What Is the Best Age to Move to a Retirement Community?
As you reach retirement age (or maybe you’re already there!), you may be thinking about your future and what it might look like. One of the most important decisions is where you’ll live. Retirement communities offer an opportunity to live in a vibrant and active community where you can enjoy new experiences and make new friends. But when is the best time to move to a retirement community? While many consider waiting until they require more assistance with daily living activities, you’ll find many advantages to moving to a retirement community while you’re active and independent. Woodland Pond at New Paltz is an excellent example of a community that empowers you to thrive at any age.
Common misconceptions about retirement communities
When some people hear “senior living” or “retirement community,” they think “nursing home” — envisioning a place for those who are sick, frail or unable to care for themselves. This may have been true at one time, but nowadays it couldn’t be further from reality. Modern retirement communities, like Woodland Pond, offer an active lifestyle with almost unlimited opportunities for socializing, learning and exploring new interests.
Another misconception is that you may lose your independence when you move to a retirement community. But we think you’ll find when you visit and talk with our residents that the opposite is true. Retirement communities like Woodland Pond offer independent living options that enable you to maintain your independence while also providing programs and services to engage your mind, body and spirit. Many of our residents who are well past “retirement age” continue to drive, work, volunteer and maintain active lives off campus while also taking advantage of the many opportunities and comforts of a 62+ plus community. Our independent living residents don’t need help, instead they can appreciate the joy and extra time that a maintenance-free lifestyle affords them. We take care of mowing the lawn, home maintenance, cooking and housekeeping so you can spend your time exactly how you’d like to.
Advantages of moving to a retirement community at an earlier age
Moving to a retirement community at an earlier age (from retirement age into your mid-70s) has several benefits. For one, you can take full advantage of the many amenities and services offered, such as our 24-hour fitness center, indoor heated pool, performing arts center, multiple on-site dining venues and so much more. You’ll also have more time to make friends and build relationships with other residents, which can be beneficial for your social and emotional well-being.
Another advantage is peace of mind. Many retirement communities, like Woodland Pond, offer a continuum of care. Woodland Pond is a continuing care retirement community (CCRC, also called a lifeplan community), which includes independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation all on one campus. This means that you won’t have to worry about moving to a new community if your health needs change in the future. Need rehabilitation after a hip or knee replacement? You can come right back home to Woodland Pond and receive therapy here.
In fact, Woodland Pond is the only not-for-profit CCRC in the Mid-Hudson Valley. As a not-for-profit organization, we reinvest profits into the community for the benefit of our residents.
The health and financial benefits of lifecare
Unlike other retirement communities in the area, Woodland Pond is unique in offering a lifecare option to those who move into Woodland Pond’s independent living. Lifecare is an add-on option that guarantees you’ll have access to health care services at predictable rates for the rest of your life. If you ever need additional care, such as assisted living or memory care, you’ll receive these on-site services at about the same monthly fee you pay for independent living — a big savings over the market rate. With lifecare, you won’t have to worry about rising health care costs or market fluctuations affecting your ability to afford the care you need. Your retirement assets like 401(k) and Roth IRA funds are protected against these increased costs.
Those who choose to move into a retirement community later in life when they need additional help will pay the current market rates for assisted living, memory care or skilled nursing. Learn more about the details of lifecare.
See all Woodland Pond has to offer
You don’t have to take our word for it — come see for yourself! Reach out to receive more information or to schedule a tour. You might find you’re exactly the right age to make a move!
