Kendal at Oberlin

01/01/2026

Happy New Year from all of us at Kendal at Oberlin! May the year ahead bring you health, happiness, and countless moments of joy. Wishing you a wonderful start to the New Year!

12/30/2025

This month Jeannette Spooner celebrates her 4th anniversary working in Kendal’s Housekeeping Department.

Her current position involves cleaning Independent Living cottages in Lot 14 and 15 and helping out as needed with other housekeepers. Jeannette has had many interesting conversations with residents while cleaning, often about trips they have taken, but one meaningful exchange stands out.

“I got to talk to a resident that knew a friend of Anne Frank's. I'm a big fan of Anne Frank's and I read her book, and it's so neat to meet somebody that knows someone who actually knew Anne Frank and was neighbors with her,” she says, adding “Working with older adults has given me more of a positive insight. It's very enjoyable. And I tend to learn a lot. I just love the Quaker values the residents have.”

In 2021 Jeannette was in a very bad car accident that almost took her life. “I was in bed and could not use my legs for three months. I had to learn how to walk again and that was a challenge, and I had to learn how to use a wheelchair and a walker. So, working at Kendal and seeing people with walkers and wheelchairs, I can relate and it can be challenging. But we get through it and we have to think of the positive of everything for life is beautiful.”

Jeannette is married and has a 21-year-old son, two dogs and a cat. She has lived in Oberlin for more than 40 years and “loves every bit of it.”

12/25/2025

Happy Holidays from Kendal at Oberlin! Here’s to joy, peace, and a bright year ahead.

12/23/2025

Holiday Cheer at Kendal at Oberlin!

Our departments brought their creativity, teamwork, and holiday spirit to this year’s Tree Decorating Contest—and the results were absolutely spectacular. A huge thank‑you to all the departments who participated and helped spread the magic of the holidays throughout our campus.

12/22/2025

To all who celebrate, we hope these eight days have brought moments of reflection, connection, and light. Happy Hanukkah from all of us at Kendal at Oberlin!

12/17/2025

Kendal at Oberlin’s application to the Arbor Day Foundation was recently renewed, which means the life plan community has been recognized as a Tree Campus Healthcare community since 2022.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation:

“Being recognized as a Tree Campus is a significant achievement. It demonstrates your institution's commitment to environmental stewardship, sustainability, and community engagement. By meeting the rigorous standards set forth by the Arbor Day Foundation, you contribute to a greener and healthier campus environment.”

There are about 60 Tree Campus Healthcare designations in the United States but only a handful are Continuing Care Retirement Communities such as Kendal at Oberlin.

Being a Tree Campus is just one of several environmental sustainability initiatives at Kendal.

The John Bartram Arboretum at Kendal at Oberlin was accredited as a Level II arboretum in 2022 by ArbNet, the global network of arboreta founded by the Morton Arboretum in Illinois. This is the only arboretum in Northeast Ohio which resides on the grounds of a retirement community (Kendal at Oberlin). Stewardship of the arboretum’s 100+ acre grounds, ensures its conservation as a place where trees and other plants are grown for enjoyment, education and celebration of the natural environment…a place where Kendal residents, staff and the greater community can benefit from for years to come.

In an effort to reduce light pollution, which adversely effects human health, wildlife and the environment along with wasting money and energy, Kendal hopes to become the first retirement community certified as a Dark Sky Place by Dark Sky International. Lighting improvements that have been made at Kendal, include shielded, low glare walkway lighting that dims down when no one is on the path and installation of 20-foot poles (instead of the usual 8-10 foot) that provide more uniform lighting with fewer poles.

In 2021 Kendal mounted 60 solar panels on a new garage and carport, each with 2 EV charging stations. These panels generate enough electricity to light both buildings, power the charging stations and illuminate 75 energy-efficient LED light poles and posts.

12/16/2025

You’re never too old to appreciate a good reading list, and in fact some of today’s book lists are geared for the older adult audience.

Here are 5;

1. Not only is Mark Nepo's new book “The Fifth Season: Creativity in the Second Half of Life” for older adult readers, but the book comes with a two-page “Elder Reading List.” It includes some familiar titles, such as “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande, “The Coming of Age” by Simone de Beauvoir and “Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life” by Richard Rohr, but also some new (to us) books, like “Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life” by Sharon Blackie, “The ElderGarten: A Field Guide for the Journey of a Lifetime” by Sally Hare and “Walking in Wonder: Eternal Wisdom for a Modern World” by John O’Donohue.

