Ann's Choice Resident Edie Kelly Plays Favorite Songs for Neighbors

Walk into the Keystone Clubhouse at Ann's Choice, the Erickson Senior Living community in Bucks County, Pa., on any weekday afternoon, and you'll be greeted by a familiar melody.

Resident Edie Kelly plays popular songs from the 1920s to the 1970s on her electric keyboard for her neighbors to sing along, dance, and play "guess that song" with. 

For Edie, a self-taught musician since her early twenties, playing the keyboard for fellow residents and community guests brings her great joy. 

"It just thrills me to have this little dream of mine come true!" she says. 

A different path

Edie first dreamed of playing for a crowd before she moved to Ann's Choice. She held on to that dream, waiting for the right time and place to share her talent. Now, she couldn't be happier that it has finally come to fruition.

In 2018, while exploring her senior living options, she decided to attend a sales luncheon at Ann's Choice to learn more about the community. 

"I heard what they had to say and knew I didn't need to look anywhere else," she recalls. 

The community's size and wealth of activities appealed to Edie. With nearly 150 groups and clubs, plus an on-site medical center, restaurants, arts and entertainment center, fitness and aquatics center, and outdoor amenities, she knew she found the perfect place. 

"I thought I'd fit right in," says Edie, who wanted to pave her own path for retirement. "My mother wanted to be in her house as long as she could, and it got to be very lonely for her. I was living in a house all by myself; I knew I wanted something different."

Dream come true

Although Edie was ready to embrace the active Ann's Choice lifestyle, fate had another plan. When the pandemic hit, she decided to delay her move. 

During that time, she practiced diligently on her digital piano. 

"You couldn't go anywhere, so I just played and played and played," recalls Edie. "It was my secret wish that when I moved to Ann's Choice, I'd find a small corner to play, and people would sit down and listen."

After moving from her house in Lawrenceville, N.J., to her two-bedroom apartment home in 2022, she found more than just a small corner. 

"I ended up at the front door!" says Edie, who proudly plays in the lobby area of the Keystone Clubhouse. 

The right fit

Edie's dream had a close call when she first moved in. 

"When we got my digital piano here, my grandson, who was helping me move, said, 'That's not portable,'" she recalls. "I thought, 'That's the end of my dream." She realized she wouldn't be able to carry her digital piano out to share her music.

When almost all hope was lost, Edie's son bought her a portable keyboard--and revived her dream. Now, she's able to carry her keyboard from her apartment home to the Keystone Clubhouse by herself and set it up. 

Her digital piano lives in her second bedroom--now a multipurpose room which also houses a computer station, daybed, and filing cabinet. She had no doubt it would all fit because she created a furniture plan with Lisa Sicilia, planning and moving consultant at Ann's Choice, before she moved.

"Lisa came to my house and measured everything to ensure it would fit. I used a lot of the furniture from my house in my new apartment," Edie says. "The morning after we finished moving, I woke up and said, 'I'm home.'"

'Absolute joy'

Though Edie was attracted to Ann's Choice for its range of activities, she enjoys filling her days with music. 

"The music has filled in everything. I spend mornings getting songs ready. In the afternoon, I'm playing, and then it's time for dinner," she says.

Music hasn't restricted her from making friends, though. In fact, it's sparked friendships! 

"People recognize me and say hello. I have conversations all the time," she says, adding that eating dinner at the on-site restaurants is also a great meeting place. 

For Edie, watching her hobby blossom into a communitywide event that creates friendships and brings smiles to her neighbors' faces has been incredibly rewarding. 

"Living at Ann's Choice has turned out to be even better than I'd hoped," she says. "It gives me great joy. Absolute joy!"

To learn more about affordable, independent senior living at Ann's Choice, request your free brochure to get the scoop on amenities, floor plans, and so much more.