A Retirement Plan Should Include Senior Living

You’ve worked hard and built a beautiful life for yourself, but now it’s time to switch gears and plan for retirement. While many older adults fear the idea of moving into a senior living community, there are actually many benefits that can help you meet your retirement goals.

Here are 7 unexpected ways senior living communities can improve your life and keep you on the right path to a successful retirement.

1. Continuing Care

No other feeling matches the peace of mind that comes with continuing care at a senior living community. You may enter the community as an independent living resident, but you’ll always know that a full continuum of short- and long-term care (assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation) is available on-site should you someday need it.

If ever there’s a change in your health, you won’t need to move to another community. This is especially helpful for couples, because if one moves to a higher level of care, the other stays close by.

2. It’s easy to balance your books

It doesn’t matter how old you are, keeping track of when to pay your bills is always a little tricky. Each service has a different due date, and you never know when you’ll be walloped with a hefty gas or electric bill. Don’t forget the cost of routine HVAC maintenance and replacing broken appliances.

The best retirement communities include all or most utilities , and basic cable in the monthly fees.. That means you can keep your home toasty in the winter and comfortably cool in the summer without breaking the bank.

3. Winter will finally feel like a wonderland 

Experts recommend adults over 55 should avoid shoveling snow. Cold temperatures and exertion from shoveling elevate your blood pressure and constrict coronary arteries, which increases your risk of cardiac arrest. Plus, there’s always a chance that you might slip and fall.

When you live a maintenance-free lifestyle at a retirement community, you can stay in your slippers, watch the snow from your window, and leave snow removal to someone else! Retirement communities will also take care of your lawn, HVAC maintenance, exterior and interior home repairs, and make sure your appliances are always in working order.

4. You’ll never get bored

It’s easy to kick boredom to the curb when you live in a senior living community with top-notch amenities and wellness programs. Take a quick dip in the pool, schedule a massage, or get ready for date night at a full-service, on-site beauty salon and barbershop.

Take retirement living to a new level by learning woodworking, expressing yourself with art, or joining a Resident-facilitated club.

5. Celebrate life and get to know your community

Did you know participating in diverse social programs supports your mental health? You’re always learning something new and getting exposure to new ideas that can stimulate your senses and stir your soul. Especially when you get to know younger adults.

Exceptional retirement communities celebrate life in all stages. You can look forward to intergenerational programs, like jewelry making or Bible study for All,  that entice people of all ages, backgrounds and religions to come together, share their experiences, and create lasting friendships.

6. Find fulfillment by volunteering

Volunteering on meaningful projects in your community is an excellent way to have a fulfilling retirement. It gives you a feeling of purpose and motivates you to set and achieve goals that benefit your community. Plus, it keeps you moving!

Senior living communities make finding volunteer opportunities easy. Give your neighbors a helping hand, plan the next holiday event, or even exercise your customer service skills at an on-site convenience store.

7. Only cook when you want to

Cooking is a great way to spend time with your loved ones and create something that makes you proud. However, dishing up a home-cooked meal seven days a week during retirement just won’t work. Your sink will be full of dirty dishes and your grocery bill will be sky-high.

With restaurant-style dining options at a retirement community, you can always depend on a fresh, delicious meal without the hassle of a dirty kitchen. You finally have the freedom to try out chair yoga after breakfast or catch a quick bite before your Flex & Stretch class.

Spend More Time Doing What You Love at Santa Marta

We invite you to experience Tuscan views and an enriched lifestyle at our community in Olathe. Contact one of our senior living counselors  online to schedule a tour of our luxurious villas, villa estates, and apartment homes.