Senior Housing Options

Retirement homes are much more than just nursing homes and the options available are numerous, especially for adults who need little to no daily care. These include active adult communities for seniors who may still have fulltime jobs and assisted living facilities for those who need some help. There are also facilities that offer a progression of services as the needs of their members change. See the retirement communities. If these don't suit you, there are even more options available to seniors who are planning their retirement.

For retirement-age adults who want to live on their own, active adult communities are a good choice. These communities allow adults who do not need any additional health care, but who no longer wish to have to deal with the upkeep and maintenance of a large home, a place to live. Residents choose between townhouses, condos, or separate units grouped in a neighborhood or community. To allow their residents to maintain active social lives, these communities often include group activities open to all members, as well as classes, sports, and recreation facilities. There may also be scheduled trips to remote locations, such as concert halls, museums, and movie theaters. Seniors can find active adult communities with age restrictions, where the vast majority of residents must be at least 55 years old, and those without.

Assisted living facilities combine onsite care with individual housing units. Nurses and physician's assistants often live onsite. Other staff might handle laundry and cooking, as well as personal care. Check out the georgia active adult communities. A facility like this offers adults some autonomy and private spaces while also giving them the help they need to maintain an independent life.

Continuing care communities are designed to provide increasing levels of care as their members' needs change and progress, from active adult living to assisted living to full-time care. This type of facility can be joined by adults with needs that fall anywhere along the spectrum of those covered, but are most often joined by those who are still active or need only a little assistance. In a facility like this, members can remain in the same community, even if their daily needs change. Prospective members should be aware, though, that membership fees are often non-refundable if the member changes his or her mind and wishes to live elsewhere.

Adults who are still active may want to look into cohousing. Cohousing combines shared responsibility for the facilities with independent units. Cohousing for mixed ages is more common, but there are a few senior-only cohousing communities in the United States. There are also residential communities organized around a shared lifestyle. Look at the active adult lifestyle. These include communities that function similarly to resorts and those centered on a shared lifestyle, such as communities intended for LGBT seniors or those who share a particular religious affiliation.