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My wife asked me yesterday “did you know that 93% of seniors age in place?”. Really? That didn’t sound right. Where we live on Mercer Island (next to Seattle) there are many retirement communities, including a large one on the lake called Covenant Shores that was converted from Shorewood Apartments where I delivered newspapers more than 50 years ago. Folks in my yacht club live there, I see constant advertising for the Aegis Living, a higher end one from Era called Aljoya, and I always assumed we would end up there. On this forum the discussion is how SOON to move into one of these communities – or how MANY to get on the waiting list for. So 93%?
Some additional context: my wife is working on a MPH (Masters in Public Health) and this was for a paper she was working on, and the source is Pew Research. And that number is indeed the percentage who are aging in place. But the vast majority want to age in place.
My wife definitely doesn’t want to be in any kind of facility, my dad who passed about 6 years ago at 93 ended up in a nursing home at the end but was desperate to get back to his home where he passed under hospice care. I could go either way – I could deal with a facility and make friends easily – but…yeah…I’d prefer to stay in my home too. And at least three of my neighbors in our 17 home HOA have mentioned wanting to age in place, and perhaps we could work together to help each other?
And then my wife asked if I knew about the “villages movement” – and I’d never heard of it. Here’s the village movement page for our county.We do not have an organization for Mercer Island (yet!), but there is one next door in Bellevue and their mission is to help other communities grow their own.
So now I’m feeling the entire retirement community thing might just be a very successful real estate development / marketing scheme targeting the anxieties of seniors.
I read all the comments to date and I appreciate this thoughtful discussion, as well as Keith’s thoughtful launch of the topic. Having now made three placements for two people in 3 categories (cottage care, assisted living, and memory care) and visited about 20 sites in our area, I can agree with both sides of this discussion. (There are now hundreds of sites in our area!)
First, running these facilities can be a passion project, but more typically it is a big business with a lot of marketing involved and healthy profit margins. The first person you see is usually a pure and simple salesperson who comes across as caring and empathetic, but is focused on doing their job of signing people up for an expensive service operated by a rich person or group whom you will never see. Often this is called something along the lines of a “community care representative.”
Regarding cost, in a larger community like ours, just under a million, but serving a larger catchment area that adds another 50%, in a desirable lifestyle area, there is a complete range of options from those who take medicaid (or do after a period of time) to those over $10k per month and only private pay. The CCRC’s are just moving in.
And I know for a fact that buying what you don’t yet need in advance always comes at a premium, so yes the market plays to the needs, fantasies, fears, and anxieties of people in the target audience.
BTW, if there is a waiting list and it is not a CCRC, usually you can get a place on it for a refundable deposit, typically a check not cashed. This gives you priority on the list when you do need a spot. Also, while some communities may always be full, more typically the flow is rough–people do not die or otherwise leave on a schedule, so a facility with 40 units might be full in December, but have 5 units available in early February. (That also speaks to the unevenness of when people are looking to enter, and yes, we moved our mom into a secure unit mid-February.)
Finally, the two factors that I leaned on the most are proximity to family and quality of staff. Every other factor ends up being more sizzle than steak. I didn’t figure this out myself, I had to be told and then also experience it. I also learned that facilities (and teams) dedicated to memory care do a better job than ones that just include it–if 80% of the residents are in assisted living, that’s where the focus of management and facility will be, same if most of the residents are in independent living.
Excellent article and hopefully people will think about what happens in their 80’s. Aging in place at your home is exactly what I wanted to do. Life has a way of changing your thinking. Due to my cancer we made our life easier by moving into a CCRC at age 76, early for most of us. Average age at most facilities is about 83. Everyone thinks they can age in place, most of us cannot without help. If you want to be a burden on your children or others, you can. We decided to make our decision which we now believe was right for us. You will meet delightful people, have only one bill to pay, your smartphone, all maintenance taken care of, Dining and just about any activity you can think of to keep you busy and engaged. I call it my cruise ship that never leaves port and no waves. Check it out it, could be a life enhancer. We made our decision over a 2 year period, and picked a winner.
