Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful……

December '09 brings a winter storm to Asheville

By now you have probably heard all about the East Coast snow storm that turned this part of the country white, snarled traffic and left thousands without power. That weather event dropped over a foot of snow on Deerfield, where most of it still blankets the ground, ensuring a “white Christmas.”

We thought you might be interested in some of the “snow stories” from our residents who rode out the storm in the warmth and safety of their homes here at Deerfield. They are stories of residents helping residents, management staff who slept over in guest rooms to help with kitchen prep work, and even the CEO delivering meals on wheels to some of the cottagers in drifts up to two feet.

Read on, and we think you’ll understand what we mean when we say at Deerfield we truly do take care of you.

THE SNOWSTORM OF 2009 AT DEERFIELD

I've always known how much I love living at Deerfield. The snow storm of 2009 brought this home to me even more! It was truly amazing to watch how the staff and residents worked together to make living here a beautiful dream instead of what could have been a nightmare!

While the rest of the city was almost completely shut down, Deerfield never missed a beat to keep all of us warm, cozy, well fed and completely comfortable. The limited staff was here to serve all our needs and beyond. You would never have known many staff were unable to get to work on the slippery and black iced streets. Everything continued in its' usual efficient manner. We saw staff members in rather unusual roles. Our CEO was cheerfully serving us as he worked behind the counter in the Bistro. For those who couldn't make it to daily meals, because their driveways were blocked with snow, dinners were delivered to them... warm and ready to eat!

How wonderful it was to see how the residents offered their help. They cheerfully took on roles usually performed by staff. The Bistro was buzzing with residents serving residents. One resident was checking us in for dining. Many others were busy as servers. I was given a quick lesson in all the various duties our dining room servers perform on a daily basis. I took on some of these duties myself trying to be as pleasant as we always see our servers! It certainly made me realize how hard they work, how many tasks they get done, and how lucky we are to have the best of the best here at Deerfield.

Watching the soft falling snow and this winter wonderland develop was a feeling of joy and peace. As I knew I was being well taken care of, I could relax and enjoy this beautiful snowy dream. Again, I can say we were all kept warm, cozy, well fed and completely comfortable! I attribute this wonderful luxury to living at Deerfield, and for this I count my blessings daily!

Renée Latty

Let It Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

The view out our windows at Deerfield was magical during the giant snowstorm this past weekend: snow kept falling everywhere, on every branch, as well as on the ground, and birds fluttered around our feeder. My husband and I felt mercifully safe tucked inside, where it was warm. Night and day Deerfield maintenance crews plowed to open and widen our roads and salt pathways, making sure emergency vehicles could get in and out if need be, and residents would be safe. There were calls to reassure us that food would be provided to those of us living in cottages and clusters, away from the main buildings, if we needed it, and even the CEO came up the walk to bring Sunday dinner to neighbors who had not stored up as much food as we had. Right at the height of the snow, I had to have an important prescription filled. A nurse offered to go to the drug store for it, and then Nancy, our devoted weekend security guard, offered to clear snow from our car, then started it, and turned it around, headed out, so I could get the medicine myself. A long experienced snow driver, I was grateful for that solution and even could get bread and milk besides. People in all departments made an effort to come to work and were kind, patient, and full of smiles, even though they had to risk terrible driving conditions to get here. Those who work at Deerfield are always dear to us, but an emergency situation was when they really stepped up to help. Their kindness and willingness to go way beyond an "extra mile" were surely a Christmas blessing this year. Gratefully, Elizabeth Hubbell

Below is an email from the Hubbell's son:

Dear Mom,

I hope you enjoyed being snowbound. I'm very glad that you and Dad have good general health and have been able to make rational choices about your future. You've created a safe situation for yourselves where you can be in control even in the event of contingencies like a major snowstorm. That's a real gift to yourselves, obviously, but also to Rick and me who don't have to worry about "what to do about mom and dad." You've made the hard choices about your destiny, and we can follow your wishes.

Love,

Drew

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW

When the weather outside was frightful, living at Deerfield was delightful - no snow to shovel, no loss of power or heat - and lots of friends close by to share blizzard stories with and enjoy hot, delicious meals served to us by our great top execs who pitched in for dining staff who were snowbound. If I had still been living in my condo on the hill in North Asheville, I wouldn't have had any electricity for over a day, and probably wouldn't have been able to navigate the roads to get to the store for milk and bread. Living at Deerfield is always special, but during this past snow emergency, I enjoyed the security and extra care which truly defines this exceptional retirement community.

Jean Hoefner, Deerfield Resident since 2006

It’s easy to be lulled into taking for granted the care one receives at Deerfield. So it is good at times to have an unexpected event like the foot of snow that fell before Christmas. Probably the biggest storm in fifteen years. While we were warmly tucked in, the landscaping workers were clearing and salting roads and parking lots until midnight. The next morning we met staffers who stayed over night on cots to man the switchboards and work in healthcare. While some of the residents could chip in at mealtime, it was amazing to see how many of the bistro crew had struggled. The CEO and CFO were working in the kitchen and delivering meals to shut ins in their cottages. Others were shoveling more snow. In some ways it was a grand experience providing endless anecdotes and laughs. But it wouldn’t have been that way without the dedication of those who look out for all us residents………………….The Heisers

Deerfield WNC

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful……