As your senior years appear closer upon the horizon, you might be wondering what this time in your life is going to look like. Is it time to make some lifestyle changes? Is it time to move to another local area or move to another state? Do you have a favorite vacation destination you could call home? Should you consider senior living communities? Will your finances support your aging lifestyle? Of course, you don’t want these years to involve loneliness or lack of direction - they should be the best years of your life. To ensure this happens, it's recommended to take control of your senior years and plan out your future ahead of time.
Making a Plan Gives You Direction:
You should be the one to determine where you live and what you will do. Planning your senior life may be easy for some and not so easy for others. Decisions will need to be made when assisted living may be needed or skilled senior living health services become necessary. Seeking the help of your children, family and friends is adviseable, but ultimately it is your choice. You should also decide how you are going to support your choice financially. It's best to figure this out as soon as possible, to ease the burden on potential caregivers, and get a realistic outlook of what fits in your budget. Knowing you have a plan for your later years will give you a sense of security. There will be no need to worry about where you might end up or how it will be paid for, once you create your plan of action.
How to Find a Great Senior Living Community:
Once you determine your plan-of-action for the best years of your life, there are a few steps you should follow to find the right place, should you explore senor living communities. You will be looking for one that fits your needs and gives you the chance to have the time of your life:
- Tour as Many Senior Communities as Possible: Don’t feel you have to limit yourself to just one or two centers. Remember, you are doing this before you actually need the help, so take advantage of your ability to get around and tour as many locations as possible.
- Determine What’s Important to You: When selecting the place you will want to spend the best years of your life, you need to decide what is important to you. Is having access to various active classes, like yoga or carpentry, most important; or would you rather have ease of access for frequent outings into town? By deciding what you want the most when it comes to accommodations/activities, you can narrow down your options.
- Ask Your Friends: Throw a party and invite some friends over, whom you respect. During this get together, ask your friends their opinion on senior living. In many cases, word-of-mouth can lead you to the best choice. You don’t have to have a party in order to ask opinions, but you do want to gather multiple opinions from people who may have had different experiences.
- Ask Questions Galore: While touring communities, be sure to ask as many questions as possible. You're not bothering the employees or other residents. When people are happy with where they work or live, they usually have no problem sharing details or bragging about their homes. Instead, look at it as your way of getting the information you need to make an informed decision. Also, be sure to check if any financial help might be available.
- Let Your Family Know: Once you choose a senior living location, let your family know what you have decided. Take their opinions on the matter into consideration, but remember, you are doing this for you, not for them. They don’t have to be in love with what you plan and maybe over time will see the wisdom of your choice.
The Presbyterian Senior Living Masterpiece Living approach is designed to enhance the lives of residents, staff and the entire culture of a senior community. Research shows that aging well – both physically and mentally – is largely dependent on lifestyle. Masterpiece Living is our way of ensuring that the people who live on our campuses have the opportunity to challenge themselves across all aspects of their lives, creating stronger balance and fulfillment. We offer successful aging as an achievable goal at all of our CCRCs via this approach.
Following the tips above, you should be able to explore your choices and map out a plan to make certain that your senior years can be the best ones yet.
