Teenager Mistakenly Moved Into A Senior Living Complex, But Now Loves It There: "It's Like Having Extra Sets Of Grandparents"

We often find happiness in the most unexpected places. The same was the case for a teenager from Okhlama who stumbled upon it after falling in love with an apartment. It had only been a week since Madison Kohout had moved to her new residence in the northeast Arkansas City of Piggott when she uncovered the truth about her neighbors. "I was looking around at my surroundings to see what there was I could do here, and I saw the sign that said 'Senior Living Apartments,' and I realized I moved myself into a retirement community," the 19-year-old told The New York Times. "Once I saw the sign, all the things clicked. I was like, 'Oh, my goodness, I can't believe I did this.'"

Madison decided to move to Arkansas after forming a heartwarming bond with Lori Parker of Piggott on social media. Lori is a TikToker who describes herself as "a Preacher's wife, Mom, and Nonna" to her more than 65,000 followers, Madison being one of them. The two instantly developed a rapport online after leaving comments on the videos they shared. And before Parker knew it, Madison had touched her heart. "I felt like I've known her for a long time," Parker said of Madison, who left home at the age of 17 following a childhood that came with "a lot of challenges."

In one of her TikTok posts, the teenager said she grew up supporting herself and that it had been a long time since she had the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. That's when Parker invited her to Arkansas but unfortunately, their plan fell through. But Madison was determined to meet Parker and her family, and she somehow managed to arrange it in February. "I just fell in love with her family, and they were so good to me," she said. Eventually, Parker suggested that Madison should move to Piggott to be closer to her and the family, which includes Parker's husband, Shawn, and their four children.

In March, Madison moved to Piggott from Norman, Oklahoma, and began looking for apartments online. There wasn't much information about apartments in Piggott so when Madison finally found a place she liked, she signed a month-to-month lease. The teen was blissfully unaware of what she was getting herself into and even her landlord did not tell her anything about it. "She knew I was 19 but never said anything. The landlord really liked me," she said. Madison further explained that while the complex was designed for older adults, it was as an "equal-opportunity housing," meaning landlords could not legally discriminate against renters.

After realizing that she has moved into a senior living facility, Madison recalled an odd comment from her landlord who made her sign the lease. It was past sundown and the landlord informed her she could start moving in that night if she wished to. "No one's going to hear anything," the landlord told her. "They can't really hear very well." This particular characteristic of her neighborhood is just one of the perks that the nursing assistant enjoys while living in the apartment complex of older adults. Madison shares updates about her apartment complex on TikTok where it's a huge hit.

She told Newsweek, "The first week of moving here was crazy! I was busy with finding a job and setting up my apartment, I didn't even notice! I thought it was a bit weird that all of my neighbors were significantly older than me. After my first week I saw a sign in front of the apartments, and it had clicked!"

The teen, who works as a nursing assistant for a local home health company, absolutely loves living in her new apartment because of her elderly neighbors. "It's like having extra sets of grandparents," she said revealing that some of them even check up on her from time to time and invite her over for dinner. Sometimes they even leave snacks at her door which is super adorable. "I have also become friends with a lot of my neighbors. I have been able to go to dinner with them, have late-night conversations, and I have received some snacks as well! I love getting to know them and developing close relationships as well," she told Newsweek.

Madison is planning on staying at the complex for now and hopes to write a book someday about the things she's learned from her new neighbors. "They have a lot of stories that have definitely shaped my heart and have touched my heart, and I think a lot of people would benefit from them," Madison said, according to NY Times. "I got lucky enough to be able to hear them all."

References:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/03/us/madison-kohout-tiktok-retirement-community.html

https://www.newsweek.com/teen-documents-new-life-accidentally-moving-retirement-home-1584690

Cover image (representational): Getty Images | Photo by Highwaystarz-Photography