Choosing a Senior Living Community or choosing to live in your house is a complex decision making process. With summer winding down, you may feel the pinch to pack everything in. Whether you’re in the early stages of making a decision, downsizing your home, or considering putting your home on the market, there are four main factors to weigh before embarking on a change.
- Consider the Physical Environment: A senior living community is constructed with aging in mind and offers you a residence, necessary services and useful amenities, all at your finger-tips. Staying in your house means you’ll need to consider ways for it to adapt to serve you. Some of these adaptations can be costly when considering lighting upgrades, fewer and safer stairs, bathroom and kitchen remodeling-all to keep you safe and functioning independently. Talk to your local Realtor before making costly updates to your home. You may find that the cost to keep your house safe, may not be adding any market value. If you’re considering selling your home, know that August is not too late for you to take advantage of the current market. For up-to-date housing statistics visit the Greater Capital Association of Realtors Monthly Indicators Page by clicking here. Housing markets across the nation have been active this summer. If you’re selling your home, the market conditions are in your favor with higher median sales prices and low inventory.
- Good Nutrition: This sounds simple, but eating well increases your appetite for living well. A poor diet can lead to higher incidences of falling, problems with wounds healing, and a weakened immune system that raises illness and infection risks. Summer is a wonderful season for family picnics, fresh produce and nice weather, but consider the other seasons. If you’re choosing to stay in your house another year, think about cooking and buying groceries for yourself in stormy weather. As you age, you might find yourself relying on others for rides to the grocery store, or having to pay someone to drop off and prepare meals. In a senior living community like Shaker Pointe, there are multiple dining venues available just steps away. All of our menus are chef-prepared with wellness in mind, and cleanup is included! Senior living makes it easier to eat well regularly.
- Living with Purpose: Meaningful activity leads to lower mortality rates and better health in older adults. Purpose promotes positive living. How do you get involved in your community now? Whether you’re involved in family, church, or volunteering to enrich your daily living, you may find yourself increasingly having to rely on others for transportation. In a senior living community, enriched activities are planned for you, and transportation is included. Here at Shaker Pointe, we have several committees dedicated to providing volunteer opportunities.
- Social Connection: Relationships keep you healthy as you age, and isolation is a serious health risk for older adults. More than 11 million adults age 65+ are estimated to live alone. Look around your neighborhood, do you have connections with anyone close by? How far away do your family and friends live? At Shaker Pointe, you have the privacy of living in your own residence, but you’ll have peace of mind knowing that there is someone to share dinner with, or enjoy a game or movie with just next door.
Download this info-graphic from WhereYouLiveMatters.org and examine the different dynamics that affect your choices in making a retirement decision. Click Here to Download
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