Creative Retirement Living at Concordia

At Concordia, retirement living, also known as independent living, means more than just a worry-free lifestyle – it means having the time, space and support to rediscover your interests. For resident Nick Limansky, that has meant not only revisiting a lifetime of work as a singer and writer, but reimagining how people experience opera altogether.

Retirement Living, Redefined

So, what is retirement living?

Retirement living is a type of senior housing designed for older adults who are largely independent but want the convenience of a maintenance-free lifestyle. Compared to the care-driven environments of personal care/assisted living or skilled nursing, independent retirement communities emphasize a lifestyle built around connection and independence with active senior living options.

At Concordia, retirement living residents live in spacious apartments, cottages or villas and have access to engaging social activities, wellness programs and optional services like housekeeping, dining and transportation. It’s senior living with amenities designed to support your independence while giving you more time for what you love.

Related: Concordia Dictionary: A Guide to Retirement Living Terms

Nick Takes the Concordia Stage

Nick, a former professional singer and published author, moved to the Concordia at Cabot Haven Retirement Living Apartments in 2019 with his wife, Gale, who is a world-renowned retired opera singer herself. With fewer household responsibilities and a peaceful setting, Nick found something invaluable: uninterrupted time to create.

“Living in an independent living community has contributed to me relaxing and being able to produce more,” he said. “I have a study, I listen to music and I write. I always used to work on these manuscripts here and there, but now I can focus on them.”

From Opera House to eBook

Nick’s deep love for opera began as a child and followed him through decades of performance, music collecting and writing. He’s authored three books on opera history, including one written entirely during his time at Concordia. It chronicles his unique past as an “opera pirate,” making bootleg recordings of live performances in 1980s New York.

With the time and tranquility that retirement offers, Nick and his publisher have created modernized Kindle editions of his books. He’s published enhanced editions of two of his books so far, embedding more than 700 YouTube links to the exact performances he writes about in “Early 20th Century Opera Singers: Their Voices and Recordings from 1900-1949” and “Pirates of the High Cs: Opera Bootlegging in the 20thCentury.” Readers can read a passage and then, with one tap, listen to the singer or exact recording being described.

“I want people to not just read about these artists – I want them to hear them,” Nick said. “These new versions of my books can be enjoyed on any phone that can access the internet. All you have to do is download the Kindle app, purchase the Kindle version of those two books, adjust the text size as you want and then press the links in the books as you come across them – the phone will automatically switch to the YouTube link, so you can hear what I’m writing about. It’s remarkable.”

He believes these are among the first opera books of their kind: performance-linked editions that guide the reader’s ear as well as their eyes.

New Audiences, New Horizons

Thanks in part to the focus he’s found through Concordia retirement living, Nick is now also a contributing writer for Liner Notes Online Classical Music Quarterly, an international music publication based in Barcelona. His articles offer curated listening journeys through the lives and careers of historical singers, combining scholarship and accessibility for new audiences.

Related: Questions to Ask When Searching for the Right Retirement Living Community

“The editor reached out and asked if I could write something on a tight deadline,” Nick said. “That turned into more articles. It’s exciting.”

Nick has filled his apartment with the music he loves. Most days, he listens via iTunes or YouTube and catalogs performances for upcoming articles. His extensive collection of recordings is now digital, and he keeps track of rare, pirated tapes – many of which he recorded.

Concordia’s Role in a Creative Life

For Nick and Gale, moving to Concordia wasn’t just about downsizing – it was about finding the right community.

Related: Rightsizing for Retirement Living

“We’ve been very, very happy here,” he added. “It’s a safe, peaceful place where people say hello to you in the hallway, and that makes a difference. I still have to remind myself some mornings that I don’t have to go to work – I get to spend my day doing what I love.”

There are many benefits of retirement communities – like maintenance-free living, strong social connection and opportunities for mental engagement. Nick has found one of the most meaningful: the time and space to grow creatively.

“I want my writing to inspire people to hear something for the first time and say, ‘Wow, I want to hear more of that.’ That’s when I know I’ve done my job.”

Ready to Rediscover What Retirement Can Be?

Whether it’s painting, writing, performing or simply learning something new, Concordia gives residents the space and support to pursue what they love with creative living in retirement.

Learn more about our retirement living for seniors and the other care levels & services in our network. If you’re ready to explore a lifestyle full of opportunity, contact us today through our online form or by calling us at 724-352-1571.

---

Founded in 1881, Concordia Lutheran Ministries is a faith-based, CARF-accredited Aging Services Network and recipient of the inaugural Pennsylvania Department of Aging Excellence in Quality Care Award. As one of the largest nonprofit senior care providers in the country, the organization serves 50,000 people annually through in-home care and inpatient locations.