'It's never the same day twice': How these seniors are living their best lives

From a pretend cruise at sea to music video-style pool parties, this isn't your average seniors' home.

And Cedric Fricke says those who live here aren't your typical residents either.

"We're moving ahead and keeping things going as if we're all gonna get to 100 (years old)," says Fricke.

Even as I interview Fricke, who's seated in one of the main halls, I hear so much singing and cheering in the background that it sounds like a party is going on in the middle of the day. Turns out, there is.

The residents are gathering to sing patriotic songs together, starting with the American anthem. And something, or someone, is getting them rowdy.

I ask what's going on and Jen Sackett, Life Enrichment Director at Independence Village of Plymouth in Michigan, jumps in to explain. She's excited and out of breath.

"We just had one of our resident assistants, for the first time, none of us knew she could sing! Just belted out the Star Spangled Banner. Oh my goodness, can she sing!" Sackett raves.

"I didn't stand up for the Star Spangled Banner," says 94-year-old Fricke.

"That's okay," Sackett responds, patting him on the back.

Fricke is a World War II veteran. He goes on to tell me that he formed a group with his fellow veterans at the retirement home. They call themselves "The Mustangs," after the U.S. Air Force's chief fighter plane used during World War II. They feel a kinship with the title, since they're always looking to rev things up.

"We are interested in making changes or spotting situations that might be improved," he says.

Fricke is a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Michigan. He's also in the process of writing a book. And he's known to share daily brain teasers and riddles with the other residents as well. In other words, he likes to keep busy.

"I can't just sort of sit around and not have anything happen," says Fricke. "So we formed this group and I said, 'OK, let's do some things.'"

The Mustangs enjoy nurturing different interests; Fricke is working on ideas to make virtual post-secondary education more accessible while another group member is a competitive weight-lifter and another still pilots model airplanes. But they all thrive on the notion of paying it forward. They organize dinners and pizza parties for the wait staff, for instance. It's a way to give back to the people who normally serve them.

They'll also dish out advice to those who might need a little guidance in their lives.

"Particularly the young people that are going to school," says Fricke. "We encourage them in careers and that kind of thing. That's one of the big advantages that we have here. We've been successful and we've learned a lot of lessons and made a lot of mistakes and we can impart that to the young people."

Staff members are just as keen to listen as well.

"I think probably one of the biggest things that I've learned is everything that you stress about and you worry about in your younger life, things that you are striving for, they don't really matter," says Sackett. "The things that matter are being with friends and being with family."

Sackett says the staff enjoy entertaining, dressing up and getting creative when it comes to senior living. She says most of their ideas and activities come from the seniors' themselves: what they like and dislike, what they missed out on during their younger years and what might be on their bucket lists.

"We don't do Bingo and popsicle sticks every day," says Sackett. "There isn't anything that we would consider to be off the table. We'll just modify it and make it work."

When someone expressed an interest in camping, for example, they created a whole week's experience around it, complete with an evening fire, ghost stories and a "Bigfoot" in costume.

Then there was "Cruise Week." Staff showed up in sailing outfits, from crew members to the captain.

"We transformed our entire community to look like a cruise ship, with the port holes and the deck," said Sackett. "We totally dressed in character every day ... Our activities were named after things you might do on a cruise ship."

Since one of those activities in the real world could conceivably be swimming with sea life, the team decided to get huge blow-up dolphins. They gave rides by pulling the giant inflatables across the floor with their senior clients sitting right on top of them.

"It went on a lot longer than we thought that it would," Sackett laughs.

Executive director Debbie Hall says the camaraderie goes beyond the parties and laughter. There's a unique bond between this "multi-generational, wonderful family that gets to gather every day."

"For those of us that don't have parents anymore," says Hall, "these folks will never know the gap they fill in my own heart by being surrogate moms and dads at times."

Hall recounts the time her son was getting married and she knew Fricke, who had learned a lot about relationships from previous marriages, might be able to share insight on the importance of everyday kindness and thoughtfulness toward one's partner, especially when times are tough.

"I literally had my son and his fiancée come and meet with Cedric a few days before their wedding so that he could share that principle with them. And if you practice it, it really works."

She says she notices her son and daughter-in-law putting the advice into practice.

Hall says that her days are filled with so many touching exchanges at the retirement home — from getting life advice on gratitude, patience and loss to dealing with the crushing and hilarious defeat of elderly folk during card games — that the series of moments would make for an entertaining reality show.

"Some of the funniest things that you're ever going to experience happen here — the most heartwarming, the most heartbreaking," says Hall. "It's never the same day twice. Never.”

Watch how residents stay young-at-heart in the video above.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Senior living can still be creative. This home proves it.