Health Day, the online “News for Healthier Living” newsletter, notes in a November 2014 article that a study of more than 7,000 Americans found “the higher people scored on a ‘purpose in life’ scale, the more likely they were to get various [health] screening tests over the next six years.” People who found their lives to be purposeful tended to spend less time in hospitals and were more likely to spend time on preventative health care.

Having purpose in life is vital to well-being, said Andrea Ellen, vice president of marketing and communications for Maplewood Senior Living, especially as people age. “As people coexist and go through life, people feel good about having a sense of purpose,” she said, and at Maplewood at Newtown there is a thriving example of the positive effects of having a reason to rise and shine each morning, she said.

Two residents have restarted the defunct “Country Store” on the first level of the senior assisted living facility on Mt Pleasant Road. Lois Zenk and Gloria Testa are the driving forces behind the business, said Maplewood Executive Director Mark Weinberger. The idea for reviving the store came from Ms Zenk at a late winter residents’ meeting.

“This past winter was so bad, even the Maplewood bus couldn’t get out for us to go for small things we needed,” said Ms Zenk. She and Ms Testa, who have been friends since meeting at Maplewood a year ago, knew that the small space that had previously housed a store was still empty.

“That store just faded away,” Ms Testa said. But the two women saw there was a need for a convenience-type store at the facility.

Mr Weinberger was very open to their suggestion, particularly because the store would not be the responsibility of the regular Maplewood staff and because of the suggestion that the store profits be donated to charity.

“With their dedication,” Mr Weinberger said, “we made a decision to let residents run [the store] and chose the charities.” He also felt that people would be more likely to support the store if it was run by residents, and for a good cause. In March, The Country Store opened for business, Mondays and Wednesdays, and the occasional extra day around major holidays.

While neither woman has much background in retail sales — Ms Testa and her husband briefly operated a grocery store in the Bronx — they find that their natural people skills and talents complement each other and benefit the business. Ms Zenk, who worked in the DA’s office in Westchester before retiring, also studied art.

“I love chatting with the people that come by,” Ms Testa said. “[The store] gives me something to do, and it’s social,” she added. She is also very good with numbers, and takes care of the financial end of the business.

“All of the responsibility does give you a sense of purpose,” agreed Ms Zenk, “and, I like Gloria!”

The two women support each other in and out of the store. Both have husbands with dementia, and find they understand each other and the issues each faces, in ways that others, not in their situations, cannot.

“We share tears and we share joys,” said Ms Zenk. They may also be sharing a recipe for an extended life, by going into business.

Information provided by Ms Ellen from Tech Time quotes studies from the University College London, Stony Brook University, and Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in Princeton University on the positive impact of living with purpose.

“Senior citizens who live with a sense of purpose are 30 percent less likely to die within the next eight and one half years, compared to their more cynical counterparts,” by an average of two more years.

Ms Testa and Ms Zenk take care of all of the details that go into storekeeping, from purchasing to stocking the shelves to selling, promoting the store, and accounting. When one or the other is unable to be at the store, they know they can count on the assistance of friend Lis Christensen, another resident of Maplewood.

They make note of requests for products, and when it is time to restock, Ms Testa’s daughter takes them out to purchase the needed items.

“We shop mostly at the Dollar Store to keep the costs down, because a lot of people are on limited budgets,” Ms Zenk said.

Profits from sales of most items support the Wounded Warrior Project and Alzheimer’s Association of Connecticut. In the store, shoppers are pleased to find frequently needed items such as hearing aid batteries, hand lotions, tissue packets, cough drops, soaps, lotions, and shampoo, for men and women.

“We stock mostly the basics,” said Ms Zenk, “and try to stay away from trinkets.” Residents at Maplewood have downsized and look to keep their small living spaces clutter free, she explained.

One of the big sellers in the store is the selection of handmade gift cards, the artwork of Ms Zenk. “Cards for a Cause” sell for just $1 each, and benefit St Jude Children’s Hospital. She also sends up to 50 cards at a time to the Veterans Hospital in Rocky Hill for military holidays, as well as to The Ronald MacDonald House in North Carolina.

The store also carries packages of cards made from photographs taken by Alzheimer residents at various Maplewood facilities. “Through Their Eyes” are packets of four cards, selling for $1.50, all of which benefits the Alzheimer Association of Connecticut.

The store has only just begun to turn a profit, so Ms Testa said she hoped to be able to donate a total of $150 this month to the two main charities. Ms Zenk will donate to St Jude whenever she has $100, which she expects could be every two months or so.

While business is unpredictable, Ms Testa and Ms Zenk said that residents and even visitors to Maplewood are delighted to have the convenience of an onsite store.

“When I’m doing tours here,” said Mr Weinberger, “people love the idea that the store is resident run and the profits go to charity. Families like that there is a store on premises, and family members don’t have to go out to get little items.”

The women take pride in The Country Store, and find the work rewarding.

“We look forward to [running the store],” Ms Testa said.

Added Ms Zenk, “I’ve never said, Oh, I don’t feel like doing this today.”

“They’ve done a great job,” Mr Weinberger said. “It has truly been amazing,”