Those of us lucky enough to have reached retirement time know we now have options. The pace of everyday life has changed. Essentially, we’re free to do whatever we want and live wherever we choose. One popular choice is the so-called 55+ community for people age 55 and above, also known as an active adult community. These communities offer maintenance-free apartments with senior-friendly features and amenities, bringing together people within the same age range. Most, however, don’t offer progressive levels of senior care. If residents eventually do need care, they’ll have to move somewhere else. A better choice for seniors of any age may well be independent living in a community offering a seamless continuum of care. In this type of retirement community, residents enjoy everything offered by the 55+ communities along with the reassuring knowledge that continuing senior care is available on-site if and when they need it. Here are eight key factors why a retirement community with built-in senior care services may be the better choice.
Unlike a community that has just one level of living, retirement communities offering a continuum of care adapt to the needs of residents as they change over time. Can you imagine a time when you might require some assistance with certain tasks of daily living or perhaps with transportation? In a community that offers assisted living, those services are already there for you. No searching for care providers. No adapting to unfamiliar faces and places. What if you need a higher level of care? It’s so much easier when it’s all ready and waiting for you on your home campus.
Having the ability to live in the same community lets residents retain and maintain valued relationships they’ve built over time, including neighbors and community staff with whom they’ve grown comfortable. This is particularly important at a time when they’re needing extra assistance and transitioning to a new chapter in life.
Suppose a couple chooses a 55+ retirement community while they’re still healthy and active; they’re not concerned that no higher levels of care are available on-site. Soon one partner requires assisted living or memory care. What happens then? Quite often, couples with differing care needs may have to live in different communities. But in a retirement community with care services built in, couples with different care needs can continue living together, or perhaps within a short walking distance of each other. They can see one another daily. They can dine together. They’ll both still be connected to their local friends and neighbors. The community’s continuum of care makes this possible.
In a senior apartment at an active adult community, some amount of housekeeping and maintenance service may be available, and there may even be amenities like a pool or clubhouse where residents can gather. But it’s unlikely the scope of amenities or the level and variety of services will equal what you’ll find at a quality continuing care retirement community. Residents there typically enjoy access to formal and casual restaurant-style dining, expansive fitness and wellness programming, dedicated spaces for arts and crafts, multidenominational chapels and places of worship, a resident-run library, beauty salons and spas, along with many other varied amenities and guest speakers and entertainers.
Living at home, it seems a little more difficult each year to meet new people and stay connected with friends. Well, that dynamic changes dramatically in a continuing care retirement community. The friends you make in independent living (and there could be hundreds) will come to know you and be with you well into the future. With all the dining venues, classes, gathering spaces, and common interests you’ll share, it’s easy to make friends and stay connected. It’s also quite common for residents to develop meaningful friendships with community team members. And if you should need to move into a higher level of care at some point, all this becomes even more precious.
Neither living at home nor at a 55+ community comes close to the security and peace of mind residents have when a spectrum of care services is available right where they live. From secured grounds and urgent call systems to staff member availability day and night, life in a retirement community with built-in care services is the definition of worry-free senior living.
As we get older, there are just so many unknowns and contingencies to plan for. It’s impossible to predict one’s health status at any given age, which can affect where, with whom, and how we live. Not to mention all the associated expenses. Choosing a continuing care retirement community preempts those challenging scenarios with built-in solutions.
Each of the above factors funnels into this one. Moving is always difficult and becomes even more difficult with age. Choosing a retirement community with built-in care circumvents the need to search for a new home, new care providers, and new friends, if and when your needs change. Residents can remain in the same community and simply adjust their support level when necessary. This key factor lets you keep your bearings set on familiar territory, and keep your comfort zone intact, no matter what may develop.
Aberdeen Ridge is on track to be something special for senior living — something no 55+ community can match. We’ll be the first in Colorado Springs to offer estate protection through a largely refundable entrance fee. Our Unique Health Care Benefit package gives residents the reassurance of access to quality assisted living and memory care services right where they live at a predictable monthly rate. Residents will enjoy maintenance free living, housekeeping and transportation services. To enhance independent living, the community will feature fine dining venues, beautiful gardens and walking trails, a fitness center, heated pool, coffee shop and bistro, with dedicated spaces for various activities and wellness programs. Our Peak Living programming will let you participate in immersive and engaging experiences within seven core areas. We’d love to tell you about it. Get to know Aberdeen Ridge. Just call 719-286-3014 or contact us online.
