Benefits of Retirement Community Living

Coming from a Chinese family, the thought of having my parents live in a retirement home was never appealing to me. In Chinese culture, unlike American culture, there’s a sense that family, rather than government (Social Security, pensions?), takes care of the elderly members of the family. That’s not to say all Americans send their grandparents to the retirement home, just that it happens more often. However, as I’ve been reading about retirement communities (and also homes), I see there’s a tremendous benefit to living with people who are in the same age demographic as you, rather than with children. It still hasn’t changed my mentality but it certainly opened my eyes to the benefits.

Events
Since a retirement home or community is full of folks in the same age demographic, it likely has events that cater to those individuals. Bingo nights, dancing nights, and movie nights really increase the level of social activity ones experiences and, to be honest, would be fun for almost anyone not looking to get drunk at a bar. This level of social activity is crucial when you reach retirement because it gives you something entertaining to do.

Quiet
A community without the younger demographic is one that will naturally be quieter! A quiet lifestyle, if that’s what one prefers, is one you’ll generally find in a retirement community and not necessarily find in a “regular” community.

Affordable
If you look up housing pricing for retirement communities, you’ll find that the homes there are affordable because they are catering to the fixed income crowd. So not only do you get the events and the peace and quiet, but you get a more affordable home too!

###

The 149th Carnival of Personal Finance is now available!