When seeking out a retirement community, there are three common things that many older adults look for. While pricing and proximity to loved ones are always a consideration, the relative importance of these factors will vary depending on one’s needs. However, there are three concerns shared by nearly every person of retirement age who is seeking out a retirement community.
Community
While it may seem obvious, many older adults are actively seeking community when choosing one of these retirement properties. They want to know if they will get along with the people there, and whether or not there are activities that interest them. Will they have much in common with their neighbors? More and more niche retirement communities are recognizing this need, and catering to populations with very specific interests. For example, some communities now cater exclusively to artists. Ensure that you ask important questions about the people who are a part of your new community before you sign the paperwork.
Care
As we age, our health often begins to deteriorate. While many issues related to aging can be addressed with medication, diet, and exercise, we will all experience a slowing of our reflexes. Access to medical care, or continuing care, is increasingly important to older adults today who don’t want to pick up and move from an independent living facility to assisted living to a nursing home on another campus and back again. Many continuing care communities now offer all of these types of care on a single campus so that residents can age in place – with access to both the care they need and the community they have become a part of.
Security
One of the chief reasons older adults move into retirement communities is for a greater sense of security and peace of mind. Not only for themselves, but for their loved ones. As older children move away, aging alone in one’s home can be isolating and downright dangerous. Retirement communities offer many security features such as emergency call buttons in residences and common areas, ADA-compliant community features, and even onsite security staff. Most importantly, however, they give older adults the opportunity to watch out for another another’s welfare, too. The opportunity to be a part of a community of neighbors who care for another is one of the greatest benefits of any retirement community.
