Nichols Court, along with Albright LIFE, is "a place where people can be vibrant and transition into the next phase of their life gracefully," said Tracy Haas, Albright LIFE marketing coordinator.
Nichols Court, under the management of Warrior Run Development Corp., is an opportunistic way of living for seniors age 62 or older who want independence without having to give up the feeling of community.
Located at 900 Nichols Place, the three-story building, with eight rooms on each floor, offers "emergency pull chords, which provide more security for residents, as well as a call box security system," said Sandra Suydam, support service manager at Nichols Court.
Among spacious living quarters, the nonsmoking independent living center includes affordable rooms - and some reserved for handicapped residents - as well as a commons for get-togethers and a computer room.
Diagonal from the independent living center is Albright LIFE, a senior center at which older residents of the community can spend time with one another.
Open five days a week, Albright LIFE provides a program that "has structure, but allows [seniors to] still have a choice in what they do each day," Haas said.
The program consists of various activities for senior citizens, including exercise routines, a library, a community corner, and even a beauty salon.
Lloyd Packer, 67, a resident of Nichols Court and a member of Albright LIFE, said that Nichols Court turned everything around for him.
Packer lived with his daughter and her husband, but knew that his preference was to live independently.
He found Nichols Court through Albright LIFE and "within a few weeks, the paperwork was done and in," Packer said. "You can't find any better neighbors."
For anyone who is tentative about Nichols Court or Albright, Packer said, "You don't have to be nervous. The people at Albright make you feel like family. It's terrific. At Nichols, [there is] no better place out there in Williamsport. They're very helpful at both places."
The most valuable opportunity that Packer gains out of being involved in both Nichols Court and Albright LIFE is that he is "a lot stronger than I was. There is no forcing me to do anything. I go everyday. When it was time for me to move [into Nichols Court], they made sure I had everything I needed."
Eileen Dickey, 81, is a member of Albright LIFE and lives at Linn Street Manor, another branch of the Warrior Run Development Corp.
"I really love it because I feel safe here. It's so convenient and everybody is so nice," Dickey said of Linn Street, where she has been residing for more than 10 years. "I was very fortunate when I applied; I didn't know they had handicapped apartments," Dickey said, who is disabled.
Of Albright, Dickey said that she "at first doubted it." Hearing about it from her daughter, Dickey made the decision to visit and now she said she can't thank her daughter enough.
Dickey has been attending Albright for a year, visiting three times a week using the facility's provided transportation. She said: "It's the "best thing that ever happened to me; it's something to look forward to."
"I'm just thankful they have something like this. I wasn't thinking about what needed to be done. This is the best decision. Everyday is fantastic. It's the little things that really count," Dickey said.
Borch is a senior at Montoursville Area High School, where she is the layout editor for the school newspaper.
