EMPTY NESTERS AND retirees looking for an easier lifestyle can find one by moving to an independent living style senior community. These communities are also commonly labeled as 55+ or retirement communities. What makes communities like this different from other types of senior arrangements such as nursing homes or assisted living communities?
What Is Independent Living?
When we say “independent living,” that can mean a wide variety of senior housing options, from age-restricted neighborhoods open only to 55+ to continuing care retirement communities. The former are often rental communities that don’t offer any care services and the latter have independent living options as well as assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing.
These kinds of residential communities offer freedom from the hassles of maintaining a home and opportunities to enjoy an active lifestyle. Residence options from apartments to townhomes and condos to freestanding villas or cottages come in a variety of sizes and floor plans.
The services and amenities associated with independent living are designed around making things easier and more convenient for residents. Services commonly include dining plans, transportation services, housekeeping, security, and linen service. A fitness center, multiple dining venues, pools, woodworking shops, crafting rooms, art studios, and beauty and barber salons are often included in amenities.
Senior fitness classes range from tai chi to yoga, balance training to weight training, dancing to water aerobics. There are many opportunities for creativity through writing, music, and art. Residents can keep their minds active by attending seminars, lectures, and classes offered by local colleges or lifelong learning institutes.
What’s the Value of Choosing Independent Living Sooner?
If you’re healthy and active, why sell your home and move to an independent living community? Ask most of the current residents of such a community and they’ll tell you they wish they’d moved in sooner. These are the major reasons:
Freedom and simplicity: residents don’t have to worry about the hassles and costs of maintaining the house and yard. They don’t have to cook or do dishes if they don’t want to, and they have more time for their hobbies and interests. Moving in sooner would’ve meant having all of this for longer.
Staying active: a lot of residents find there are so many activities to do that they don’t have room for them all in their calendar. Many realize how little they’d been doing while living in their own houses. Once they move into an independent senior living community, they can be as busy as they want.
The social scene: social isolation can have devastating effects on the mental and physical wellbeing of seniors, but independent living residents have access to as much social interaction as they could wish for, from informal get-togethers to resident parties, outings, and clubs.
Easy access to care: even if you’re currently experiencing few difficulties with your health, that could change, and you’ll have better access to the help you may need in future at an independent living community.
Myths About Independent Living
There are a few common myths we hear about independent living. A popular one is that moving to one of these communities means losing independence. The whole purpose of an independent living community is preserving independence. The way we do this is by making life easier for seniors. Instead of spending time on household chores, they’re free to stay active in more fulfilling ways.
Another myth is that there will not be anyone around to provide help during an emergency. In fact, the staff is ready and able to provide help. There are also plenty of safety features and conveniences to help residents feel secure, especially if they live alone.
The third myth we hear a lot is that independent living means sacrificing hobbies and interests. These facilities offer wide ranges of activities and social events tailored to the needs of the residents. You might discover that you have more time for your hobbies and interests than ever.
If you know of any other popular ideas about independent living, we’d love to hear about them. If they are myths, we want to set the record straight, but if they are true, we’re happy to confirm them.
Learn More About Independent Living for Seniors in Mapleton
Discover a whole new world of possibilities with independent living. Get in touch with us to learn more about the amenities we offer at our Mapleton senior living community. Follow this link to see where our facilities are located.