19-Year-Old Accidentally Moves Into Senior Living Complex And Is Actually Enjoying It

May 15, 2021 by apost team

A teenager moved from her home in Oklahoma to a new apartment in March 2021. It was beautiful and located in the northeast city of Piggott, Arkansas. Madison Kohout, 19, was enjoying her new life at her nice new home but noticed something unusual about the living quarters. She was the youngest person in her complex, as everyone else was a senior citizen. Kohout had accidentally moved into a senior living center.

There’s nothing wrong with expanding your horizons and moving somewhere different, especially if that comes with making new friends and exploring new opportunities. Even though she had previously moved before, Kohout’s latest living situation was definitely not what she had originally expected.

Kohout had first heard of the apartment complex through a new friend she made on the social media platform TikTok. She connected with Lori Parker who lived in the city of Piggot after the two followed each other. Their friendship sparked after they frequently commented on each other’s videos. 

Although the average age of her neighbors was much higher than her own, Kohout has learned to love living at the senior living center and has shared her positive experience with her many social media followers. According to the New York Times, Kohout’s TikTok account had around 30,000 followers before she moved into the senior living center. As of May 2021, the young woman now has over 115,000 followers.

Kohout finally had a place to call home after spending so many years trying to feel included. Even though her current living situation wasn’t what she had anticipated, it turned out to be everything she needed.

The New York Times reported that when she first moved in, Kohout didn’t think much about the average age of her neighbors in the 10-unit complex. “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 that I moved myself into a retirement community,” Kohout said. “Once I saw the sign, all the things clicked. I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe I did this."

The young woman grew up supporting herself and told her TikTok followers that she hadn’t celebrated Thanksgiving with family in quite a long time. Once Parker heard this, she reached out to the teenager and invited her over to her home in Arkansas. “She just touched my heart,” Parker said. “I felt like I’ve known her for a long time.” 

Unfortunately, the pair’s plans fell through, but the two stayed connected and talked regularly. Kohout and Parker finally met for the first time in person in February 2021 when Kohout visited the other woman’s family home. “I just fell in love with her family, and they were so good to me,” Kohout said.

The New York Times reported that Parker suggested Kohout move in with her and her family, so the teenager did just that. She packed up and moved over 500 miles away from her hometown in Oklahoma to Piggot, Arkansas to live with her new family. Kohout revealed in April 2021 in a TikTok video that she was adopted by the wonderful woman she met on the social media site. Kohout’s new family consists of Parker and her husband, Shawn, and their four children.

apost.com

Soon after moving in with the Parker family, Kohout began researching online to find apartments in the surrounding area but couldn’t find a ton of information about them. Eventually, the teenager stumbled upon what seemed like a pretty nice place and quickly signed a month-to-month lease. She had no reason to think she wouldn’t be suited for the new living arrangement, as her landlord never told her otherwise. “She knew I was 19, but never said anything,” Kohout said. “The landlord really liked me.”

Even though the apartment complex was designed for elderly adults, Kohout explained that it was “equal-opportunity housing,” meaning the landlord could not legally discriminate against interested tenants. Kohout was allowed to move in the very night she signed her lease.

It was pretty much the perfect place for a teenager to live, since the other tenants couldn’t hear well according to Kohout’s landlord. She was free to play her music as loud as she wanted and didn’t have to worry about disturbing others if she got home late after a long shift as a nursing assistant. “It’s like having extra sets of grandparents,” Kohout said, explaining how some of the older tenants even stop by to check on her or invite her over for dinner.

The New York Times reported that the teenager hopes to one day write a book that could potentially be about what she’s learned from her 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,” Kohout said happily. “I got lucky enough to be able to hear them all.” Kohout also plans to continue living at the senior living center and share her fun stories with her followers.

What did you think about Madison Kohout’s living situation? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your family and friends to hear their thoughts, too!