When Is It The Right Time To Move To A Senior Living Community?
Going to college or entering the workforce, getting married, having children, buying a home, accepting a promotion, retiring … it sometimes might feel like we’re navigating one tough choice after another.
When we’re younger, many of these choices feel easier to make because we are not yet attached to as many important memories, places, people and objects as we are later in life.
Decisions, like when to move into a senior living community, can be a tough topic to tackle because it forces us to address changes that might alter long-standing lifestyle choices that we enjoy and are comfortable with.
But, you might be more ready for a change than you think and making the leap is easier than ever. Especially if you’re looking to make your best years (the ones ahead) even better. Plus, contrary to popular perception, living in a senior community doesn’t mean you “give up” anything you currently enjoy. In fact, senior living often means you have more time, energy and resources to devote to your favorite pastimes.
While the only person who can truly decide when is the right time to move to senior living is you, there are some clues that could help you determine if you’re truly ready, or if you need a little more time.
Here are nine clues that now is the right time for senior living.
Bigger isn’t always better. The kids are gone and grown up. You’re retired and yard work just doesn’t have the allure it once did. All that stuff in storage is starting to feel like a burden. If any of these statements ring true for you, have you thought seriously about downsizing?
Moving from a house or large apartment to a smaller home environment has many positives.
From significantly less housework to virtually zero home maintenance needs, senior living is designed to give residents more time to enjoy their lives without the responsibilities of homeownership.
Helping hands. It doesn’t matter how old you are. Virtually everyone’s physical safety and/or cognitive health improves with regular, consistent support from caring, professional individuals.
At Eventide, we focus on the health of a person’s whole-body/mind. Our Grow Bolder philosophy is about enhancing intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual, occupational and physical well-being-all to help aging individuals enjoy a more active and engaged life.
Whether you’re interested in growing your spiritual practice or taking on some strength workouts a few times a week, senior living communities like ours are home to professional partners in care whose purpose is to help you thrive.
Driven by safety. Maybe you’ve stopped or plan to stop driving. Or you’re finding it harder to schedule activities, outings and dates with friends due to limited transportation options.
Either way, senior living communities have ample shuttle services that help residents get to where they want to go. And if you’re not entirely ready to stop driving, many of our communities at Eventide have resident parking garages ready and waiting.
Staying social. FaceTime and Zoom chats with family and friends have made it easier than ever to stay connected to the people you care about. But nothing replaces the joyous connections that are made when you get to be together in real life.
Many senior living residents enjoy more robust social lives once they’ve moved into a retirement community. They have more time for socializing and they’re not tied down by daily responsibilities, plus, they’re connected with peers — and new, lifelong friends.
To heck with housekeeping. Who isn’t burned out on chores, home maintenance, shopping and paying monthly bills?
Perhaps the greatest burden of our adult lives is all the responsibilities of keeping house. Dusting shelves, vacuuming floors, shoveling snow, picking up eggs and milk, making sure the bills are paid. Just thinking about it can cause anxiety!
Senior living communities offer a wide array of housekeeping services, depending on the type of arrangement you choose. The greatest perk of all? You only have one monthly bill to pay. We take care of the rest.
Food for thought. Planning, shopping for and cooking your daily meals feels like a job and you’re over it. Even if you love to cook most of the time, it’s nice to know that if you don’t feel like it on any given day, you can just head down to the Eventide’s onsite restaurants, cafes and pubs for a snack or a full-course meal.
Healing time. You’ve lost a spouse or partner and really miss having companionship in your life. Meet new friends and invite family over anytime you wish. Even though your spouse or partner is irreplaceable, you get the support and camaraderie you need living in community with others.
Senior living communities like Eventide provide bereavement support through spiritual chaplain services. Regular social activities are aplenty, too, so you’ll stay as busy as you wish.
Proactive mindset. Senior living is a great choice if you’d rather move now when you’re healthy, rather than down the road when it might be more difficult — or you experience a life-changing illness or accident.
More people are choosing to make the move at a younger age, too. The more independent you are, the more senior living feels like living at a resort. Plus, the happier and more active you are at the outset, the longer you’ll stay that way. Maybe even for decades!
Helping hands. It doesn’t matter how old you are. Virtually everyone’s physical safety and/or cognitive health improves with regular, consistent support from caring, professional individuals.
At Eventide, we focus on the health of a person’s whole-body/mind. Our Grow Bolder philosophy is about enhancing intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual, occupational and physical well-being-all to help aging individuals enjoy a more active and engaged life.
Whether you’re interested in growing your spiritual practice or taking on some strength workouts a few times a week, senior living communities like ours are home to professional partners in care whose purpose is to help you thrive.
Change will do you good. Quite simply, you’re ready for a change.
Maybe you don’t need to feel burned out by chores or bills or shoveling the walkway in the winter. Maybe you’re just ready to make a move. That’s great!
