55+Active Living
Where to live when you retire - Try a community geared to people aged 55 and older.
Of the numerous options of where to retire, one of them is to move to a 55+ Active Senior Living Community. There are many of them around the country, Sun City in California and Arizona, The Villages in Florida, Laguna Woods, Friendly Valley and Leisure World in California, to name just a few.
What they have in common is that you need to be 55 years of age to buy into their community. They have different amenities designed for this age group such as swimming pools, tennis or pickleball courts, clubhouses for events both small and large, gym, craft rooms and more. They also encourage people to form clubs around their interests, from polishing rocks to yoga to politics and cultural collectives.
I have a friend who has lived in Laguna Woods for well over a decade, and have visited her many times. Although she loves it and it is a lovely area, I never once thought about moving there myself, or to any other senior community. I thought that I wanted to stay in a regular, multi-generational community. Then when I was recovering from a bout of Covid and unable to sleep, I remembered a conversation with a woman several months before who talked of how she loved her life in Leisure World. She travels a lot and feels perfectly safe closing her door and leaving for a month or two. She talked about inexpensive cable fees for TV and biking to the beach on a path, not in traffic. I suddenly decided to look into it and within two months was living there.
If you too have never thought about or been interested in a senior community, I recommend you take another look. You might be surprised. There are many pluses to living in a focused community such as those that are for 55 years of age and up, such as advertising in local papers and flyers that is geared to things that seniors need and want. Concerts are with music from our 20s and 30s. Security cars patrol 24/7 and the area is usually gated, giving a sense of safety so I have no qualms about walking the dog at 9:30 at night – something I would never have done before.
Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought it would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are actually living.
~ Rachel Marie Martin
I always loved to entertain, but now our home is smaller and not conducive to larger gatherings, but within a few hundred feet of our home is a clubhouse with rooms that have adjoining kitchens, so when the need arises, I can still entertain on a larger scale with no extra bother or expense.
Because of all the clubs that have been formed, there are many interesting events that I can take advantage of – speakers, plays, entertainment, card and board games, bicycling, Zumba and more.
So for me, it checked the boxes of safety, climate, transportation, and community.
55places.com is one of the websites that has a listing of many such communities nationwide.
US News has a very good article about these communities, and how to choose one. Here is a list of questions they suggest you ask when considering such a move:
What recreational activities and hobbies are most important to me? Does the community have the resources and facilities to enable me to pursue these?
Will I continue to work in some capacity? Does the facility have a business center and the technology I need? Is there room in the living spaces for an office?
Are there good restaurants, coffee shops, bars and other eateries nearby?
Is there adequate parking? How convenient is the parking lot or garage?
What are my financial resources? Can I afford everything I want in an active adult community, or do I need to make some compromises?
What is my health like? What health care resources or care might I need in five years? In 10 years? How important is it for me to age in place?
Is it important for me to engage with people who are different from me, or do I prefer to associate with those I have much in common with?
Do I expect to entertain? Who will I entertain? How often?
Will my pets be welcome? What amenities are available for them? Is there an extra cost for pets? What, if any, limits are there for where my pet will be allowed to go?
Will I live here full-time? If I’m only here for part of the year, will my home be safe? Can someone take in my mail and water my plants?
Read the whole article here: https://health.usnews.com/senior-care/articles/choosing-active-adult-communities
Another article on 55+ communities from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/health/senior-living/55-plus-communities/
When you are ready to take this on, there are ways we can help.
With Personal Coaching or membership in Feisty & Fearless Over Fifty Circles, you will
Identify just what you want your retirement to look like
Relief from the uncertainty of retirement
Effective tools and information to move forward
Questions that will bring forth transformative answers
Tasks to take on to help you achieve the results you are looking for
Build a life of joy, fulfillment and satisfaction
A roadmap for Living the Good Life
If you would like to find out more and set up a free, Discovery Call, send me an email at pfield@coach4women.com or Click Here to schedule it today.
