Choosing a Retirement Community

Today I would like to help explore Retirement Communities and the steps involved in choosing to become part of this type of community.  Most people, especially as we age, need to feel secure about the future and that they will be taken care of.

Many retirement communities offer the security of continuing care throughout all the different levels of care that may be required: this is called Continuing Care Communities (CCRC).  That may be independent living in small individual homes or apartments or it can also be in-home care services, personal care level, skilled nursing care or specialized dementia care all housed on their campus.  Depending on how much security you want or what think you may require, you want to keep all those different levels of care in mind when looking for a retirement community to move to.   Typically, you are guaranteed placement in any of these levels of care on their campus by being a resident of their community.   That alone can be a huge relief and sense of security as you advance through the aging process.  Most people do not advance into the later stages of their lives without some kind of health or physical setback.   Keep in mind that not all retirement communities offer all levels of care so if this is something you are looking for, you can start to eliminate some communities off your list that do not include these different levels of care.

Next thing you want to look at are the activities that take place on campus.  If you want to remain active in the community and outside of the campus, it is important to know what is available to help you achieve that goal, especially if you are at a point where you are not driving any more.  Many communities offer site-seeing bus tours, routine trips to local grocery stores, fitness rooms, swimming facilities, billiards, shuffleboard, internet access, trips to go out to eat, shuttle services on campus, senior clubs, music programs, pet visits, inter-generational programs and much more.  You want to be sure that the activities they offer are of interest to you because you don't want to move in and then have nothing to do!

Lastly you want to look at the financial end of it.  Most of these communities require a minimum dollar amount of assets for you to be considered for admission to their campus.  These numbers can sound huge as you research this and I agree it is amazing how much is required by some of them.  But keep in mind that if you choose a community that is going to ensure your care, even after your funds are depleted, you will be cared for until the end of your life. Many of these establishments offer what is called a benevolent or caring fund; there are different terms for this fund depending on where you are applying.  Basically what these funds do is guarantee your care after your funds have been exhausted - that is a huge benefit in ensuring that you Age with Ease.  Be sure to inquire about this when you are touring a campus as not all communities offer this.   Those facilities that offer those funds though do tend to require a higher amount of assets for admission.
The order of importance of the above areas I described depends solely on you.  If finances seems like the best area to begin to locate a community that will work for you, then begin there.  Just don't forget to look at the other areas as well.  You would not want to make this move and have a setback in your health and then need to relocate again because you need a higher level of care.  Nor would you want to move to a place that offers nothing of interest to you for you to stay active in life.

One other thing I would like to say about this.  I hear this all the time from older adults: "I am not ready for this," " I don't want to live with old people,"  "We will look into it soon."  Let me say this: Most of these establishments have, on average, a 3-5 year waiting list for entry into independent living, so start shopping now and plan for your future just as you have done throughout your whole life.  You may not be ready today but you might be soon.  If you are proactive in this process, it can help prevent those crisis situations from arising.

Recently when my family was shopping for a long-term care facility for my grandmother when she began to deteriorate,  had we not already made inquiries and filled out some applications she would not be in the wonderful and caring facility that she is in today.   She came to that crisis level of needing care and when she was to be discharged from the hospital it was clear that my mother could no longer provide the level of care that she needed.  Long term care was the only option and thankfully we had already begun the process of looking for the right place or we would have had to go with what the hospital social workers were recommending.  Because I work in this field I knew that these facilities that were being offered by the social worker were not anywhere that my family would be happy with, we directed the hospital social worker to the facilities that we had already applied to and that is where she is today.   Once again, knowledge is power.
Let's face it, most people do not know much about caring for our older adults.  There are so many services out there but people do not know how to find them.  I hope my blog can help people find answers and direction to aid in the process of Aging with Ease.

Click here to view a helpful site to find communities in your area.  It gives you a list of locations for your state, but it is a place to start to develop that list and then go from there.  Happy Clicking!