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| The Basics | 6 ways to find the right senior community
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The 55-plus crowd increasingly has a choice besides noisy, kid-filled neighborhoods and assisted-living facilities. Planned boomer communities offer everything from yard maintenance to doctors on call.
By Steve McLinden, Bankrate.com
Age-restricted, age-targeted, 55-plus, active-adult, independent-living ...
All are names for assorted new senior housing communities and buildings that are cropping up all around the country to satisfy the healthier, more active modern species of seniors who continue to redefine the word "retirement."
The giant and graying boomer demographic has finally turned the term "geezer" into "power broker," it seems.
Not everyone is a snowbird
While the Sun Belt still leads the senior circuit in housing options, the North is now enjoying an explosion of construction tailored to the thousands who wish to remain in familiar surroundings to be near their kids, grandkids and their native culture.
Even senior-housing giant Del Webb, known for its sprawling "Sun City" communities that span thousands of acres in the South and West, is building smaller developments near the longtime homes of retirees and semi-retirees in such northern climes as North Ridgeville, Ohio, and Brownstone, Mich., where themed Del Webb developments are slated to open by early 2006.
In fact, chilly Illinois ranked second only to California in the number of new senior housing projects, with 28 in 2004 compared to 41 in the Golden State, according to the American Seniors Housing Association.
More than ever, 55-plus communities are appearing in multiple manifestations. Some are heavy on recreation, with golf courses, scenic vistas, water features, walking paths, swimming pools and even "tot lots" for visiting grandkids. Many also offer security, meals, scheduled transportation and outings, housekeeping, and a wide variety of healthcare services ranging from on-call doctors and nurses to assisted care.
But the one thing all 55-and-ups want in their new community is to be masters of their domain.
"Seniors definitely want more control over their lives, especially now that life seems to be more unpredictable than ever," says Dr. Stephen Golant, a gerontologist and national senior housing expert at the University of Florida's Institute on Aging. "That's what these age-restricted condos and communities offer. They are controlled in the sense of upkeep, in who can live there and what can come up around them. There are no unpleasant surprises."
Although construction of assisted-living facilities has slowed since the 1990s, demand for their younger cousins, the active 55-plus developments, hasn't. In a recent survey of pre-retirees conducted by The MetLife Mature Market Institute and AARP Health Care, nearly half of the respondents say their interest in moving to an "Active Adult Community" -- defined as an age-group-targeted development providing maintenance-free living and social activities -- rates a 4 on a 5-point scale. Over two-thirds say they'd prefer either an adult retirement community or senior home/apartment, if they can't stay in their current homes.
What to look for
Golant stresses that the quality and standards of age-restricted communities, much like assisted-care facilities, "vary greatly from state to state and city to city, even though legislators would like to think there is consistency. It's not a uniform product."
That's why he and other senior advocates stress the importance of comparison shopping.
"People will spend more time shopping for a car or a briefcase than they will for something far more important, such as looking for a community that best suits their needs," he says.- Look beyond amenities: Recreation is important, but health-care access, mobility issues, educational opportunities and any special property-tax allowances for seniors may also be significant.
- Make a checklist of wants, questions and concerns: Cover them thoroughly with the salesperson, agent or tour guide. Examples: Do you want a gated community? A guarded entry? Ready access to mass transportation? What are association dues and what do they cover? What maintenance is offered? Are there any landscaping or gardening restrictions? Pet restrictions? Is the garage heated? If meals are served, are there offerings for your restricted diet? Is there a grocery-delivery service? What types of restaurants deliver? Is there a laundry service? How close is desirable shopping? Will friends and family be welcome at all hours?
- Seek universal senior-design elements: A first-floor bedroom, wider hallways and wider doorways will come in handy, as will bathroom support bars, nonslip tubs and floors. Picture yourself in the home in 10 to 15 years and acknowledge that circumstances will likely change.
- Know the difference between "age-restricted" and "age-targeted." Age-restricted usually means 80% of residents must be age 55 or older, while age-targeted is designed with senior-friendly amenities, but has no age restrictions.
- Make repeat visits. Observe your prospective senior community or building at varying times. Is its culture or political make-up compatible with yours? Will you miss the presence of children and other young people?
- Extra-credit homework: Visit the Internet and bookstores. Resources such as Retirement Living Information Center, Retirement Net and David Savageau's book, "Retirement Places Rated," may assist in the decision-making process.
Redefining retirement
Many in active-adult communities work full-time or part-time, including Helen Barakauskas, a senior real estate specialist with Prestige Properties. She returned to her native Connecticut for semi-retirement in 1999 and found a new career and lifestyle. "The whole concept of 55-and-over communities was a new concept here at the time. But I was one of the first to get into this one and I have loved it. Everybody here seems to have similar interests, and so many people are around during the day, which helps make it safer. You feel more secure going off on vacation."
Barakauskas is a resident of the 55-plus O'Meara Farms in Farmington, Conn., where she owns a 2,000-square-foot detached condo maintained by an association. "You have a separate house and you don't have to worry about upkeep. It snowed five inches last night, and my driveway was cleared by 7 a.m. this morning."
Barakauskas says her community doesn't have a swimming pool, but it does appeal to people who are avid gardeners.
Before taking the plunge in any new community, Barakauskas recommends seniors get a full financial analysis and income evaluation from a professional planner.
If money doesn't skew the equation, "there's really no right or wrong answer on what the best 55-plus communities are," says Dennis Kaiser, a senior specialist with ReMax Associates of San Diego. "It all comes down to what kind of lifestyle you want, and if you want to escape all the noise, vehicles, boom boxes and loud parties. Just do your research.
"The only real minus side I hear about these communities is that 'everybody is too old.' And that comes from people who are about the same age as the residents. I guess we just don't picture ourselves as being old."
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