I have seen different numbers as to the percentage that want to stay in their homes and also a substantially lower percentage that actually manage to do so. Interesting that the Pew research notes that upper income folks are the most likely to prefer the move to assisted living. Others may not have that plan as they cannot imagine how to pay for it.
We are on a 3 – 4 year wait list to move to a CCRC and hope that works out, we need to be independent to move in so we can engage with the new people and make a contribution. We are included in some social activities now so are meeting some very interesting people.
We have too much personal experience with others in this situation and want to make the move while we are independent and in control of the process.
Living with some help at home seems lonely to me once we are not driving. But if one of us needs care, the other will be doing more care than is healthy, and both will lose their social life. Other friends are finding themselves trapped caring for spouses who cannot be alone, the falling thing is huge. Just last night I visited a very social but super frail lady who is living with all her stuff as I got a call she needed help. With help from a neighbor we got her off the floor. She fell again after I left. If she were in assisted living there would be more support to combat the loneliness and frailty. And someone to listen to her stories.
My wife and I are in our early sixties. She wants to eventually move to a CRCC, but I would prefer to age in place, but am open to a CRCC. We think we have found a compromise with Willow Valley CRCC near Lancaster, PA. They have a Smart Life program (https://www.smartlifewv.org/) whereby you age in place in your home as long as you can, and when you have ONE or more life disabilities, you get as much in-home care as you need…meal prep, bathing, light housework, semi-skilled nursing, etc. It includes transportation to doctor appointments and stores. You get an assigned “advocate” who takes care of all services needed. It allows the spouse or child to remain as such and not become a caregiver. When you can no longer live in your home, you get immediate access to their skilled nursing home or memory care unit. Willow Valley is one of the top rated CRCCs in the country, and has strong financials. What does this cost: for a couple, it’s about a $100k one-time fee and about $1,500 per month. That monthly charge has historically gone up about 2% per year. For this you get in-home services and when needed, nursing or memory care in their facilities…no additional charges as you consume more services. There’s no elimination period and the logistics of care and coordination is covered. It’s basically long term care insurance…in-home and in-facility. You have to be in relatively good health to join. I understand I may never need a penny of service. On the other hand, my wife and I may need hundreds of thousands of dollars of services, or more!
I think we are going to do it in 2027. We do have a child and his family living nearby, but I refuse to have either my wife or him be a caregiver, and I don’t want to do it for my wife. We can afford it. And the peace of mind that end-of-life needs are covered is well worth the cost.
Aging in place can be more complicated than it sounds. In-home care is very, very expensive. Arranging it can be a challenge, and quality and reliability will always be an issue. If the person(s) aging in place have dementia, in-home caregivers may not be well trained for that. We found that my late mother-in-law was happier and safer in a memory care facility with trained staff and predictable routines. Part-time in-home care was great for my husband’s grandfather, who lived to be 102 and was able to stay in his own place (a unit in an over-55 community) until he died. He had some mobility/balance and hearing issues but was otherwise in good health and mentally sharp. The caregiver made him lunch, did light housework, that kind of thing.
With my MIL, we were surprised to learn that it was more financially feasible for her to be in residential memory care than at home with caregivers, and the LTC policy covered most of her expenses there.
I agree that memory care facilities offer important advantages as dementia worsens. A close friend aged 87 recently entered such care. He was diagnosed about 5-6 years ago, and lived quite successfully at home until recently. In the years after the diagnosis, he travelled with his wife, attended concerts, enjoyed their feline pets, etc. He and his wife(now 86) did not ignore his prognosis. Instead, while staying engaged at home, both visited memory care facilities and gradually began to spend time at the one he liked best, in early March, he moved to his new residence. The move went very smoothly, and he now receives the organized care he needs, but occasionally goes on outings with his wife. I imagine the time way from the facility will lessen as his condition worsens. For me, the takeaway is not to avoid necessary institutional care, but, at the same time, not to sacrifice the time when living alone is possible. I don’t see any of this as easy, but every stage of life has its challenges—and this is the one facing older people.
