Fantastic Retirement Living Choices

Finding a retirement home is easy. We have more options today than ever before. New developments are springing up every day across the nation to meet the wants and needs of a growing retired population that is living longer, healthier, more active, and independent lifestyles. Finding the right retirement home, however, requires a good deal of thought and a little prognostication on your part. The ideal retirement home for you is the one that not only meets your present needs, but one that will accommodate your needs well into the future. Changing homes is stressful at any stage of life and our ability to cope doesn't improve with age. Assessing your needs today, anticipating how your needs will change as you age, and understanding your available options for retirement living, will help you make the right choice.

And, what wonderful choices you have today! Developers of retirement housing are fiercely competing for your business, which has forced them to become quite innovative in offering more and better retirement living options than ever before. Gone are the days of the one-size-fits-all philosophy of simply building comfortable and secure housing or warehousing for senior citizens in their decline. Developers are, instead, creating complete retirement lifestyles that are tailor-made to cater to the diverse interests and needs of adults at varying levels of activity and independence throughout their retirement years.

Retirement living communities fall into four general categories:

* Active/Independent Living Housing units are typically detached homes, duplex, and multiplex condominiums, for purchase or rent. Generally these are gated communities or secure buildings and most have covenants setting a minimum age of residents at 55 or older. The lifestyle is active recreation and social interaction with other residents. Amenities may include golf course(s), tennis courts, swimming pools, spas, workout gyms, and community centers. This is Country Club style living for the physically active and completely independent retiree. There are little (if any) services or accommodations provided for seniors who become ill, disabled, or require assistance.

* Assisted Living These residential facilities are often clustered cottages or apartment-style dwelling units for seniors requiring some assistance with daily living activities due to impaired mental or physical health. They typically provide housekeeping and laundry, meals, personal care services, limited medical assistance, and a full schedule of low-impact activities. Assisted living accommodations are generally by lease agreement and include housekeeping services, transportation, activities, and 1 meal per day in the community dining room. Additional meals, health care, and personal care services are billed on an ala carte basis.

* Skilled Nursing - These are both short-term rehabilitative and long-term care facilities for retirees with mental and physical disability or significant health issues requiring monitoring and management by health care professionals. Most residents of skilled nursing facilities are unable to live independently and require significant assistance with daily living activities and personal care. The environment is more institutionalized and clinical in nature. Residents typically share a room and bath. Skilled nursing facilities charge a monthly fee based upon the level of care the resident requires. Understandably, the cost of living in these facilities can be burdensome. Most retirees enter skilled nursing facilities not by choice, but by necessity.

* Continuing Care These are comprehensive retirement developments that allow residents to "age in place" and are, perhaps, the best choice of all. They offer independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities to accommodate the retirees' changing needs to end-of-life without the need to relocate. A well-known example of a Continuing Care Community is Leisure World in Seal Beach, CA. Residents enjoy the recreation and social activities of the active/independent lifestyle with the added benefit of on-site medical services, in-home care, and skilled nursing services that they may eventually need. Residents remain firmly rooted in the community. Property is owned and maintained through condominium and owner's cooperative agreements.

Within these general categories of retirement communities, there can be a wide range of unique options available that defy generalizations. Suffice it to say that if your desire is to live in community with other seniors who share your interests, ethnicity, background, or faith, chances are good you'll find that, too. Ideally, it will be a Continuing Care Community that not only meets your present wants and needs, but one that will allow you to remain within that community should your needs change. Then you'll be able to say, with absolute confidence, "This is the right retirement home for me."