are interested in sampling the Windrows life-style at no charge. This can include the many amenities Princeton residents enjoy, including several different dining opportunities, from elegant to casual settings as well as take-out.

Many residents comment on the experienced and congenial staff, notes Ms. Bond. “The staff is outstanding — they are the most caring and friendly people. Many of them have been here 10 years. There is also always someone at the front desk 24/7 for security and if anyone needs help.”

Princeton Windrows offers studio apartments starting at $145,000 with monthly fees from $1,109 to $1,471. One bedroom apartments begin at $252,000, with fees from $1,281 to $1,997; two bedroom apartments start at $355,000, with fees from $1,698 to $2,235. Townhomes begin at $298,000, with fees from $2,700 to $3,320. Villas are priced from $392,000, with fees from $2,181 to $2,855.

For further information, call 609-520-3700. Website: www.princetonwind
rows.com.