That sounds like as sensible a way to handle things as one could imagine, even including that he had input on the facility while he was still able. My husband’s stepfather didn’t handle the situation nearly as well, though he tried to be faithful and responsible in caring for her. As early as 2020, she went missing for five hours, and it was terrifying. She fell down the stairs in 2023, was seriously injured and had to spend a month in the hospital—and she’d had several other falls and injuries (like a broken wrist, head lacerations) in previous years. She just wasn’t safe, and we were getting calls from neighbors (we live 400 miles away) that she was out wandering again.
She was very advanced in her illness when she went to memory care and only was there three months before she passed away suddenly from cardiac arrest. She probably should have been there at least two years sooner, maybe more. It was very traumatic for everyone involved, including her.
Count my husband and me among those aging in place. We’re both 83 and in reasonably good health. Our house, which is over 100 years old, is 21/2 stories— not including the basement. We still use all of it — though we’ve remodeled over the years to accommodate living only on the first floor if that becomes necessary. We hire lawn care and snow removal, and have a contractor who quickly responds to any maintenance issues. I still cook the majority of meals and my husband and I split housework tasks— we’ve tried a number of cleaning services but so far all seem to leave the house dirtier than they found it!
Our neighbors are both younger and some even older than we are. That’s great— we really like interacting with the young kids, teens, as well as the adults of varying ages. We also go to the gym three times a week; it is operated by the Unuverdity and caters to an older clientele— nobody wears spandex!
I see independent living in a CCRC as a big gamble that can sacrifice loss of privacy and monetary resources. Both of my parents and in-laws died within months of receiving diagnoses of serious illness; that fact may color my judgment.
Both my husband and I have Long Term Care insurance, and our pensions would also cover nursing and memory care. Our children have been told that we will accept care if and when we need it. (Our son is an MD, and I know he surreptitiously checks our mental and physical abilities every time we meet.). We will have to pay higher rates for direct admission to assisted living and above, but we have the resources to do that. The best CCRCs in our area offer that option, but we will probably relocate closer to one of our kids.
I have many friends who are following a similar plan as ours, but I also know a few who have entered CRCCs. I truly doubt either option is totally perfect. I also know one couple that has an apartment in a CCRC, but continues to live in their house a few miles away. I guess that’s the ultimate hedging their bets!
A couple of additional points to consider. Even if a CCRC accepts entry directly to Assisted Living, there is no guarantee that a unit will be available when needed. My CCRC does accept people directly to AL, but we typically only have a few empty units which are held for residents.
Second, moving is stressful, and better undertaken while still in good health. A friend recently gave up on aging in place and moved to a residential facility where she had been top of the wait list for several years. She had surgery last fall, moved in January and closed on the sale of her house this month. Thanks to the stress, she has developed shingles, despite being vaccinated.
To your last point, we toured our first CCRC a few months ago, and the guide showed us different units and mentioned one owner who owns TWO there and doesn’t yet live in either! It’s an oceanfront complex in San Diego County, and sometimes people will take a non-view unit at first but then have priority when a better unit opens up. I think that’s what was going on in that case.
We also know two couples here in town where one spouse lives in a CCRC because they have chronic health issues and need assisted living while the other remains in their independent non-CCRC home. You need money for that, of course…
@Marilyn – thank you for your response – I am happy to hear from someone who’s more aligned with our thinking.
I’ve been thinking about the other responses (quick word count finds 24 instances of “move” in the prior comments) and it seems folks on this forum lean in on financial planning (understandable), but not other forms of planning. It feels that they think “aging in place” means doing nothing – with some clearly poor outcomes. As several pointed out, people who move while healthy and in control do far better than those who waited for crisis.
But there is no challenge to “aging in place” that is also not a challenge of a facility – it’s just that they solve all of them for you <fingers crossed> at substantial costs in terms of finances, flexibility, and life preferences.
Stairs? Put in an elevator, remodel the main floor to include a master suite, or – ok – move to a rambler and age in place there.
Bathroom? Put in a curbless shower with access for wheelchair to shower chair transfer, create space around a toilet for an assist there.
Getting from bed to bathroom? Plan for a rolling Hoyer lift or – better – a ceiling track so that a one-attendant solution can bring the incapacitated person to the bathroom.
