I have been reading about 55+ communities a lot lately - they are putting some up in our area. But, I've also been reading that lots of older people want to "age in place" and not live in an "active adult" community.
What about you? Do you want to live in a 55+ community some day or is that just not for you? I'm curious about how other CF people view what used to be called "retirement communities".
Maybe...If I ever get to the point where I can't handle day-to-day homeowner chores, I would consider it. My parents have friends who are in some nice upscale adult communities and they love it. I would just say to be careful and really do your research, because some of them start off nice but get shitty and rundown and then you are stuck there.
We are already aging in place, and hope to continue. I think I would only move if I needed one of those three-tier systems, but I would be very reluctant because I hate having people in my face all the time. I have visited several of those communities either for information or to see someone, and some are nice, but they are way too busy and active for me. I am fairly reclusive and don't like rules or being pestered.
Hell yeah! Anything to get me away from kids is good.
Eddy Wrote:Hell yeah! Anything to get me away from kids is good.
Youll want to arrange your getaways for Grandchildrens' Weekends, then!
You betcha! I cannot wait. 6 years, 25 days and counting! Reduced rent, no lawn care to worry about, free or reduced cable and phone. I would live like a queen!
I agree for Eddy's reasons, getting away from the kids. Ok, grandchildren visits, but I'll take that over constant living next to a bunch of Breeder McBreedersons in the suburbs EVERYDAY. Plus, if it's a community like that, the kids would have to abide by rules and wouldn't they be more strict about making sure the kids don't destroy things or are unsupervised? Plus kids don't usually visit the old folks anyway they are too busy doing breeder crap and let the older ones rot right. Either way I still think it's better because your chances of being stuck with brat kids around you is still much slimmer. I don't know that I'd go right away, I have no clue where I'll be at that age but if I were even older than that and widowed, yeah I'm there.
Heck yeah! I already live in one of the retirement capitals of the world. There are TONS of active adult communities around here and they are NICE.
My mom was looking at the local Sun Cities so I got a chance to nose all over the place. One of them has everything except a a gas station, you never need to leave. They have restaurants, 100s of clubs, 100s of classes, dance studios, pottery and other art studios, golf, swimming, tennis, large fitness centers, delis, game rooms, post offices, libraries, cafes, dog parks, concert halls with weekly events(I attended a holiday symphony), their own farmers market, state of the art computer labs...and of course weekly trips to Mexico, Vegas, Arizona, LA, sporting events, wine tastings...etc
Active adult communities get me excited to grow old.
I couldn't find their specific website, but here is a quick summary on a Wiki page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_City_Pa...California
We have a Sun City just south of us. I haven't been down that way in a few years, but last time I saw it, I was struck by how dead quiet it was.
I might contemplate it, but I live in a nearly 'adult community' right now so I might not see the need to move. I am downtown and in a townhouse, and there are a few children in the area but I very rarely see them. There are occasionally babies, but once they get old enough to want to play in backyards or with friends then the parents move elsewhere. I love it!
LOL, Lindsay - you took the words out of my mouth. I totally agree. I look forward to being old enough to live in a 55+ spot. Hopefully there will be other CF, non-grandchilded folks there to share it with!
And, yes, the Sun City ones look terrific, but I've also looked into ones in Minnesota for the skiing.
Hell yeah! The 55+ communities around here are NICE. They live in gorgeous buildings, the apartments are huge, and have all kinds of stuff like restaurants and spas and recreational clubs on-site. And they have the only semi-affordable rent prices in the tri-state area! Sign me up! XD
My old aunt lives in Sun City, AZ. It is a very nice place. I would not mind living there. She has her own 2-br house and her car, of course. Everyone has died but her. She did not have any kids. She is very active and together and 90-years-0ld. She's lived there for years and years. She is not a friendly person, yet seems to know her neighbors. It makes me feel good that I know someone will come looking for her if she dies in her sleep or something.
