Embracing Every Moment of Springhill Retirement Living

Ask Maggie Collins what she loves about living at Springhill and you’ll get an enthusiastic “everything!”

“I love the people, my apartment and all that the community has to offer,” says Maggie, who first experienced Springhill when she rehabbed at the community’s ForestView Health Care Center after heart surgery in 2015.

After a successful recovery at ForestView, which also provided a first-hand introduction to the community, she made a plan that in 10 years she would move into Springhill independent living.

Five years later, COVID hit and real estate prices soared. Living alone, Maggie decided that she’d rather downsize early and have more freedom to do the activities she enjoyed with no worries about home repairs, landscaping, and snowplowing. She relished the idea of being able to take weekend trips to visit distant friends free from homeowner responsibilities or concerns. After a few restless nights and a discussion with her financial advisor, she made the decision to move and arrived in the summer of 2021.

Maggie’s routine now includes swimming in the pool at the Aquatic Center, participating in classes and other workouts at the fitness center and joining in resident trips to museums and performances by the Erie Philharmonic. A voracious reader, Maggie read 86 books in 2022 — mostly historical novels. She also spends one a day a week volunteering as a surgery escort at St. Vincent Hospital. “I love it,” says Maggie. “I’ve had open-heart surgery, so I know what an impact a calming presence can provide.”

Returning to her Erie roots

Born in Erie, Maggie spent 25 years living in Dallas raising two kids, earning a B.S. degree in business management, and enjoying a successful career as a senior sales executive in the telecommunications industry. But through it all, she knew she would one day return to Erie. Maggie travelled frequently and flourished in her career, receiving performance awards, and earning trips to places like Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand, and a sales territory that included several states and delightfully, Hawaii.

When her adult kids moved out and began their own careers, Maggie moved her then 86-year-old mother in with her. Eight years later, she realized that her mom needed more care than she could provide.

That’s when Maggie – who had retired by then – decided to follow through with her plan to move back to Erie. Maggie settled into her new home and placed her mother in assisted living with Maggie’s aunt. Four years later, Maggie’s mom passed away just shy of her 100th birthday. Her aunt died two years later at the age of 103.

A “No-Brainer

A family history of longevity and the desire to have priority access to the care she saw provided to her mom and aunt is another reason that Maggie was eager to move to a quality continuing care retirement community like Springhill: “Living here brings peace of mind.”

Once a salesperson, always a salesperson,” says Maggie, who never misses the chance to tout Springhill to her friends and acquaintances. “I want people to move here in time to enjoy all the lovely amenities.”

It’s been almost two years since Maggie, now 70, moved to Springhill and she’s still enjoying the camaraderie, incredible friendships, and the variety of fun things to do. Aware of the curveballs life can throw, Maggie’s personal philosophy is to “have a plan,” but always be prepared to pivot because “life happens.” In this case, says Maggie: “The plan worked out! I’ve never looked back.”