Room for help? Build an ADU (I covered this in a prior thread – it’s a rapidly developing option).
The remodeling and hardware is the easy, one-time part. The genuinely hard part is the same one the facilities are really selling: coordinating and staffing care over time.
We’re 66 (or almost in my case) and just moved to a single-story home with a nice ADU in the backyard. We’re having the master bath remodeled to make it aging-friendly. My one remaining concern is a single step in front of the front door (why?), but that could probably be dealt with in time.
That said, we’re still planning to get on the waiting list for one of the CCRCs in town, just to keep our options open. As you note, managing and paying for caregivers is the main limiting factor.
Sorry—I just went back to your previous post and I guess it’s really a “Dadu” because it’s detached (it even has its own street address and entrance from the street).
We had a 1-stop elevator (garage to main floor) installed 3 years ago. Best ROI of any upgrade by far.
We have our plans in place for an elevator as well. Hopefully we won’t need it for a decade or so, but the value is obvious compared to the relatively modest cost (we have an estimate of $40K) and the potential ROI when my wife sells the house after my departure.
That’s in line with what we paid.
The big concern with the immigration crackdown is a large percentage of paid home care providers are immigrants. Plus at some point you may not be in a position mentally to screen replacements when they give notice, or are out sick, which then places the burden on your children.
You must be referring to the ILLEGAL immigration crackdown?
Not necessarily. There has been a nursing care shortage for a long time that is rapidly being exacerbated by the growing number of elderly boomers who need health care. The current administration has also revoked asylum for workers from Haiti and elsewhere and is taking additional steps to limit legal immigration. A hospital staff nurse here in NYC averages about $125k and can make much more with overtime. Those salaries have an upward influence on less skilled healthcare workers. The norm for companies that provide home health care is to charge twice as much for their services as what they pay their employees. Thus, the top companies here charge about $40/hr.
And not all of us have children.
Undocumented immigrants are 5% of our workforce mostly in the jobs you mention, the service and food industry and construction. I doubt even AI wants one of those jobs.
The crackdown is also affecting the CCRCs and other institutional forms of care. Taking care of old people who can be demanding and cranky isn’t a great career path for many — especially if wages are low. During COVID, the highest mortality rate in our area was at a very highly regarded CCRC with high numbers of workers who refused the vaccine. The workers were infecting the residents. I know of one family who moved their mother out.
We went through a 3 month period where we needed home health care on a part-time basis and found it very stressful. The typical company charges twice what they pay their employees and turnover is very high. We used the most reputable firm in the area and still had three different aides.
We now have been in in an indedpendent living apt in a CCRC for 2.5 years and couldn’t be happier with our decision to live here. While things aren’t perfect we have made many friends and keep busy with the numerous fitness activities and other activities including bridge, canasta, mah jongg, corn hole, racket ball, lectures and musical performances. Our facility has both apartments and villas and one’s level of involvement in the community can be as little or much as they desire. While almost all of us are retired, several residents are still working, mostly remotely, including therapists, physicians and financial advisors (one is 91).
Unfortunately, inflation in all forms of health care is outpacing overall inflation and immigration limitations will no doubt add to this problem.
I’ve enjoyed this conversation. I believe that aging in place is a roll of the dice. You may or may not need aid at all, but, then again, you might. I believe that financial resources are a key part of the decision. If you can hire in home help, then that is great. Since your relatives have their own lives, they might not be a resource. And, if you are blessed enough to make your 80’s or 90’s (even your 70’s), a spouse might not be physically able to do much to help.
I have lived in two 55 and over communities since I I was 59. Both were and are great places to live. But, aging in place in the 55 and over communities will still demand a decision on how to acquire and pay for help if you need it,
My wife and I are both 74. This last year, we moved to a non-profit CCRC in Florida. Even with a long wait list, we managed to get into the community in a matter of months. Being on the waitlist gives one a chance to say yea or nay if a place comes open, but it might not be what that person wants- or they might not be quite ready to pull the trigger.
