Why We Chose Concordia: Mike and Linda Walker

Did you know Concordia has multiple senior care locations that offer retirement living? At any given time, we are serving around 1,000 seniors in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and Tampa, Florida in that one service line alone! We hear a lot of great things from our retirement community residents and their families about our services, and we wanted to take the opportunity to share one of their stories with you.

Mike and Linda Walker moved to Concordia at Sumner in Copley, OH from there large home in Chagrin Falls in 2015. Their search for a retirement community was similar to many others, except, unlike some people, they allowed themselves plenty of time to do their homework.

“We worked our whole lives, and we always planned for everything,” Mike said. “I don’t understand why people wouldn’t plan their retirement the same way. It’s just so much better to not be in a hurry and have time to shop around.”

They started online, looking for communities close to Cleveland Clinic Akron General that offered onsite healthcare services that would allow them to age in place. They narrowed their initial search down to 10 communities and started making calls and setting up appointments. Unfortunately, every place they visited was missing something.

“We always found little drawbacks in other communities,” Linda said. “But since we were researching before we actually needed to move, we had time to think about our decision.”

A friend mentioned Concordia at Sumner and they decided to check out the website. They watched a video showing the location, services and amenities, and quickly made an appointment to look at the community.

“We knew this was the place for us after the first visit,” Linda said. “It’s heaven here. We could not be happier.”

Since moving in, the couple has discovered what others meant when they said Concordia offers a worry-free lifestyle. Before they even had to ask, staff was already offering to help hang pictures and go out of their way for them.

“Everything has been fabulous,” Linda said. “This is truly home.”

Their daughter is thrilled with their decision, as she is only 15 miles away. Beyond that, some of their favorite aspects of their home at Concordia at Sumner are the food, the ensuite washer and dryer and the indoor swimming pool.

But most of all, it’s the people who give Sumner a true family feel.

“I never really thought about having friendships with the people here, but I love them,” Linda said with a smile. “It’s a very inclusive environment, and that makes us want to be even more involved. It’s just a great place.”

She continued, “There’s no stress on us now. We’re taking care of ourselves, and if we ever need more help later, we know for certain that we’ll be taken care of.”

Concordia at Sumner broke ground on a retirement living expansion in summer 2018, with an expected opening of spring 2019. The three-story building will add 65 new independent living apartments and approximately 105,000 square feet. Residents of the new one bedroom, two bedroom and two bedroom corner apartments will have access to all the first-class amenities that are standard at Concordia at Sumner, including the Terrace Room restaurant, fitness center, swimming pool, craft room, game room and more.

Those who commit to an apartment during the building phase will be able to take advantage of the most generous price discounts in Concordia at Sumner history. If you are interested in learning more about Concordia’s new retirement living expansion, please call Director of Marketing Rowena Wilkins at 330-664-1289 or message us through the Contact form on our expansion website, www.SumnerExpansion.org.