I’m sick and tired of always having to make repairs and do maintenance on my home.  How does that work at a Retirement Community?

They have maintenance people on staff to take care of everything.  From fixing the toilet to replacing light bulbs…they take care of everything.  In fact, one couple I moved into John Knox Village called their office and ask for a ladder.  They asked him Why?  He said he wanted to replace a burned out light bulb in the ceiling.  Needless to say, they did not give him the ladder, they just went over and changed it and asked him to please get rid of his toolbox 😊Best of all, stuff like this is all included in your monthly payment…so you never get an extra bill for maintenance or repairs.

We’ve lived in this house for over 25 years.  The thought of packing up and moving worries the heck out of me

Honest truth….it worries us too every time we make a move.  Everyone feels that way.  It’s normal.

What we have done is line up a Team of helpers.  From handymen to make repairs, to downsizing experts to give you tips, to packers to movers.  Even a guy who will haul stuff away if it’s something you don’t want/need anymore.

One lady broke her ankle about a week before her move, so she called in our packers and she simply sat in the middle of her living room and pointed out what was going in what box and they packed AND UNPACKED everything for her in her new place, exactly where she wanted it.  So when she got there, everything was set up and organized.

Most of you won’t need to make use of everyone on our Team…but we are all here and available to help with whatever you need.

There are some Retirement Communities where you “buy in” and others where you “rent”.  What is the difference?

The “buy in” communities typically cover all phases of care for life.  So you will start out in an apartment or villa or home, but then there is an Assisted Living facility and a Nursing Home facility also on the property, which you transition to when needed.

The “rent” communities are just that.  You rent and stay as long as you want.  Some of our clients like these because they will rent there half the year and rent up north the other half of the year to be near family or for a change of seasons.  So it’s a nice option.

The rental communities might offer Assisted Living or Memory Care for an additional price, but typically don’t offer Nursing Home care.  So if/when you need that level of care, you would need to move to a Nursing Home.

How do the Meal Plans work and do I have options?

Most every community will offer a Meal Plan and often you have a choice.  Some are 14 meals per month, so you have the flexibility to cook at home or go out to dinner when you feel like it.

Others offer 30 meals per month, so you can eat there every day.

And there are options in between.  For instance they might offer you a “basic plan” of 14 meals per month with the option to purchase additional meals as needed or upgrade to a 30 meals per month plan.

They do their best to design meal packages that meet your desires…you structure it the way you want.

The Cost Savings is really a benefit, because they are buying for 500 people, so they buy 500 chickens at a time and that’s cheaper than you going to the store and buying just one chicken.  So most Seniors find that they save a lot of money on food with a meal plan than they did when they were living alone.

Plus, no cooking or washing dishes 😊

What about Activities and a “sense of community”?

In my opinion this is one of the biggest benefits.  When I was growing up, everyone in the neighborhood knew everyone else in the neighborhood.  They would take in your mail for you and keep an eye on your house and socialize.

In the world we live in now, most neighbors don’t even know each other, let alone talk to each other.

In a Retirement Community, it really is a Community and you will make lots of friends.  Share meals together, do Activities together, go on Trips together….it really does have a “family feel” to the place that you can’t really find when you are living alone.

It’s a big decision….how is the best way for me to know if I will like it or not?

It is a big decision, so I recommend you tour various Communities, both buy in and rental.  Talk to the people who live there, have a meal, see what services they offer.

When you find a place you think you will like, or have a short list of ones you like….spend more time there.  Ask a lot of questions and view the different housing models…apartments (1, 2 or 3 bedrooms), villas, houses, whatever you are most interested in.

The idea is you want to find a place that you can settle into and be happy living at.