We both have Long Term Care insurance. So, this should help out if we need to move up to assisted living or nursing care at a discounted rate. We are in independent living now. It is a good thing to have things lined up for our future.
Howdy, neighbor (I’m directly across the Sound from you)…
I for one believe your wife’s statistic. Naturally a majority of folks would prefer to age in familiar surroundings, but there are many who must because they lack options. CCRCs (average entry fee $500K) and high-end retirement communities are simply beyond the financial reach of many Americans. HUD Section 202 senior housing developments have long waiting lists and have been targeted for steep cuts by the current administration.
I’d be interested to know what percentage of those aging in place are doing so because it’s imposed by circumstances.
I really like the “villages” idea. Our development is 340 units, and there might be enough permanent elderly amongst us to make it fly.
Interesting statistic Keith. I have no idea if it is accurate, but thanks for your post.
I have been researching Over 55 and CCRCs since my wife passed last June. I am 81, in reasonable good health, and have no physical limitations other than being slower than I used to be. I have 2 acres of heavily wooded land, and I am able to do my yard work and most things around the house.
My son is a remodeler and serves as my handyman. I try to limit the times I ask him to do things, but he is there when I need him. I concluded that I do not want to continue living in our home of 54 years, but I feel the Over is too young for me. So I am focusing on CCRCs in Charlotte area and Charleston, SC area because my daughter lives there.
There are a lot of CCRCs in both areas, and they usually have waiting lists. Most have a high entry fee, but one I really like in Charlotte is an equity model where you purchase your residence (mostly apartments) and you or your heirs can sell it when you leave.
I have 2 favorites in Charleston, one is monthly and the other is an entry fee model where you get 50% back, and their entry fees are lower than Charlotte.
Most of the sales pressure is subtle where they emphasize their wait lists. I have had a few suggest that I should make a decision now while I can easily live in an independent living unit.
My big question is whether I move to Charleston after living in Charlotte area for 60+ years. I have a lot of friends and neighbors in Charlotte and have a great church that I am connected to with many friends there. So that is a legitimate concern.
One thought is to move to the monthly model in Charleston and see how that works. I would live close to my daughter which should ease the transition and she would be close by if I need her. However, one reason I am considering a CCRC is I do not want to be a burden on my children. I should know within 6 to 12 months whether that is for me or not.
One other thing. I have a good pension and SS which should cover my costs for higher levels of service including skilled nursing facilities should I ever need one. My children will get a substantial inheritance from my investments and house.
These are not easy decisions.
Like Chris, I moved to a non-profit CCRC: mine has been in operation for over 30 years. I wrote a HumbleDollar article on choosing a CCRC, and another on my experience after living in one for nine months. It’s been two and a half years now, and I am still convinced the move was one of my best decisions. I regularly hear my fellow residents say the same thing.
I was living alone, and married couples may look at things differently. However, it is overwhelming likely that at some point one of them will be living alone, and they should plan accordingly. Many more couples than singles live in my CCRC. If/when I need more care, I will move to Assisted Living and perhaps later Skilled Nursing, on the same campus. I will not have to find and manage in-home care, or move at short notice to whatever facility has space.
My house was over 30 years old, not suitable for aging in place, and not in walking distance of anything useful, like doctors, dentists or grocery stores. I use the on-site clinic for primary care, I switched to a dentist across the street and there’s a grocery store next door. I use the gym at the end of my corridor, and I’m surrounded by friendly and interesting people. What’s not to like?
It is, of course, true that there are profit-making entities running CCRCs. The interests of the owners are not aligned with those of the residents. That’s why I recommend non-profits, plus a careful examination of financial disclosures.
While we are also glad to be in a non-profit, I wouldn’t automatically exclude for profit CCRCs. The rapid growth in these institutions in our area means that, just like other industries, they have to be competitive if they want to attract clients and be successful. I would also note that it is becoming increasingly common for non-profits to be managed by for-profit continuing care management companies.
I’ve been thinking about the final comment: “So now I’m feeling the entire retirement community thing might just be a very successful real estate development / marketing scheme targeting the anxieties of seniors.”
