Most workers in the United States tend to retire around the age of sixty-four. While retirement might signify the end of an individual’s working life, it’s also a new beginning. When done meaningfully, your retirement years can be a time of leisure, new hobbies, social connections, and community service.
One of the key ways to maximize your experience is to join a retirement community. Unfortunately, many seniors aren’t sure when the best age to do this is.
So when is the right time to join a retirement community in Voorhees? How do you know if it’s the right option for your needs? In this guide, we’ll answer these questions so you can decide if a Voorhees retirement community is right for you.
What Is a Retirement Community?
Retirement community is an umbrella term that can apply to many different types of senior living communities. Different communities will have different senior care options.
One of the most popular types is independent living communities. Outside of a few things like chores, these communities prioritize the independence of their residents.
Another popular option is assisted living communities. These programs assist with things like bathing, eating, and dressing. It’s a good option for people who don’t have serious medical conditions but still need help with certain tasks due to natural aging.
Another option is memory care communities. These are retirement communities specifically designed to help people with memory conditions like dementia.
How Do You Know When the Right Time to Join Is?
There is no specific age when it’s “time” to join a retirement community. That being said, it’s something you shouldn’t put off. Many people make the mistake of only joining a retirement community when their physical health begins to fail them.
However, the reality is that these communities can provide a whole range of benefits that should be enjoyed throughout the life of a person’s retirement. That being said, retirement communities might not be for certain people depending on your preferences and circumstances.
As such, we recommend that you ask yourself each of the questions in this section. It will give you a much better idea of if it’s the right time or not to fill out a retirement community application.
Are You Craving Social Connection?
As people get older it’s common to suffer from loneliness. Whether it’s losing family or friends or not being able to get transport to community events, there’s no shortage of things that can lead to social isolation.
And that’s a problem because social isolation has been linked to major health conditions. As such, you need to ask yourself honestly if you’re craving social connection.
If you miss interacting with people daily, you should consider a retirement community. You’ll be around many like-minded people in a setting that encourages socialization.
What’s more, many communities provide social activities for meeting new people. It’s a great community to form meaningful connections that can last for the rest of your life.
Can You Afford It?
Financial considerations shouldn’t be ignored. Retirement communities can be pricey. After all, you’re not only paying for rooms but also a variety of amenities and services.
As such, you want to make sure that you can reasonably afford the community for the length of your retirement. The key to doing this is organizing your finances.
The good news is that there’s a pro to retirement communities and finances. When you downsize to a retirement community, you greatly simplify your finances and expenses.
By including everything you owe into a single fee, you don’t need to worry about running around trying to find a specific bill or account password. If you’re worried about the price, consider asking about the more affordable floor plans available in a community.
Do You Require Additional Help?
As people get older, they start to need help with once-easy tasks. This typically starts with things like maintenance, cleaning, and laundry. However, it can quickly spread to everyday tasks like medication management, bathing, getting dressed, and more.
Unfortunately, some people are embarrassed to admit that they might need help which can lead to unhealthy and even dangerous living conditions. If you’re starting to need additional help, then it’s time to join a retirement community.
These communities provide you with any assistance you might need while still ensuring that you remain as independent as possible.
Do You Want Access to Amenities?
Retirement communities also provide their residents with access to a wide range of amenities. As such, many people will join just to have access to these amenities for retirees.
For example, most retirement communities offer a robust dining program. These allow seniors to eat a healthy, well-rounded diet that tastes great too. Some other types of common amenities include things like:
- Cooking clubs
- Onsite physical and occupational therapy
- Daily religious services
- Live entertainments
- Movie rooms
- Libraries
- Game rooms
- Gardens
- Daily activities
- Pet-friendly communities
Many people move to retirement communities so they can have access to these things without having to drive to locations.
So define what types of amenities would appeal to your interests, then look for Voorhees retirement homes that offer them.
Do You Want a More Active Lifestyle?
Maintaining an active senior lifestyle as you get older comes with numerous health benefits, from lower instances of heart disease and cancer to improved moods and cognition.
As such, seniors must maintain a healthy fitness schedule into their retirement years. Unfortunately, this can be hard for seniors who live a long way from gyms and fitness clubs.
If you crave a more active lifestyle, retirement communities provide you with immediate access to exercise equipment. Not only that, but fitness classes and programs can provide you with fun, community-based ways to get exercise.
Interested in a Retirement Community in Voorhees? Visit Seaton Voorhees
We hope this guide helped you learn the right time to join a retirement community in Voorhees. As you can see, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.
More important than when you join is the specific community you choose. Here at Seaton Voorhees, we offer our community members endless opportunities to make the most of their retirement. So if you want to learn how we can enrich your life, get in touch with us today.