I think about this, but I am not sure how I will feel when I am ready to retire. I mean will I still be able to get around and enjoy things like dog agility? I really enjoy where I am currently living. It is so quiet and peaceful. I see a lot of very active seniors at dog agility events and at Curves and when I went to Maui. If so, then I would want to stay in my house for as long as possible. But if my husband ever died and I was feeling tired and slowing down, I would think about moving to a retirement place. Yes, if I am single and in my 80s, then I would look for something that's easy to care for and has plenty of people to say hello to if I wanted to. It just seems like the logical thing to do when you're by yourself, have your senses, and don't want a house-house or even apartment complex full of other people coming and going. I would feel safe and not worry about how much my mind has slowed in a retirement community. Also, I would think that living in a retirement community would mean we'd all check on each other, just in case.
Having been raised in New York City, and having lived there until I was 21, I have developed a real aversion to apartments. Since then, I have only lived in communities like that when forced to. I hate having people on the other side of a wall from me, and I hate not having private outside space, and I don't want people knocking on my door so often that I always have to wear a bra, or have my naps interrupted. This was how we found out RVing wsn't for us: too close to one another and people running around in your space all the time. Ugh.
I am not sure. A friend of mine and I talked about it recently. I am almost at that age. It sounds nice that the neighbors look out for each other. That certainly does not happen where I live. My neighbors are so into themselves.
However, a dream that I have is to live in a smaller community where I would have a fairly good sized yard with no neighbors crowding in.
If I do not find a woman that I could live with, then I don't know if I would want to live in the sticks all by myself.
eslbee Wrote:Having been raised in New York City, and having lived there until I was 21, I have developed a real aversion to apartments. Since then, I have only lived in communities like that when forced to. I hate having people on the other side of a wall from me, and I hate not having private outside space, and I don't want people knocking on my door so often that I always have to wear a bra, or have my naps interrupted. This was how we found out RVing wsn't for us: too close to one another and people running around in your space all the time. Ugh.
All the adult communities around here are homes-nice homes. I'm not aware of any that are apartments, townhomes or even duplexes. One of their selling points is that they are all single story as many elderly people don't like or aren't able to use stairs.
I attached a photo similar to the home my mom was going to buy. They range from 900-4000 square feet.
Lindsay Wrote:eslbee Wrote:Having been raised in New York City, and having lived there until I was 21, I have developed a real aversion to apartments. Since then, I have only lived in communities like that when forced to. I hate having people on the other side of a wall from me, and I hate not having private outside space, and I don't want people knocking on my door so often that I always have to wear a bra, or have my naps interrupted. This was how we found out RVing wsn't for us: too close to one another and people running around in your space all the time. Ugh.
All the adult communities around here are homes-nice homes. I'm not aware of any that are apartments, townhomes or even duplexes. One of their selling points is that they are all single story as many elderly people don't like or aren't able to use stairs.
I attached a photo similar to the home my mom was going to buy. They range from 900-4000 square feet.
There's a gay retirement community south of us, near Bradenton, that has homes like this, but it also has duplexes and quadruplexes. I couldn't tolerate the attached ones, and the separate ones are too expensive, even though some are smaller than the house we now own. And I know there are high-rise retirement villages in Tampa. If I had no other choice but to live that close to others, I'd drink the Kool-Aid.
DH and I hope to retire to his family farm. But I wouldn't mind something like that, so long as they aren't constantly bothering you sign up for the shuffleboard tournament. If I need help, I want the help when I need it, and I want to be left alone when I don't!
One thing that really interests me is the kind of community that offers stepped care - so when you move in you have independent living, if you decline you can go to assisted or even nursing home. Most of these places are set up so you pay an upfront fee that is large but your fees don't skyrocket when (if) you get to the nursing home stage. It's like an insurance policy - the facility is banking that you won't need the nursing home care (or not for long) and you are banking that you will. I like the idea because I'm afraid of the costs of nursing homes.
My mother has looked into old folks housing and the biggest drawback was the size of the house/condo/apt.-more precisely the lack of. They were all one bedroom and the three or four rooms in each unit were small. I wouldn't like being cramped in a small place. Another drawback for me would be the old people who are getting senile and dementia who might wander into your place thinking that's their home.