Development and marketing schemes in every aspect of life are targeting someone, and vulnerable seniors are no exception. But I think “entire” is too broad a characterization for retirement communities.
People who someday expect to need a retirement community should do a fair amount of research and not wait until they or their family members are in an emergency situation. With Baby Boomers entering their 80s, the best communities have a long waitlist. It’s a good idea to pay a modest deposit and get on the list, creating a relationship with your target place, rather than expect an apartment or cottage to magically appear and accommodate your needs during a crisis.
We “interviewed” about five CCRCs in our area one summer, three years before were ready to move. One of the ones we rejected gave us negative vibes, and was owned by a corporation. It has changed ownership twice since then. Another one, expensive and sprawling, has undergone even more of an expansion, turning it into a huge campus. We still get flyers from these and other corporate-owned places – they apparently have plenty of vacancies.
Hi, Chris. I think you mentioned in earlier posts that your CCRC is in Florida. May I ask what city/area? It sounds like you found a great one for you and your spouse.
We are in Sarasota, Florida. We lived about two miles away from the CCRC we ultimately chose – it’s in a well-established neighborhood about 8 miles south of downtown Sarasota. Interestingly, our immediate area seems to have become “hot” … with good restaurants with no parking hassles, and about to get a Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
Our plan is to place our names on several CCRCs waiting lists when we turn 70, assuming there is a 10 year wait then see what facilities open up when. We hope that we can stay in the retirement house we built 10 years ago until then. That would mean we lived here for 20+ years. That is not the main driver in the decision however. We saw what my sister went through (yes it was the lone daughter of four but it’s complicated) with my parents refusing help in the house and moving out, until they went to assisted living too late. Will moving to a CCRC decrease their inheritance? Definitely! But, I believe that the piece of mind they will benefit from knowing that we are set for life will be worth every penny as it will let them continue living THEIR lives unimpeded.
I like your thinking but have to ask why wait until 70 to get on a list(s)? If your intent is as you’ve stated I don’t see a reason to wait. (I get that you don’t expect to need it until ten years later, but that’s not a reason.)
Hi Mike,
The expecting not to need it is only one reason, other reasons are: 1) I turn 70 in 18 months in January’28, 2) we are both relatively healthy other than the associated orthopedic aches and pains, 3) we both are capable of performing house/yard work but are losing enthusiasm for those activities and can hire others to perform those tasks at any other time, 4) I have read that 10 years out is a reasonable timeframe for getting on a list, if things go well not “planning on moving until 80 years old (however us being retired physical therapists know that it doesn’t matter what you plan so getting a head start at 70 will hopefully get us an option earlier if one of our health starts to slide.
I agree. The lists are only going to get longer as baby boomers sign up. Last I heard there were over 1,100 households on ours. You can always tell them not to call you for a set period of time.
Some CCRCs have another option—pay to jump to the head of the line! No joke. The nicest one in Madison has a deal where for $10,000 nonrefundable, one can get the first opening of the desired size that becomes available. It’s a take it or leave it deal— if you don’t like the particular apt. You lose the $10,000.
Very good plan. People who move into CCRCs or assisted living while they are still fairly healthy and in control of their choices fare a lot better than those who wait until they aren’t mobile and able to manage their move, thus dumping their problems on relatives to solve. I’ve observed that people who are still active and interested in volunteering are the ones who are making new friends and enjoying all the available activities in retirement communities. Life is what you make it.
Like the author, that 93% didn’t sound right to me, either. I think the number is probably pretty sound, but I also expect that once you break down ‘seniors’ by increasing age categories, that number drops.
For example, 93% of 65-70 year-old seniors might be aging in place, but I seriously doubt 93% of 85-90 year-olds are.
…the entire retirement community thing might just be a very successful real estate development / marketing scheme targeting the anxieties of seniors.
Keith, I think that’s true, as every new business is born by a want/need, and often marketed through fear/anxiety. Still, these communities can and do help provide a better life-experience for residents. (See HD articles by Kathy Wilhelm or Kristine Hayes).
