6 Benefits of Living in a 55+ Community
When considering your second act, life should be about enjoyment and the elimination of stress and pressure. At this stage, the 55+ stage, children are adults, careers established, and retirement is around the bend. You can finally take a breath and focus on how you want to live, letting go of responsibilities and embracing spontaneity. However, residential obligations still exist for many people in your age group because they own their homes, meaning they have maintenance concerns and other financial obligations. If you want to have some reprieve from potentially overwhelming responsibilities, consider moving into a 55 and older community. While some people might feel reluctant to give up their home, a retirement community (Don’t be fooled by the name; you don’t have to retire early.) offers at least six advantages over other downsizing alternatives.
1. Location
Communities for people 55 and older focus on location because they want to ensure residents have easy access to all their needs. You will be hard-pressed to find a site that is not close to hospitals, restaurants, shopping, and other forms of entertainment; remember, your second half is about enjoyment, and location operators want to make sure that you get what you want. Despite the focus on accessible locations, most places also want their community setback away from all the outside world’s raucous, meaning that most facilities take pride in developing a serene and peaceful landscape for privacy and comfort.
2. Maintenance
When you move into a 55 and older community, you leave behind most residential maintenance obligations. You no longer have to worry about cleaning out gutters, mowing lawns, or de-weeding the grounds. The management hires staff to take care of all these details. You can even experience full-service dining rooms in some locations, so you do not need to cook meals; others offer transportation assistance, meaning you can lose the car payment.
3. Amenities
Every retirement community is different in the amenities they offer. We provide covered car parking, transportation upon request, gathering rooms, trails, elevators, in-unit laundry, and much more. Scheduling a tour of our grounds, gathering center, and available units are likely the best ways to understand everything Shelby Park Manor has to offer.
4. Security
Security goes beyond installing an up-to-date security system; it is also about knowing that people are looking out for you. Living in a 55 and older community is more than residing in an apartment. People in our properties develop friendships and connections through shared experiences, meaning that all community members watch out for the others, including staff and management. People notice if something seems off, and they are not afraid to speak up if they are concerned.
5. Community
The same vigilance that makes our residents feel safe contributes to the broader sense of community and togetherness. Everyone living in a retirement community has shared life experiences. Many residents are downsizing after becoming empty nesters or looking for a more manageable home to grow old. Whatever the individual circumstances are surrounding the move to our community, we know that people do not take long to find friends.
6. Design
Apartments in independent senior living facilities develop from accessibility designs. The idea among developers is for people to age in place, not requiring a future move unless their medical needs change. As long as a person can still care for themselves, cooking, bathing, cleaning, etc., there is no need to leave their apartment. Our hope is residents can stay with us throughout their lives, happy and independent as ever.
If you are 55 and older and looking to make a move, contact Shelby Park Manor for available apartment listings. You can leave exterior maintenance troubles behind and focus on the day-to-day enjoyment of life.
