JoAnn Schuch has been a resident of Humboldt County for over 30 years, working as a custom furniture and cabinetmaker and designer. She has been active in organizations like the Humboldt Woodworkers Guild and Redwood Coast Village.

I became interested in the issues of aging after being the primary caregiver for three adults in my family. As I helped my mother, father, and aunt up to the point of their deaths, it was a crash course both in basic nursing and in negotiating the complex world of elder care. Knowing I could inherit my mother’s condition of memory loss and dementia made me think of what kind of care I myself might need in the future.

Why Life Plan Humboldt is Important To Me

I became interested in the issues of aging after being the primary caregiver for three adults in my family. As I helped my mother, father, and aunt up to the point of their deaths, it was a crash course both in basic nursing and in negotiating the complex world of elder care. Knowing I could inherit my mother’s condition of memory loss and dementia made me think of what kind of care I myself might need in the future.

While my parents lived with me, I saw that Humboldt County had some great agencies and businesses for older adults. But there were options lacking, including a local Life Plan community. This model encourages residents to have an active, independent lifestyle while being able to access support if they need assisted living, memory/dementia care, or advanced nursing. All this in one location, with a trained staff.

I want Humboldt to be a great place to grow old in and I support building a Life Plan community here for three reasons.

1. I have witnessed some of my older friends leave Humboldt County to join Life Plan communities in other areas. This meant people with deep connections to the North Coast were leaving behind the social support they had built over the years. We have also lost their commitment to community organizations, their skills, historical knowledge of the area, and the financial resources they offered. As people bought into Life Plan communities elsewhere, jobs that could have been created here are also lost.
2. I really want a better model of skilled nursing locally. People need to see that advanced nursing can be done in a compassionate and humane way, and hopefully that would influence a change in the existing Brius-run skilled nursing facilities.
3. I can also see people from other areas coming to a Life Plan community here, especially if they have adult children living locally. This is a benefit to our economy, and a way to create another source of employment with jobs for managers, gardeners, maintenance and food service people, as well as caregivers and medical professionals.

The beaches, rivers, and forests are my salve… as are my deep friendships. This is my home, and I don’t want to leave. I am committed to helping create a Life Plan option on the North Coast.