We moved into a 55+ community two years ago. While I do know many close-by neighbors, I am not as involved here as I thought I would be, and I think this is because my family and friend circle outside of this community keeps me as busy as I want/need to be. Chrissy (my wife) has done a bit better through her involvement in the book club.
I’m going to age in this place for as long as I possibly can.
Living a large (20,000+ residents) 55+ Community, I can say it seems like it’s probably easier to ‘age in place’ here as compared to living in a ‘non-retirement’ community.
A few examples: We have three fire stations within our city limits (a total of 12 square miles). They mainly respond to health-related calls and have an incredibly quick response time. Residents can purchase a lock box from the fire department and have it mounted near their front door. In the event that the fire fighters need to get in to assist someone who lives alone, they can access the house keys (as opposed to having to break down a door or window to gain access).
We have a Community Foundation that assists lower-income residents with financial crises. If someone needs a new AC unit and can’t afford it, the foundation will pay for it. If they can’t make their utility payment, the foundation will pay it. They also provide financial guidance/assistance to residents who request it.
We have a full-service hospital (with ER/ICU, etc.) within our city limits. There are too many medical offices to list. But unless someone needs very specialized care, almost all medical issues can be dealt with within the confines of the city.
Can’t drive? There are many available transportation services? Can’t cook? There are multiple community resources to provide residents with meals and food delivery.
Live alone and just want someone to check up on you? We have a volunteer Posse that will do daily welfare checks.
There are a lot more services available, some of which I’m sure I’m not even aware of. I’d guess 93% of residents here might be able to age-in-place without too many issues.
Sounds much like the Villages. Are there HOA or similar fees for those services. Are property taxes high?
Some parts of our community are governed by HOA’s but it just depends on location. Our home isn’t in an HOA.
Every resident pays an annual recreational facilities fee. This year it is $620 per person. That allows anyone to go to any of the four rec centers within the city limits. They have workout rooms, swimming pools, hot tubs, walking tracks, pickleball courts, etc.
Our property taxes for a 2000 square foot home on a 10,000 square foot lot run about $1300 a year.
Wow, I’m guessing those taxes don’t have to support any schools. Our property taxes on a 2000sf condo are almost $1200 a month.
Correct. There are no schools in our 55+ community.
Aging in place can mean two things. Simply staying in one’s longtime home or relocating to a new state, etc. and aging in a new place. The estimates are that 25% of retirees relocate within ten years of retirement.
It’s even more nuanced. After being retired eight years we sold our home of 45 years and moved 7/10 of a mile to a 55+ condo community. It’s not a retirement community, but most are retired. Did we relocate? Technically yes, but except for our living quarters nothing else changed in terms of friends, shopping and other resources. Connie’s back problems made stairs impossible.
The next part is we dearly hope from here on to age in place. Several owners here have aides and the condo is setup so we could have live in assistance if necessary.
7/10 of a mile? You call that move? Our new place was three times that far! I’m not sure if either of our moves count as relocation.
My criteria for determining if an activity is a move is if you have to pack all of your belongings, and also may include if you have to get rid of a lot of belongings. What a PITA (pain in the …)
Did you walk or drive the golf cart, Dan?
Not really, but we didn’t stay put either.
We moved to a non-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community almost 4 years ago, and observe to one another daily that we made a great decision. It was created more than 50 years ago by a pastor who saw a need and today has a long waiting list and a large endowment. It’s not a “facility,” it’s very much our Home. I’d characterize it as a “village with a safety net.” Volunteerism, caring about and helping one another, friendships – all abound. But we have an excellent paid staff running things, and a team in place responsible to handle things friendly neighbors cannot do. If we run out of money, we still have a home. Expensive, yes, but the peace of mind is priceless.
We moved to a 55 plus community in September. So far so good. No stairs, no grass cutting, no leaf raking, no pool maintenance, etc. Very friendly diverse group of seniors. I wish we moved 10 years ago.
That’s the way I feel about our move too. I wish we had moved sooner, but it was my fault. I was being selfish and didn’t want to accept Connie could not handle the stairs in a three story house with laundry in the basement.
We didn’t “age in place” because my knees were no longer able to do stairs.