Ruggles

Affordable

Assisted

Living

Boston,       Massachusetts

Introduction

The Developers New Communities Services New Atlantic Development Committee to End Elder Homelessness

The Residents

The Member

Audio Tour

The Numbers

The Residents

Mary Robinson is a resident at Ruggles Affordable Assisted Living.

I went to school here in 1941 and '42. There's one other person who lives here and also went to school here in the late '30s and early '40s.

I was born a block down the street and went to third and fourth grades here in the early 1940s.

Then I lived in Atlanta for 20 years; I was doing different things there, mostly in the field of education. I worked at Spellman College.

When I came back to Boston, one of my friends told me they had assisted living here at the old Lafayette School. It seemed interesting and sentimental because I had gone to school here. I decided I'd take a look at it. This happens to be one of the few schools I went to that is still standing.

I came back to Boston because of my health and because my family was here. I had two strokes and a heart attack. I came here because I needed some assistance in living.

I have a son who lives in Revere and a sister who lives in Martin Luther King Towers, an elderly housing development in Boston.

Ruggles Assisted Living is a place where I can be comfortable and safe.

Having this housing is a good idea. It takes the weight of having to support an extra person off of my family. Social Security is my only source of income now.

I go out a lot. I go everywhere. Sometimes I go up the corner to catch the bus; I go over to Watertown to Country Buffet, which I like. Sometimes I go to downtown Boston. I go to the programs at the Salvation Army up the street a lot. They have a computer-learning center there and I use that a lot. I've taken a few courses. I like computers. I have one in my room, but it's outdated.

Catherine Auffrey is a resident at Ruggles Affordable Assisted Living.

Catherine Auffrey in her room at Ruggles Affordable Assisted Living.

I was living with my daughter and her husband in an apartment in Plymouth, but my daughter died.

I met Beverley, a social worker, over at the Anna Bissonnette House (an independent-living program in Boston's South End run by the Committee to End Elder Homelessness) and she got me in over there.

I had two accidents. In the last one I hurt my hip, so they said I needed more help. I came over here because they have more personal-care assistance here.

I was born in Charlestown [a section of Boston]. I went from Charlestown to Jamaica Plain, and then from Jamaica Plain to Mattapan.

Then my daughter moved down to Plymouth, so I moved down there to be with her. And then from Plymouth I came up here. I had seven kids. I have eight grandchildren and about 16 great grandchildren.

Two of my children are dead. My son was 28 and my daughter was 31. My son had epilepsy. It was very bad. He had a seizure and fell. We were looking for him for three days. My daughter had a blood clot in her lung. She wasn't sick or anything; she had five children herself.

I got a little depressed about it and the staff took me in the office. Eileen says, "Come on, let's talk about it, let me know your daughter." I liked that. She says, "Introduce me to your daughter."

So I sat down and we talked about the good things and it was real good. I stopped crying and I started eating again; it was nice of them to do that for me.

Living at Ruggles
When I get up, I put on the news to check the weather and see if I can go outside. I go down to breakfast at eight o'clock, and then I go outside and have a cigarette. The cigarette is not for me; it's for some guy I know who can't go outside, so I do it for him.

Then I come up and make phone calls to let everybody know I'm still living on this earth. And then I'll read and then I'll go down for lunch and maybe go back outside and smoke for that guy I told you about.

In the afternoon, they always have something for us to do here. Maybe we'll go on a boat ride around the islands or go shopping. I love shopping; it's my middle name: Catherine Shopping. We go to bingo twice a week, and we're going to start having cooking classes, which is good.

I have a lot of good friends here. I like the people here. I'm a people person. I like to joke and they let me get away with it.
One of my children my oldest — is up in New Hampshire. I don't see the other children much. Every once in a while my son in New Hampshire sends me a card. I have one son, Brian, down in Plymouth. I see my son Michael all the time.

I love the staff here; they're really nice; they help me out whenever they can; I get a lot of help making my bed and help with my laundry. And having three meals a day doesn't hurt either.

When I grumble about food or something like that here, the staff listens to me. I like that. They don't say, "Well, it's supposed to be that way." They listen to the individual.

And you don't feel like you're old here; I like that too, because I'm not old (I think I'm 66). Tomorrow I'll be old.