Madeline and I came to Humboldt County in the 1960’s. We bought land in Bayside, built our present home and raised our family here. As we age, there has been a growing awareness that when we can’t or no longer want to maintain our present location we would probably need to move to a senior community near Salem or Portland to be closer to our adult children.

This idea of joining a structured community was based in watching my parents who lived comfortably and happily in a senior community for over fifteen years. They modeled for us the process of smoothly making a major life transition. They never expected to make this change. In fact, it was forced upon them earlier than expected by a medical crisis. My mother had surgery for a non-malignant brain tumor. They knew life was going to slowly change for them, and they found a way to have an interesting and active lifestyle while having the security of knowing they would be in a safe environment for the rest of their lives.

We have seen numerous friends leaving Humboldt County for similar reasons as those my parents faced and it has made us aware of the lack in our own community. It is important that we have options as we age, since the future is not predictable. For this and many other reasons we are supporting the development of Life Plan Humboldt.

We look forward to watching its growth and development over the next few years.

David and Madeline McMurray