Virginia, 83, is playing Scrabble with Campbell (Cam) Sibbers, 78, her constant companion at The Orchards Retirement Residence in Vineland

Virginia, 83, is playing Scrabble with Campbell (Cam) Sibbers, 78, her constant companion at The Orchards Retirement Residence in Vineland

Considering senior living but daunted by downsizing?

Cam and Virginia, who met at The Orchards, have no plans to marry, but have found the sort of companionship in each other that generally comes with a long-term marriage. Call them lovebirds if you like. With residents of retirement homes active and often widowed, partnering up with someone is not uncommon, according to one residence administrator.

Across the room, Eugene Moreau, 89, tells how he and Helen Schott, 70, sitting beside him, have all their meals at a table for two in the dining room.

“We spend a lot of time together,” says Helen, a widow who had a stroke 27 years ago. “We have rooms next to each other.”

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