Active Senior Living Communities

Active Living Options

If you’re a healthy and active older adult, you may want to remain in your home — until it becomes more than you can handle. Maybe you added safety features, but it’s way too big now for you to live comfortably. Granted it’s tough to leave the home you raised your family in and a neighborhood you’ve grown attached to. But is the upkeep worth it? Maybe you just want a change. If so, you have plenty of options.

Active living communities are designed for active and healthy seniors who can live independently. These people might not want the burden of home ownership. You can live in a smaller home, condo, townhouse, apartment complex, motor home, or mobile home. Senior active living communities can be found all over the nation. Note that they usually don’t provide health care support. Residents usually take care of their own cooking, laundry, and housekeeping as well.

Like a traditional neighborhood but with age restrictions, 55-plus active communities provide more services. Staff usually maintain property and common areas in terms of grass maintenance and snow removal. These 55-and-up communities usually have a clubhouse or central gathering space. And they might offer transportation, laundry service, group meals, and social and cultural activities.

Senior Apartments

Active seniors can also choose to live in a senior apartment complex. Active senior apartments are traditional apartment communities where each resident has their own, private space. Live with people your own age and participate in activities designed especially for you. Apartments are beneficial for two important reasons. They tend to cost significantly less than other locations because they are smaller. Yet, they are ideal for anyone who may not want to have a large home to take care of.

Senior apartments are generally available to rent, but some can be purchased. Many are in high-end locations and offer modern updates and amenities. Others are smaller or less feature-driven. Be sure to consider the layout, the amount of space you need, the amenities available to you, and the location. If it fits your goals and your lifestyle, a senior apartment could be an excellent choice. It offers flexibility, privacy, and the independence you want without all of the hard work that typically goes with owning a home.

Independent Living Communities

Independent retirement communities are usually larger and can provide many amenities. These communities are designed for couples or individuals who want to be with others their age who seek a vibrant, active lifestyle. Here you can live independently in a single-family home, condo, townhome, or even an apartment.

Many offer clubhouses to congregate in, fitness classes and lessons, and game days. Amenities might include hair salons and laundry facilities. Meal plans, housekeeping, and transportation might be offered at additional costs. Many independent living communities are pet-friendly, too, although there might be limits on the number of pets you bring.

Independent living retirement communities, or active retirement communities, are designed to give you plenty to do. You can join clubs ranging from intellectual to crafting. Tour various cities on bus tours together and engage in a wide range of programs. As active communities with lots of perks and amenities, those who live here enjoy a high quality of life.

55-plus Senior Communities

When you choose a 55-plus community, you are living amongst your peers who are over the age of 55. Often called independent living communities, older adults in these communities require no help with activities of daily living.

What distinguishes them from other communities is that 55-plus communities restrict individuals from living in homes if they are younger than the acceptable age. So, you won’t have to reside next door to college kids having loud parties or residences with young families making lots of noise. Grandchildren might visit occasionally, but by and large these communities are for older adults.

Some 55-plus communities contract out with homecare professional services. (But if you need regular custodial care for grooming, showering, prepping for meals, or medical care, you might look into assisted living communities.) Seniors benefit from living in 55-plus communities by being among like-minded people. Often made up of single-family homes where you own the home outright, you can also choose from other options, like a community that is made up of condos or townhomes, too.

When choosing a 55-plus community, seniors should consider what their priorities are. Each community offers different features and activities for seniors, but they usually offer amenities like fitness centers and communal gathering spaces. Most provide seniors with programs so they can participate in and enjoy social activities.

What's Right for Me?

This is a big question for many seniors and worth careful consideration. The answer may take weeks or even months of thought. To start, take an inventory of your life now that you're retired. Here are some basic questions to ask yourself:

• Are you happy in your home and neighborhood?
• Do you dread yard work in the summer heat and shoveling snow all winter?
• Are the many bedrooms and bathrooms too much to clean?
• Do you live close to family and grandchildren?
• Do your friends still live near you?
• Do you enjoy living in a mixed-age neighborhood?
• Financially, are you secure in your present home?
• Are property taxes too much?
• Do you need to downsize?
• Would you rather live with other active seniors?
• Would you rather live close to the water, mountains, in the country or in a city?
• Do you think you’d be most comfortable in an active living community, 55-plus community or bigger independent living community?