2. Thanks to a robust online community of millions of readers “Goodreads" can easily compile all sorts of lists, like 6,000 “Aging Books.” Titles include “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” by New Yorker cartoonish Roz Chast, two by Fredrik Backman - “A Man Called Ove” and “And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer” and two by Nora Ephron – “I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections” and “I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman,” Joan Chittister “The Gift of Years: Growing Old Gracefully” and “The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly: Life Wisdom from Someone Who Will (Probably) Die Before You” by Margareta Magnusson.

3. Another Goodreads list is “Senior Citizen Books” and includes the endearing 2025 book “The Correspondent,” the “Thursday Murder Club” series by Richard Osman, “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared” by Jonas Jonasson, and “Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century” by Jessica Bruder (also made into an award-winning movie).

4. The Austin Public Library compiled a list of non-fiction books for older adults. Titles include “Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing as We Age” by Mary Bray Pipher, “The Widower’s Notebook” by Jonathan Santlofer and “Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimaging Life” by Louise Aronson.

What book would you recommend for an older adult?

12/15/2025

The holidays are a time for family, but they can also bring important health conversations, especially for older loved ones. When health issues make cooking, bathing and other activities challenging it might mean it’s time to consider a move to Assisted Living. Here are tips on how to find a quality community.

When health issues make cooking, bathing and other activities challenging it might mean it’s time to consider a move to Assisted Living. Here are tips on how to find a quality community.

12/12/2025

We’re thrilled to see Kendal at Oberlin highlighted in the Cleveland Jewish News for creating meaningful opportunities for residents to celebrate Chanukah. As our CEO Seth Vilensky shared, “The spirit of Chanukah and the brightness it brings to the world is a theme everybody can get around."

Ensuring that older adults in the Jewish community have an opportunity to take part in activities and celebrate Chanukah with others is crucial to their well-being and happiness, according to

12/08/2025

Last Thursday, we said goodbye to the last kitchen trailer that kept us cooking through all the dust, noise, and excitement of our kitchen renovations. Thank you for carrying us through this chapter — now it’s time to enjoy our beautiful new kitchen!

12/08/2025

Staff are in “Christmas tree competition mode” (a Lorenzo pizza party is on the line) and pulling out “ugly” sweaters, residents are gearing up for the annual Winter Solstice program and Early Learning Center children are practicing their favorite holiday songs.

Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like the holidays at Kendal at Oberlin.

Here’s what’s on tap.

This week the Staff Appreciation Committee is showing its appreciation by letting employees dress up (or down) for the holidays. Along with ugly sweater day, there’s lights and sparkle day and red and white (think candy cane) day. Festivities kick off today with lunchtime karaoke and desserts and conclude Friday with the announcement of what department gets the free pizza party for its decorated tree.

Kendal residents have been celebrating Winter Solstice for 30 years with various themes, readings and songs to shed light on around the year’s shortest day, typically Dec. 21. This year’s celebration on Dec. 13 highlights “the darkness and light” surrounding immigration. Along with music from the Kendal choir, Toot Sweet recorder group and a String Trio, a handful of residents and staff will share immigration stories.

Dec. 14 is a busy day, with international carol singalong in the afternoon (so far the lineup includes carols and songs in German, Spanish, French, Italian, Swedish and Japanese) followed by a Chanukah blessing at sundown, which will continue for eight nights. All residents are invited to join the Jewish community for these evening blessings, which include candle lighting and songs.

Three popular holiday favorites are the Kendal Early Learning Center holiday song performance (Dec. 18), the marimba concert by Jara Dell, Kendal’s music therapist (Dec.22) and Christmas Eve caroling and readings around the Kendal fireplace.

12/05/2025

Ohio snow birds don’t all head south. Look for owls and other birds who like to winter in the Buckeye state and contact your local National Audubon Society chapter for birding activities.

Ohio snow birds don’t all head south. Look for owls and other birds who like to winter in the Buckeye state and contact your local National Audubon Society chapter for birding activities.