Learn how the benefits of a senior living community can help you seize the day.
What’s Important to You
Before you decide where you want to spend your senior years, you should decide how you want to spend them. Step one is setting your priorities.
When they contemplate life in a retirement community, most people imagine a place. But senior living is so much more than housing. Really, it’s a lifestyle.
WHAT YOU WANT: FREEDOM, FUN, FULFILLMENT
Although no two seniors are exactly alike, older adults who are envisioning and planning their golden years consistently say it’s important to them that they have:
FREEDOM AND AUTONOMY Self-confidence born of self-reliance. The sovereignty to make your own choices, and to do things for yourself. The ability—and mobility—to go where you want, when you want. Privacy and the pursuit of happiness. Whatever it means to you, independence often tops the list of seniors’ priorities as they age.
PASSIONS AND PURPOSE Retirement looks different for everyone. Some seniors want to continue working, or to start their own business. Some want to enrich their lives with volunteer work. Still others want to travel, or to spend their days indulging lifelong interests and brand- new hobbies—cooking, painting, dancing, knitting, yoga, gardening.
What almost everyone has in common, however, is the desire to feel connected to and engaged in activities that fulfill them.
MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS Having people can be just as important as having passions. Oftentimes, more so. Whether you want to be close to cherished family members and friends, surrounded by neighbors and community, or plugged into activities that spawn new relationships with like- minded souls, it’s important to think about your ability to maintain an active and enjoyable social life that fills your days with companionship and fun.
If these resonate with your own goals, it’s worth considering how different retirement scenarios might affect them. Aging in place might give you more autonomy, for example, but at the expense of your social life. Or perhaps you have rich friendships with your current neighbors, but the state of your home threatens your independence. Whatever your situation, you must set your priorities and calibrate your future plans accordingly.