A senior couple poses in front of a house

Are you ready to downsize so you can upsize your lifestyle? Many seniors are aging in place, however there comes a time that you may have too much home in size and maintenance duties and want to downsize to a more manageable living situation. Moving to a Senior Living Community may offer you more freedom to enjoy life by releasing some of your everyday chores and housing concerns.

Independent Living communities are senior housing communities designed for independent seniors that desire the conveniences of community living. These communities offer a senior lifestyle filled with recreational, educational and social opportunities. Independent Living Communities may also called “Retirement Communities”, “Congregate Living” or “Senior Apartments”.

Some communities offer an enriched lifestyle with recreational and educational opportunities (Congregate Living or Retirement Communities), while others provide housing with only a minimal amount of amenities or services (Senior Apartments). Both types of independent living allow seniors more time to themselves and less time performing home maintenance and yard work.

Independent senior living communities are not licensed and offer a variety of services from place to place. They usually have a minimum age requirement and rent on a month-to-month or lease contract. The key is, they are “independent” senior living communities, meaning they DO NOT provide medical care. Most will arrange for home health services if needed on a temporary basis, however, when a resident requires extensive on-going medical care, they may become ineligible to live in the independent living community.

Independent Senior Living Communities typically offer full kitchens, some meals in a common dining room, housekeeping, paid utilities (except for telephone and cable), laundry facilities, 24 hour staffing, and private area for resident use. Some communities offer other ancillary services such as medication reminders, pet walking, laundry services, etc. There are some are affiliated with churches, schools or other community programs.

In future articles we will talk about Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing and Rehab, and Continuing Care Retirement Communities.

If you have any questions about downsizing or receive a copy of our “Downsizing Made Easy” guide, Please Contact the Sullivan & Sullivan Team.

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