Handle With Care

Paris Sterrett is an unapologetic “people person.” Having grown up in a household with a father who worked for a community center and a librarian for a mother likely helped. Born in Rhode Island and educated at the University of Buffalo (now SUNY at Buffalo), he came to the Philadelphia area in 1971 with his wife, Joan. He spent the next 25 years at the VA, helping disabled Vietnam veterans through the vocational rehabilitation program. “I enjoyed the interviewing, finding out what type of educational program would make [each veteran] happiest—their interests, aptitudes, what careers they would like to pursue—in relation to their disabilities,” Sterrett recalls. “I helped the full gamut of people with disabilities. Every person was different. It made me want to go to work every day.” He retired in 1998, but his service to others was just beginning. Years ago Sterrett had taken up golf as a way to stay active and challenge himself. The year prior to his retirement, a friend who was a science teacher at Episcopal Academy tasked him with starting a junior varsity golf for the school. As of 2025, Sterrett has been helping EA students get their golf game “to the next level” for 28 years. In addition, Sterrett works as a volunteer coach for blind and visually impaired golfers through the Middle Atlantic Blind Golf Association, of which he is vice president. He once coached a blind 89-year-old golfer who shot a hole-in-one at the ACE Club, now known as The Union League of Philadelphia’s Liberty Hill course, in Lafayette Hill. “It’s very rewarding,” he says. “You’re not solving all the problems of the world, but you’re joking around, having lunch, and having a good time playing golf. If the person is playing well, I feel like I had something to do with it, somehow enhancing the life of someone with no vision.” Such acts of kindness can have an invaluable effect on another person’s life. Research suggests the person who performs the kindness may get something out of it, too—for seniors in particular. A December 2024 NPR story cited the observational and experimental evidence studied by Tara Gruenewald, a social and health psychologist at Chapman University in Orange, California. Perhaps the most compelling involved the Baltimore Experience Corps trial, in which adults ages 60 and older were assigned to either volunteer at elementary schools or be put on a waiting list. The volunteers spent at least 15 hours per week tutoring underprivileged kids. After two years, researchers found that the volunteers had no decline in memory or cognitive function; the same could not be said of those who were in the control group. Having spent more than 45 years in Narberth, Paris and Joan Sterrett moved to The Mansion at Rosemont, near Bryn Mawr, about six years ago. He oversees the community’s raised flower beds, weeds for a few friends, and writes for the community newsletter, The Voice . Now in his early 80s, he credits his longevity to staying active, his happy 55-year marriage to Joan, and his devotion to helping others. “I’m a very happy person, and I enjoy people,” he says. “I’m probably busier than any other male here [at Rosemont], and doing all these things can really enhance someone’s life.” Where Older Adults Thrive Southeastern Pennsylvania is home to an array of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) and independent-living facilities, all dedicated to helping older adults thrive—whether they live independently, need personal care, or require memory care or some other form of specialized support. Many of these communities are consistently ranked among the best retirement destinations in Pennsylvania, even in the nation. The following lineup highlights some of the top-rated retirement communities in the Philadelphia area. We recognize that the region boasts many outstanding options for retirees, only a fraction of which are represented here. Acts Retirement Life Communities Brittany Pointe Estates in Lansdale, Fort Washington Estates, Granite Farm Estates and Lima Estates in Media, Gwynedd Estates in Ambler, Normandy Farms Estates in Blue Bell, Southampton Estates, and Spring House Estates in Lower Gwynedd actsretirement.org Ann’s Choice – Erickson Senior Living Warminster ericksonseniorliving.com/anns-choice Arbour Square of Harleysville Harleysville trueconnectioncommunities.com Artis Senior Living Huntingdon Valley, Yardley, and Princeton, New Jersey artisseniorliving.com Atria Senior Living Atria Bethlehem, Atria Center City in Philadelphia, and Atria Lafayette Hill atriaseniorliving.com Brandywine Senior Living Haverford Estates, Longwood in Kennett Square, and Upper Providence in Phoenixville brandycare.com Chandler Hall Newtown chandlerhallhealthservices.org Cornwall Manor Cornwall (Lebanon County) cornwallmanor.org Dresher Estates Dresher dresherestates.com Dunwoody Village Newtown Square dunwoody.org Eagleview Landing Exton eagleviewlanding.com Elm Terrace Gardens Lansdale elmterracegardens.org Five Star Senior Living The Devon Senior Living, NewSeasons at New Britain in Chalfont, and Forwood Manor in Wilmington, Delaware fivestarseniorliving.com Freedom Village at Brandywine Coatesville fvbrandywine.com Friends Home & Village Newtown fhvpa.org Garden Spot Village New Holland gardenspotvillage.org HarborChase of Wilmington Wilmington, Delaware harborchase.com/harborchase-wilmington The Hearth at Drexel Bala Cynwyd thehearthatdrexel.org The Hickman West Chester thehickman.org HumanGood The Mansion at Rosemont, Rydal Park & Waters in Jenkintown, and Spring Mill Pointe in Lafayette Hill humangood.org Independence Court of Quakertown Quakertown icquakertown.com IntegraCare Glen Mills Senior Living, Exton Senior Living, Magnolias of Lancaster integracare.com Kendal-Crosslands Communities Kennett Square kendal-crosslands.org The Manor at York Town Jamison themanoratyorktown.org Maplewood at Princeton Plainsboro, New Jersey maplewoodseniorliving.com Maris Grove – Erickson Senior Living ericksonseniorliving.com/maris-grove Glen Mills Masonic Villages Lafayette Hill and Warminster masonicvillages.org Meadowood Lansdale meadowood.net Merrill Gardens Eagleview Landing in Exton, Merrill Gardens at Glen Mills and West Chester, Truewood by Merrill in Glen Riddle merrillgardens.com Oxford Enhanced Senior Living Langhorne oxfordenhancedseniorliving.com Pennswood Village Newtown pennswood.org Phoebe Ministries Allentown and Wyncote phoebe.org Pickering Manor Newtown pickeringmanor.org Pine Run Village Doylestown pinerun.org Pleasant View Communities Manheim pleasantviewcommunities.org Riddle Village Retirement Community Media riddlevillage.com Rosette Gladwyne livingatrosette.com SageLife The 501 at Mattison Estate in Ambler, Plush Mills in Wallingford, Daylesford Crossing in Paoli, and Echo Lake in Malvern sagelife.com The Solana Doylestown Warrington thesolanadoylestown.com Springton Lake Village Media springtonlakevillage.com Sunrise Senior Living Abington, Dresher, Haverford, Lafayette Hill, Media, Newtown Square, and North Wales sunriseseniorliving.com Symphony Square Bala Cynwyd symphonysq.com Bellingham at West Chester West Chester seniorlivingbellingham.com Waverly Heights Gladwyne waverlyheightsltd.org White Horse Village Newtown Square whitehorsevillage.org Photo courtesy of The Mansion at Rosemont Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, September 2025.