Retirement communities provide a wide collection of housing choices, from "single family" houses to "hi-rise" apartments, with lease or purchase option.
Today's retirement community choices varies from small and gated community developments comprising of a hundred home units to large communities consisting of thousands of houses having golf courses, recreational facilities and sometimes, even small commercial amenities with shops and restaurants and services like meal preparation, housekeeping and laundry service.
The cost of all these services maybe included in your monthly fee, depending on each retirement community's condition and terms. Therefore it is advised to know what services a community offers and the cost, before you go in a retirement community.
Types of retirement communities:
1. Assisted living retirement community. This community offers accommodations for individuals combining the facilities of an "independent living community" and a "nursing facility". The assisted living retirement community is for retirees needing help with their meals, dressing up, bathing, etc. but who are still capable of caring for themselves. Homes in assisted living retirement communities varies from regular cottages up to large scale housing facilities.
2. Independent living retirement community. This type of retirement community is for retirees who are capable of taking care of "themselves" completely and are still able to keep up with an active daily routine. This kind of community normally has plenty of planned social activities for their residents like trips, nightly games and parties. Likewise, it provides several amenities that includes trash removal, laundry service and lawn maintenance.
3. "Continuing care retirement communities". This type of retirement community combines independent living retirement community, assisted living retirement community and the nursing home in one setting. Generally, this type of community requires a large amount of entry fee and monthly maintenance charges for an apartment or home, "health care coverage", meals, etc. However, there are many continuing care retirement communities that offer fixed monthly rental and "health care coverage" paid only when needed.
Basic features of retirement communities:
- Apartments or bungalows design to facilitate the retirees' independence in a safe setting.
- Catering
- Staff care
- May have one or more of the following amenities: restaurant, activity room, library, lounge, etc.
- Planned social activities.
- Mobility assistance.
Guidelines for choosing the right retirement community:
The most important step in choosing the right retirement community is to take a moment and evaluate yourself, or your loved one who wants to enter a retirement community. Evaluating important characteristics like health, age, financial status, marital status, religious preference, hobbies and personal interests will help outline the kind of "retirement community" appropriate to the retirees' capabilities and personality.
1. Location. You want a retirement community that is easily accessible for important persons in your life can visit you often.
2. Evaluate your lifestyle. It is not practical to pay for elaborate recreational and fitness amenities if you will not be able to use them.
3. You need a retirement community near a hospital, your doctors, pharmacies, dentist and other important services that you will need.
4. Check their restrictions like planting gardens or pets so that you not get disappointed later on.
5. Check their payment terms and options.
6. Check the services being offered. Do they have an "in-house" doctor? What activities do they plan each week?
7. Check out their staff.
8. Check the style of houses. It has you suite your lifestyle. If you have arthritis or that you find it hard going up and down the stairs, then you need a one level type of home.
9. If you do not drive, choose a community where everything you need is within "walking distance".
10. Most significant of all, visit different retirement communities and spend a lot of time talking to its residents and staff to know and experience life within that community. Likewise, when you talk to the staff, find out if they are friendly, accommodating and experienced.
The fact is, there is really no one best place for retirement. Each one has his own idea of the ideal place. However, with the vast choices available for you today and with some strategies to help you find that ideal place that will suite you, retirement will be an enjoyable and interesting stage in your life.
