Home Sweet Home
Do Your Homework to Find the
Retirement Community That is Right For You

By Maura Keller

Not long ago, when older people became frail and disabled, they often had few alternatives but to enter a nursing home. Today, things are changing. For one thing, people are simply living longer due to advances in medicine and preventive health. It’s more common today, as opposed to 50 years ago, to see people live very active lifestyles into their 90s. As a result, there are a wealth of retirement communities available for seniors of all ages and abilities. So what’s the key to finding the retirement community that’s right for you or your loved one? Doing your homework, of course.

Options Abound

Today’s retirement communities are more than just a residence with meals and recreational activities. Rather, many of today’s retirement communities offer resort-like amenities with ample opportunity for independence and assistance when you need it. Most retirement communities’ core mission involves encouraging independence, enabling choice, preserving dignity, celebrating individuality, nurturing the spirit and involving family and friends.

“There are so many options,” says Shelley Laurel, director of marketing and communications at SeniorLiving.Net. “Many offer a full continuum of care from independent living through long-term care. Some even have their own home care and hospice.” Increasingly, resort-like stand-alone independent living and assisted living communities are the residence of choice for many active seniors.

As Jan Cullinane, co-author of The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life, explains, the different types of retirement communities include:

• CCRCs (Continuing care retirement communities)
• NORCs (Naturally occurring retirement communities – communities where neighbors have stayed and aged)
• Active adult or age-restricted communities
• Interest-specific communities geared for such interests as horses, golf, health, astronomy, and photography
  “You can live on a ship (such as the World of ResidenSea), live in an RV (as one woman told me – ‘If you don’t like your neighbors, you can pick up and move’),” Cullinane says. “Fly-in communities have a runway and a number of CCRCs are connected to universities.”

In addition residents throughout many facilities enjoy such things as an elegant community dining room, 24-hour bistro, manicured landscaping and gardens, plus a full-service beauty/barber shop.

Key Evaluations

Laurel encourages seniors and their families to consider finances, levels of care, and geography when choosing a retirement community.

For example, if your family member moves to a particular community, how long can they afford to stay there?
Independent retirement communities aside, the median length of stay in assisted living is 21 months. Can you afford that? Remember too, if the senior needs more care in the future, that will increase their costs. Does the community have a higher level of care on-site or a plan for what to do if a resident needs additional services?
“Geography is more important to some families than others,” Laurel says. “We encourage families to be willing to drive a bit further if it means their loved one will be in a community with better care.”

Key steps in the process include:

1. Obtain a referral. Once a senior’s specific needs and interests are determined, friends and neighbors can be valuable resources to obtaining referral of good retirement communities in your area. You can also ask your doctor about retirement communities that he or she believes will meet your ongoing needs.
   
2. Explore the amenities and architectural elements. “One important consideration is that the retirement home should incorporate principles of universal design such as a curbless shower, first floor master or elevator if multiple floors, comfort height toilet seats, wider hallways, rocker switches, non-slip flooring, and higher counters,” Cullinane says. “Of course, cost is a big factor, and the opportunity for social support from other residents in the community is critical.”
   In addition to universal design elements, Cullinane recommends seniors determine the facility’s proximity to an airport and that good medical facilities are within a reasonable distance. Explore the cultural and recreational opportunities and evaluate the feeling that you “fit” in the community.
   “A walkable community also is very attractive to many people,” Cullinane says. “Cost of living in the area is important for most people, as well as opportunities for lifelong learning and volunteering.”
   
3. Evaluate services. You want to know that the retirement community you choose places a premium on meeting residents’ safety and basic-care needs. This means you should tour as many facilities as it takes to find one that seems to fit the needs, as well as the personality of you or your family member. “The personality of a community can really only be determined by getting inside,” Laurel says. “If you work with a care advisor who knows the industry and the communities, they might need to only look at 2 or 3. If they are going it alone without an advisor, it might take 7 or 10 visits.”
   
4. Evaluate the staff. Quality staff is a key indicator of quality care. “How well a community is staffed, how experienced the staff is, how long they have been at the community, and how much ongoing training is provided are all important elements,” Laurel says. “Ask how many staff are on duty at a time and how long have they been employed at the community.
   
5. Evaluate the activities. Also explore what the community does to enhance quality of life for its residents. Is there a strong program services calendar full of meaningful (versus busy) activities? Are there opportunities for residents to go on trips in to the community? Are there volunteers who spend time with residents? Are there activities for less mobile residents? Are religious services available for those that desire them? Are there evening and weekend programs?
   
6. Determine payment terms. Personal concerns aside, cost is one of your most important considerations. Make sure you understand all terms and any restrictions that might apply, plus what is included in initial or monthly payments vs. fee for service. Be sure to get all services and fees in writing.
   When evaluating assisted living facilities, the admissions counselors can help you determine if you qualify for Medicare or Medicaid. Medicare certification guarantees that the retirement community is held accountable by the federal government for the care of the residents. Medicare regulations also require certified nursing home-style communities to provide skilled rehabilitation services including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.
   
7. Check out state survey report or a report by the Better Business Bureau. This may be one of the most valuable pieces of information you can use in evaluating a retirement community. At assisted living facilities, state surveyors make unannounced visits, talk to residents, observe care, check sanitary conditions and investigate complaints. They then issue a report that may contain a statement of deficiencies plus a plan of correction
   that the retirement community has agreed to (www.health.state.mn.us). You can also check out the rating of independent senior communities with the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org).

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