Retirement Communities For the Older Years
Retirement Communities For the Older Years
If you plan to move to a retirement community in Florida or another state for the warm climate when you are in your fifties or sixties .. you may be back in the Northeast or Midwest, closer to family, in about ten years .. things change when we age ..
Right now, the early baby boomers are moving to retirement communities in warm areas while they are active. Eventually, statistics show, when a woman loses her spouse or is nearing her 80′s, she moves back to be closer to her adult children. This means usually a city area where her adult children have jobs. This is a time when a community with assisted living, or a smaller condominium unit, becomes more appealing.
If you have parents that have moved away, be aware one or both may be back. This is because we have not been able to age without infirmities. You begin to slow down with age and need more assistance. Things that were simple become hard. Parents may be in great physical shape and conditioning now, but age eventually takes its toll–physically, mentally or both. There are exceptions. People who stay very active can age better, however, for most, age will be a time of wanting the comfort of being close to your adult children and possibly needing their assistance.
How do you prepare. Most people do not prepare. They can’t imagine the future. They will deal with it when the time comes.
It is emotionally disheartening to sell a loved home, whether your long-time home or a retirement community home, but may become necessary. If you have stayed put and aged in your home, you may wish someone to come in to assist you. You may wish to make modifications to your home, if necessary, and if you are determined to stay there. At least you won’t have to move again. If you moved to a retirement community, you may be able to move within your retirement community when older to a smaller unit like an apartment or condominium or assisted living unit. If you move to a large retirement community from the beginning, there is usually more variety of senior housing to choose from.
Persons who never married or have no children may be particularly uncertain of the future especially if they have a health problem. How will they handle being alone when they grow older. They need to make sure they have enough money and prepare more. They worry that a current or future health problem will cause them to run out of money and there is no one to help them. They should consider assisted living or continuing care communities. There are also public resources. More cities are beginning programs of helping seniors in naturally occurring retirement areas (areas where large populations of seniors tend to accumulate) so they can stay in their homes.
If men outlive their spouses, I believe they will be more independent and have a different situation than women. First of all, men usually have more financial resources. They may also move but they move in different directions from what their wives would. I don’t have the accurate statistics but they may move to places their wives weren’t interested in like the country or the beach in Florida. They may not move to cities because they don’t need or want assisted living as much as women would. They want to be active and most die before their spouses who took care of them. If they survive their spouse, they may be looking for a new partner.
Aging is a changing process the way it was when you were younger. Don’t count on being “set.” Life is full of surprises. A sense of humor helps. Some people will make the decision to stay in one place and others will move around. The best wisdom is to plan now for your aging years. Consider how your health is and what it might be and how you will deal with that in the future. Ask yourself if there is a possibility of moving again. If your partner goes before you, will you want to stay where you are or consider something different.
Friends sometimes become more emotionally supportive than family. Make friends. Don’t isolate yourself. You may find you are alone anyway if you live longer than your friends so stay in touch with your family if you move away because you may need them later. Before you move very far to enjoy retirement in a warm climate, make it clear to your family you may be back and need them in the future.
We don’t know the future but we can plan for it as best we can even if it means moving again.
To see how retirement communities may benefit your life, the many different kinds, and where they are, please visit my website www.bestguide-retirementcommunities.com
Carol Fena, Realtor and Webmaster for http://www.bestguide-retirementcommunities.com.