Deciding where to spend your retirement years is a process that requires careful consideration. Many consider staying at home or downsizing to a smaller home, while others consider retirement communities catering to the interests of retired adults. While leaving a place you’ve called home for decades is a difficult, emotional choice, there are also many benefits that come with living in a retirement community. Learn more about the key factors to examine in your decision and which option is best for your needs.
What to Consider When Deciding Where to Spend Your Retirement
When it comes to choosing which living situation is ideal for your lifestyle, there’s no one-size-fits-all option. Each individual’s circumstances are different, with some factors being significantly more important than others. However, these are some of the most common considerations that come into play when deciding where to spend your retirement years.
Social Opportunities
For older adults, increased isolation can be a serious issue. In addition to feelings of loneliness, limited social interaction has been shown to have detrimental health effects. Studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found social isolation in those over 50 significantly increased the risk of premature death from all causes, putting it in a category with smoking, obesity and physical inactivity. If family, friends or close neighbors no longer live close by, the opportunities for connection in a community setting may be favorable over living alone.
Access to Care
Though skilled medical care may not be a present concern, it’s important to look to the future when making decisions about your living situation. In more rural communities, easy access to specialists and specific medications can present a challenge. Additionally, you should consider who is available to help should an emergency arise. In most communities geared toward older adults, the option for care is always available and can be customized over time as needs change.
Ease of Mobility
Anyone who’s owned a home will tell you there’s no shortage of maintenance to keep up with. As you consider your living situation, it’s important to take a realistic look at the work involved. With limited mobility, chores like mowing the lawn or shoveling snow may no longer be feasible. The same goes for getting around town to pick up groceries or drop off a prescription. A community lifestyle simplifies these challenges, providing everything from professional landscaping to laundry service.
Financial Impact
Retirement means more freedom to do the things you want. At the same time, it’s quite common to live on a fixed income at this stage of life. Weighing costs is critical to ensuring you’re getting the most out of your hard-earned savings. If you don’t have the financial means to handle major home repairs should they arise, community life can offer increased stability. Costs are more predictable year to year, providing more opportunity to use your resources to live your ideal lifestyle.
Why Community Living?
Many find the decision to move to a senior retirement community challenging due to the unfairly associated stigmas. It might feel like you’re giving up or sacrificing the independence you’ve enjoyed for decades. In reality, those ideas couldn’t be further from the truth. Here are some of the many advantages community life offers:
- Social connections. Living in a community of individuals who share your interests provides more opportunity to connect around the things that matter most. Many residents find they make their most meaningful friendships in this environment.
- Independent living. Contrary to popular belief, community life can open up more opportunities for independence. In fact, the focus at most independent living communities is on helping residents pursue their passions and live their best life.
- Maintenance-free lifestyle. After years of clearing clogged drains or weeding the garden, it’s a relief to let those responsibilities go. Community life provides professionals to handle the work that takes time away from the activities you enjoy the most.
- Emphasis on wellness. Wellness is at the core of community living, supporting a healthy lifestyle with fitness classes, nutritious meals and stimulating activities. This takes the hassle out of finding time for the gym or shopping for healthy groceries.
- Customized care. Just because you choose community life doesn’t mean you can’t support yourself. With skilled care available around the clock, it can be customized to your specific needs. You get to pick and choose areas where you’d like additional support.
Living in a Community vs. Staying at Home
Making the choice between living in a community vs. staying at home is highly personal. Sometimes it might even feel overwhelming finding a community that’s the right fit for the lifestyle you want. If you’re considering the possibility of retirement community living, try these tips to help your search:
- Take a visit and experience the community for yourself.
- Get a feel for the surrounding neighborhoods in the area.
- Talk to other residents and learn about what they like most about their community.
- Understand the costs involved and the commitment you’re making.
- Review available activities and make sure they match your interests.
- Ask about the levels of care available for specific health needs.
While there are many factors to consider, you should always trust your instincts. If you’re going to be calling the community home through retirement, make sure it feels that way.
What Beacon Hill Has to Offer Residents
At Beacon Hill we’re dedicated to helping our residents craft the healthy, active and engaged retirement experience they want. We strive to capture the familiar feelings of home with a warm, welcoming community. Beyond the tight-knit, neighborhood feel, we have many benefits and amenities to offer.
Thanks to our convenient Lombard, IL, location, residents have close proximity to both Chicago and Naperville. This makes it easy to enjoy all the cultural attractions the cities have to offer, as well as visit with friends and family in the area.
The community life at Beacon Hill encourages residents to continue exploring their passions. We offer abundant wellness opportunities that revolve around physical, social and spiritual well-being. Whether that’s using the woodworking shop and crafts room or exploring the beautifully landscaped grounds before a meal at our dining venues, the only limit is your imagination.
In addition to the day-to-day amenities, we also have a highly skilled health services team available around the clock. We want to help you plan for the future, and will customize care to meet your specific needs. Both long-term skilled nursing care and short-term rehabilitation services are available on-site.
If you’re weighing the decision between living in a community vs. staying at home, we’re always available as a resource. If you have any questions throughout the process or would like to learn more about the amazing community at Beacon Hill, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
