Meet Our Resident of the Month ~ Janice Tobolski

Janice Tobolski, a resident of Trier Woods 55+ Independent Living Community for the past four years, shared her experience of living on The Brothers of Mercy Wellness Campus.

How did you originally hear about The Brothers of Mercy Wellness Campus?
My husband Joe died in 2021 and I was working part-time in the East Aurora library. One of my duties was to stand in the lobby at closing time to let people know we were closing. There were a lot of brochures in the lobby and I would look at them. I saw one for senior living apartments at The Brothers of Mercy. I took it home and read it. I had to sell the house, it was just too big and I couldn’t keep up with the yard. I grew up in Rhode Island and lived in the Village of East Aurora. It was very nice and great for walking.

I wanted a place that wasn’t too busy with a lot of traffic, and The Brothers of Mercy kept popping up because they had all different levels of care. I had no children and my sisters live in New England and Virginia. I thought this would be a good place to live. It was during COVID, which made it tough. I called for a tour four and a half years ago. They were so welcoming and answered my questions. I took a tour to see if it was suitable for my journey. I was thrilled to see the Chapel to have access to weekly Mass. That meant a lot to me. The clincher was my dad’s middle name was Clarence.

Are there activities you enjoy at Trier Woods?
I attend the resident dinners. I always go to Lori’s exercise class! She is such a cheerleader and knows about our aches and pains. She is so uplifting and cheerful. I try to go to that class three times a week. I am a Eucharistic minister and lector for Mass. We have various activities that are not scheduled regularly and I will sign up for those. One of the wonderful things is there are so many different kinds of things that are offered for the residents. We all have different likes. I like having my own apartment. It’s my sanctuary and I like to read. I love having the Clarence Library van come once a month. I will get some videos and books.

Have you gotten to know your neighbors at Trier Woods?
I have a couple of friends, one really great friend who has been here two years. We both had wonderful husbands. Dolores and I trade stories. She is very outgoing and lights up the room. For Mother’s Day, she invited me to join her family. They have invited me to the homes of all their nieces and nephews. They have adopted me. For the holidays, I alternate between Dolores’ family and Joe’s family in East Aurora. One time my niece took me on a business trip to New England, and it was 20 minutes from my sister. It was a beautiful time. I don’t leave the campus or travel much. I am satisfied here and enjoying walking around the campus. I don’t get easily bored. I can walk the same paths and notice new things and growth in the same plants.

What do you love about living on Campus?
What I like about it is that I can set my own rhythm. We all have different needs as far as socializing. I do need time for solitude. I can schedule my time according to who I want to be or who I am meant to be, rather than being herded into some place or having mandatory meetings. I like the flow and freedom here. I see a lot of kindness in the residents and volunteers. They do a lot of work for the programs and activities here like Wii Bowling and Jeopardy. The housekeeping is marvelous and people pitch in. When somebody is sick, people gather around to see if they need anything. I have a neighbor, Ben, who is 100 and old enough to be my dad, is so sweet. He comes over to bring me food when he has extra from his relatives.

What would you say to someone who faces a similar situation as you did about what the benefits are of living at Trier Woods?
It’s surprising how many times when I am walking, people stop to ask me directions. We stop and chat. One time I met a nurse who was going to the skilled nursing center to visit a former patient. I thought that was so beautiful. She was planning ahead about selling her house. I told her everything I liked about living here. I like that there is breathing space and the layout of the building. It’s like a pinwheel, not many stories high or overbearing. I can look out my window and see the St. Francis the garden and not someone else’s window across the alley. It fills my needs and I have the opportunity to share. I help Brother Ken set up for Mass.