Applewood Estates Residents Stay Active with Coffee House Events

Back in the day, the dark and smoky clubs of Greenwich Village coffee houses provided a stage where true performers cut their teeth and elevated performance art to a new level of cool. Residents at , an independent living retirement community, have resurrected this live performance atmosphere and are turning out in droves to perform.

“Our coffee house events give us the chance to stand up on stage and perform─not just sit in the audience and watch,” says Helen Kho, a resident organizer. “Just because we’re seniors doesn’t mean we become passive observers in life.”

Applewood specializes in offering residents a wide spectrum of cultural pursuits including music, theatre, art, education and travel. As a result, the roster of coffee house performers is filled with a wide variety of talent including contemporary singers, a small orchestra, comedic, dramatic and original poetry readings, a theatrical presentation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore, a harmonica player and several storytellers.

The community plans to increase the frequency of coffee house events. The next show is scheduled for February and talented seniors are already reserving performance slots. Several published reports found that seniors who engage in active socialization and community service endeavors live longer and healthier lives, both physically and mentally.

Applewood Estates, including The Green at Applewood, is a non-profit, continuing care retirement community offering apartments and cottages for active independent seniors. Assisted living and skilled nursing areas are available, if ever needed. It is part of CentraState Healthcare System, which is a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Health Network. For more information, call Applewood Estates at (732) 303-7416 or visit ApplewoodEstates.com.