Most Important Amenities for Senior Citizen Communities

If you are a senior citizen looking for an appropriate community in which to retire, there are a few important amenities that you need to consider pursuing. Even if you don't require these amenities now, you might need them at some point in the future, and you won't want to move to get them. Searching for the perfect senior citizen community should include consideration for these important features.

Community Activities

A recent study conducted by AARP concludes that senior citizens desire some form of community, regardless of the medium. Day trips to the store for senior citizens who cannot drive, organized games in common areas for all residents and social meals once or twice a month can make all the difference.

Another aspect of this important amenity for senior citizens, says AARP, is the desire for community involvement. For example, if you live in a neighborhood with a homeowners' association, senior citizens should have the opportunity to serve on the Board.

Home Modifications

Senior citizen communities require amenities that allow for easy living, no matter the physical health of the residence. Home modifications can help improve the quality of life for senior citizens, and will encourage independence. Lever door handles instead of knobs; wide doorways for wheelchairs, entrances without cumbersome steps, bedrooms with full baths on the first floor, attached garages and lower cabinets can help senior citizens feel more at home.

Apartment and condominium senior citizen communities are taking these steps for the benefit of their residences, but you should make sure to ask about these amenities before moving in. In some areas of the country, they are standard; in others, they are considered "luxuries".

Diverse Housing

Even among senior citizen communities, there must be options. AARP concludes that complexes and communities with only one type of unit will turn off most retired and elderly residents who would otherwise have been happy there. Just because you are growing older doesn't mean that your needs won't change in the future, and you'll want the option to stay in the same community even if you do need a change in housing.

For example, Camden Royal Oaks Senior Citizen Community in Houston, Texas, has six different floor plans from which to choose, and allows seniors to move within units whenever they require a change.

Nearby Transit

Senior citizens sometimes reach a point in their lives when they can no longer drive. This doesn't mean that they don't want to get out of the house on a regular basis, however, and an important amenity for senior citizen communities is nearby transit. Access to bus stops, subway stations, bicycle paths and sidewalks are essential.

It is also a good idea for established senior citizen communities to provide transportation to their residents on a weekly or monthly basis. Maintaining a small bus for transportation can go a long way to attracting senior citizens who are unable to drive themselves.

Safety Precautions

And finally, safety is an extremely important amenity for senior citizen communities. Elderly residents need to feel safe and secure in their homes, which should include well-lighted walkways to parking lots, alarm systems in each unit, security cameras posted in common areas and routine patrols by local constables.