Walk into Jerry and Fay Shultz’s house in Willow Street, and one of the first things you notice is the full wall of family photographs. They cover decades of Shultz family events: vacations, graduations, parties, holidays, and more. As the years have gone by, the family has grown, and that growth is depicted in those photographs of the Shultzes’ three daughters, and now seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, with another on the way. Jerry and Fay Shultz have lived in the Willow Street area all their lives. They’ve been married 61 years and raised their girls here. Their grown daughters relish in recreating the Shultz family legacy with their parents through frequent family gatherings.
Family is truly the joy of the Shultzes’ lives, and you can hear that joy in Fay’s voice as she talks about spending precious time with their grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. “We have a lot of family in the area, and we have a lot of family events — celebrations, the holidays. I just love it. I love having everyone here in my own home all together,” she says.
As time went on, the Shultzes assumed they would need some kind of plan for future supportive care. When they witnessed how a family’s nest egg could quickly be depleted with the skyrocketing costs of private pay care, they knew their plan would also have to be financially smart. And they wanted their plan to not only handle care for them as they aged, but also allow them to stay in their own home, continuing to host all those festive family gatherings for as long as they wanted.
SmartLife VIA Willow Valley, a true Life Plan at Home program, was the perfect fit for the Shultzes. Jerry and Fay continue their current lifestyle in their home with the security of knowing they are covered if additional care is ever needed. Their assets are also better protected with the program’s Lifecare coverage because fees are not increased due to a need for an enhanced level of care.
Because SmartLife is under the Willow Valley Communities umbrella of brands, Jerry and Fay had even more confidence in their decision. Jerry’s parents and Fay’s mother were all Residents of Willow Valley Communities, and they remember the excellent service and care they received. The decision to join SmartLife, recalls Jerry, was a “no-brainer.”
Jerry and Fay say their family is very happy with their decision to become SmartLife Members. In fact, Jerry’s brother, Colin, and his wife, Judy, also joined in 2014. “We enjoy our home,” says Colin, “but yet, we wanted the assurance of Willow Valley Communities’ conveniences and healthcare if we need it.”
“My three daughters are so glad we have SmartLife,” adds Jerry. “Should something happen to me, it would not be my wife’s job or my daughters’ job to take care of me. It would be SmartLife’s job. The personal care we receive from SmartLife is so much better than just a plain old policy through an insurance company.”
He summarizes, “Only when something happens do you realize you’re not going to live forever, so you better have a trusted and financially smart plan in place. When SmartLife came, it was the answer. We knew we were going to join SmartLife and stay in our home.”