How Do I Pay for Active Senior Living?

If you or you and your spouse opt for an active senior living community, what is the best way to pay for it? Most of the time, this type of community won’t provide medical care or medical assistance. For this reason, Medicare and Medicaid are unlikely to cover the costs associated with living there.

Many seniors tap into their current home’s equity or sell their existing home to purchase a new one in the active living community. Most want to downsize after their children have moved out, and an active senior community is an attractive option. The homes tend to be smaller and easier to maintain, giving you more time to engage in the wide range of activities taking place within and around the location.

It’s often possible to purchase these homes using a traditional mortgage. Other options for funding an active senior living community include long-term care insurance, personal savings, military loans, and VA benefits. Check what’s available to you and speak with trusted local resources.

Are There Active Senior Living Spaces Near Me?

Most regions today have more than one active senior living community. They might consist of small, single buildings with apartments or condos within them or large communities rich with amenities. As most active senior communities will market their location both online and locally, you can begin your research on Google to gain more insight about the best options for your needs.

Other ways to find active senior living communities near you:

• Ask family, friends, and neighbors for recommendations.
• If you have a local senior center nearby, ask about locations that may be available to you.
• Contact your local Area Agency on Aging. Focused mostly on helping seniors remain in their homes, they also have a wealth of information on independent living communities across the country.
• One of our most valuable resources, our senior living directory, can help you find the senior living and care options tailored to your needs. You can also speak to one of our trained senior living consultants.

Senior Living by the Numbers

Here are some interesting statistics about older adults and senior living communities:

• About 57.8 million seniors live in the United States.
• Most seniors live in California, Florida, and Texas, respectively. The lowest number of seniors reside in Alaska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
• The U.S. has approximately 30,600 assisted living facilities.
• The U.S. has 15,300 nursing homes.
• There are 19,324 retirement community businesses in the U.S. as of 2023.
• The U.S. has more than 2,000 active adult communities featuring housing for seniors that offers community and activities.

Physical Activities for Seniors

Active senior living is just one aspect of maintaining health. So how do you remain active and healthy as you age? For starters, you should make good nutrition a priority. Food delivery services take away the burden of in-store shopping, prepping, and cooking. Additionally, be sure to make regular exercise part of your day for healthy aging. The CDC says older adults need more physical activity, with inactivity highest in those with one or more chronic disease.

By increasing movement and physical activity, you’ll have more energy, your mood will improve, and daily activities will become easier. Exercise especially benefits people with arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Consult a doctor before starting any new activity.

Here are other physical activities and fun options for movement for mature adults:

• Walking or jogging
• Swimming or aqua aerobics
• Cycling
• Yoga or Pilates
• Strength training
• Stretching
• Cross-country skiing
• Tai Chi
• Line, square, or ballroom dancing
• Golfing
• Pickleball

Leisure Activities for Healthy Aging

To help balance your physical activities, here are some leisure activity suggestions:

• Become a volunteer. What are your interests? People? Animals? Art? History? The environment? For every interest, there’s an organization needing your help.
• Join a book club. This is a great way to meet new people, socialize, and keep your mind engaged.
• Put that wisdom to good use. Mentor a child. These programs are often run through libraries, churches, and organizations like Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
• Work in a community (co-op) garden. You’ll get your hands dirty in the soil while meeting new people. Plus, you’ll get to eat the fruits (and veggies) of your labor.
• Get involved in civic activities. Think about canvassing with a nonprofit that does voter registration or a candidate for some political campaigning.
• Take enrichment classes at your local college. There are subjects for every interest — learn to paint, write, or program computers.